Another Newbie - how to buy a Winnebago?

[Finhawk]

Originally Posted by Cruizer Bill

I called Winnebago and they emailed me a complete list of the MSRP for the RV and all options. I had it in my hands within one hour! THey were so friendly and helpful! I am now contacting some dealers, learning what to expect. THis is a learning process for sure. Bill

I purchased my Meridian from Roy Robinson in Marysville. Good honest folks to deal with, Good for after purchase service also. I am very satisfied with them

[two-niner]

We made our deal over the internet & phone. Knew exactly what we wanted after many, many shows. Gave our AMEX# and a $2.5K fully refundable deposit. Drove from Las Vegas to Tampa. Coach was even better than expected.
Dealer had both 2012 & 2013's on lot. DW wanted propane stove (who am I to argue?) the 2013 was all electric, so it was a 2012 Tour which was the reason we drove that far that we drove off the lot.

It's only my opinion...The 2012 Tour is light years ahead of coaches costing much more. Winnebago does not slather on coat after coat of "high gloss" for the "Wow" factor. I admit, while searching, the "Wow" impressed me. Due diligence said otherwise. There are still 2012's on the lots, if you like brown/tan paint.

Kerry

[IntenseJ]

Originally Posted by jerichorick

:welcome: Glad you have joined us.

First, most of us with financial restraints, don't recommend buying new.

Sometimes it pays to be lucky. We've been passively keeping our eyes open for a year or two and we found an '01 Journey 32T on the side of the road that an old timer was parting with. 62K miles on it, and the inside was immaculate. If not for some sun fading on the vinyl graphics it would look new. He even had brand new tires put on before he hung the "for sale" sign in it. Picked it up about 33% below bluebook, and for 25% of the cost of a new one.

Moral of my 2 cents, it pays to be patient. It's a big purchase, and those salesmen have a way of getting you in the carpe diem frame of mind.

Jeremy

[john 01]

Originally Posted by Cruizer Bill

My wife and I have been doing some traveling/camping the past 8 years using a van conversion and we are now thinking of moving up to a motorhome.

When we go to the RV shows we are beset upon by skilled salesmen/women who all tout their product as the "finest made" and the competition is sorely lacking in comparison! We then are presented with MSRP stickers that are astronomical! Being newbies to the motorhome world, we tell them we are not even close to making a purchase decision yet and that, of course, disappoints them.

Searching around the internet, we find that some RV brands are sold by large, high volume dealerships that offer large discounts. We have not seen this from the dealers selling Winnebago/Itasca. How does someone get a fair price on a Winnebago motorhome if there is not much apparent competition? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My email account for those wishing to contact me privately is:
CruizerBill at yahoo.com (change that to normal email protocol, I am trying to get around the robots!).

Thanks!
Bill

Bill,
My wife and I just traded our motor home on a new Winnebago Journey 40u, we purchased this at an RV show, I do not recommend buying the coach that is at the RV show on display, to much traffic threw it and broken items from inconsiderate people.
We delivered it to the dealer in NY for 2 days, he has repaired all but one small item, we really love it.
as far as purchase price--we acquired this coach for 35% off sticker, it only took 4 phone calls.
We just told the salesman what we were about to purchase and the price but liked the Journey better but couldn't afford it, within 4 calls he was 5,000 less than what we were going to buy and gave us more than we were going to get for our trade.
Best of luck
Happy Camping
John/Danni/BUDDY (POODLE)

[George Lewis]

Bill, you can go to a manufactures web site and "build" your motorhome. This gives you the retail price. Most dealers will give you 25% off this price to start with. With no trade (they will give wholesale on a trade or less) you are in the drivers seat. Decide what you want and shop around. If you can get 30% off you are doing fine....Motor Home Specialists in Alvarado, TX starts at 25% off and goes from there. When a sales person says their product is better than any other....they are lying to you....they just don't know, just saying anything to get your money. Make a resonable offer, if they don't take it, walk away after giving them your phone number.....you will receive a call in a day or two..ha ha

Shopping if fun, enjoy it and be firm. Some are better than other's but most all m/h have problems of some sort. A good dealer is important too....good luck.

I have been shopping for a DP for 18 months, reading the posts on this and other sites after selecting the floorplan we like. The one manufacture we liked has so many slide problems, we are passing on the one we really like. And away we go.....

[jerichorick]

John,

We bought our 40U in May. Yes, used has its own issues that are also correctable. We also love our floorplan and features. Only wish we had the electric locks on the basement doors. We have the vinyl tiles and like them over the ceramic. Warmer to walk on and more forgiving when you drop something. We bought a refurbished Dyson DC44 and it works great in this environment. I mounted it next to the sink in the shower room.

Many manufactures have similar floor plans now but Winnebago was the first as far as I know. In the longer coach it would be the QD or E. Our 40' is just right for what we do. Fun to drive and fantastic to live in.

Happy trails are so much easier when the equipment is right.

Rick

[follows]

Someone told me that Winnebago requires their dealers to only show MSRP for new models. This is why you don't see discounted prices on the Internet for Winnebago coaches but you do for other manufacturers.

[rream]

Originally Posted by follows

Someone told me that Winnebago requires their dealers to only show MSRP for new models. This is why you don't see discounted prices on the Internet for Winnebago coaches but you do for other manufacturers.

True but Camping World sales locations seem to be the exception - I have seen this in printed ads in the past

[camaraderie]

This is called MAP pricing...minimum advertised price which the MFR. Controls. You CAN see lower than list pricing on OLDER (2013 etc.) models that are no longer current in the line AND on mfr specials like the recent Vista 26HE promo for $69,999.
Other than that...what you see on line should be what you see on the sticker.

[Cruizer Bill]

Update: I have now received three quotes from dealers with strong internet presence. Their quotes have all been in the range of 23-to-24% off MSRP. This is excellent news to us and we will order a new motorhome in January with pickup in March. Thanks for your help everyone! There is a learning curve to this process and you helped us out!

[mrfish]

Don't forget to look at a leftover. Same warranty and sometimes you can save big bucks. Keep checking on the net and see what dealers are discounting these. If your not in a hurry this may help however be prepared to jump on one if the price is right.

[WineLuvrs]

Originally Posted by Hikerdogs

Rather than spending money then finding out you don't like the product try renting first. We rented several motorhomes ( both class A and class C) before we made our first purchase. It was an education at a less expensive price. We quickly found out which features were necessary and which ones we weren't interested in.

It made buying our first motorhome easier. We already knew what we wanted and what we could live without. The salesman wasn't going to talk us into options we didn't want, and we weren't going to buy something that didn't offer the things we thought were necessary.

Second that. rent, borrow, or beg but try before you buy.

[Ramzfan]

As the owner of six motorhomes in the past, I would recommend that you look at the used market first and do some shopping, none of it in a hurry. Look at Ebay and several of the online sites. I have purchased one new, one from a used dealer and the others all off of Ebay. Just make sure that you do a thorough inspection yourself before buying. If you do not feel qualified, take someone with you that is qualified.

[seas2sail]

One item we did when we were shopping for our Winnebago was we met with the Winnebago Regional Sales Rep at one of the RV Expos. He emailed me a price list for the model we were interested in, which included all the options. I used a spreadsheet to choose what we wanted and then used that to compare that to units on their lot or if we needed to order one. The dealer was like the ones people have mentioned in this thread, the price we agreed to was 25% off list.

[Tom-NC]

Hi,
I agree with all the above posts but would like to add one if you want to buy new and that is go to a Camping World/Good Sam Rally and you can see the new model year coaches plus show prices are usually very good. I just bought a 2014 Adventurer 35 footer and got a great deal plus they also give you a lot of extra perks.

There is one thing I would like to mention to you as this coach is my fourth Winnebago is the factory tour in Forest City, Iowa is a must and their service there is super. Also the standard features on a Winnebago are great and you should go to their website: www.winnebagoind.com for more info. After you purchase a Winnebago you can also download the diagrams and the exact parts list for your rv.

I know I'm prejudiced about Winnebago but still believe they build a fine motorhome plus they have been doing it for a long time and practice makes perfect.

GOOD LUCK!

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Tom-NC

Hi,

I know I'm prejudiced about Winnebago but still believe they build a fine motorhome plus they have been doing it for a long time and practice makes perfect.

GOOD LUCK!

Up to recently I did agree with you. Now my thoughts and loyalty are being challenged because of what I am seeing for issues with new Winnebagos and Itascas. At this very moment I am waiting for volunteers to join me in their brand new Winnebago. This is their shakedown voyage. They are three days late at this time because of problems and delays at dealers along the way. The issues are often quality control in nature and are service affecting.

Just this morning I noticed a bottom panel drooping from one of the cabinets. This is the second cabinet to have this problem. It is one of the many quality control issues I have found with this coach since we bought it in May.

I hope the Winnebago Industries continues. They will if all of the competitors quality control issues remain worse than theirs. But that is a bad place for future buyers to be in. If across the industry quality control continues to falter, what is the future for the industry as a whole? Will entry level and mid-class coaches go the way of the dodo?

[nova 42qd]

Price is only part of the equation. A good price from a dealer with poor service is no bargain. These are complex vehicles so you want a dealer you can rely on.

I think you will be hard pressed to find 30% off deals on new unless you live in the Northern US, its winter and the dealer wants to move it - also if the color combo is unusual.

We bought a one year old model for almost 50% off list price. It was like new with only 7K miles. It was an unusual situation in that the dealer had sold it to the original buyer and bought it back from them when the man became ill. As a result we had the entire service history. This revealed the other advantage for buying used. A number of the bugs appear to have been worked out of the coach by the previous owner.

From my research I think Winnebago is the best - hence you don't see a lot of price competition. The other advantage buying Winnebago is you can get parts for years to come and service is available all over the place - not so with some other brands. An important consideration when you are on the road.

Good Luck!

[jerichorick]

The major question about service departments on most of the RVs, big or small, driven or pulled, Winne or not, is are you going to get it fixed correctly? All of the service departments I have dealt with have been a problem, except for one and the factory. I have been down right lied to about repairs being completed. In my opinion, make your best deal and then RUN. Don't expect good service but do insist that the problem be fixed in a timely manner. Once the rig is in the shop call and visit often. Sometimes getting to know the personal in a positive light helps to put a 'care factor' into the work.

Happy trails,
Rick

[nova 42qd]

Originally Posted by jerichorick

The major question about service departments on most of the RVs, big or small, driven or pulled, Winne or not, is are you going to get it fixed correctly? All of the service departments I have dealt with have been a problem, except for one and the factory. I have been down right lied to about repairs being completed. In my opinion, make your best deal and then RUN. Don't expect good service but do insist that the problem be fixed in a timely manner. Once the rig is in the shop call and visit often. Sometimes getting to know the personal in a positive light helps to put a 'care factor' into the work.

Happy trails,
Rick

Your experience is unfortunate. You have to look at the reputation and qualifications for the dealer service department. My experience to date has been very good with the dealer we purchased from. The dealer has received Winnebago's top service excellence award each year for the last 15 years. This should be an indication of their competence.

Finally this dealer has been ranked in independent surveys as the #1 dealer in the state not only in terms of Sales but also for Service. I think that indicates a lot of people are happy.

Not everyone has a dealer with a good reputation near them. I suppose if all other things are equal go with price but I would be very uneasy purchasing one of these rigs off the internet from an unknown entity that I could not go back to if there were problems. These vehicles are very complex. Where do you go if you have problems with one of these internet purchases? For many people its not feasible to go to the factory in Iowa.

[Luckiest Dreamer]

Originally Posted by nova 42qd

Price is only part of the equation. A good price from a dealer with poor service is no bargain. These are complex vehicles so you want a dealer you can rely on.

I think you will be hard pressed to find 30% off deals on new unless you live in the Northern US, its winter and the dealer wants to move it - also if the color combo is unusual.

We bought a one year old model for almost 50% off list price. It was like new with only 7K miles. It was an unusual situation in that the dealer had sold it to the original buyer and bought it back from them when the man became ill. As a result we had the entire service history. This revealed the other advantage for buying used. A number of the bugs appear to have been worked out of the coach by the previous owner.

From my research I think Winnebago is the best - hence you don't see a lot of price competition. The other advantage buying Winnebago is you can get parts for years to come and service is available all over the place - not so with some other brands. An important consideration when you are on the road.

Good Luck!

I have an 2012 Journey 40U advertised in the classified section on this forum. After you find that you cannot get the deal that this poster received and you want to buy a well maintained excellent Winnebago take a look at mine and see if we can work out a deal.