Best price for a Grand Tour?

[Bambino1]

Looking to buy a 2015 Grand Tour EXT in black. Curious to know what kind of discount I can get, from a unit off the lot. If anyone would like to share their experience, all input is welcome. PM me if you prefer to remain anonymous. Thanks!

[Glamper1]

If you wait until this time next year and are willing to fly anywhere in the US to get the exact on you want,
You can probably pick one up for 125-130
Maybe even a little less.
Its all supply and demand.
They know how long they are willing to wait and pay to sit on it versus discount it.
...and you need to be comfortable with a number that you are willing to pay to get it sooner.

[73shark]

You'll get an even bigger discount by buying a 2014 low mileage unit. Or even a used 2015 if you can find one.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Bambino1

Looking to buy a 2015 Grand Tour EXT in black. Curious to know what kind of discount I can get, from a unit off the lot. If anyone would like to share their experience, all input is welcome. PM me if you prefer to remain anonymous. Thanks!

You can try what I did when I was buying my 2012 Interstate— Have the dealers "reverse bid." Do this in December; it's the dealers' last chance to boost their sales figures for the year, and they have an incentive to sell cheaper to avoid paying taxes on the unit as inventory.

Pick ALL of the dealers within the distance you're willing to travel. Contact all of them by e-mail, and tell them exactly what you're looking for, and ask for a quote from each of them. In the interest of fairness— and so they know they're competing— be sure to tell them that you're contacting several dealers, but you don't have to tell them which ones at this point.

For the ones that give you a quote, verify that they're actually quoting on exactly what you want, and not trying to switch you into what they want to sell (two dealers tried that with me, which took them out of the competition). But limit yourself to what's on their lot, no special orders (there's less incentive for them to cut a deal on a special order). If they don't have it in stock, thank them for their time and consideration, and move on.

For the second round, take the best price received, and contact the others that gave you a quote. The ones that didn't give you a quote the first time are out of the running. Tell them what the best price was and who offered it, and ask if they can beat that price. If they can, keep repeating this step until they all come back with a "No." This identifies the best price you're going to get.

If the best price is not at the dealer you really want to buy from, there is one additional step. Ask if that favorite dealer can match (not beat) the best price so far. If they will, buy from them. Otherwise, buy from the dealer that gave you the best price that your favorite couldn't match.

[Ron_CA]

I contacted the dealer closest to the Airstream factory, two that had a prescence on Ebay and the largest on the East Coast (even though I am in CA) as well as 3 more within 300 miles of my location.

I always told my local dealer that I wanted to do business with him but will fly and buy if necessary.

I did not want a 2014.5 because I felt it would be confusing ( new chasiss but still a 2014) to potential Buyers when I sell it at some point down the road, plus, any potential 1st year issues may get ironed out before the 2015s.

I was able to order my 2015 at a substantial discount from MSRP from my local dealer even though they had 2) 2014.5s on the lot. This was in March of 2014. I had one of the dealers show me the invoice on a 2014.5 Airstream Interstate Ext so know that I did really well on my purchase and almost went with them until my local guy stepped up and actually quoted me less in the end.

Just make sure they know you are a serious Buyer and not just kicking tires.

[Bambino1]

Thanks for all the input, lots of solid advice here. So far I have a price of 129k, for a 2015 with a list price of not quite 156k. Will finance 100k of that at 3.99% for 120 months.

[Ron_CA]

That's a good offer. Is the dealer close to you? You may get them to go a little lower, might not. The interest rate is good too. My dealer originally hit me with 4.95%, I convinced them that 4% was better

[UKDUDE]

Don't forget to take the sales tax and registration costs into account. And insurance. Those costs can also be hefty.

[73shark]

Originally Posted by UKDUDE

Don't forget to take the sales tax and registration costs into account. And insurance. Those costs can also be hefty.

Not to mention any property tax your locale may impose.

[Protagonist]

While you're at it, arrange for insurance BEFORE you buy! Since it's a driveable vehicle, you won't be able to even leave the lot without at least liability insurance, and while you're making the purchase is too late to be looking for insurance. The purchase and registration will go a lot smoother if you arrive at the dealer with proof of insurance already in hand.

Get quotes based on the MSRP for comparison purposes, with the understanding that when you buy, your policy will be based on actual purchase price (your premium should be slightly less than the quoted price in that case).

If you belong to Good Sam, AAA, or AARP, check to see if the insurance company offers a discount. In my case, I got two separate quotes from Progressive for comparison purposes. The quote with the Good Sam discount was $400 per year less than the quote without the Good Sam discount. But I still went with GMAC (through Good Sam) because GMAC was less expensive than the discounted Progressive quote for identical coverage on a "full replacement" policy.

The "full replacement" policy calls for GMAC to simply buy me a new Airstream Interstate if I total mine in the first five years (God forbid). After that, it reverts automatically to agreed value equal to my purchase price. And the premium is only about 1% of my purchase price, per year, which is a very good rate for Louisiana. By comparison, insurance on my Honda Fit toad and daily driver is about 10% of the purchase price, per year.

[camlivy]

We did best at Nature RV You & Me in traverse city MI. 10k less than our local Buda TX dealer. And they ordered just how we wanted from the factory. Great to work with. Ask for Lisa. Make a trip to beautiful Northern Michigan to pick it up!

[camlivy]

So ours was special ordered in Silver at $125k, but $131k with all fees and sales tax. Couldn't get local TX dealer below $135k plus sales tax.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by UKDUDE

Don't forget to take the sales tax and registration costs into account. And insurance. Those costs can also be hefty.

6.25% sales tax in Texas. We were politely informed by a party unrelated to our sale that there is a way to register the vehicle in a state where we do not live, thus side-stepping the sales tax, they say. It's a legal loophole, they say. We did not do this - the idea didn't sit well with us. I wonder how many people do it? I believe they'd have to wear the other state's license plate, which would be quite a give-away.

But if one is buying from a dealer, this option is probably off the table.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

6.25% sales tax in Texas. We were politely informed by a party unrelated to our sale that there is a way to register the vehicle in a state where we do not live, thus side-stepping the sales tax, they say. It's a legal loophole, they say. We did not do this - the idea didn't sit well with us. I wonder how many people do it? I believe they'd have to wear the other state's license plate, which would be quite a give-away.



But if one is buying from a dealer, this option is probably off the table.

Texas would probably not consider it legal. The tropical method is to register it through a front company in Montana. It's not worth the risk as many states are going after sales tax cheats, especially those owning motorhomes.

[73shark]

And you might run into a higher property tax rate out of state.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

We were politely informed by a party unrelated to our sale that there is a way to register the vehicle in a state where we do not live, thus side-stepping the sales tax, they say. It's a legal loophole, they say.

It's done more often with yachts than RVs. The way to do it is form a corporation in a state that does not tax corporations, such as Delaware, and make the corporation the owner of the RV. It's perfectly legal, but the hassles of forming a corporation just for the purpose of owning and maintaining an RV make it impractical unless (1) you own several RVs; (2) they're incredibly expensive RVs; (3) you plan to lease out your RVs when you're not using them so that your corporation has some source of income.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by 73shark

And you might run into a higher property tax rate out of state.

I'm betting there's a catch in there somewhere. In Texas we don't pay property tax on personal property such as vehicles, but I sure remember doing so in Missouri. I am told that the "Montana method" is more popular among owners of large Class A RVs, for whom sales tax can be the equivalent of a new car.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

?....... I am told that the "Montana method" is more popular among owners of large Class A RVs, for whom sales tax can be the equivalent of a new car.

True, it's probably not worth the hassle on Class-Bs.


- - Mike
2013 Lounge EXT on 2012 Sprinter