Last Updated on December 20, 2021
If you are thinking of buying a recreational vehicle, good negotiation skills and buying strategy will help you get a good deal. Buying an RV is an important investment because it will cost you thousands of dollars depending on whether the RV is old or new, location and current market trends among other factors. If you want to negotiate for better RV prices, follow these 9 tips:
Watch auto finance rates
Financing rates usually depend on the current market trends. If you want to get a better deal, you will have to research well to know if the market is favorable to buy an RV. You should understand that RV loan rates and auto loan rates are closely related and they determine the amount you will pay to buy an RV. If you cannot be able to get a good rate from your bank or credit union, don’t consider buying an RV. However, if the market has favorable auto loans, you stand a chance of getting a good RV loan.
Leave your options open
Although you’ve been buying new or used cars from the same dealer for a long period of time, you are not guaranteed you will have the best deal always. You should keep your options open by looking at as many prices as possible from your longtime dealer, their competitors and online dealers before you decide where to buy your RV. Loyalty to a specific dealer will only help you negotiate for a good price but when you have several options to choose from, you might end up having the most affordable price.
Try RV shows
The main objective of dealers in these RV shows is to sell RVs and get an income or commissions. If you are considering buying an RV, you are advised to go to an RV show where you will get exposure of what to expect when buying one. You can spend some time scouting around RVs that interest you, note your options, and then wait until the last day of the show. Most dealers will offer you a great deal to avoid towing or shipping the RV back.
Buy at the end of the season
Just like auto dealerships, RV dealers have monthly and annual schedules and targets to meet. If they have not met their sales quota, they tend to sell more RVs. This could be the opportune time for you to negotiate a deal with the dealer or salesperson.
Become friends with your salesperson
Although salespeople tend to be very friendly to get you to buy whatever they are selling, you also need to be polite and friendly to the salesperson. This will not only create a rapport but also a great sense of understanding each other and this might help you get a good RV deal. In addition, if you are good friends with your salesperson, he or she would end up giving you a better deal.
Wait for the deal
You should wait for friendly deals offered on RVs to buy one. Even if a third-party institution can give you a better deal, dealers always offer the best deals if they are willing. Promotions and special offers from dealers are better deals than getting your RV financed through a bank!
Find the right incentives
Most salespeople will try to sweet-talk you into a deal by throwing a number of incentives at you. You can consider these incentives to determine whether it’s worth spending a bit more and get good incentives. When you are closing a deal, you can ask for a real incentive that will help you reduce the cost of maintenance or repair of the RV in the long term. These incentives might include free oil changes for a year or getting interior upgrades from your dealer.
Take risks in negotiations
When having a price negotiation, always take a risk and start as low as possible to avoid spending a lot of money buying the RV. Being in the sales business for years, dealers and salespeople are quite experienced and skilled in selling. They can mark their starting price with over 50% of the original price. You should research about prices of RVs to help you when negotiating. When a dealer recognizes you know what you are talking about, they will be realistic and you will end up with a good deal.
Walk away
You are not obliged to take any deal if you don’t like or feel like it’s the right deal. Therefore, if you feel like your salesperson is not offering the best deal, you can just walk away and look for another dealer or salesperson. Don’t feel compelled to buy an RV because of what a salesperson has done for you, you might end up regretting why you accepted the deal rather than looking for an alternative.
For you to get a good deal, you need to have researched well to negotiate better prices. You can as well ask your friend to help you if you feel like you need any help.
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