Just like clockwork, the warming weather has produced a surge of requests from readers wanting to know if a “special offer” at their local RV Show is a good deal or not.
For those in the same boat, we can offer the following one word answer to help you on your way: maybe.
Obviously, that’s not what you’re looking for in the way of guidance, but you need to plug in a few bits of information before you can assess the final number. As briefly as possible, we’re going to provide a few tips for shopping at an RV Show.
1.) Do your research beforehand.We can’t emphasize this enough. If you visit an RV Show with no idea what sort of RV you’re looking for, no research on the various manufacturers, and don’t have a good ballpark idea what a specific unit tends to typically sell for, then a “One Day Special” price will be meaningless to you, and probably misleading.
2.) Avoid the FOMO trap. Anyone who dabbles in text shorthand will recognize FOMO to mean FearOf M issing Out. Salespeople at RV Shows will all be using FOMO in some form or other. They’ll tell you they can’t believe their boss authorized them to offer this RV at this discount, but they can only sell one at this price. Or, they’ll tell you someone already jumped on this one and has gone off to arrange financing with their bank, but the first down payment will still get it. That’s nonsense. At this time of year RV dealers are swimming in stock. There may be a great deal at an RV Show, but there will be great deals next week, too, and the week after.
3.) Discounts from MSRP are meaningless. If I told you I have a car for sale that I’m willing to let go for $20,000 off my MSRP, would that be a good deal? It sounds like it, doesn’t it? But what if my car was a $500 clunker and I had set the MSRP at $25,000? True, you could save $20,000 off MSRP by buying my clunker, but I would also sell a $500 car for $5,000. That may be the most ridiculous example of a Win-Win ever.
4.) A good price can still turn out to be a bad deal.If you do determine an RV Show special is legitimately a very good deal, buying a shoddily built and problem plagued RV will quickly dampen your celebration. Again, do your research before visiting your first RV Show. There are scores of manufacturers to avoid at all costs, and many RVs that are nothing but a basket of headaches waiting for a new owner. Simply put, know before you go.
That’s it for today, folks. Keep your wits about you as you shop and, if you need some help learning how to tell the difference between the winners and the lemons, we’re here for you. Our books and buying guides are truly unbiased and we NEVER accept any form of payment or financial consideration from any RV manufacturer dealer.
In the spirit of the season, we’ll offer our own RV Show special, available only to the readers that made it to this point. For those of you that stuck with today’s brief lesson, feel free to take advantage of a 25% off coupon for any book or package on our site. Just use coupon code RVShow19 during checkout. The coupon will expire on Sunday at midnight.
Happy travels,
The RVReviews.net Team