Doc and Prep Fees, etc.

Greetings all. We’re in the market to trade one Rpod for another and have experienced the all too familiar sticker shock. However, just wondering if anyone out there is successfully negotiating doc and prep fees, some of which total over a thousand dollars. It just seems to us to be an 11th hour money grab on the price and contributes nothing to the overall value of the camper. Thoughts?

What you can do is tell them you need to know the total out the door price, and that you will be using that for comparison shopping. Separating out the doc prep to show a lower price point and then hitting you with it later is a standard ploy dealers use to maximize profit at your expense. Don't let them. After all, you don't care where they say the dollars are going, one dollar is the same as any other as far as your wallet is concerned.

As StephenH says, you aren't likely to get a great deal in today's market but at least you can avoid a surprise at the end by getting the out the door total price up front.