Question about AS delivery and charges

[John1048]

I have received excellent advice and guidance in regards to my other questions about buying an AS trailer from this forum.

My question today: I have seen on the websites of two AS dealers in different states the exact same dollar amount of around $1300 and change for a trailer delivery charge on the MSRP sheet and I would like to know if this charge is the same for all dealers or does it actually vary from dealer to dealer?

Also, I am asking how are the trailers actually delivered from factory to dealer?

Thank you in advance for your reply,
John1048

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The trailers are hitched up behind pickup trucks at the factory and driven to the dealers. If the trailers are really small, they ship on a flat bed truck. The factory delivery charge is one flat rate to even the playing field between dealers. That way some guy named Bob 2 miles from the factory isn't the low price leader for the entire country

Bob

[wulfraat]

When I inquired about shipping a trailer using the same transport company that airstream uses I believe I was quoted something like $1.65 per mile to haul it. That is from memory though

[Adventure.AS]

Some dealers use their own equipment and employees to pick up trailers as well as the commercial haulers.

[kendrick.l.j]

The problem I see with folks picking up directly from the factory is that nothing will be set up or checked prior to taking it off the lot. Does the AC work, water working? Etc. And there is a lot of stuff that does need to be tested. If someone picks it up directly from the factory then none of that gets checked and if it isn’t working then when you take it back to your dealers they can easily say you broke it because you didn’t know what you were doing. This is particularly true with the new Classics and the heating system or projection TV.
I am not real sure you can pick up new units at the factory but I would not want to do that. Almost all the brand new ones have some thing that needs fixed, or replaced or whatever even after the dealer has supposedly checked everything out. IMO, the dealer prep charge is not a bad deal at all. Might even save your bacon if something serious goes wrong in those first 2 years.
It is my understanding that the prep charge is the same across the country.

[Mollysdad]

Not sure you can "buy direct from the factory".
That would be undercutting their dealer network.
Buy from a dealer you trust, and hopefully, he won't be 1000 miles away.

[sb55]

My 2018 30 FC got rear ended so I took it to the factory to get repaired.
I got a quote of $1365.00 from the factory’s shipper to tow it about 800 miles back to me.

[wulfraat]

Yup there you go - $1.70 per mile.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by kendrick.l.j

The problem I see with folks picking up directly from the factory is that nothing will be set up or checked prior to taking it off the lot. Does the AC work, water working? Etc. And there is a lot of stuff that does need to be tested. If someone picks it up directly from the factory then none of that gets checked and if it isn’t working then when you take it back to your dealers they can easily say you broke it because you didn’t know what you were doing. This is particularly true with the new Classics and the heating system or projection TV.
I am not real sure you can pick up new units at the factory but I would not want to do that. Almost all the brand new ones have some thing that needs fixed, or replaced or whatever even after the dealer has supposedly checked everything out. IMO, the dealer prep charge is not a bad deal at all. Might even save your bacon if something serious goes wrong in those first 2 years.
It is my understanding that the prep charge is the same across the country.

You cannot buy direct from Airstream, and you cannot buy from a dealer, and pick up directly at the factory. The end consumer has to take possession at an Airstream-authroized dealer.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

You are buying something that runs over the road and will have a license plate on it. That gets you into state law and dealer licensing. You *can* buy from an out of state dealer. The states have reciprocity in that respect. My bet is that JC does not have a dealer license ....

Bob