First Timer - Where to purchase

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Howdy from San Antonio! Well, I bought out of town and got a great price and good follow-up service. The big draw back of not buying from one of your "local" dealers is...most of them don't want to or out right will not provide warranty service. A lot of folks take great exception to this and are surprised when they find this out after the out of town selling dealer tells them "you can get warranty service at any "Forest River" Dealership and that's just not entirely true. 
So, if you are the kind of owner that will take exception to every little detail and expect the dealer to make it right, then maybe buying local is probably the way to go. Even if it costs a little more. 

If you don't sweat the small stuff and have no problem taking care of it yourself, then you may be a candidate for buying out of town. 

Now, on to the more serious issues: I had a couple of issues, fridge door, and table legs, and I contacted my out of town dealer's warranty department and they immediately sent me new parts at no cost. I was completely satisfied with that response. I find it a lot less time intensive to just remove and replace something rather than go through all of the gyrations of trying to get an appointment, travel, drop it off, wait, wait, and wait some more only to drive back, pick up the unit and drag it back to storage. 

Now, for more serious issues. The kind that take $$$ to fix while under warranty. Some owners have had luck getting other dealerships to help them with warranty issues. The common denominator seams to be dealership size. It seams as if Camping World is willing to take on anything, but the smaller mom and pop with limited resources tend to not recognize you as "their" customer. 

So, the bottom line is...what is your tolerance? The campers are far from perfect when they come off the line and the industry tends to rely on their dealerships to make things right. If loose screws, dirty light covers, trim that needs to be re-glued, sticky doors and windows, blinds out of adjustment, wiring issues, and drawers that won't stay closed are more than you are willing to take on then buy local. If not, and you are willing to go out of your way to get service for a serious warranty issue then buy where ever you want.  

I tried, but my local dealership could not come close enough to a price that would prevent me from going out of town. 

If you do buy out of town, ask your dealer to go over the unit with a fine tooth comb. Ask them to make sure ALL of the systems are working properly before you arrive.

Good luck Sir!  

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Podster Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 16 Sep 2014 Location: San Antonio Online Status: Offline Posts: 1108	Topic: First Timer - Where to purchase Posted: 20 Sep 2015 at 10:58am
	Howdy from San Antonio! Well, I bought out of town and got a great price and good follow-up service. The big draw back of not buying from one of your "local" dealers is...most of them don't want to or out right will not provide warranty service. A lot of folks take great exception to this and are surprised when they find this out after the out of town selling dealer tells them "you can get warranty service at any "Forest River" Dealership and that's just not entirely true. So, if you are the kind of owner that will take exception to every little detail and expect the dealer to make it right, then maybe buying local is probably the way to go. Even if it costs a little more. If you don't sweat the small stuff and have no problem taking care of it yourself, then you may be a candidate for buying out of town. Now, on to the more serious issues: I had a couple of issues, fridge door, and table legs, and I contacted my out of town dealer's warranty department and they immediately sent me new parts at no cost. I was completely satisfied with that response. I find it a lot less time intensive to just remove and replace something rather than go through all of the gyrations of trying to get an appointment, travel, drop it off, wait, wait, and wait some more only to drive back, pick up the unit and drag it back to storage. Now, for more serious issues. The kind that take $$$ to fix while under warranty. Some owners have had luck getting other dealerships to help them with warranty issues. The common denominator seams to be dealership size. It seams as if Camping World is willing to take on anything, but the smaller mom and pop with limited resources tend to not recognize you as "their" customer. So, the bottom line is...what is your tolerance? The campers are far from perfect when they come off the line and the industry tends to rely on their dealerships to make things right. If loose screws, dirty light covers, trim that needs to be re-glued, sticky doors and windows, blinds out of adjustment, wiring issues, and drawers that won't stay closed are more than you are willing to take on then buy local. If not, and you are willing to go out of your way to get service for a serious warranty issue then buy where ever you want. I tried, but my local dealership could not come close enough to a price that would prevent me from going out of town. If you do buy out of town, ask your dealer to go over the unit with a fine tooth comb. Ask them to make sure ALL of the systems are working properly before you arrive. Good luck Sir!
	Cliff & Raelynn Ranger 4.0/178 (1/2 ton 5,800lb tow capacity)

jeffp1105 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 09 Sep 2015 Location: 80301 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5	Posted: 20 Sep 2015 at 1:21am
	Hi All, Looking to purchase my first TT, we are seriously thinking of the RPOD 179. So, the hunting begins. I'm pretty particular so plan to purchase new because, frankly, I'm a sucker for the the latest bells and whistles. Of course, the local dealers have their vested interest in buying local but it seems the best deals (on paper of course) seem to be online and from 200 to 1000 miles away. And it's hard to get apples to apples comparisons. So, I'd like to hear the pros and cons on buying local or long distance and any horror/success stories of each. What should I look out for? What questions should I ask? Thanks for the help. J(eff)
	Considering an RPOD