Is it best to purchase a new AS locally?

[Travel Bird]

I live in Denver but, have been checking across the country for our new AS. Is it best to stay local so one develops a relationship with a dealer when it comes time for repairs et al.? Any suggestions for honest, knowledgeable and reputable dealerships is greatly appreciated.

[withidl]

Back in 2001 I looked all over the Houston area and couldn't find a dealer who could answer my questions satisfactorily. Ended up dealing with CanAM RV of London, Ontario, Canada ......... completely satisfied, good people! Recently had a minor repair to the "accordian" door which required some little plastic rivets; I called them and they sent them to me at no charge.

[tphan]

Did you change your avatar name? Thought it was different a couple days ago...
The local Airstream dealer around these parts is Windish RV, check them out. If you're buying from a dealer, then I suppose it makes sense to go local because of warranty/defect issues. Would you really want to drive back to OasisRV in Tucson to get something fixed on the warranty?
If you're buying from a private party, then I'd go for the best deal on the model you want and consider the trip to go get it a vacation.

[50KIP]

It certainly pays to shop around. Most if, not all AS dealers, have web sites and post prices online. Take your time and know what competing dealers are charging. I purchased mine new out of state although there were closer dealers. I even used an East Coast dealer in the bargaining process to reduce the price I paid. Dealers would love it if everyone walked in the front door, looked at the sticker and pulled out their checkbook and paid that amount. As with cars and boats they have a large margin of profit included in the sticker price but they don't want to be selling 2011s in 2012. As far as service reliability I can't speak to that since my AS has not been to a dealer for service.

[AWCHIEF]

Just like with a new car purchase, warranty issues can be handled by any authorized repair facility or dealership not just place of purchase.

[StreamRollin]

Not to say anything bad about an AS dealer but, my wife and I stopped by there in June on a Saturday afternoon and did not feel very welcomed. Will not go back. The people in Longmont were very friendy at Windish in Longmont.
Jim

[Jammer]

Hi Anna.

There are several Airstream dealers who sell nationwide, with the best known being Colonial Airstream in New Jersey. While I have not purchased from Colonial Airstream, I did invite them to provide a quote before I purchased locally and gave serious consideration to their bid.

Colonial Airstream enjoys an excellent reputation. I don't remember there being any complaints about them as long as I've been following the forum, and I've been here two years.

The main thing to consider in dealing with a dealer that is not local is that you will not have the opportunity to inspect the trailer prior to taking delivery. Airforums members are divided on the importance of the pre-delivery inspection. 2airishuman, who no longer posts regularly, was a staunch advocate of a rigorous pre-purchase inspection. As I recall he had to take his trailer back to the factory for warranty repairs that were beyond the scope of what the dealer could perform, and wished he had caught them before signing papers and taking delivery.

Most trailers require several trips to the dealer for minor warranty work. Colonial has, in the experience of Airforums members, been willing to assist with minor in-warranty repairs by providing advice and parts for people who have purchased from them who prefer to complete minor repairs themselves. Most dealers find warranty work on Airstreams to be profitable and will complete it happily regardless of the provenance of the trailer.

I like my local dealer (Shorewood RV) and found their advice and assistance through the purchasing process to be worthwhile. They had units similar to what I ultimately purchased in inventory which helped my decisionmaking considerably, and their prices were fair. If you don't have a local dealer, or find their prices unreasonable, or find them to be unhelpful, perhaps a nationwide dealer is your best choice.

[Travel Bird]

Yes, tphan, I changed my user name yesterday!! Thanks for the response. I live in Arvada and have been working with Windish in Lakewood. Been happy with them so far and the prices have been equal to or less in a couple situations than other dealerships. I like to shop around to make sure I'm getting a fair deal. We are buying new so a dealership it is. I hear the Windish in Longmont is great but, it's the same company!!!

[tphan]

If you're leaning towards Windish, whether in Lakewood or Longmont (right off I-25), maybe try to get some other references for them- a past customer list?? Angieslist? Google? That's a pretty big purchase/investment, get all the feedback on them you can.
That said- I think buying local is a good thing all the way around (mine came from Ft. Collins) and I wish you luck with this! What will your 1st trip with it be?

[Travel Bird]

Originally Posted by tphan

If you're leaning towards Windish, whether in Lakewood or Longmont (right off I-25), maybe try to get some other references for them- a past customer list?? Angieslist? Google? That's a pretty big purchase/investment, get all the feedback on them you can.
That said- I think buying local is a good thing all the way around (mine came from Ft. Collins) and I wish you luck with this! What will your 1st trip with it be?

tphan, what style AS do you have? One of my friends husbands has been in the RV biz for decades. He is now a manufacturers rep but, knows the guys at Windish and highly recommends them. I think he worked at Windish during his career in sales for about a year before moving into the wholesale side of the biz. I have also been referred to Windish by several other reputable sources. But, I'm still looking at all of my options before I make the big purchase. Hmmm, my first trip depends on if I buy it locally or out of state. If I buy it locally, I think we'll stay in CO for the first couple weekend trips to get used the rig before heading to my fav place on this earth, Jackson Hole, Grand Teton and Yellowstone!!! Do you have some great suggestions in CO?

[tphan]

I've got a '72 Overlander, which is 27'. It was kind of a wreck.
Boy, for an easy 1st shakedown trip with no mountain towing, just to get used to pulling something that big, one place I like is the Pawnee Grasslands campground, right near Briggsdale. Spring is birding season there, so go online for a reservation or try midweek. Then there's all the State Parks near you- Chatfield, Castlewood Canyon, Barr Lake, Boyd Lake up by Loveland, etc. If you've never pulled a big trailer before, I would definitely practice somewhat close to home, on an uncrowded day, in a campgrounds that has roomy sites for you to practice the backing into the space.
Pawnee has all that, plus birds and dark, starry nights!
You're then ready for Teton-Yellowstone, and beyond. Do you like camping yards away from a big hot-springs pool? If so, pm me...

[dkottum]

I've purchased two new trailers locally (Shorewood RV) and been reasonably satisfied. I found a little better price on both across the country, but when I figured expense of going to get them, it was close to even. Then there is the time and hassle of making such a trip.

Warranty service? What good is great warranty service if it is a thousand miles away from home?

doug k

[xrvr]

I buy from my local dealer because he treats his local customers to preferrential treatment when scheduling service or warranty work. jim

[Rich of SCal]

Like car dealers, sales and maintenance are different departments. I bought mine in San Diego, about 90 miles from me. But I will get warranty stuff done about 20 miles away. The warranty coverage is from the company, not the dealer. I used to do that when I bought new cars. But I found quickly that the mechanics didn't care who I bought it from, and the salesmen had no interest in me or my vehicle once the sale was done. They were on to the next customer.

However, I have found it is good to get your work done at the same place and establish a relationship with mechanics/service writers. They are much more willing to correct mistakes, and sometimes give better estimates, when they know you will be coming back over and over.

The only exception would be a small dealer where the salesperson might also be the owner.

[mistermcfrug]

Originally Posted by Rich of SCal

Like car dealers, sales and maintenance are different departments. I bought mine in San Diego, about 90 miles from me. But I will get warranty stuff done about 20 miles away. The warranty coverage is from the company, not the dealer. I used to do that when I bought new cars. But I found quickly that the mechanics didn't care who I bought it from, and the salesmen had no interest in me or my vehicle once the sale was done. They were on to the next customer.

However, I have found it is good to get your work done at the same place and establish a relationship with mechanics/service writers. They are much more willing to correct mistakes, and sometimes give better estimates, when they know you will be coming back over and over.

The only exception would be a small dealer where the salesperson might also be the owner.

This comment is right on the money! Don't feel any need to buy from a local dealer. I searched the country to find a dealer in 2006 who was willing to give a decent price. Most dealers thought they were doing me a huge favor to offer 10% off. I eventually found a dealer in California who offered 20% off. So I ended up paying a shipping service $250 to tow the trailer to Las Vegas to arrange pick up and avoid California sales tax. The extra effort was easily worth the effort to me since I net saved over $4,000.

I brought the trailer to a local dealer for warranty many times and developed a good working relationship over time. He ended up giving me a very good price to repair some body damage because I brought the trailer to him during winter and gave him unlimited time to complete the job. The quoted advice works in my opinion.

[Steamy1]

We purchased our Airstream from the Denver dealer, and I cannot tell you it was a great experience. They represented that it came with an Equalizer hitch. When I picked up the trailer, it had a brand new Equalizer hitch, and was on the invoice at full retail price. When I pointed out the purchase agreement, they were just about ready to take it off, and then the salesman pulled out some beat-up rusty Equalizer and said they put the wrong unit on, and it should have been the old unit. My mistake for not specifying that it was to have been a new hitch on the Purchase agreement. I ended up paying an additional amount that was negotiated (couple of hundred, I think) and kept the new one. But it just left a bad feeling about their business ethics.

Also, I took the trailer in for warranty work, with one of the items being a loose fresh water intake spout. They failed to fix it, and I ended up fixing it myself. Most recently, I asked for a rough estimate for some spring work I wanted, which I detailed to them. They said they would get back to me, but never called back. Second time this has happened.

In summary, I am very suspicious of their operation. I think CrawfordGene also has some comments regarding his experience.

I don't think I would purchase again from them, unless there was a significant "aggrevation" discount premium on the price.

My advice is to shop around.

[Gene]

Anna,

We bought from Windish in 2007. We had looked at trailers at the dealer in Colorado Springs, but the salesman told us things that simply weren't true and then went to answer the phone and never came back. So we checked out Windish. The salesman was much more attentive. But, we would not ever go there again after a bunch of negative experiences.

1. It was difficult to get things repaired on warranty until I contacted Airstream and they authorized repairs.

2. On the way home from Denver with our brand new trailer, 100 miles away, we stopped for lunch and one of the side windows was blown out. I discovered one latch was very, very loose and had fallen open letting the window partially open until it dissolved (safety glass). The factory did a bad job, but Airstream pays dealers to give a final check of the trailer and Windish missed this too. With some difficulty, Airstream paid for the window. That's when I first learned Windish would not fight for us with warranty work.

3. When we signed the paperwork, the Windish official was very obnoxious. Among other things, when I said "no" to an extended warranty, he turned to my wife and tried to scare her into wanting one. When someone tries to come between us, we consider that a bottom of the barrel sales technique.

4. When it was in for warranty work, they backed our trailer into another trailer's tongue and damaged it. They did fix it but the delay meant never getting to a state park where we had reservations and losing the fees.

5. They also put a crease in the side of the trailer which I discovered when we got home and after several months of difficult e-mails, they paid for damage. The store manager was also a very difficult person to deal with in negotiations.

6. When we were at the Airstream factory, we met some other Airstreamers from Colorado and they had their share of negative Windish stories.

7. They put on a weight distributing hitch that was rated incorrectly (I knew nothing about hitches then) and they set it up badly. I eventually had to readjust it.

We took our trailer to the Airstream service center for warranty work after that. It is a long way, but we turned the trips into part of touring around. They do much better work there and they even fixed things they didn't have to at no charge. They never argued with us about what was covered and what was not. Camping there is free when you are having work done. The Terraport has full hookups and wifi.

It is pain having to go out of state, but it is a big purchase and I'd rather have a dealer that I trusted make some money. Not too many Airstream dealers have great reputations, so it is not easy deciding what to do. I think I have read Centennial will deliver 'cross country, but you'd have to check that out.

Good luck. If you haven't decided on a particular model, I think there's an RV show in Denver in the spring. You can also see them at various dealers. Then you can negotiate over the internet.

Gene

[Travel Bird]

Steamy1, I greatly appreciate your honesty. They have already tried to tell me that the Equi-l-izer is the best (and that it would be thrown in with the purchase of a new AS) and I have found out from the best in the business~that it isn't a great hitch. When I told Windish yesterday that I wanted a Hensley, he hesitated and said "I can order that for you" but, he seemed dissappointed. Have you found a reliable service in CO for repairs of your AS?

Mistermcfrug, I didn't even think about the tax savings if I purchased outside of CO. Can you tell me more? I'm a complete Newbie and the tax situation, I know nothing about. I am looking into purchasing at Can-Am RV in Ontario. Wondering what the tax situation would be with that scenario and getting across the boarder. Thanks to everyone!!!!!

[Travel Bird]

Thanks, Gene!! I greatly appreciate your honestly as well. Wow-my head is spinning. So, you don't have a service center here in CO but, you travel to Ohio for service?? I am with you, I would prefer driving to the best rather than have a local service center that really isn't 100%. I am reading more and more, that new owners are purchasing thier units 1000's of miles away to work with an honest, reputable dealer. I'll keep searching.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Steamy1,

"When I pointed out the purchase agreement, they were just about ready to take it off, and then the salesman pulled out some beat-up rusty Equalizer and said they put the wrong unit on, and it should have been the old unit."

Bet you weren't the first to get the "rusty hitch" switch. They got the couple hundred,(dealer cost) and they kept rusty for use on the next sale.

Anna,

Glad Gene chimed in, I recall he had a problem in the Denver area, just couldn't remember which Dealer.

In 2004 we bought "Cloudsplitter" at a local NY dealer, two weeks later they shut down, no NY State dealer since.
All needed warranty work done by yours truly, plus side...Jackson Center did supply the needed parts, I didn't get paid labor though.

I know this will be our last AS, but, if I WAS shopping it would be at Colonial AS in NJ.

Others here will be able to help with your decision, don't be afraid to travel, a GOOD dealer is worth at least 1500mi.

Bob