How to Compare RV’s and Get the Best Value
From: Jeff Radich
With the advent
of the Internet, you can research dealers, compare prices and features, and
find private sales all around the country. There has never been such a great
opportunity to find so much good information.
As a matter of
fact, one of the most famous RV publications, RV Trader, now has an online site
(http://www.rvtrader.com) that lists
thousands of RVs for sale across the nation. You simply enter what you are
looking for, including the class, make, model, year, price, and options, and at
the click of a button, every RV for sale in this country that is listed with
this popular service is displayed. There are even photos of the RVs that you
can use to compare or learn about different models.
Even if you plan
to buy from a dealer, you can use this feature to compare prices on the make
and model you are planning to buy and see a range of prices and features for
that model and year.
Though there are
many different places to look to find RVs for sale, the best place is probably
the Internet. It is the greatest invention since white bread, and never before
has there been so many options and so much information available in one place.
I hope you will use this wonderful tool to assist you in the complex process of
buying your RV.
In primitive
times, people sold their wares at a centralized marketplace. Today things are
much different, and there is a glut of information and advertising about
everything anyone might buy. The RV market is no different.
Until just
recently, sellers used the newspaper almost exclusively to advertise their RVs.
However, with the rise of the technology age, the Internet has replaced the
newspaper as the spot to find product information and do product searches.
So where do you
start? Where is the best place to go to find the best sale? I will tell you
about many of these so you can begin your search.
Until the last
decade or so, the newspaper was still the best place to look to find RV deals,
either from a private party or from a dealership. If you live in a small town,
you also might want to look in the newspaper from the nearest metropolitan
area. These larger papers usually have a special vehicles section, frequently
on Saturday or Sunday.
These are
specialty magazines that exclusively feature RVs for sale. These have become so
popular that they are now published by region, which helps when you want to
contact the sellers or go to look at an RV.
Some of the most
famous of these publications are the RV Trader and the Trader Times, both of
which can be found at grocery stories, mini-markets, and gas stations.
This handy old
standard, the Yellow Pages, is still the number one place to find local
dealers.
If you select a
particular make and model of RV that best suits you, yet you can’t seem to find
it at any of the local dealerships, contact the manufacturer directly. They
will be more than happy to tell you the nearest dealership that carries their
products. Instead of calling, you can also go to the manufacturer's website and
type in your zip code to locate the nearest dealer.
We talked about
RV shows in Chapter 8, along with the hazards of getting caught up in your
emotions and making a quick decision you will regret later. But there are many
advantages to attending an RV show.
RV dealers from
miles away will attend these shows, and it is a good place to start your search
for a reputable RV dealer and begin the interview process described above. If
at all possible, you want to find a dealer that is a reasonable distance from
where you live.
When you attend
an RV show, just like when you go to an RV dealership, don’t be afraid to ask
questions about the dealership and the products they offer. However, even if
you’re at the show to check out the dealers, you still need to visit the RV
dealer’s physical location before you buy. Don’t allow them to pressure you
with “one time only” offers. Tell them you might be interested in a particular
unit, but you want to visit the dealership before you buy.
Not only will you
find a good selection of RV dealers to check out, but there will also be every
make and model of RV imaginable. RV shows are a great place to do some
comparison shopping.
While these might
seem like good places to go to find a cheap price, there are inherent risks and
problems to buying at an auction or from a bankruptcy court.
When an RV dealer
goes out of business (and there is a good reason they went out of business in
the first place), the existing inventory is auctioned off. This inventory could
be damaged or have other potential problems.
You may or may
not have the opportunity to test drive the RV before you place your bid. As you
have learned, it is critical that you take a test drive before you make any
purchase.
Also, the people
handling the auction or sale might not have all the information you need to
make an informed, smart decision. It is impossible to foretell what you will be
getting into at an auction.
Jeff Radich is a
professional research writer and active RV enthusiast. |
