Camping Companions

Are you Really Saving $$$ at the RV Show?

Blog By Camping Companions – Kevin & Amy

It is Prime RV Show Season here in the Northeast. Cold temps keep prospective buyers indoors, so RV Dealerships need to get creative in order to move inventory to make room for the new models coming in.

This is where having a show comes in. Dealers tempt prospective buyers with promises of BIG Savings all inside a large, well heated environment. Our local show claims to have 9 different dealerships participating, which means you should be able to work one against the other for the best deal, right? Well…. not exactly.

First, when researching what dealerships were going to be there, we found that 9 dealers was not correct. There were only 8 listed and two of them were the same dealership from different locations. Next we learned that the Dealers will work together to minimize instances of showing the same Make & Model. So maybe you really don’t have the competitive advantage after all.

Next, we chose 3 popular camper models, 1 travel trailer, one 5th wheel, and 1 Class B. We made notes of Year, Make, Model, and show price, and then scurried home to start the search. One of the vehicles was listed on the same dealers website for the same amount as the show price. Guess what else we learned? We learned that we were able to find better deals outside of the show in every instance! Do you wonder why? Well, let me tell you.

Shows cost Big Money to put on. Renting a space large enough to hold all of those campers can be very expensive. Advertising is another large expense. They won’t get a lot of traffic if no one knows about it. Next you have additional people to pay, banners, music, table rental, signage and more. That extra expense has to be recouped somewhere, and it is likely in that shiny new camper you have your eye on.

When shopping for the best price, we suggest you know what you are looking for before you get to a show. Find out what the average cost of one is and then negotiate the selling price. Make sure the extremely low show price offered doesn’t have extra fees such as document fees and dealer prep fees tacked on afterwards. Be prepared to walk away. Often, the dealer will reach out to you after the show with an even better price. Finally, consider how far away from home your dealer is, and what their reputation is like. No one wants to buy from a dealer that won’t stand behind their products, or is hours away from home.

We hope we gave you something to think about so that you get the best deal for your money, and maybe we will meet on the road someday and share your story. Until then, Happy Camping everyone.