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Last Updated on October 8, 2024 by Paul Clayton
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7 Tips For Getting a Bargain Buying A Travel Trailer
The decision to buy a travel trailer or any other RV should not be made on the spur of the moment. Purchasing a travel trailer will dig a fairly deep hole in your pocket, and, as with most significant purchases, you should do your homework rather than make a snap decision.
Key Takeaways:
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- Timing is Crucial: The best times to buy a travel trailer are mid-winter when demand is low, during RV shows where dealers are eager to make sales, or when new models are released and dealerships want to clear older inventory.
- Research and Window Shopping: Thoroughly investigate various models and visit multiple dealerships to compare features and prices. Window shopping helps avoid impulsive decisions based on emotion.
- Financial Planning: Set a realistic budget, including the costs of insurance, storage, and potential interest rates on loans. Ensure the trailer’s GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) is within your towing capacity.
- Pre-owned vs. New Models: Consider buying pre-owned or older models for substantial savings. Often, the differences between older and newer models are minor, such as cosmetic changes.
- Be Ready to Negotiate: Prices are typically inflated by as much as 40%, so prepare to negotiate. Use resources like the NADA Recreational Vehicle Price Guide to determine fair value before starting negotiations.
- Evaluate Trailers Based on Your Needs: Your travel and camping preferences, such as boondocking or winter camping, should guide your decision on features like water tanks, electricity, and heating.
- Inspection and Due Diligence: For used trailers, have a dealership inspect the vehicle before purchase to avoid surprises and potentially lower the asking price.
When Is The Best Time Of Year To Buy A Travel Trailer?
- When a new model is released.
- During a trade show.
- At the end of the season.
- When gas prices rise.
- In the southern states.
Preparation Before Parting With Your Savings
Before you begin the serious process of opening the newspaper to review the adverts, pressing the keyboard to search out travel trailers, or wandering into a local dealership, there are a few things that we strongly advise you to consider.
Window Shopping
Step into many dealerships to window shop. Look around at all the options on the market. Wander through as many dealerships as possible and assess the various models. Do you want a travel trailer, a fifth wheel, or a fully motorized RV? Look well before you are tempted to buy.
Doing detailed window shopping will help you control your emotions when it comes time to buy. You may fall in love with a particular model, and a savvy salesperson would likely pick that up and use it to convince you before you are ready. You get over that first flush of excitement by window shopping in advance. You can view your prospective purchase more rationally, putting the negotiating power back in your hands instead of the salesperson’s.
Financial Planning
As we have already said, a little financial planning before you start will not be a bad idea.
Do you have a budget in mind?
Do you know the maximum monthly payment you can afford? Check the interest rates at both your bank and the dealership. Often, bank loans come with better interest rates than the financial houses with which the dealerships work.
Do you have enough savings to put down a reasonable deposit so the monthly repayments will not make you difficult if your financial situation changes? Remember to factor in insurance and storage costs if you cannot store the vehicle at home.
- What do you want to do with the travel trailer?
- This may sound naive, but do you know what you want to do?
- Where do you want to travel with the trailer?
- How many people will typically accompany you?
- Do you want to boondock? If so, for how long? This will affect your water needs and grey and black water tank requirements.
- Will you camp where there is no electricity?
- Do you plan to live in the trailer on a semi-permanent basis?
Do you plan to use the trailer during winter? If so, heating is an essential factor. Do you know the GVM of your tow car? GVM is the “gross vehicle mass” set by the manufacturer, which tells you the vehicle’s total weight and how much weight is safe to add (passengers, luggage, etc.).
Now that you understand the GVM of your tow car or pick-up, you must also check the maximum weight your vehicle can tow. Though the terminology will vary from country to country, each travel trailer should list its tare or unladen weight and its GVM or laden weight. The number you are interested in now is the GVM, as this is the total weight you will tow if you purchase this travel trailer.
The trailer’s GVM must fall within the towing capability of your tow car, and for safety, it should not scrape right at the top.
All of these things will impact the vehicle you eventually purchase, so think carefully about what you are looking for before a glib-tongued salesperson persuades you to buy something that does not fit!
When you face the salesperson, try not to become excited about the beautiful trailer next to you. The price written on the sticker is bound to be inflated, sometimes up to as much as 40%, so be prepared to do some hard negotiating.
Once again, education is your key. You should know the value of the trailer you intend to buy, and once again, where to find this information varies from country to country. In the USA, these values can be found in the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Recreational Vehicle Price Guide, and elsewhere, plenty of online resources can be used to find the estimated value of the trailer.
Most of these estimates are dealer’s guides, which may be inflated by up to 40%. Take the value you are given and reduce it by 40%, giving you a place to start negotiating. The dealer will want to make his profit, so be prepared to go up from your starting point to give yourself and the dealer a fair deal.
When is The Best Time Of Year To Buy A Travel Trailer?
Now that you are ready to buy, when should you go out to do so? When the first hint of spring peeks through winter’s gloom, most of us think of heading outdoors after being confined for so many months, and our instinctive reaction is to visit the nearest dealership. Remember that hundreds of others feel the same thoughts, so your chances of getting a good deal are slim to non-existent! However, with some planning, you can find good bargains.
Buy at Mid-Winter
Walking into any dealership in the middle of winter will almost certainly guarantee you red carpet treatment. Sales of this type of vehicle are very slow, and the sales representatives need sales, so your opportunity to negotiate a massive discount is excellent. Warm weather will transform your ghost town of a dealership into a veritable hive of activity, so going into this same dealership in spring will result in a half-hour wait to talk to a salesperson.
Plus, you will find that discounts have melted with the winter snow.
Things will change dramatically once the weather warms up and sales pick up. You cannot blame the dealerships; they now have the upper hand, and for the halcyon days of summer, they will make hay while the sun shines. The purchaser must ensure they visit that same dealership when they have the upper hand and the dealer is desperate for sales.
When Gas Prices Rise
No one can contest that towing a travel trailer can affect fuel consumption. Tacking a few hundred pounds of weight onto the tail of your tow car will make the engine work that much harder and push up your fuel consumption. This can have a knock-out effect for many people who believe they can no longer afford to tow a trailer when the gas price goes up.
This is the time to watch the press for adverts of people wanting to sell. This knee-jerk reaction brings many very well-looked-after caravans onto the market, and if you are wise, you will snap up one of these before their owners sit down and do the math. No way staying in hotels, motels, or B&Bs will be cheaper than paying a little extra for gas.
When a New Model is Released
These bargains can usually be found at the very end of winter. Many manufacturers release their latest models in spring, so do your research and visit the dealerships looking to clear out all their old inventory to make way for new models.
Most people feel they must purchase the latest models; however, if you are not driven by status, buying an older model can bring huge savings.
In many cases, the difference between the current model and the new one is trivial or cosmetic, so buying the older model may get you all the same equipment in a different color scheme.
When the Weather Warms Up
If you are seriously considering a second-hand trailer, then the onset of spring is the time to start looking around. Often, families are looking to offload their existing trailers in favor of buying new ones, so if you are looking into buying pre-owned ones, this is the time to sharpen up those negotiation skills. Many trailers do not have a high resale value, so purchasing a late model, a pre-owned trailer that has been well cared for, will save you thousands of dollars.
Buying a trailer without a warranty from a private buyer can be risky, but it can save you a considerable amount. Before paying the money, please speak to your local dealership and ask them to give the trailer you are looking at a once-over. This will cost you, but at the end of the day, you will be sure that the vehicle you are buying is in excellent condition. Knowing that some repairs must be done, you can negotiate the price down.
Another place to consider looking is around storage facilities. Toward the end of winter, many people get tired of paying to store a vehicle they rarely use. On top of the additional winter expenses, many people look to offload trailers that are simply standing and costing storage fees.
Look for Dealerships in the Southern States
Look for dealerships in predominantly warm areas, like the southern states of the USA. Here, dealers can sell all year round and tend to mark up less than those with a restricted selling period due to inclement weather for half the year.
Additionally, try for dealers close to where the trailers are manufactured. Again, transportation costs to these dealers are negligible, so their markup may be much more flexible.
During an RV Show
RV shows are excellent places to negotiate a good deal on new trailers. The salespeople who man the stands are hungry for sales and willing to negotiate significant discounts. Most dealerships want to arrange transport back to their showrooms for as few units as possible, so they will negotiate major discounts to ensure the vehicles are sold and do not need to be transported back.
Again, do not be tempted to buy based on the bright “Show Sale” stickers you see. Rather, go home, check the internet, and see if that “special” price is as special as the dealer makes it out to be!
These shows are also wonderful places to talk to many aftermarket vendors, who are often sources of information on the care and maintenance of your trailer. Spend time talking to them, as they are mines of information on the quirks of various models and can often give you the inside scoop on models that routinely have trouble or have poor design features that may cause trouble.
Well Before Your First Trip
Do not be tempted to rush out and buy a trailer immediately before your first long trip. Buy well in advance, and give yourself time to become accustomed to how the various amenities work. After all, you do not want to be embarrassed trying to empty tanks for the first time in front of an entire campground full of people.
Take the time to test everything and ensure everything works as it should.
Conclusion
In conclusion, our advice is not to follow the herd. Following in everyone else’s footsteps will not bring you any financial rewards. An educated, patient buyer will get an excellent deal because they know what they want, how much they can spend, and when to go out and start negotiating.
When you know new models are being shipped to dealers and sales are most likely at their lowest ebb, you can work out when it is time to take advantage.
Be educated, be patient, and save a considerable amount you can spend on traveling instead of lining a salesperson’s pocket.
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