What To Know About The RV Purchase Process

Purchasing your RV at a local dealership is extremely convenient:

Shopping at a local dealership saves you time and, if they have your dream RV, may just be the ideal situation.

Purchasing your RV at a local dealership is convenient for warranty service post-sale:

The more dealerships you look at geographically, the more bargaining power you have when it comes to negotiating a purchase price.

But a local dealership may not have your dream RV or your preferred brand:

Few dealerships carry every, or even most, RV brands. So, if there’s a certain RV that checks all of your boxes, you may need to expand your search to find it.

Purchasing from a non-local RV dealership expands your RV brand options:

If your local dealership doesn’t carry your favorite brand don’t despair, just get ready to drive further (likely more than two hours from home) to find it.

Expanding your RV search may also increase your bargaining power:

The more dealerships you look at geographically, the more bargaining power you have when it comes to negotiating a purchase price.

A non-local RV dealership may not be convenient for warranty work or maintenance post-sale:

If you do end up buying your dream RV far from home, are you prepared to drive it back for warranty work and maintenance? We strongly recommend that you call local RV dealerships to see if they perform warranty service on an RV purchased at another dealership. Have a game plan for this scenario to avoid irritation in the long run.

RV shows have a carnival-like atmosphere that makes for a fun shopping experience:

We love going to RV shows because they’re fun and connect you with the vibrant RVing community.

Free educational seminars prepare you for RV ownership:

Many RV shows offer free seminars about RV maintenance, RV travel, and RV culture. As a potential newbie RV owner, there’s so much to learn, and you can learn a lot by attending a seminar at an RV show.

There are plenty of brands and floor plans to explore in one place:

While a good local dealership may carry three or four RV brands and dozens of floor plans, a regional RV show gives you a chance to look at dozens of brands and hundreds of floor plans. A massive national RV show, like the Florida RV SuperShow and America's Largest RV Show in Pennsylvania, allows you to see the vast majority of RVs in production. Tip: Bring good walking shoes.

RV show pricing is competitive:

If you’re not comfortable negotiating but still want to purchase your RV at a fair price, an RV show may be the best option for you. RV show prices tend to be very competitive because dealerships are competing with each other and are motivated to move a lot of inventory.

But you don’t get to drive the rig home that day…

You’ll need to pick up your RV at the dealership even if you buy it at an RV show. The dealership will want to prepare the rig for you and schedule a walk-through to teach you about the RV’s systems and operating procedures.