Best dealer?

[Chick Squad]

Bay Area Airstream in Fairfield CA. great sales staff and wonderful parts dept. However, my trailer had somebugs they should have noticed on PDI.

[Philly Dave]

Southland RV outside of Atlanta, an hour away from our home. We bought our first Airstream, a 2017 Flying Cloud 23FB from them. The price was competitive and the service experience has been great. When we decided to upgrade we thought we would have to travel to one of the mega dealers to get the best price. Wrong! We priced Colonial and RVOne in a Florida. Southland beat Colonial and matched RVOne's price. The sales experience as great...open & honest. We are now eagerly awaiting delivery of or 2018 International Signature 27fb. Ask for Justin at Southland.

[runswithdogs]

Philly Dave,

Glad to hear that you're happy with Southland. Just ordered our 2018 25RB Serenity there and felt we got a very fair deal. We worked with Shonn; he was super responsive and efficient.

We're especially happy to do business locally with a dealership that we've heard has a good reputation for service. No data points there yet though..

Hoping for a late December delivery... gives us lots of time to get used to our new TV.

[ksteve06]

I agree Southland RV has been great, we have a 2017 Classic that we got from them. Justin and Matt in service were awesome to deal with as well as everyone else we came in contact with.

[AirMiles]

In April 2017 I bought a new 2017 FC25FB from Tampa RV (RVone) after visiting all the Florida dealers and internet shopping around the country. Tampa RV offered the best price and was the only dealer that could deliver a FC25FB Golden Night / Cashew interior at that time as the decor was being discontinued. As noted earlier in this tread, I was hearing that the service after the sale less than desirable at many dealers which was a concern.

Well, long story short, today I got my Airstream back from Tampa RV after bringing it to them with my first long list of warranty fixes. I am ecstatic to report that the service department completely exceeded my expectations! I was blown away by the positive service experience and follow up communications. They didn't quit working on my problems until they were fixed.

OK, here is the long version for those who want the details:

I brought my Airstream to Tampa RV on Thursday with a list of problems including a ceiling leak, shorted out overhead lights, banging water pump that wouldn't hold pressure, leaking refrigerator, and several smaller items. They called me Thursday and said the items were fixed, but they wanted to keep it overnight to verify the refrigerator was fixed after it got really cold. Wow! didn't expect that. On Friday, they found that more work was needed on some of the fixes. Again they worked on it on Friday and called to see if I wanted it for the weekend or if it was OK to leave it there until Monday to again insure everything was fixed. Today (Monday) I went to pick it up. They had the unit plugged in and demonstrated that everything on my list was fixed to my satisfaction. I was blown away by the great service!

From what I can tell, Tampa RV has decided that the service department is going to be a priority going forward. I'm happy to report that Florida Airstream buyers can now buy in Tampa and get great prices and great warranty repair service.

Thank you Tampa RV!

I will be reposting this comment on my "On the Road With Airmiles" thread: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f42/...es-166881.html

[kendrick.l.j]

Air miles, thanks for the write up. Nice to know there is an Airstream Service department in the state.

[Mrjkq]

Originally Posted by kendrick.l.j

Air miles, thanks for the write up. Nice to know there is an Airstream Service department in the state.

Very good to here. My 2016 FC was delivered by them in July ‘15 so I’m out of warranty. The overall reporting on their service was so bad I’ve never been back. I had a laundry list of warranty item repaired at Jackson Center with 100% satisfaction. Now I make give them another look for future repairs if needed.

[BAB]

I am fortunate. I live about 20 minutes from Out-of-Doors Mart in Colfax, NC. I’ve bought my two Airstreams (new) from them (2012 28’ Intl CCD, 2015 30’ Classic). Jason Roberts sold both of them to me. Terry Halsted did both PDI’s. What I really like about ODM is “service after the sale.” AND, their parts department has always come through for me. I consider the whole dealership to be my friends. I’ve found they invariably practice the golden rule. My sole contact with Colonial (prior to buying my ’15 Classic) was not positive.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

I would suggest that service performance is indeed a bigger deal than sales performance. Most of us don't buy new Airstreams very often. We all need service / check up's on a fairly regular basis.

Bob

[AirMiles]

Follow-up good news! It rained for much of the night based on the level increase in the pond behind my house and the rain was just ending. This was the perfect scenario to check on the roof leak repair. I'm happy to report that the leak is fixed! I was also able to check the pressure level on the water pump. I turned on the pump and it didn't need to cycle after 18 hours! In the past it could not hold for minutes.

Today I am really "a happy camper"!

[switz]

Great to read some good news about a dealership once in awhile.

[Safetyfirst]

Originally Posted by AirMiles

Follow-up good news! It rained for much of the night based on the level increase in the pond behind my house and the rain was just ending. This was the perfect scenario to check on the roof leak repair. I'm happy to report that the leak is fixed! I was also able to check the pressure level on the water pump. I turned on the pump and it didn't need to cycle after 18 hours! In the past it could not hold for minutes.



Today I am really "a happy camper"!

I'm shocked but happy to hear. i've been very hesitant to go there for any service. Partly because the service department never returned my call when i left a voice message.

[xrvr]

Originally Posted by kendrick.l.j

Air miles, thanks for the write up. Nice to know there is an Airstream Service department in the state.

I believe each dealer in florida hax a service dept. Includeing jd sanders near gainesville.

[gene3]

We are looking to upgrade from our 2017 International Signature 25FB to a 2018 Globetrotter 27FB.

Any recommendations for a California or Arizona dealer? Ideally a dealer who generally gives high value on trade-in. Heard good thing about the AS dealer in the bay area (Fairview)
Also any financial/tax advantage to buying a trailer in AZ or NV if we live in CA?

Thanks,
Gene

[switz]

Most states will collect the sales tax on the vehicle as it gets registered. One needs a legal address for the title and registration. My experience with Arizona & Indiana is that Indiana checks the total sales tax I paid to Arizona. If that amount is less than the Indiana tax, then the difference between what I paid to AZ and the amount I would have paid to IND is collected. There is no refund from Indiana when I pay more tax in AZ than I would owe in Indiana.

While there is much hoppalah about a new Airstream dealership building opening in the Scottsdale (North Phoenix metro area), the same folks that were at the Mesa location are just moving. Some customers have been less than pleased with how they were treated and were disappointed in the service department in Mesa location.

It remains to be seen if there is a new broom that sweeps clean or the same old is still the same old.

We bought our first Airstream (2013 25FB International Serenity) in October of 2012 from Airstream Los Angles and had a good experience. I believe it is a new crew since then.

[wbrisett]

Originally Posted by switz

Most states will collect the sales tax on the vehicle as it gets registered. One needs a legal address for the title and registration. My experience with Arizona & Indiana is that Indiana checks the total sales tax I paid to Arizona. If that amount is less than the Indiana tax, then the difference between what I paid to AZ and the amount I would have paid to IND is collected. There is no refund from Indiana when I pay more tax in AZ than I would owe in Indiana.

Tax across state lines is such a mixed bag. Every state does it differently and while some seem more 'fair' to the consumer, at the end of the day the state wants its tax revenue.

I've never bought from Colonial living a few thousand miles away. I have checked prices and love what they do on the walk-throughs on YouTube. They present to the public a very favorable picture of Airstream and the dealers who sell and service them. As folks have pointed out, you can't please everybody. And I think part of that is individuals attitudes. I did support for a fortune 500 company for nearly ten years. I can tell you that the minute people gave me a major attitude, I did what was required, but no more. When people were respectful and pleasant to deal with, then I did what was required and usually more. I see this all the time in various posts (and not just on this forum, but others), and in person at stores and dealerships.

I recently had the opportunity to buy for a bit less out-of-state, but since both my wife and I work full-time getting there was a bit tricky with our current projects. Our local dealers price was higher, but they were also a known quantity. I've seen posts where folks here have had issues with them and we've always had to shake our head and wonder what the deal was. The few issues we've had, they always took care of without delay and were always very up front about things. In the end, we paid more at our local AS dealer, but when I had an issue with my door, they were awesome to deal with, and while I've seen some negative comments about this dealership, I do think part of what happens is all down to how people interact with each other.

Anyhow, now I'm moving a bit off topic, but I will say that there are some advantages when you deal locally with a company. You get to know them and they get to know you. When issues arise, you don't have far to travel. Unlike auto dealerships, AS dealerships aren't on every corner, so it's good to have a relationship with the closest dealership when issues come up. But if the dealership isn't doing its job, then it's time to let the mothership know too. They have skin in the game and want these dealerships fixed.

[Pete B55]

Originally Posted by switz

Most states will collect the sales tax on the vehicle as it gets registered. One needs a legal address for the title and registration. My experience with Arizona & Indiana is that Indiana checks the total sales tax I paid to Arizona. If that amount is less than the Indiana tax, then the difference between what I paid to AZ and the amount I would have paid to IND is collected. There is no refund from Indiana when I pay more tax in AZ than I would owe in Indiana.

While there is much hoppalah about a new Airstream dealership building opening in the Scottsdale (North Phoenix metro area), the same folks that were at the Mesa location are just moving. Some customers have been less than pleased with how they were treated and were disappointed in the service department in Mesa location.

It remains to be seen if there is a new broom that sweeps clean or the same old is still the same old.

We bought our first Airstream (2013 25FB International Serenity) in October of 2012 from Airstream Los Angles and had a good experience. I believe it is a new crew since then.

Regarding the new Scottsdale airstream, do you know if the ownership is the same as Mesa?

[uncle_bob]

Hi

I would *guess* that any time you shop at a dealer in a high cost area, you will be paying some of that cost (unless he does crazy volume). A lot of this comes down to just how important 1% on the sales contract is to you. If it's life or death, the first stop would be at a tax expert. After working that out, a drive to various "good" states is the next step. Needless to say, you have spent your 1% long before any of this.

I'd flip things around. Who is the closest dealer who isn't a turkey? I'd put both the sales and the service groups under the microscope in this respect. If there are several dealers within a half hour of each other, go visit them all. I would have the expectation that to qualify their pricing and service would both be at least "pretty good".

Tax will still get into this. In some states you pay sales tax on the full price of the new car / truck / RV, regardless of the trade. In others you only pay tax on the delta between the trade and the new vehicle (if it's a dealer trade). If sales tax is 7%, that is a big deal.

Lots of twists and turns ....

Bob

[switz]

To the best of my knowledge, the same senior owner is there in Scottsdale as well as Mesa. Have not been there in a while, but the parts department chaps were all new again at the end of the summer.

I would suggest the “new” dealership should be requested to show any potential customer the certificate of Airstream service technician training completion before either buying a unit or taking one there for service.

[kendrick.l.j]

Switz, wow, that is great advice. Since I haven’t seen a true Airstream certificate can you tell me what I need to look for? I know almost anyone can cut and paste to produce a fake certificate so what would I look for?