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How To Negotiate A Travel Trailer Purchase

Tips For Negotiating The Best Price On On A Travel Trailer

Aaron Richardson

  • Last Updated: March 3, 2024
  • 18 minutes read

RV and travel trailer dealerships make a pretty penny on every sale they make. While we’ll talk more about just how much they stand to gain later on, knowing that most dealerships do quite well for themselves is why you should know how to negotiate a travel trailer purchase so that you can get a better price on your new adventure rig.

Negotiating for a better price is a great way to save money on your next travel trailer purchase.

Whether you’re buying directly from a dealership or negotiating with a private seller, there’s always room for a healthy discussion about what the trailer is really worth. 

That being said, there’s an art to this kind of negotiation. And if you’re really interested in a certain travel trailer, pushing too hard for a lower price could dissuade the seller from making an agreement with you at all. 

So, you need to know how to negotiate a travel trailer purchase with cunning and finesse.

But don’t worry! That’s exactly what we’re going to focus on today. So let’s dive into it!

Negotiate A Travel Trailer Purchase

How To Negotiate A Travel Trailer Purchase

Many dealerships enjoy higher margins when they sell travel trailers compared to many other types of recreational vehicles.

This is partly due to the fact that they are considered ‘luxury vehicles’, but it also has to do with the fact that dealerships take advantage of increased consumer demand during the summer months.

Follow these RV Price Negotiation tips to getting the best price on your new travel trailer:

1: Narrow Down Your Choices

Walking onto a dealership’s lot or into their showroom can be very dangerous if you don’t already have some idea of the type of travel trailer you’re looking for.

It can be a major waste of time and can also put you at risk of getting sidetracked by a great sales pitch rather than focusing on what you really want in a new travel trailer. 

That’s why the first key to a successful travel trailer negotiation is to narrow down your choices. Going in with an idea of three or four models that you want to look at will help you stay on track while at the dealership.

And it will also help you avoid wasting time with private sellers that are advertising trailers that don’t meet your needs. 

A good way to see different trailer models without having a salesperson breathing down your neck is to visit RV and travel trailer trade shows.

These shows give you the freedom to walk through (and around) many different travel trailer models to get a better sense of what fits your style.

And it will also help you start to understand how much the trailer of your dreams might cost! 

If you can’t (or don’t feel comfortable) attending these types of trade shows, most dealerships nowadays will offer virtual tours of their travel trailers online.

These virtual tours are the next best thing to physically walking through a trailer in-person.

And, in some cases, it could even be beneficial to rent a trailer you’re interested in to really see if you like it before buying. 

Shop Nationwide

2: Shop Nationwide

It can also be a good idea to expand your search parameters for a new travel trailer to include the entire U.S.

And if you can locate where the manufacturers of the trailers you’re most interested in are located, look closely at the prices being offered by the dealerships within 100 miles of those locations. 

In many cases, the dealerships closest to where a trailer is originally manufactured are able to offer the best deals.

This is because they have to cover minimal transportation costs in order to get the trailers on their lots. 

When you consider that some dealerships pay as much as $2 per mile to have travel trailers shipped to their location, you can see why local dealerships are able to offer their trailers at lower prices.

So even if you end up paying a little extra in gas money to go pick up your trailer across the country, you may still come out ahead of the game in the long run. 

3: Set (And Stick To) Your Budget

Once you have an idea of a handful of travel trailers you might be interested in, this will allow you to set a budget range for your trailer purchase.

When setting your budget, we actually recommend setting three prices that represent the minimum, maximum, and “best-case scenario” amount you’d be willing to pay for your new travel trailer. 

The maximum will give you an idea of the most you’d be willing to pay for a travel trailer with all the bells and whistles you’d like most.

On the other end of the spectrum, the minimum number you set will help you avoid compromising too much, and ending up with a trailer that actually doesn’t suit your lifestyle. 

Your “best-case scenario” budget number should fall somewhere between your minimum and maximum numbers.

This is what you’d ideally like to spend to get a new travel trailer that checks all of your boxes. 

Avoid Buying On Your First Visit

4: Avoid Buying On Your First Visit

When you start visiting dealerships or meeting private sellers, having the strength to walk away is going to be essential.

This tactic is one of the oldest negotiation strategies in the book because it’s highly effective.

In many cases, dealers or sellers won’t really feel the pressure to make a sale until you let them know that you’re willing to wait to find a better deal. 

To be honest, this can be really difficult. Our impulses urge us to ‘get it done’ so that we don’t have to come back to the dealership and (seemingly) start the process all over again.

But you better bet that salespeople know this and they are going to work hard to get you to act on those impulses. 

That’s why it’s helpful to be clear and honest with a salesperson upfront. Let them know that you’re just starting your shopping process (even if you’re not!) and your goal for the day is to visit several dealerships in the area to learn more about different trailer models and compare prices. 

This will not only help you avoid dealing with an overly-pushy salesperson, but it will also put you in a better-leveraged position when and if it does come time to start negotiating.

It also leaves you wiggle room to change your mind about the exact features of the travel trailer you’re looking for before you narrow in on a model that might not be the best choice for you. 

5: Prioritize Lightly Used Trailers

Buying brand new can be enticing and you better bet that salespeople at dealerships are going to steer you towards the newest trailers on their lot if you don’t demand otherwise.

Sometimes, dealerships will offer the best deals or financing on their newer models, but prioritizing lightly used trailers can be an excellent negotiating tactic. 

This is because many dealerships will need to get older trailers off their lot in order to make room for next year’s models.

And this is especially true if you are shopping for a new trailer in the fall or winter rather than in the heat of the summer (when everyone else is too!). 

It’s interesting to note that trailers are either traded-in or sold every three years, on average.

People’s needs change and that can put trailers with very minimal use right back on the dealership’s lot. 

And you can be sure that those two or three-year-old models are going to come with a significantly lower price tag than this year’s brand spanking new trailers.  

Inspect For Imperfections or Damage

7: Inspect For Imperfections or Damage

This is especially important if you’re buying a used or pre-owned travel trailer. But it’s also a useful negotiating tactic if you’re looking for something brand new.

Even new trailers can have slight imperfections from the manufacturing process or small damage from being shipped from the manufacturing location to the dealership’s lot in your area. 

That’s why it’s really important to thoroughly look through every nook-and-cranny of a travel trailer to see if there are any imperfections or damage that you’ll be able to leverage in the negotiation process. 

For used travel trailers, you may even go so far as to request a full inspection from a third party.

Not all dealerships will agree to this, but it’s an essential negotiation tactic when you’re buying from a private party. 

And it’s really useful if you’re buying your first-ever travel trailer and you’re not quite familiar with what exactly you should be looking for yet. 

7: Utilize Multiple Dealerships 

Pitting dealerships against one another is a great way to drive down the price of the trailer you want.

The strategy for doing this usually requires that you find the exact same trailer on two different lots.

And those trailers will typically have to be listed at different prices. That being said, we’ve known plenty of folks who have claimed to have a better offer from a different dealership even if that wasn’t necessarily true. 

In fact, it’s possible to pit dealerships against one another when you’re comparing trailers with different floor plans or from different brands.

It’s all a matter of selling the fact that you’re ready to purchase a different trailer from a different dealer if the dealer you’re talking to doesn’t offer you a reduced price. 

For instance, you tell the dealer that your budget is about $25,000. But, inevitably, the salesperson tries to get you into something that’s closer to $30,000.

You really do like the more expensive trailer, but you walk away and say you need to think about it. In the meantime, you find another trailer that’s ‘OK’ in your book but is listed at $23,000. 

You return to the original dealership a week later and explain that you’re ready to settle for the other trailer for $23,000.

But you explain that the $30,000 is really your “dream trailer” even though it’s out of your price range.

Tell the salesperson you wanted to stop in before you buy that other trailer to see if there’s any last way they can get the price of your “dream trailer” down under your $25,000 budget. 

This tactic has worked for many buyers of RVs, travel trailers, 5th wheels , cars, trucks, and just about any other high-ticket item you could purchase from a major dealership.

And it’s a great way to use the sheer number of dealerships out there to your advantage. 

Consider Buying In Bulk

8: Consider Buying In Bulk 

Ok, wait a minute, hear us out. We know you probably don’t need to buy two travel trailers, but many people have had success asking a dealership to cut you a better deal if you’re willing to buy two trailers. Of course, there are some prerequisites for using this negotiation strategy. 

The best way to employ this strategy is to know someone else that is also currently interested in buying a travel trailer.

You’ll both need to be on the same page about the models of trailers you’re interested in, but there’s no reason you can’t both go to the dealership together to try this tactic. 

If you’re financially flush and you have the money to buy a new trailer, you may also consider employing this strategy to get a discount on both models.

In some cases, you may even be able to turn around and sell your second trailer back to a different dealership or a private party for as much or more than you paid for it. 

9: Compare Maintenance Fees

For at least the first year after you’ve purchased a new travel trailer, some maintenance fees and major repairs will be covered under the original factory warranty.

But smaller maintenance costs will come out of your pocket, which means it’s good to investigate the potential costs of maintenance before making a purchase. 

Not all travel trailer dealerships will offer this, but some will provide deals on free or low-priced maintenance for a small period of time after you complete your purchase.

This can help you save on the long-term costs of owning and maintaining a travel trailer. 

This is why, in some cases, it can actually make sense to purchase a more costly travel trailer from a dealership that offers free maintenance for the first year or two that you own the trailer.

And if the dealership you want to buy from doesn’t offer free maintenance, that lack of service may give you the leverage you need to negotiate a lower base price on your new travel trailer. 

Offer To Pay Cash

9: Offer To Pay Cash

Dealerships are almost always going to be willing to sell trailers at lower base prices for cash buyers.

While this isn’t always realistic for all buyers, offering to pay cash gives the dealership added assurance that they aren’t going to miss out on any of the money they’re owed for the sale. 

If you must finance, the dealership has to be willing to accept the risk that you may default on payments at some point in the future.

Sure, they can always repossess the trailer, but its value will have depreciated significantly by then.

So they cover that risk by getting you to agree to a higher base price than they might be willing to offer if you’re able (and willing) to pay cash for your new trailer. 

10: Negotiate For A Longer Warranty

If you can’t get the dealership to budge on the base asking price for the trailer you’re interested in, another good negotiation tactic is to get them to extend the length of the factory warranty.

A stunningly high percentage of new travel trailers and RVs will require major engine or mechanical repairs within the first two years of their lives. 

Unfortunately, most original factory warranties will only cover the costs of these major repairs for the first year of the trailer’s life.

This is why many folks buying new or even pre-owned RVs or travel trailers opt to purchase an additional extended warranty from either the dealership or a private online vendor. 

While you can always go that route, negotiating for a longer warranty when you’re first purchasing your travel trailer is a great way to avoid paying extra for a warranty later.

So even if you end up paying more for your trailer than you originally anticipated, you might be able to squeeze the dealership for an additional year or two of warranty coverage at no extra cost to you. 

11: Seek Multiple Financing Offers

In many cases, the dealership’s financing offer won’t be the absolute best you can get.

There are many banks, credit unions, and private lenders that can offer you better financing terms than the dealership.

But knowing what financing offers you have on the table before you agree to purchase a travel trailer can also be a useful negotiation tactic. 

This is because it will allow you to have a better idea of just what your long-term financial picture will look like if you buy a certain trailer.

Let’s give you some concrete figures to help illustrate this point: 

1. Dealer A is listing a trailer for the asking price of $50,000

Their financing offer includes a 10-year loan term with a 4.5% interest rate. 

You’ll pay more than $12,000 in interest over the course of the loan

That brings the total cost of your new travel trailer over $62,000.

2. Dealer B offers the same trailer at a lower asking price of $47,000

Their financing offer also includes a 10-year loan term, but at a 6% interest rate. 

You’ll now pay more than $16,600 in interest of the course of the loan. 

So that will bring the total cost of your trailer over $66,600.

As you can see, while the initial asking price of the trailer from Dealer B looked like you could save $3,000, you’ll actually end up paying more than $4,600 more for that trailer than you would if you bought from Dealer A with financing at a lower interest rate.

And while this is moot if you’re able to pay in cash, it illustrates the importance of seeking multiple financing offers when you’re negotiating a travel trailer purchase. 

Search For Newer Dealerships

12: Search For Newer Dealerships

As you might imagine, dealerships that have just opened their doors in the last year or two are going to be under more pressure to get a return on their initial investment.

This means they may also be more likely to make sales at lower prices than their competitors, which you can use to your buying advantage. 

Newer dealerships need to establish their reputation and making more sales is a great way to do that.

That also allows them to get more consumer feedback and online reviews that add to their level of credibility.

So buying from a newer dealership can often allow you to find the lowest price on travel trailers in your area. 

13: Be Willing To Wait For Next Year’s Model

This kind of comes back to our original recommendation of exhibiting your willingness to wait for a better offer.

But if you do your research and you know your budget, there may be some cases in which you can actually get a brand new trailer at the same price as the year-old model the salesperson is currently trying to sell you on. 

If you’ve done your homework and you’re certain this is the case, now is not the time to keep that information close to the vest.

Don’t be afraid to let the salesperson know that you’re aware of the market and the fact that you can get a brand new RV for that price if you’re willing to wait. 

Explaining this lets the salesperson know you’re not a pushover and also puts the pressure on them to convince you otherwise.

And if you’re shopping for a trailer towards the end of the calendar year, the salesperson may also feel that added pressure to make a sale so that he or she can get that extra commission they’re looking for to cover holiday expenses!

14: Utilize Online Resources

There are a number of online resources that you should take advantage of when negotiating a travel trailer purchase.

For starters, NADAguides.com is the place to go to check the current market value of different travel trailer models. It’s sort of like the Kelley Blue Book for RVs, travel trailers, and 5th wheels. 

Using NADA Guides will really only apply if you’re purchasing a used travel trailer, but it’s still an important tool.

It will help you know what the trailer you’re interested in is worth and what similar models have been selling for in your area, which will give you an obvious negotiation tool when asking a private seller why they have their trailer listed much higher than its listed value online. 

Additionally, online community forums can be a great way to get up-to-date information on different travel trailers.

To find these forums, you can simply Google ‘[trailer make and model] forums’.

These forums contain stories and conversations about real users’ experiences buying from new and used trailer dealerships all across the country. 

If you enter one of these forums, you can also get answers to any specific questions you have about buying a new travel trailer.

And those answers are going to come from real people who have succeeded (or failed) at negotiating a better price on their own travel trailer purchase.  

What Is The Markup On Travel Trailers

What Is The Markup On Travel Trailers?

In many cases, dealerships can mark up their travel trailers by more than 50%. This is because the cost to the manufacturer is usually less than half of the travel trailers listed market value.

This figure is actually quite shocking considering the fact that RV and travel trailer manufacturers seem to cut corners and find new ways to manufacture their RVs and trailers at lower costs every year. 

So, if a trailer’s MSRP is $205,405, the dealer may stand to make as much as $136,936 on the sale.

In addition, certain manufacturers provide incentives to dealerships if they sell a certain number of units within a year, or if they are failing to sell certain units that have sat on their lots for more than a year. 

Knowing this markup is essential to you as a buyer because it puts into perspective how much that extra $5,000 you want to negotiate off the sale price really means to the dealership in the long-term.

And understanding that manufacturers provide incentives to dealerships to reach annual quotas is just another reason to shop for a travel trailer towards the latter part of the year.  

How Much Can You Negotiate On A Travel Trailer?

This will depend on how old the trailer is and where you’re buying it from. In most cases, you can actually negotiate for a higher percentage off the asking price when buying a new trailer from a dealership compared to buying a used trailer from a dealership or a private party.

Here’s a quick breakdown of how much you can negotiate on a travel trailer (based on percentages of asking price):

Should You Rent Before Buying A Travel Trailer?

Yes! Renting several different trailers before deciding on the model you want to buy is always a good idea.

Take these trailers on similar trips to determine how you really like living in them for multiple days at a time.

And this will also give you an idea of what’s missing on certain trailers that would make your camping life easier. 

There are many ways to rent a travel trailer to explore different models before buying.

You can go directly to dealerships and discuss what they offer in terms of leasing a trailer for a short period of time. 

If you’re looking to rent directly from owners, Outdoorsy and RVShare are two excellent resources.

And renting from a private party also gives you the advantage of speaking to owners directly about what they like and what they’d change about their particular trailer. 

Coming from someone that has purchased his fair share of questionable trailers, I can’t stress enough how important the negotiation process is when you’re making a travel trailer purchase.

Giving yourself a night (or two) to sleep on this kind of large purchase decision is never a bad idea either. 

If you wake up in the morning and you’re still set on that trailer being your new mobile adventure home, then go for it! But you should still be sure to utilize these strategies for how to negotiate a travel trailer purchase so that you get the best deal possible.

And then you’ll have more money left over in your pocket for your trailer adventures!

Aaron Richardson

About Author / Aaron Richardson

Aaron Richardson is an expert RVer and the co-founder of RVing Know How. Aaron, along with his wife Evelyn, has been living and traveling in their Keystone Fuzion RV since 2017. Their adventures span across the country and beyond, including memorable RVing experiences in Mexico. Aaron's passion for the outdoors and RVing shines through in his writings, where he shares a blend of travel stories, practical tips, and insights to enhance the RV lifestyle.

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I can say that a one or two year warranty is going to do much unless you are able to use the trailer quite a bit the first two years. Also make sure you TV is more than capable to tow your trailer with your things in it, including water if your boondocking

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How Much Can You Negotiate on a Travel Trailer to Get a Great Price?

How Much Can You Negotiate on a Travel Trailer?

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Thanks for your support! If you make a purchase using our links in this article, we may make a commission. And, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See the full disclosure here .

When you first look into purchasing a travel trailer for yourself, you will notice that they can be rather expensive. As a result, you might want to negotiate the price of the travel trailer a little bit. Negotiating is a great way to bring down the price and save yourself some money.

But how much can you negotiate on a travel trailer?

The answer depends if the travel trailer is new or used and if you are buying from a dealer or a private owner. Here’s the breakdown:

Get upfront price offers on local inventory.

There are several things you can do to negotiate the price of a travel trailer or RV. However, to do any of those things you need to do your research and make sure you are informed on the prices of other trailers on the market.

If you do not do your research, you will be putting yourself at a big disadvantage. So, make sure you investigate several dealers and you will be in a much better position to negotiate with the dealer you are working with.

You can save a ton of time and money when purchasing a travel trailer by learning how to buy the right travel trailer and then learning how to negotiate your best deal. That’s why we highly recommend the RVEducation101 course called How to Buy the Right RV & Save Thousands . We have used many of their courses to learn all kinds of things about RVing and we think you will like their courses too!

RVeducation101 Buy The Right RV Save Thousands

15 Tips to Negotiate Your Best Price on a Travel Trailer

Here we will give you 15 tips on how to negotiate the best possible price on a travel trailer. Some tips will be easier to put into motion than others, but they should all be helpful. So, take notes and you could save yourself a lot of money.

1. Find Cheaper Options with Other Dealers

As we mentioned above, one of the first things you want to do when trying to negotiate is to stay informed on the prices from all the dealers in your area. If you have this information, you can figure out which dealer has the cheapest dealer for the trailer that you want. With this information, you can go to another dealer and tell them that you found the same trailer for a cheaper price.

When the dealer finds out that you can go to another dealer to purchase your trailer, they might be willing to start negotiating a cheaper price. Most dealers would rather sell you a trailer for a cheaper price than lose your business. So, threatening to go to a different dealer is a method that will work a lot of the time.

This is also an effective method because it can get you a deal cheaper than the one that is currently cheapest among all dealers. Many people will tell you that you should just go to the location with the cheapest offer.

However, if you do this you are limiting yourself in how much you can negotiate. You cannot go to the place with the cheapest offer and tell them that there are cheaper offers out there. They will know that is not the case. However, if you go to a place that is not currently offering the cheapest deal and negotiate the price down to a price below the cheapest current offer.

2. Negotiate the Price Based on the Warranty Length

One mistake many people make when they attempt to negotiate the price of a travel trailer or RV is thinking that base pricing is the only important thing to consider. Sometimes it is better to purchase a travel trailer with an increased price that has a longer warranty. A lot of the time this will save you money in the long run.

Alternatively, you can tell the dealer that you are willing to accept a lower warranty if the price reflects this change. This can be risky as you do not want to get in a situation where your trailer is damaged after warranty. However, it can be an effective way to reduce the price if that is something that is very important to you.

4. Compare the Maintenance Fees of Other Dealers

This is something that likely cannot be directly negotiated with your dealer. Maintenance fees are generally at a fixed price for an entire dealership. As a result, they do not negotiate these prices for individual sales. However, you should still investigate to see which dealers offer free or low-priced maintenance.

Maintenance fees will add up over time, especially if you are someone who plans on using your travel trailer or RV frequently. As a result, it may be better to purchase a slightly more expensive trailer from a dealer that offers free maintenance. It will hurt your bottom line initially, but after a few years you will have saved more money from maintenance fees than the extra money you spent on the trailer.

Additionally, you may be able to negotiate a cheaper base price from dealers that do not offer free maintenance. You can tell them that you will take your business to another dealer that has free maintenance if they do not reduce the price. This is a negotiating tactic that does not have a bad outcome for you. If they reduce the price, then that is great. However, if they do not reduce the price, you can still purchase the trailer from the dealer with no maintenance fees.

4. Compare the Financing of Different Dealers

For most people, purchasing a travel trailer or RV outright is not possible. The base price is simply too expensive for most people to spend that much money in one day. As a result, they need to use financing to purchase the trailer. Financing is basically like getting a mortgage on a house. You pay a percentage of the base price and then you have to make monthly payments on the vehicle. However, these payments will have an interest rate. So, you will not need to pay the price in full for 10 years, but you will pay more in the long term than you would if you bought the trailer outright.

Sometimes you can get a reduced price by comparing the financing rates of different dealers. By using this method you can save yourself money in the long and short term.

5. Purchase Your Travel Trailer from a New Business

When you shop from a dealer that has not been in business for very long, you have more power in the negotiation. This is because newer businesses are hungrier to make deals. As a result, they need to be more willing to negotiate with their customers to get more deals done. Newer businesses do not have the luxury of turning away customers. They simply do not have the money to sustain themselves without a consistent stream of customers.

With that in mind, you can negotiate the price down with newer dealers by threatening to go to a different dealer. Most of the time newer businesses will be too afraid to let your business go and they will reduce the price.

6. Ask for a Package Deal

You can also ask to have the price reduced if you purchase more than one RV or travel trailer. Now, most people do not want or need more than one travel trailer. You also probably cannot afford to purchase more than one trailer. However, what you can do is find a friend or family member that also wants to purchase a trailer and buy the two trailers in one purchase.

This way you can both get your travel trailer, and you can incentivize the dealer to reduce the prices of each trailer because they are getting to sales done at once. It is the same reason clothing stores offer two for one deals. Purchasing things in bulk is usually better for the buyer and the seller.

7. Set a Budget and Stick to It

When you set a budget for yourself you should stick to it. There is a reason you picked a particular number for your budget and going over that number is usually a bad idea. However, that does not mean that you need to only shop for RVs or travel trailers in that price range. You can use your budget to negotiate with the dealer.

In fact, it is a good idea to look at more expensive trailers when you have a budget. Then when you find one you like tell the dealer that you like it, but it is over your budget. The dealer will know that they can get you to purchase the trailer if they drop the price and a lot of the time, they will do just that. Obviously, you cannot do this with a trailer that is way outside your price range as dealers will only reduce the price so much. However, if you do this with trailers that are only a little over your budget, you can save yourself some money.

8. Tell the Dealer that You Need to Think About It

Telling your dealer that you need to think about an offer they made to you is something they hate to hear. They want to sell you the travel trailer before you leave the dealership. As a result, hearing that you want to go home and think about things is a disaster scenario for them. In their mind, this means that you will consider purchasing a trailer from a competitor. So, if you tell them that you want to think about it, they might reduce the price to get you to make a purchase on the spot.

9. Tell the Dealer You are Waiting for the New Year Models

These are words that give RV and travel trailer dealers nightmares. A big problem for trailer dealers is selling merchandise during the fall and winter months. Most people are not interested in making purchases during this time because they only want to use their RV or travel trailer during the summer. However, if you go to a dealer during these months you can usually get the price reduced.

You can do this because dealers are making fewer sales during these months. Since there is a lower demand for RVs and travel trailers, there is a larger supply and prices will go down naturally.

This also means that dealers are more desperate to make sales during these months to reduce their losses. So, by saying that you might as well wait until the new year, the dealer might lower the price so that you purchase the travel trailer now rather than later.

10. Offer to Purchase the Travel Trailer with Cash

When you pay for your RV or travel trailer in cash, the dealer does not need to worry about losing out on money. Dealers can sometimes lose money if an RV is wrecked because the buyer will no longer be making interest payments. The dealer can repossess the RV, but it will not be worth nearly as much at this point. This is not something they need to worry about when you pay with cash. As a result, they will usually be willing to reduce the price for cash purchases.

11. Tell the Dealer that You Will Buy the Trailer Today if They Reduce the Price

This is a great method for negotiating a reduced price. Dealers want to finalize purchases the first time you enter the dealership. This is because if you leave there is a risk that you take your business to another dealer. You can use the fear of losing your business to get a cheaper price.

If you offer to make the purchase that day if the price is reduced, the dealer has a huge incentive to give you a better deal. They make their sale and there is no risk of losing your business.

12. Purchase Last Years Model

A lot of the time dealers will not reduce the price of older models for a few years. However, if you bring it up to them that it is an older model, they might be willing to give you a discount. It is standard for cars to be lower in price the older they get, the same is true for travel trailers and RVs. So, by bringing this up to dealers you can sometimes get a 10 to 15% discount.

Get upfront price offers on new and used inventory.

13. Point Out Work that Needs to be Done on the RV

This is a method that you can only use if you are purchasing a used RV. However, it is one of the most effective negotiating tools you have in your arsenal. To get this method to work you will need to have a keen eye for spotting problems, and you will need to have higher than average knowledge of RVs.

When you inspect the RV, you should be looking around to try and find any problems with the RV. Then when you are done, you can bring a list of issues to the dealer and tell them how much work is going to be required to fix the RV or travel trailer. Based on the issues the trailer has, you can get usually get the price reduced a decent amount.

14. Use NadaGuides.com

NadaGuides.com is a website that gives price estimates on different RVs and tells you the best prices available for different RVs. So, when you go to a dealer and find a trailer that has a price that is higher than what is listed on Nada, you can tell the dealer.

When the dealer knows that you are an informed buyer, they will know that you are serious about making a purchase. As a result, they will likely be willing to reduce the price of the trailer to a price that is closer to what Nada recommends.

15. Tell the Dealer that You Can Get a New RV for That Price

When you are looking at used RVs, a lot of dealers will be hesitant to initially lower prices unless there is something obviously wrong with the trailer. However, if you mention to them that you can purchase a new trailer for the price, they are listing a used trailer, you can usually get them to reduce the price.

Most people are not willing to negotiate the price, so dealers can get away with listing used trailers at new prices. However, if you bring this up during negotiation, dealers will usually lower the price for you. They want to sell the trailer more than you want to purchase it, so you have the upper hand.

Do your homework and get upfront price offers on local inventory.

Start Your Next Trip After Negotiating for the Best Travel Trailer for You

After reading, we hope you have all the information you need to purchase the best travel trailer for you. Negotiating is a difficult skill to learn, but if you practice and get informed on the best negotiating tactics, you can save yourself a lot of money.

The most important thing to remember when negotiating for your travel trailer is that the dealer wants to make the sale more than you want to purchase from them. Worst case scenario for you, you just go to a different dealer or you hold off on buying a trailer for you. Worst case for them is that they lose your business entirely. As a result, many dealers will not hesitate to lower the price of travel trailers for you if you bring solid arguments to them.

RELATED READING

If you are looking for an awesome travel trailer check out some of our articles where we review them: – How to Find the Best Deal on a Travel Trailer – 7 Best Fiberglass Travel Trailer Brands – What is a Hybrid Travel Trailer: Are They Any Good? – 10 Best Travel Trailers Under 5000 lbs – 6 Best Hybrid Travel Trailers with Bathrooms – 8 Best Travel Trailers with Bunk Beds – 10 Best Travel Trailers with 2 Bedrooms

Have you ever bought a travel trailer before? Do you consider yourself a good negotiator? Do you think you are ready to negotiate the price of a travel trailer for yourself now? Let us know in the comments!

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What Is The Markup On Travel Trailers?

Published on November 12th, 2021 by Ray & Tammy Roman This post was updated on August 7th, 2022

Dealership markups on travel trailers and RVS, in general, can vary between 35-40% depending on influencing factors that would be specific for that market. We have seen some sites suggest markups as high as 50% but it is unlikely you will see a markup this elevated.

What Is The Markup On Travel Trailers

The hassle of high-pressure salesmen and extreme markups can seem overwhelming and sometimes downright terrifying.

But fear not, we have priceless advice that will outfit you with all the tools and expertise you need to be sure you have made the best negotiation possible and are walking away with a fair-priced travel trailer.

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Before we get into the tools you need to make a deal, let us explain the basics of travel trailer pricing.

How does MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price) work when purchasing a travel trailer?

MSRPs were created to help facilitate the consistent pricing of products in various locations and stores. Retailers and dealerships are not bound to these suggestions; however, and may choose to price their goods above or below the MSRP.

Vehicle dealerships are required to show the MSRP or recommended retail price (RRP) of the vehicle they are selling on a window or windshield to ensure consumers know they are getting a fair deal.

As a travel trailer consumer, you could use the trailer’s MSRP to assist you with negotiations of the final purchase price.

What is the markup on travel trailers?

Dealership markups can vary between 35-40% depending on influencing factors that would be specific for that market.

We have seen some sites suggest markups as high as 50% but it is unlikely you will see a markup this elevated.

What discount amount should I expect to get off my Travel Trailer MSRP

We have found several sites and forums that suggest the expected markdown is anywhere between 20-25%.

Keep in mind the smaller, more economical travel trailers will have a lower markdown than that of the larger, more luxurious trailers.

The larger, more luxurious trailers could have a markdown potential of 15-30%.

So how do I negotiate my travel trailer price?

First, make sure you’re of the right mindset and prepared for the purchase of your travel trailer to be a big investment.

It is good to be familiar with the price of travel trailers like the one you’re considering so you are not caught off guard by the MSRP.

Go prepared. You will have a better opportunity to create wiggle room if you show up prepared with things such as facts, figures, and information regarding pricing and specifics for the travel trailer you’re interested in.

Here is the best advice we can offer for how to be sure you’re getting a good deal on your next travel trailer

“ Decide on the trailer you want, with what features, and know what that trailer and those features are worth. “

One way to familiarize yourself with different types of trailers away from high-pressure salesmen would be to rent the RV you’re considering. You can rent your top considerations to help better make an informed decision

Also, while enjoying the rented travel trailer, ask other RV owners for unbiased opinions of their preferred makes and models.

Talk to them about what you should expect to pay and if they have any advice to avoid higher prices.

The RV community is full of friendly, helpful owners who have already traversed the purchasing journey and most will be more than happy to help you navigate the journey yourself and help you to avoid pitfalls. Try this RV forum .

After you’ve found the trailer you think will be the best option for you, it is time to do your homework.

Taking the time now to learn the average purchase price of that trailer will help you approach your dealership with confidence.

Check sites like NADA for the average price or value and depreciation of the trailer you are interested in if you are considering a second-hand travel trailer.

You can even beef up this information by visiting RV trader sites for additional estimates to have on hand during the negotiation process.

Take your time

An RV purchase is a large investment that will bring your family loads of fun and entertainment so it is prudent that you don’t rush into a purchase you’ll later regret.

Spend the time and effort perusing ads, visiting dealerships, attending RV shows, and researching fair prices to ensure when you do finally make that big purchase the only thing you’ll feel is excitement, not buyer’s remorse.

Good things come to those who wait

The time of the month or year that you purchase your travel trailer could save you substantially. Most dealerships will have end-of-the-month or annual sales quotas they need to achieve and if you time it right you may have even more negotiating power.

RV sales are seasonal and most sales drop off in the fall. Also, consider purchasing your travel trailer around the time new models are released.

Often dealers will have additional markdowns in an attempt to clear out the old inventory for the new, higher-priced trailers.

Finally, check sales trends in the travel trailer market. During the beginning of the pandemic, there was a boom in the sales of travel trailers that are now resulting in an influx of used travel trailers on the market.

The market is ready and capable of providing you with a used travel trailer in good condition, all you have to do is go get it!

Set your price and don’t budge from it

Don’t let high pressure or smooth-talking salesmen convince you to buy more trailers than you want or the right trailer at a higher (than fair) price. Walk away from any dealership that will not budge on prices, especially if they are higher than the average.

If you have done all your homework and have a good estimate of what a fair deal is, keep looking. There’s a dealership out there that will love to sell you the trailer you want at a fair price.

Look further than your immediate area.

Shopping around will give you the best chance at finding something near the price you’ve set for yourself.

Some RV forums suggest looking as far as 300 miles from your location to ensure you’re getting the best price for the travel trailer you’ve chosen.

You may be able to show your local dealer a competitor’s offer to create additional wiggle room in their pricing because they don’t want to lose your sale.

Speaking of your local dealership, remember to NOT buy from the first place you stop. Yes, they may have exactly what you’re looking for but you can always come back.

Take the time to check other places. Shopping around could save you thousands.

Attend RV Shows

Attending a larger RV show will give you the opportunity to take advantage of competitive pricing as there will be more than one dealership there trying to get your attention and your business.

As with dealerships you’d visit in person, do not buy from the first booth you stop at. Check them all out and know you’re getting the best deal at the show.

Shop around for the best financing rates

Did you know, in most cases, if you shop around for rates at several locations those credit checks, if done in a small time frame together (say within 14 days), usually only count as one credit pull and should not greatly impact your credit?

Once you’ve found the perfect travel trailer at the perfect price, check a few different lenders and make sure you’re getting a good rate, even a difference of .25% could save you hundreds if not thousands over the life of the loan.

What is the markup on Travel Trailers? – Final Thoughts

We know it can seem daunting when you plan to make such a large purchase. The anxiety of overpaying can be overwhelming.

This article has given you several ideas and tactics to help mitigate that stress by making you a knowledgeable, well-prepared shopper.

The perfect RV is waiting for you, grab your notes and research, and go get it!

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travel trailer msrp markup

How to Negotiate a Travel Trailer Price (RV Negotiating Tips)

Ready to hit the open road with a travel trailer but worried about getting the best deal? RVs depreciate, like all vehicles, so saving the most money upfront is key. So here’s how to how to negotiate a travel trailer purchase:

Here is the best way to negotiate the price of a new travel trailer:

  • Research : Gather information about the travel trailer’s market value, features, and comparable prices.
  • Set a budget : Determine your maximum spending limit and stick to it during negotiations.
  • Inspect the trailer : Thoroughly examine the condition of the trailer, noting any repairs or maintenance required.
  • Gather leverage : Highlight any issues or discrepancies discovered during the inspection to negotiate a lower price.
  • Be prepared to walk away : Show your willingness to explore other options if the seller is unwilling to negotiate.
  • Start with a lower offer : Begin negotiations below your maximum budget to leave room for counteroffers.
  • Negotiate terms : Discuss financing options, warranties, and extras that may be included in the purchase.
  • Stay firm, but be flexible : Stick to your budget, but be open to compromise on certain terms or conditions.
  • Consider timing : Negotiating towards the end of the month or model year may increase your chances of getting a better deal.
  • Get it in writing : Once an agreement is reached, ensure all negotiated terms are documented in a written contract.

Fear not! We’ve got you covered with a comprehensive guide on how to negotiate a travel trailer purchase like a pro from RV dealerships. Say goodbye to buyer’s remorse and hello to the adventure of a lifetime!

Short Summary

  • Research and prepare for the best possible deal on a travel trailer.
  • Leverage multiple dealerships, offers, and cash payments to negotiate extras & warranties.
  • Inspect and evaluate before purchase to ensure you get the best value!

Travel Trailer Purchase Research and Preparation

travel trailer msrp markup

Before diving headfirst into negotiations, it’s essential to do your homework.

A well-informed buyer is a confident buyer, and confidence is key when it comes to negotiating. Researching recreational vehicle prices, attending RV shows, and exploring online resources will arm you with invaluable knowledge about the market, helping you secure the best possible deal on your travel trailer.

Visiting multiple local dealerships is also crucial for getting a better understanding of what’s available and comparing prices. This way, you’ll know if the offer you’re getting is reasonable or if you should keep looking. Keep in mind that dealerships within 200 miles of your area are the best to target, as they’re more likely to have competitive prices based on your region.

Attend RV Shows and Explore Online Resources

Attending an RV show can be a game-changer when it comes to finding the perfect travel trailer. RV shows offer a unique opportunity to:

  • Explore a variety of manufacturers and models, all in one convenient location
  • Quickly compare price ranges and get a better idea of what’s available on the market
  • Take advantage of salespeople who are often eager to make a deal on the spot

This can help you find the best travel trailer for your needs, ensuring you don’t end up with the same trailer as everyone else.

Online resources like NADAguides.com and community forums can provide you with great advice and insight into the market value of travel trailers. These platforms can help you gather information on the average prices of various travel trailer models, making it easier to negotiate with dealerships and get the best possible price.

Determine Your Budget and Priorities

Having a clear budget for your travel trailer price and a list of priorities is essential when negotiating a travel trailer purchase. By setting a minimum, maximum, and “best-case scenario” price range, you’ll have a solid foundation for your negotiation strategy.

Moreover, establishing your priorities before visiting dealerships will help you stay focused on your goals and avoid getting sidetracked by features and extras you don’t necessarily need. Remember, dealerships can be persuasive, but sticking to your budget and priorities will empower you to make the best decision for your travel trailer purchase.

Speaking of budget, looking for new travel trailers under $10,000?

In a recent article, I took a look at 18 of the very best new travel trailers that are under $10,000 . These are great RVs at a great price and a great way to get into the RV lifestyle at a price almost anyone can afford.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

Timing Your Travel Trailer Purchase to Get the Best Price

travel trailer msrp markup

Timing is everything when it comes to getting a good price on a travel trailer. Shopping during off-peak seasons or at the end of the month or quarter can significantly increase your chances of securing a great deal.

Dealerships are often more open to negotiation when they have sales targets to reach, and this can work in your favor. By being aware of these key times for negotiating, you can strategically plan your travel trailer purchase and maximize your savings.

Shop During Off-Peak Seasons

Winter is an ideal time to shop for travel trailers, as demand is typically low, and dealers may be more willing to negotiate.

Additionally, shopping during the fall or winter can provide you with the opportunity to score a fantastic deal on older trailers, as dealerships may need to clear their lots for the upcoming year’s models. This means you could potentially save thousands of dollars on your travel trailer purchase.

End-of-Month or Quarter Negotiations

Another prime time to negotiate RV prices is at the end of the month or quarter. Dealerships often have sales goals to meet during these periods, making them more inclined to cut deals on an RV’s price tag to reach their targets.

By strategically planning your purchase during these times, you can leverage this pressure on dealerships to secure a more competitive deal on your travel trailer and save a lot of money.

Remember, knowledge is power, and being aware of these key negotiating periods can make all the difference in your travel trailer purchase.

What Are the Financing Options for a Travel Trailer?

travel trailer msrp markup

Understanding the financing options available for a travel trailer is crucial for securing the best deal.

You have two primary options: securing your own financing or seeking multiple offers from dealerships. By securing your own financing, you demonstrate to the dealer that you are committed to making a purchase and have the financial means to do so. This can give you the upper hand in securing the best RV price.

On the other hand, comparing multiple offers from dealerships can help you find the most favorable financing terms and interest rates. Ultimately, it’s essential to explore your options and choose the financing solution that best suits your needs and budget.

Leverage Multiple Travel Trailer Dealerships and Offers

travel trailer msrp markup

To get the best possible deal on your travel trailer, it’s crucial to leverage multiple dealerships and offers.

By shopping nationwide and pitting dealers against each other, you can maximize your savings and get the travel trailer of your dreams at the lowest possible bottom line price.

This strategy involves:

  • Comparing prices and offers from different dealerships, both locally and nationwide
  • Gaining a better understanding of the market
  • Using this information to negotiate an even better deal

Remember, a well-informed buyer who has done their due diligence is a powerful buyer, and leveraging multiple dealerships and offers can make all the difference in your travel trailer purchase. If one dealer won’t play ball, the strongest negotiating position is to walk away (and mean it) to a different dealer.

The most important thing is to not be in a rush, don’t get emotionally attached to one specific RV, and hold out for the lowest price possible even if that delays your instant gratification. There’s more than one perfect RV and waiting for the right deal is totally worth the extra money you can save.

Some of the least expensive trailers are teardrop trailers.

In a recent article, I took a look at 23 of the very best new teardrop trailers that are under $6,900 . These are great RVs at a rock-bottom price and a great way to get into the RV lifestyle at a price almost anyone can afford.

Nationwide Shopping

Shopping nationwide can help you find the best prices on travel trailers, especially when considering dealerships within 100 miles of manufacturers’ locations. These dealerships often have lower transportation costs, allowing them to offer more competitive prices on travel trailers.

Online platforms like RV Trader ( RVTrader.com ) and Facebook Marketplace can be excellent resources for finding travel trailers nationwide. These websites provide a wealth of information on available travel trailers and their prices, allowing you to compare your options and make an informed decision on your purchase.

Pit Dealers Against Each Other

Pitting dealers against each other can be a powerful negotiation tactic to get a good deal. By comparing prices and offers from different dealerships, you can use the information you’ve gathered to negotiate a better deal.

For instance, if you find a lower price for the same travel trailer at a different dealership, you can show this to the dealer you’re negotiating with and see if they can match or beat it. This strategy can help you get the best possible price on your travel trailer and ensure you’re getting the best deal available.

Inspect and Evaluate the Travel Trailer Before Purchase

travel trailer msrp markup

Before finalizing your travel trailer purchase, it’s essential to inspect and evaluate the trailer thoroughly. This includes checking for any missing features or components and considering a third-party inspection for used travel trailers. Doing so will ensure you’re getting the best value for your money and help you avoid any costly surprises down the road.

Proper inspection and evaluation can also provide you with valuable information to use during the negotiation process. By identifying any issues or missing features, you can leverage this information to negotiate a better price or additional extras and warranties.

On the top end of RVs, you have Class A RVs, and on the low end you have travel trailers.

But how do you weigh one against the other? How do you decide which kind to buy and know which features you would actually use? In a recent article, I compare both travel trailers and Class A RVs so you can see a complete list of pros and cons, features, and prices.

Request a Third-Party Inspection

Requesting a third-party inspection for used travel trailers is an excellent way to ensure their condition and avoid potential issues. A third-party inspection can provide an impartial assessment of the trailer’s condition, detect potential problems, and help you make an informed purchasing decision.

Moreover, any issues found during the inspection can be used as a negotiation tactic. By highlighting repairs or damages that need to be addressed, you can use this information to negotiate a better price or additional extras and warranties, ensuring you get the best possible deal on your travel trailer.

Look for Missing Features or Components

During your inspection, it’s crucial to look for any missing features or components in the travel trailer. Create a comprehensive checklist of features and components to ensure you don’t miss anything important.

If you find any missing features or components, you can use this information to negotiate a better price or additional extras and warranties. By leveraging this information in your negotiations, you can ensure you’re getting the best possible deal and value for your money.

Is a Cash Payment an Incentive for Travel Trailer Dealers?

travel trailer msrp markup

Cash payments can be an attractive incentive for travel trailer dealers, as they provide immediate payment in full, eliminating the need for dealers to follow up on monthly payments. This can make dealers more willing to offer lower base prices and additional incentives for cash buyers.

Additionally, cash payments can be used as a powerful negotiation tool, allowing you to leverage extras and extended warranties in your purchase. By offering to pay cash upfront, you demonstrate your commitment to making a purchase and your financial ability to do so, giving you an advantage in the negotiation process.

Cash Payment as a Negotiation Tool

Offering cash payments as a negotiation tool can lead to dealers being more willing to lower the purchase price for the assurance of immediate payment. This can help you secure a better base price and save money on financing or interest charges from a bank or credit union.

Moreover, RV dealers are often eager to offer lower prices for cash buyers.

By confidently negotiating on your terms and highlighting any drawbacks in the new RV, you can use the information you have to get the best deal possible at an RV dealership during your RV purchase.

Negotiate for Extras and Warranties

If the dealer is unwilling to lower the base price, you can use cash payments to negotiate for extras and extended warranties. By offering to pay cash and considering any issues found during the inspection, you can use this information to negotiate additional extras and warranties to ensure you get the best value for your money.

Remember, it’s essential to research the average prices of extras and warranties on a travel trailer purchase to make an informed decision. By attending RV shows and exploring online resources, you can gain insight into the market prices and make the best choice for your travel trailer.

Should I Buy a New or Used Travel Trailer?

travel trailer msrp markup

Deciding whether to buy a new or used RV can be a daunting task, but it’s essential to weigh the pros and cons of each option and factor in your budget and priorities.

A used trailer from a private seller can offer unbeatable bargains, but it’s important to consider the condition of the trailer and any potential repair costs.

On the other hand, a new trailer may come with a higher price but can provide peace of mind with warranties and being in pristine condition. Ultimately, the choice between a new or used travel trailer depends on your needs, budget, and priorities.

Here’s a handy table showing the average prices for both new and used travel trailers in various common lengths:

10 Tips to Get the BEST DEAL on a New RV

In conclusion, negotiating a travel trailer purchase doesn’t have to be a daunting task.

By doing your research, attending RV shows, exploring financing options, timing your purchase, leveraging multiple dealerships and offers, and inspecting the travel trailer thoroughly, you can secure the best possible deal on your dream travel trailer.

So hit the open road with confidence, knowing you’ve got the best deal on your home away from home!

Frequently Asked Questions

How much can you negotiate down on an rv.

You can negotiate down on an RV depending on the supply and demand, with discounts ranging from 20-30% or more off of the sticker price in some cases.

How much below MSRP should I pay for a travel trailer this year?

With a typical RV market, you can likely negotiate up to 30% off the MSRP for your new travel trailer.

What are the benefits of attending RV shows?

Attending RV shows offers the convenience of exploring a wide selection of models and comparing price ranges between dealers quickly and easily, making it a great way to find your dream RV.

RV shows provide an opportunity to ask questions and get advice from experienced RVers, as well as to get a feel for the different types of RVs available. You can also get a better understanding of the features and amenities that come with each model.

When is the best time to buy a travel trailer?

For the best deal on a travel trailer, shop during off-peak times such as winter or at the end of the month when dealerships have sales goals to meet.

This is the best time to get the best deal, as dealerships are more likely to offer discounts and incentives to meet their sales goals.

What financing options are available for a travel trailer?

Finding the best financing for a travel trailer can be done through self-financing or multiple offers from dealerships.

Self-financing involves researching loan options and applying for the best one. It can be a time-consuming process, but it can also be the most cost-effective option.

Jeff Campbell

Jeff Campbell travels on and off with his 3 daughters in a Newmar Baystar Class A Motorhome. He writes extensively on both RVs, campgrounds, parenting on the road tips, remote learning & schooling, and much more! Click Here to learn more about me. Click Here to learn more about my site. Editorial Policies.

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How Much Do Dealers Mark Up Travel Trailers?

How Much Do Dealers Markup Travel Trailers

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On average, dealers mark up travel trailers around 35% to 40%. Now, that may sound pretty steep until you consider revenue versus profit. After all, dealers have to pay their workers, advertising, inventory costs, and in many cases, they get stuck with completing the cosmetic components of travel trailers delivered from the manufacturers. 

That 40% dealer’s markup might make you blanch if you were to learn the specific cost per RV they have. Luckily, as a buyer, you get to focus on what you can afford and walk into the dealership armed with the right information.

Mathematics and the right timing can be a great advantage when you’re in the market for a shiny, new travel trailer. Understanding a dealer’s markup on various travel trailers is good, but understanding the “hows” and “whys” is even better. 

In this article, we’ll help you understand the broad strokes of how much dealers mark up travel trailers and the factors behind it, so you can negotiate the best deal on that RV you have your eye on.

What is the Dealership Markup Percentage on Travel Trailers?

The industry standard is 40%, but it’s not always that high. Things change in the RV market consistently. You have seasons, more models than you can imagine, slow times of the year, and a variety of other market fluctuations that test that percentage from time to time. 

Unless you’re an accountant, a lot of the dealer costs are difficult to keep straight without a complicated spreadsheet full of functions and macros. For instance, it might surprise you to know that a major part of an RV dealer’s income stream doesn’t necessarily come from selling travel trailers and motorhomes but from parts. 

That’s right—parts. You can’t go down to your local auto parts store or Walmart and buy that must-have RV component.

How Much Does a Dealer Profit on a Travel Trailer?

Profit is harder to calculate when you’re dealing with non-specifics. The average amount a dealer makes per travel trailer is around 28.5%. However, the actual profit is between 5% and 15% of revenue. Dealers mark up travel trailers to maximize the overall profit. Yet you’ll typically see dealer prices below the MSRP.

Let’s say the dealer sells a travel trailer for $50,000. The dealer will usually make around $14,250. After operational costs, the dealer will keep between $712.50 to $2,137.50.

Of course, a lot of those travel trailers are a lot more expensive than $50,000. When you throw in used travel trailers and much smaller travel trailers (teardrops), profit margins shrink rapidly. 

What Does MSRP Mean?

What Does MSRP Mean?

In terms of an acronym, MSRP means Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price. In terms of definition, it’s simply the price the manufacturer thinks is fair for everyone, including the manufacturer itself, the dealer, and the buyer. 

You’ll notice that you always see the MSRP listed on the travel trailer, and you always see the marked-down dealer’s price below it. In a bubble, you would wonder how in the world the manufacturer or the dealer ever makes money if they always sell below MSRP. 

That’s because the “wholesale price,” otherwise known as the invoice price, is what the dealer paid the manufacturer for the travel trailer, and it’s a lot less than MSRP. The dealer’s markup on travel trailers is a markup on the wholesale price, not MSRP. 

Does a Dealer Have to List a Travel Trailer at MSRP?

By law, MSRP has to be listed on the travel trailer on-site. However, that’s not the case online. Some RV dealers list MSRP on their online travel trailers, and some don’t. It just depends on the dealer. 

Also, just because they list the MSRP doesn’t mean that’s the true cost of the travel trailer. Most of the time, you’ll see a markdown price below the listed MSRP price, and that’s true online or on the dealership lot. 

Can a Dealer Change the MSRP?

The manufacturer sets the MSRP, not the dealer. Once the manufacturer sets the price, that’s it. It’s important to note that the “S” in MSRP stands for “suggested.” It’s just a suggested price and is very rarely the price you’ll pay at the end of the day. 

The ultimate price has several factors in it, including your own negotiating skills. The dealer often lists their own price below the MSRP, and that price doesn’t have to be final either. If you have some pretty good negotiating skills, it definitely won’t be the final price.

Should You Buy a Travel Trailer Listed at MSRP?

Should You Buy a Travel Trailer Listed at MSRP?

Never buy a travel trailer for the listed MSRP price. It’s very rare for MSRP to be the only price listed on the travel trailer. The odds of you paying MSRP are slim to none. There are a wide array of factors that go into the ultimate price, and that’s before the unpredictability of negotiations. 

At the same time, it’s not like touring vacation hotspots in the Caribbean and the Mexican coast, where nothing has a price tag, and nothing is set in stone. Those places are a blast when it comes to bartering. Unfortunately, purchasing a travel trailer doesn’t get that wild. But neither is it a black-and-white finality, especially with all the external factors. 

  • Manufacturer-to-dealer incentives
  • Final dealer invoice with manufacturer
  • The time of year
  • The dealer’s floorplan 
  • Dealer’s “markdown” from MSRP
  • Trade in values
  • Fair market value (and whether or not you’ve calculated it)
  • Pre-inspection
  • Whether or not you got ahold of the invoice price (dealers don’t want you to have that and never list it)
  • How much price shopping you’ve done (pitting dealer versus dealer)
  • Your negotiation skills
  • Known depreciation values
  • NADA Guides (Now known as J.D. Power Value Guide)

That’s a lot of information and a lot of intangibles. Knowing every one of them intimately—at least the ones you can get your hands on—provides you with a major advantage. 

RVBlogger Editor’s Note On Paying MSRP : During the recent RV Boom, some RV dealerships were caught selling RVs at the MSRP price. At a time when customers had to wait for their travel trailers to be built, this practice was considered “unreasonable price gouging.” The RV Industry Association (RVIA) took the appropriate action to penalize these dealerships. It was found that only a few sales representatives were taking advantage of the situation versus a dealership policy.

How Do You Know You’re Getting a Fair Deal on Your Travel Trailer?

The above list is how you know you’re getting a fair deal. It’s not enough to walk on the buyer’s lot, accept the first price the dealer throws at you, and roll out with your new travel trailer in tow. 

Start with shopping all the travel trailers (within your acceptable limitations) available in your local RV dealerships. You can do that physically or online.

Calculate the fair market value based on all of the above-listed information. Find out all of the RV dealer fees as best you can. They don’t publish these online, so you’ll probably have to go to the dealership to learn these costs. From there, you can subtract their costs to get an idea of the price of the RV. If it’s crunch time, you’ll see the associated price drops. 

Do your homework. Study the J.D.Power Value Guide and write all of this stuff down for future reference at the dealership. It pays to be patient and take your time. That’s how you get a fair deal. 

Can You Negotiate the Dealer Price on Your Travel Trailer?

You can negotiate anything you want when it comes to price. It doesn’t mean you’ll win. However, the odds of getting the price you want increase the more you know about the actual price of the travel trailer and the dealership’s information.  

5 Best Strategies to Negotiate a Better Price for Your Travel Trailer

Best Strategies to Negotiate a Better Price for Your Travel Trailer

1. Use The J.D. Power Value Guide

If you want to drive the price down from the original dealer’s markup, it starts with the J.D. Power Value Guide. The values in the Guide are sales prices, but they will give you a very good foundation point to compare the price in front of you versus how the same RV model sells elsewhere.

Be aware each state has its own sales tax and other fees, which affects the total price.  

2. Time It Right

There are two things to consider when it comes to timing, and both are advantageous. The first is to shop at the right time of the year—late fall and winter.

The second is harder. You’ll need to figure out what the in-house costs are for the dealer in question. Dealers markup travel trailers for profit, but they’ll mark them down in a hurry to avoid paying interest on their loan on the RV.

When a dealer finances RVs from the manufacturer, they have a certain period to pay it back before interest payments begin. That’s how typical RV Dealer loans work. Dealers markup travel trailers for profit, but they’ll mark them down in a hurry to avoid the interest on the loan activating.  

3. Do Your Research

We can’t stress this enough. Shopping for a new RV should be something that takes weeks at a very minimum, months in a best-case scenario. Take your time and gather all the pertinent information you can get find.  

4. Set Realistic Expectations

It’s good to be very optimistic, but it’s also good to set realistic expectations for yourself. No matter how good your negotiating skills are, there’s always someone better at it than you.

You may meet your match at the dealer and end up on your heels the entire time. You’ll never buy a travel trailer for pennies on the dollar. 

5. Be Willing To Travel For A Good Deal

Best Strategies to Negotiate a Better Price for Your Travel Trailer Be Willing to Travel for a Good Deal

A hundred miles isn’t that bad when you can save thousands. Be willing to travel to RV dealerships further out from where you live. You may find a great deal at an RV dealership an hour away. Who knows, Even with the cost of gas, you may still save money on that desired RV!

6. Don’t Say Too Much To The Sales Person

This is a key negotiating tactic. Make them do all the talking, and never give it away that you want a specific travel trailer. Avoid all mention of your own financial situation or how much you’re willing to pay. Just keep it to yourself, at least until it’s time to spring your negotiating trap. 

7. Attend RV Shows To Familiarize Yourself With The Market

Attending RV shows will not only help you gain knowledge but can also save you up to 25% on the price. A lot of RV dealers like to make a big mark at an RV show, and they want to get that first sale on the books in the morning. By the end of the day, they’re getting desperate. Time your arrival for either. 

Will Some Dealers Try to Overcharge You?

Will Some Dealers Try to Overcharge You?

Some dealers may try to overcharge you. That’s their job. At the end of the day, this is a business, and the dealer’s sales people need to put food on the table and keep the lights on, just like you.

No, that doesn’t mean they’re going to raise the price to an unreasonable level. What it does mean is they will try to sell you the offered price when you probably could have negotiated something much better. 

If you want to avoid being overcharged, you have to be willing to walk away. The way you have to look at it is like this: the price sticker on the travel trailer is already more than what the RV is worth. Your job is to get that price down as low as you can. 

While remaining within the realm of reality, come up with a fair deal for you that the dealer will accept. If you can’t reach that price point, walk away. 

How to Avoid Overpaying for a Travel Trailer

The average travel trailer depreciates by a little more than 20% the moment you drive it off the lot for the first time. You should approach the travel trailer you want with the idea of taking the biggest chunk out of that 20% as you can. 

  • Buy your travel trailer in the late fall or winter
  • Offer to pay in cash, but only when the dealer has said no to the deal
  • Buy in bulk (explained below)
  • Create a fixed budget and stick with it
  • Attend RV shows
  • Target as many dealers as you can within your area
  • Price shop online until your typing fingers turn blue
  • Point out problems with the travel trailer (only when buying used)

All of the above are self-explanatory, except for the part about buying in bulk. To pull this off, you need multiple friends or family members willing to buy travel trailers or motorhomes. If you can buy three, the dealers will be more than happy to come off their sticking price.

✅ Check out this video below, where an RV dealer spilled the beans on MSRP! Just click on the video below to watch it! 👇

Final Thoughts on How Much Dealers Can Markup Their Travel Trailers

While there will always be exceptions to the rule, expect a 35% to 40% dealers markup on travel trailers. But remember, good things come to those that wait. Patience is a virtue, as they say, and patience is also lucrative. At least in terms of saving yourself a good deal of money. 

The RV market is a lot more convoluted than the auto market, but it’s not insurmountable. Stick to your budget and game plan. Do your homework and spend all the time necessary researching the type of travel trailer you want. 

If you do all of those things, at the end of the day, that markup is nothing more than a number—a number that represents nothing. 

Related Reading:

– 10 Best Travel Trailers Under $25,000 – 8 Travel Trailers With The Best Resale Value

About the Author:

Thomas Godwin is a full-time freelance writer with a BFA in Creative Writing, a U.S. Marine, and an avid outdoorsman.

When he’s not writing, he’s raising chickens and Appleyard ducks. Thomas also constructs teardrop campers (attempting to anyway) and kayaks the Blackwater River with his wife, two daughters, and his Dobermans.

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How Much Are Travel Trailers Marked Up

The markup on a travel trailer is typically around 50% of the cost. The markup varies depending on the size and quality of the trailer.

A good rule of thumb is to multiply the cost by two to get an estimate for what it will sell for.

For example, if a travel trailer costs $10,000, it will likely sell for $20,000.

What is the markup on a camper?

The dealer markup on RVs is usually between 20% and 40%, depending on whether the RV is brand new or second-hand, but also on your negotiating skills. Many sellers earn commissions of 20% to 30% of the profit on an RV, although this amount varies by dealership and area. [1]

How do I find out what my travel trailer is worth?

NADA RV Value website. This resource gives ranges for RV sale prices based on manufacturer, model and model year. RVTrader.com. Marketplaces like eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. Professional appraisal companies. Your local dealer. [2]

How much off MSRP should you pay for an RV?

A good rule of thumb for an average RV is to expect to receive about 20-25% off the MSRP sticker price for a new RV. [3]

What is the profit margin on RVs?

Gross margins on used RVs averaged 20.4% in the first quarter of 2022. The gross margin on new RVs is the highest recorded by Spader/RVDA data in at least a decade. The used RV gross margin is even with 2021 as the highest level in at least a decade. [4]

Is there a Kelly Blue Book for RVs?

There is no Kelley Blue Book for RVs, but many use another website and database to help determine a used RV value. You have many factors and multiple data points to consider when pricing a used RV, but you can start with the vehicle NADA (National Automobile Dealers’ Association) Guides by JD Power. [5]

Do RVs hold their value?

How Well Do RVs Hold Their Value? RVs, whether motorized or towable, are notorious for depreciation. Some RVs hold their value better than others for various reasons. In general, RVs lose between 30% and 45% of their value after only five years of ownership. [6]

How do you find the wholesale price of an RV?

Take the “Low Retail” figure and subtract 10%. This will get you close to the NADA RV book value. You now have the wholesale, or trade-in value for the camper. This figure will usually be close to the actual cash value (ACV), which is the amount a dealer would pay you, in cash, for the RV. [7]

Why are RV MSRP so high?

Both new and used RV prices remain high after increased demand and short supply pushed them up during the pandemic. [8]

Is it cheaper to buy an RV from the manufacturer?

Among many other benefits, buying factory-direct can give consumers more bang for the buck. “The most important advantage of buying factory-direct is the reduced cost,” said Marsha Trautman, president of custom fifth-wheel builder Space Craft Manufacturing. [9]

Can you buy a new RV without the dealer prepping it?

The dealership must ready the RV for transfer. First, the dealer must do a PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspection) to confirm the physical condition of the RV has been checked and all systems are operational. [10]

How much can you negotiate on an Airstream?

How much should you pay for a new Airstream? For the best price, you are looking to get from 20%-30% off the MSRP. I suggest 15% off MSRP as the minimum you would be willing to accept. A discount closer to 30% is only going to happen if the dealer is a bit desperate for some reason, but it is possible. [11]

What brands are owned by Forest River?

Forest River, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, manufactures RVs as well as utility cargo trailers, buses, and pontoon boats. The company ranked as the second leading RV supplier to the US market in 2016. Brands owned by Forest River include Coachmen, Dynamax, Forest River, Palomino, Prime Time, and Shasta. [12]

Related posts:

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  • How Tall is a Travel Trailer
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  • Where To Get Gas When Pulling A Travel Trailer

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Calculating Fair Market Value (FMV) for RVs

  • June 15, 2021

Table of Contents

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Whether buying a new or used RV, the exercise of determining the fair market value (FMV) is well worth the effort to avoid over-paying. Each transaction has a seller and a buyer with opposing financial goals—this article provides information to help the buyer minimize the cost while allowing a reasonable profit for the seller.

For the most accurate FMV, use as many of the techniques described in this article as possible. Allow variance in the FMV for condition, options, mileage, upgrades, number of available units, etc.

What Is Fair Market Value (FMV)?

According to Investopedia:

The fair market value is the price an asset would sell for on the open market when certain conditions are met. The conditions are: the parties involved are aware of all the facts, are acting in their own interest, are free of any pressure to buy or sell, and have ample time to make the decision.

In other words, fair market value is the happy, non-zero-sum intersection of where the seller has made a profit and the buyer has gotten a good deal.

Some of the product links are on this page are affiliate links. If you click through and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. See  Privacy Policy.  Thanks!

Determining Fair Market Value for a NEW RV

travel trailer msrp markup

What’s the Book Value?

Unfortunately, “book value” does not really exist for RVs!

Calculating how much your RV is worth is far more difficult than for a home or automobile.

  • Home values are set by your local housing market supply and demand, comparable “comp” properties, and individual home appraisals (which are regulated by the FDIC). Selling prices are publicly available on real estate MLS listings.
  • Automobile MRSPs and selling prices are carefully tracked by third parties, such as Kelly Blue Book and LMC Automotive. This information is publicly available and is based on incredible amounts of data! In fact, discriminatory pricing has largely been curtailed by the transparency and credibility of these tools.

No such transparency or extensive third-party data tracking is present in the American RV market.

Manufactures often do not disclose MSRPs on their websites. Actual selling prices are not as carefully tracked by giant third-party analysts, leading to incomplete data and sampling bias. It’s a bit of a Wild West out there!

Psst! There are websites out there offering “blue book” valuation services for your RV. Vet and research these services before using them! Make sure the service is a credible source and not a camouflaged phishing or lead generation operation.

What's a Fair Price for an RV?

Even though reliable “blue book” values don’t exist for the RV world, you can still get a reasonable estimate for your RV’s fair market value.

We list a few of the most popular and credible services below. 

None of these services factor in the construction quality of an RV. They are all strictly based on sales trends and forecasting algorithms. 

We recommend using the Low Retail Price (+ up to 10%, not exceeding the Average Retail Price) as a FMV for a new RV.

NADA Guides

The most popular (albeit not the most accurate) new RV book pricing tool is the NADA Guide. Many buyers turn to it first because it provides a quick answer.

You should consult the  NADA Guides , but don’t make it your only source. Its primary limitation for RV’s is that the prices are statistically derived and not from actual selling prices. If you will be relying heavily on the NADA Guides as a buyer, I suggest you use the “Low Retail” number in the online guide or the “Used Wholesale” number in the printed guide as your target price.

NADA allows you to search for Low Retail/Average Retail/Suggested List Price based on:

  • Manufacturer
  • Trim Options

You must provide your zip code to receive an online selling price estimate.

NADA Guide is free to use online. You can purchase the NADA Recreation Vehicle Appraisal Guide from J.D. Power, though.

RVT.com Price Checker

The RVT Price Checker allows you to search for High/Medium/Low/Suggested prices based on:

You can compare results from RVT to estimates from J.D. Power on the same page!

Their estimates are partially based on analysis of list and/or sale prices from the thousands of RVs being sold at RVT.com. 

RV Trader Price Checker

The RV Trader Price Checker allows you to search for Average/Low/High prices based on:

You can search nationwide or limit yourself to your local zip code!

Their estimates are partially based on analysis of list and/or sale prices from the thousands of RVs being sold at RVTrader.com

If you want to attempt to calculate your camper or motorhome’s Fair Market Value yourself, you’ll need to understand the following.

What Do Dealers Pay?

Fair market value for a new RV can be roughly derived by adding an acceptable margin of profit to the dealer’s invoice price (aka wholesale price).

You see, a dealer purchases the RV from the OEM at the invoice price and resells it to you, the customer, for an upcharge as the retailer and service provider.

The manufacturer often provides an Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MRSP). The dealer will typically sell at or below this amount at a discount.

Sometimes, you can find the MSRP of your RV by visiting our RV Manufacturers List, finding your manufacturer, and then clicking through to their site. 

But some OEMs simply do not post their MSRPs online.

And many RV manufacturers and dealers leverage MSRP values to create forced scarcity and false discounts. MRSP values are intentionally set higher than what the market will bear. Dealers can then sell the unit at “15% off – July only!” and still make their normal profit.

Typical dealer markup ranges from 20-40% of the invoice price.

Ballpark Estimate

To calculate a Fair Market Value estimate, follow these steps:

  • Obtain an MSRP approximation from NADA, your dealer, or another trustworthy source.
  • Multiply this number by 0.85.

Example: $36,544 MSRP x 0.85 = $31,062 FMV.

Do not pay more than this number!

Sadly, there is no hard-and-fast rule for calculating an exact markup margin.

For instance, some smaller trailers have 40% markups because the amount of time it takes the dealership to process the sale for a $15,000 13-ft mini travel trailer is the same as to process a $120,000 luxury fifth-wheel.

Margins vary with market conditions. With supply is low and demand is high, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, markups are sky-high.

When the travel industry crashed after the Great Recession of 2009, markups took a nose-dive as well.

Unfortunately, unless you have insider knowledge of the RV industry, the invoice price will be difficult to attain.  But if you can get your hands on it, then you can use the invoice price as a bartering tool to reduce the markup to a reasonable percentage.

To my knowledge, there are no publicly accessible databases where you can see RV dealer invoice costs. And most dealerships will jealously guard this information.

P.S. Don’t be waylaid by so-called “search tools.” For instance, I reviewed the website SeeDealerCost.com, which purports to show actual RV dealer costs. I sampled 14 RVs from five different brands, in all cases, the ratio between the “invoice cost” and the MSRP was the same: 45%. I suspect this website is merely dividing MSRP numbers pulled from a different database, like NADA.

What Do Other Customers Pay?

You can estimate an RV’s fair market value by comparing similar models across regional dealerships.

By “similar” models, we mean the same brand, same/similar floorplan, same trim level, from the same manufacturer.

You may not be able to find an exact match. However, the brand and model size should be equivalent.

Many RV dealerships are now posting their inventory with standard pricing online. A quick Google search will show results within your area.

Direct comparisons between local dealerships may be more useful than the regional estimates provided by online estimators.

You can use this information to pitch dealer vs. dealer and drive down the cost through competition.

In fact, here’s a book on the subject from J.D. Gallant at the RV Consumer Group: How to Outwit Any Auto, Truck, or RV Dealer Every Time (included in M – RV Consumer Group

What’s the Actual Out-the-Door Cost?

Some RV dealerships tack on upsells, charges and fees at every opportunity: PDI inspections, service contracts, document preparation fees, or “mandatory” accessory packages.

(I’ve even heard of dealerships trying to sell hitch receiver pins to customers for a measly $2).

You need to know the out-the-door price, with all required fees and charges, from your dealership.

And if you plan to finance through your dealer, you need a full roster of your contract fees, interest rate, and other financial details as well. You don’t want to “save” $1,000 on the RV purchase price only to lose it all over in an unfair interest rate or early payoff fees!

Add Depreciation to Used RV FMV

Another way to determine the FMV for a new recreational vehicle is to find the FMV of a similar used model and add back the depreciation. If you do not have the RVCG’s depreciation schedule, then adding back 25% to a 1-2 year old model should get you in the ballpark. For example, let’s say you found a one-year-old model in excellent condition. By using the techniques described in the USED RV FMV section, you determine that the used model’s fair market value is $48,000. To estimate the new FMV, divide the used FMV by the inverse of the depreciation percentage, like this: $48,000 / 0.75 = $64,000.

Determining Fair Market Value for a USED RV

travel trailer msrp markup

When finding out the Fair Market Value for a used RV, we recommend starting with a detailed understanding of that vehicle’s quality.

A great deal of research is performed by the non-profit 501(c) RV Consumer Group. You can see their full list of paid downloads for brand and model ratings here.

For 50 years, the RV Consumer Group has been a watchdog of the unregulated RV industry. Today, the RVCG publishes extensive documentation regarding RV safety, RV brand quality, RV recalls, and other RV industry information.

RVCG does not provide direct pricing information online. However, we recommend you compare their notes on brand quality to the NADA Guide estimates and purchase accordingly.

The RVCG has compiled price statistics for most RV brands and models in their member publications. This information is invaluable to shoppers of new and used RV’s alike and contains a Price Guide  section for each model with the following information:

  • Average price paid for this brand/model as a percentage of the SLP.
  • Average list price when new.
  • Depreciation schedule.

You’ve heard it said that a fair price is the amount a buyer is willing to pay and a seller is willing accept. This is very true, but you also have to consider market conditions to bring the two sides together. These conditions are largely dictated by statistical data derived from completed sales.

Before we begin, however, you should understand that RVs undergo severe depreciation!

  • Year 1: 20%
  • Year 2: 25%
  • Year 3: 30%
  • Year 4: 35%
  • Year 5: 40%

As you can see, RVs drop about 20% in value from new-to-used, and each year adds about 5% deprecation loss.

This tends to level off after Year 5. It takes 8-10 years for an RV to hit a full 50% loss in value, although this is somewhat for faster for most towables compared to motorhomes.

As a quick n’ dirty Fair Market Value estimate for a used RV, find the MSRP of that RV when it was new (from NADA), and then account for the depreciation.

Let’s look at a few techniques for determining FMV of a used recreational vehicle.

Again, the easiest source for an estimated Fair Market Value for a used RV is the NADA Guide from J.D. Power.

You should consult the  NADA Guides , but don’t make it your only source. Its primary limitation for RVs is that the prices are statistically derived and not from actual selling prices. If you will be relying heavily on the NADA Guides as a buyer, I suggest you use the “Low Retail” number in the online guide or the “Used Wholesale” number in the printed guide as your target price.

Actual Selling Prices

By far the best way to determine FMV is by observing the actual selling prices of similar units.

As discussed in the New RV FMV section, you can use the following resources to search for estimated market prices for new AND used RVs and campers:

  • RVT Price Checker

The following sites don’t provide averaged sale prices, but you can manually compare similar models for sale:

  • RVClassified.com
  • RVOnline.com
  • CampingWorld

PPL Motor Homes

PPL Motor Homes is a consigner in Houston, Texas. It is the largest RV consignment dealer in the country. Having purchased an RV from them in 2004, I can tell you firsthand that my buying experience with PPL has been pleasant. They are nice enough to post their own selling prices on the following pages:

  • Class A Diesel Motor Homes
  • Class A Gasoline Motor Homes
  • Class B & C Motor Homes
  • Fifth Wheels
  • Travel Trailers

You can also visit their main Price Checker “blue book” and Price Comparison page here.

eBay Prices

Even if you have no interest in buying or selling on eBay, it is a valuable resource for determining selling prices. Examining final bid prices on RV’s similar to the one you are considering will give you a good idea of what those units are worth. Here is how you look up the final prices on completed listings:

  • Go to the  RV category on the eBay Motors web site .
  • Enter your search criteria, such as “monaco diesel”, and put a check mark in the “ Completed listings ” box under “Search Options” on the left side of the page.
  • In the results ignore items that say “ Reserve Not Met ” and those with a  zero  in the “ Bid ” column—these items did not sell.
  • Review the other items to find a model most similar to the one you are interested in and make a note of the final bid amount in the “ Price ” column.

Occasionally you will see asking prices far above the FMV for almost-new RV’s. When you see this, chances are the seller paid too much for the new unit and, naturally, wants to recoup as much of their investment as possible. Unfortunately, the chances of these folks getting anywhere near their asking price is slim.  The time to minimize resale losses was back when the new unit was purchased, by doing as much research as possible.

Local “Comps”

When in doubt, visit your local online marketplace and see what comparable RVs and campers are selling for.

Popular marketplaces include:

  • Facebook Marketplace

Get a Quote

Why not just get a quote? You don’t need to own the RV to submit information! If you know the year, make, model, location and condition, you can get a quote.

Try out the Good Sam RV Valuator for a quick quote, which will forward your submission to your nearest Gander Mountain or Camping World store (so use at your own risk!)

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Andy Herrick is a blogging nerd, #8 Enneagram, wannabe bread baker, INTJ, RV industry professional, and small business entrepreneur. He can be found hanging out with his lovely wife and family, skiing, cycling, climbing, hiking, and convincing anyone who will listen why dogs aren’t really that great of pets. Also, he runs this website.

  • Andy https://changingears.com/author/andrew-herrick/ RV Salvage Yards and Part Stores in Hawaii
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  • Andy https://changingears.com/author/andrew-herrick/ RV Salvage Yards and Part Stores in North Carolina
  • Andy https://changingears.com/author/andrew-herrick/ RV Salvage Yards and Part Stores in New York

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Is 25% Off MSRP a Good Deal for an RV?

By: Author The Drivin' & Vibin' Team

Posted on May 15, 2022

If you’ve shopped for an RV in the past year or two, you may have found yourself experiencing a bit of sticker shock in the process. Price tags on RVs continue to trend northward with little sign of that changing anytime soon.

A dealer may tell you they have the lowest price in town, but is 25% off MSRP a good deal for an RV these days?

Today, we’ll look at the costs of RVs to help get you the best deal possible on your next RV purchase. Let’s get started.

What Is MSRP?

You may have seen the acronym MSRP when shopping for an RV or car. This is short for “Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price.” This is the price that the manufacturer recommends to ensure a profitable sale for the manufacturer, dealer, and any other entities involved.

The MSRP on an RV is simply a suggested price and not hard and fast. Depending on the market and inventory, the vehicle’s actual price may be more or less than MSRP. We’ve seen dealers tacking on “market adjustment” fees due to reduced inventory and increased demand in recent years. It’s the simple principle of supply and demand at work.

travel trailer msrp markup

What Is the Average Markup on a New RV?

Typically, you’ll find a 30% to 40% markup on RVs despite what the sales staff may tell you. This leaves them wiggle room to make money and come down on the price to help buyers feel they’re getting a good deal.

If you’re in the market for a new RV, brush up on your negotiation skills and have patience. Making a quick transaction will likely force you to pay more for your rig than if you have time to play hardball and wait out a dealer wanting to make a sale.

How Much Can You Negotiate on a New RV?

RV dealerships have bills and salaries to pay too. So don’t expect that a dealership will lose money on a deal. However, some shoppers with decent negotiating skills can pay less than the MSRP. Some can even negotiate 20% or 30% off the price.

This keeps money in your pocket and can help you pay for the gear and supplies you’ll need for those future camping trips.

How Do You Make an Offer on an RV?

You don’t have to do or fill out anything official when making an offer on an RV. If you’re not happy with the price tag, you can ask the dealership if they’d consider the price you feel is fair. They’ll likely have to ask a manager or run some numbers, but they’ll reject or accept your offer. 

It doesn’t hurt to ask about a fair price because the worst that can happen is that they say no and reject your offer. They’ll likely counteroffer with a new one or stay firm at the original price of the RV.

travel trailer msrp markup

In a typical RV market, 25% off MSRP was a decent deal for an RV. However, we haven’t lived in a regular RV market for quite some time due to supply shortages and increased demand. These have combined to create a bit of unpredictability in the RV buying process.

Many RVs sold in recent years sold closer to MSRP than consumers typically have paid in the past. Currently, 25% off MSRP would be great for most RVs. As manufacturers catch up with the demand and dealerships fill up with RVs, you’ll likely experience dealers being a little more generous when selling below MSRP.

Do RV Dealers Prefer Cash?

You might have heard the phrase “cash is king” from a bald financial guru, but RV dealers think differently. They prefer customers that walk onto their lot looking to finance their new purchase. Most dealers receive incentives from banks and credit unions for financing. They’ll get a kickback from the financial institution for getting them a new client.

Dealers will sometimes offer discounts when purchasing with financing through one of their banks. Many shoppers will not disclose their payment method until they agree upon a price with the sales team.

If the sales department knows they won’t get the financing kickback, they may not offer the best deal possible.

How Do You Deal with an RV Salesman?

When dealing with an RV sales associate, you have to remember not to take things personally. It’s a business transaction, and they have their best interest in mind despite what they tell you. They want you to feel as happy as possible with the transaction while still making money for them and the company. They may appear to be your buddy during the transaction, but they’re motivated by the idea of making a sale.

Just because they factor their financial interest into the equation doesn’t mean that you can’t still have a smooth buying experience. Treat the dealer and the sales team members with respect and courtesy, but don’t let them rush you to make a decision. Be confident and take your time when making any big financial decision.

Remember that you’re in control during the entire process. You have no obligation to purchase from a dealer just because they took the time to show you some RVs and answer your questions. If you’re uncomfortable or don’t feel they value your business, you can find other dealers willing to sell you an RV.

travel trailer msrp markup

What Should You Not Say to an RV Salesman?

When shopping for an RV, you want to get the best deal possible. There are a handful of things you should never say to an RV sales associate. These can derail your ability to negotiate and result in you paying a higher price.

One thing you should never say is, “This RV is perfect.” Think of the entire transaction as a game of poker. You don’t want to let your competition know you have a pocket of aces. You want them to play the game as long as possible. So even if you think that a rig is perfect, you’ll want to practice your poker face when interacting with the dealer.

Additionally, you don’t want to show all of your cards when buying a new RV. Whether you’re trading in a rig or buying with cash, you do a disservice by giving them too much information. If they know you have a trade-in or will pay with cash, they may change the deal’s structure or give you a great deal on the RV, but undervalue your trade. Again, the less information you can provide for an RV transaction, the better.

Lastly, you want to avoid sharing your maximum monthly budget. If you do, you can almost guarantee your monthly payment. It’s going to be a few bucks under what you told them. The sales team can adjust interest rates or the loan length to fit your payment plan. This costly mistake may cause you to pay thousands more for your RV over the length of a loan.

Is It Possible to Get a Good Deal on an RV?

Getting a good deal on an RV is possible, even in the current insane RV market. However, it’s going to take some patience and flexibility. You may need to drive further than you’d like or consider all options. You have plenty of RV dealers, and manufacturers are catching up with the demand.

If you want to find the perfect rig for your future camping adventures, you can make it happen. Apply some of these techniques at the dealership, and hopefully, you can get a price under the MSRP.

What are your negotiating tips for those purchasing a car or RV?

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Tips & Trips

Buying an rv.

Signing on the dotted line to purchase a new RV is exciting and for some, scary. How do you know that you paid the right price? There is no way to be absolutely sure, but there are some ways to help you get close. There are three scenarios that I will discuss: Ordering, buying off the lot without a trade-in, and buying off the lot with a trade-in.  First, some background.

MSRP (Manufacturers Suggest Retail Price), is common to all three scenarios and varies widely between manufacturers. The dealer’s margin, which is the difference between the dealer’s total cost and the selling price, can be as little as 15% and as great as 35% or more of the MSRP. The dealer's invoice price is not necessarily (or usually) his real cost. Many times the manufacturers add incentives, offer inventory financing help, and offer model year end assistance. So how much should the dealer and the salesman make on your deal? The answer to that question is subjective because the value of the dealer before, during and after the sale is hard to quantify.

The specific dealer and  salesperson are also common to the three scenarios. Some dealers do not provide good service even when they make good profit on the deal. Some dealers provide great service no matter how much they make on a specific deal. In addition, some salespersons have lots of tenacity and will go the extra mile to help you. Some of the better salespersons have a very loyal following of customers and have earned that loyalty by providing great help during the sales process, and even more importantly, great after sale service. You must decide how important the dealer/salesmen are to you and then decide how much profit you think they should make. Evaluating the dealer's service department can help you establish this value. Some service departments are great and some are not. Interview the service manager and get a list of customer references that you can call. I believe that a very good dealership/salesperson is worth at least a bonus of 5% in their profit. If all else is equal, go with the best dealer/salesperson even if it's further away from your home base.

The Manufacturers Brand is also common to all three scenarios. If you surf the Web you will find many plus and minus Brand evaluations. Some of us post horror stories of great loss and inconvenience on one Brand or another. We know that things can go wrong on every new RV, some more than others, so the good reputation of the specific Brand is worth a significant value. I have my own ranking but I think you should develop your own list and establish specific value for each Brand. The higher ranked brands always make higher profit because they can sell every RV they can make. All other things equal, I believe that an outstanding Brand is worth a higher selling price, because you will get most or all of the difference back when it comes time to sell or trade your RV.

Scenario 1: Ordering a New RV. Once you settle on the specific model, color, and options, create a Bid Specification and send it to all the dealers that sell that Brand in the geography that you are willing to travel to. Announce to the Dealers that you will award your business to the lowest price bid, modified by your estimate of the value of their specific dealership. Please don't jerk the dealers around. Do this only when you have cash or financing arranged and a desired delivery date established. To make this fair, you should sell your current RV yourself or put it on consignment with the dealer.

Scenario:  2: Buying off the Lot without a Trade-in. This scenario requires you to compute what you think is the value of the desired RV by using the methods above. You must also be flexible on specific model, length, features, color, etc. because you have to pick from what's there. Most dealers order, but maybe not pay for, RVs to have inventory on their lot. The cost of this inventory process is usually referred to as "Floorage Cost" which includes the interest, overhead, space, advertising, etc  that is attributed to each unit. The longer the unit is on the lot, the lower the dealer profit will be. On last model year inventory, manufacturers usually help the dealer move it off his lot with incentives. If that model is one you like, you can often negotiate a much lower price on this new unit. Be sure to get the warranty in writing, especially if it is a demo. Even if the mileage is 10,000 miles, make them start the odometer and date clock as if it were new with only delivery miles on it. In other words, have the dealer start the warranty when you take delivery of the RV.  Dealers always want to have one of what you want on hand, so that you can satisfy your buying urge instantly and probably pay more than you have to for it. Once you have established the price you are willing to pay, you must remain like a rock. If that price is totally unrealistic, the dealer/salesperson will almost immediately drop you. If it is close or at the price they are willing to sell for, then they will start working hard to get you to come up to what they say is their lowest possible price. This process can be fun for some people and because I spent a lot of years in selling and marketing (Computers for IBM) I am one of those people. I love to watch them try all the sales psychology on me. This can be painful to some people who should not do this without help from an experienced RV’ing friend. Be prepared to walk out of the negotiation and let them think about their position. If they are close and it's near the end of the month, they will call you back. That's because the end of the month volume is critical to every salesperson in establishing bonuses. There are lots of other techniques to use in this scenario, so ask the people that you most respect how they would go about the process. Gather your courage and go for it.

Scenario 3: Buying off the lot with a trade-in. Many people just don't have the energy, courage, or resources to sell their current RV, so if they want a new one they must trade in their old one. Here's what I recommend. First of all establish the "real" value of your RV through all the tools you can put your hands on. Look at the NADA and Kelly's Blue Book online, at your, bank or dealer. Surf to  NADA GUIDES  and look up the high, medium, and low retail prices. The value of your RV is near the wholesale price, loan value, or similar number. If you look at classifieds, you must take some off that average asking or retail price to establish the wholesale price. Now you are in the position to follow Scenario number 2, down to the point of establishing the final price. To be fair to the dealer, tell him you may trade in your RV as a part of the deal. It is important to get the dealer's best price on the new rig before you counter, subtracting the real value of your trade in. I recommend not getting into the price difference game, unless you have two dealers trying to get your business. That is difficult because they all don't have the same inventory to pick from and there are often many price affecting differences between two models of the same Brand on the lots.

I have tried to summarize my experience and knowledge of the buying process and offer this information in good will and with the wish for you to get many miles and smiles from your next RV. Safe travel. 

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Table of Contents

What is the dealer markup on RVs?

travel trailer msrp markup

Hi, I am Elaine, I have been camping for 22 years. I created this resource to share my first-hand experiences on vanlife, camping culture, tips and living on the road.

In this blog post, we will answer the following question: What is the dealer markup on RVs? We will advise you to negotiate the best price for your motorhome and to get the best possible deal. 

The dealer markup on RVs is usually between 20% and 40%, depending on whether the RV is brand new or second-hand, but also on your negotiating skills. 

Many sellers earn commissions of 20% to 30% of the profit on an RV, although this amount varies by dealership and area. The profit on a new RV is not substantial due to negotiations and a buyer’s ability to review the manufacturer’s suggested retail price and invoice amounts online. 

Besides, some car dealerships do not pay commissions on new RV sales but offer a fixed amount for each sale. Instead of earning a percentage of the profit, the seller earns $100 to $ 500 for each new vehicle sold, regardless of profit. Sellers who charge on commission often charge a flat fee if there is no profit. 

For example, if a dealer sells a vehicle that does not guarantee enough profit to pay the seller, the seller automatically earns $ 100, despite the dealer’s loss. Sellers who share offers or who have to split their earnings with another seller also split the flat fee.

How does an RV dealership actually make their money?

It all depends on whether it is a new or used vehicle, whether it is a franchise of new RVs like Hymer or Forest River, whether they sell to the government or one of its departments or even at large companies, they can earn as little as $ 10 gross per vehicle, because the dealership will have a sales and service agreement with the factory, to sell a certain target.

Remember, the dealership will receive a fleet allowance/factory discount through the back door, and only the dealership, sales manager, and accountant are aware of it! 

As with all other sales, there is MSRP, but other factors come into play: trade, disability, war veterans. But it does not stop there, there is the spare parts market and the finance committee. This is all of the dealership’s revenue, but it is not included in the gross value of the vehicle. 

As a result, the dealership can adjust its pricing to correlate. Also, after the sale, the dealer earns money on trading, maintenance, spare parts, aftermarket parts, additions like spoilers, body kits, tires, etc. 

How much below MSRP can I pay for an RV?

You should expect a maximum of 25% below MSRP for an RV. This is a happy case, however, as many dealers hesitate to offer too much of a discount, especially for new and luxurious RVs. It will all come to your negotiation abilities .

When you start negotiating, start working from your strengths:

  • Your initial offer, based on what the dealer paid for the vehicle or what you’ve seen to be a fair price.
  • Competitive offers from other local dealerships or RV-buying websites.

The seller will likely begin the discussion by focusing on the vehicle manufacturer’s suggested retail price or the monthly fee. Don’t go that way. If the seller starts at price, be sure to negotiate from the lowest price and work up from there, not down from the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (called the MSRP).

If you start with the monthly fee, the seller can pile up the entire process, which includes the price for the new vehicle, the trade-in value (of your old car), and financing, if applicable. This gives you plenty of room for confusion.

Instead, insist on negotiating one thing at a time. Your top priority is to agree on the lowest price you can get for the new vehicle. Only after you’ve made sure of that can you start discussing the value of the trade-in or financing, if necessary.

Too many people tend to only consider the selling price of the vehicle or the amount of the monthly payment. They want to be reasonable and buy something small, especially if it’s a first-time RV.

The purchase price is unfortunately not the most important factor. What really matters is the cost of ownership, which is the difference between the amount paid on acquisition and the price obtained on resale, a few years later. This includes the cost of maintaining and/or repairing the RV during the period of use.

Some RVs seem to offer a lot for the price. But be careful, it’s almost always because they are built with inferior materials. For this type of trailer, devaluation is very rapid. And they often have problems, even in the early years: water infiltration, saggy mattresses and cushions, warped walls, cupboards and doors that no longer close, etc. For almost the same cost of ownership, you could enjoy a higher quality, more luxurious and comfortable vehicle.

How to get the lowest cost of ownership possible

  • Check the resale value of the model you plan to buy on websites like RV Trader, AutoHebdo, FindTonVR or NADA. Look for the same model, but three to five years older. This will give you a good indication of the average devaluation.
  • Make sure the model is rare. If there are hundreds of trailers like yours for sale on these sites, it will take longer to find a buyer and you probably won’t get the best price. Rare pearls, especially if they are of high quality, are always easier to sell.
  • Try to take advantage of the exchange rate. Most RVs and almost all equipment/accessories are made in the USA. So if you buy your trailer when the dollar is strong and sell it when it is weak, you could get a price very close to the amount you originally paid because the price of the same model, new, will have climbed since your purchase.
  • Devaluation takes on even greater importance when it comes to motorized RVs . In this case, it is absolutely necessary to consider the mileage that one thinks to be done annually because the number entered in the odometer is the main input in the calculation of the value of the vehicle. 
  • Finally, the bigger, heavier and less aerodynamic the RV, the more fuel it will cost. It’s an expensive item that can make all the difference when gasoline or diesel prices go up.

Next to the cost of ownership, the most important thing to consider when it comes to buying a new RV is the type of trips you want to take. 

Conclusions

Some RV dealers seem to offer a lot for the price. But be careful, it’s almost always because the vehicles are built with inferior materials. For this type of trailer, devaluation is very rapid. And they often have problems, even in the early years: water infiltration, saggy mattresses and cushions, warped walls, cupboards and doors that no longer close, etc. 

For almost the same cost of ownership, you could enjoy a higher quality, more luxurious and comfortable vehicle.

The purchase price is unfortunately not the most important factor when buying an RV. What really matters is the cost of ownership, which is the difference between the amount paid on acquisition and the price obtained on resale, a few years later. This includes the cost of maintaining and/or repairing the RV during the period of use.

If you have any comments or questions about the content, please let us know.

FAQ on What is the dealer markup on RVs ?

How to negotiate a price reduction for an rv.

Here are the basics to negotiate a price reduction for an RV:

  • Carry out a preliminary market study. 
  • Do not give too much information on the first visit. 
  • Make a reasonable offer on the RV. 
  • Have another purchase option.
  • Be clear if the RV is what you are looking for at a reasonable price.

How to request a price reduction?

Requesting a discount requires three important elements: planning, information and clarity of the objective.

What is the price of a motorhome?

The cost for the motorhome amounts to about US $ 55,000, which can rise to the US $ 70,000 if higher level and quality equipment are added, such as a special refrigerator, electric awnings, digital television, and premium audio equipment.

  • How Much Money Do Dealers Make on the RVs They Sell …
  • 15 Tips for Getting the Best Price on an RV – TripSavvy
  • RV Price Negotiation | Tips for Negotiating the Best Price for Your …

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Camper Guide | RV & Travel Trailer Guides

Written by Johnathan R. Smith • September 12, 2018 • 8:51 pm • Guides

RV Depreciation Chart (Year-by-Year RV Value Loss)

old depreciated rv

Are You Wondering How Much Your RV Will Depreciate?

We will answer that, and show you how you can get the most value out of it?

Regarding a financial investment, I’ve got some bad news for you; RV’s are a famously poor investment.

It isn’t all bad news though. Thanks to the internet – there are some fantastic ways for you to offset the loss in RV value.

There are not many sizable purchases that depreciate faster than an RV .

Immediately after the purchase when you are driving off of the sale’s lot; you are leaving 20 percent of the value upon the pavement.

It’s an expected hit that many of those already initiated into the lifestyle have experienced.

Many people do find this financial initiation to be worth the life that it affords.

There are ways to limit the negative impact that that this purchase will have on your finances. If you time it right, you can take advantage of this loss in value to more easily slide your way into the camper lifestyle.

There are a few moments that many consider being an ideal time in an RV’s lifespan when you will want to make the purchase.

MSRP vs. Invoice

When calculating the depreciation rate on your RV, it is essential to know the difference between the MSRP and the invoice price.

Typically, the RV dealers will mark up the sale price by 30 to 35% with the expectation that there will be a decent amount of negotiating. 

Rate of RV Depreciation

older rv and truck

The depreciation is a hard number to pin down. Due to the nature of negotiation, the prices will not be at a set point across every dealer.

The average markup from the invoice price to the MSRP is roughly 33% on average, but this number is not a hard rule.

To further complicate this calculation, that 33% is the initial set price that is expected to be a starting point for negotiation. It isn’t intended to be the final cost.

There will be an additional layer of variation between the classes of RVs.

The Class A and Class C trailers are expected to diminish in value at a similar rate, but that will be different from fifth wheels, and the less expensive Class Bs and the budget class (but still fun) travel trailers.

I produced the following data from the collected depreciation reports that I have found around the internet.

The values were inconsistent because the actual value depreciation depends upon a set price which is a variable rather than a fixed number.  

Also, this is an aggregated value from all of the RV classes. Use these numbers as a general guide to get a rough idea of the depreciation.

Later, you can do further research into your specific model to get a clearer picture of how quickly depreciation will pull value from the RV that interests you.

Anyways, let’s continue because a vague shape of the depreciation is better than no shape at all. With that in mind, let’s look at the averages.

Year-By-Year RV Depreciation

yearly rv depreciation

Year 1: 20.50%

You will see the most drastic dip in value in the first year. Immediately following the purchase, the value of your RV will be expected to depreciate over 20 percent.

That may not seem like a big deal for some of the smaller trailer purchases, but those higher priced campers are going to be rather painful.

Year 2 23.25%

Barely nudges that depreciating needle. I guess buyers are still satisfied with that 20% discount that the seller oh so kindly paid for them.  

Year 3: 28.33

On a hundred thousand dollar RV, the next potential owner just saved another $5,000.

Also, by the end of the second year, 30% of RV’s are expected to break down, so think about that if you are using expected depreciation to inform your potential purchase.

Year 4: 32.17

You will probably save yourself the cost of a major mechanical failure and knock those savings up to just under 40% if you look for RV just a tad bit older than this.

Year 5: 39.37%

Once again, when you are using depreciation to inform your purchase, you should be aware that the expected breakdown rate has increased to 80%.

Year 6: 42.27%

Year 7: 44.08%, year 8 and 9: 47% – 50%.

Values are inconsistent, but those are the general ranges. Nearly every RV has a major break down by this year, so purchasing after this point could help you to avoid an undesired expense.

Year 10: 56.18%

Year 15: 72.33%, year 20: 89.50%.

At the time of this article, Rooms equipped with slide outs become standard at 20 years ago. It was a revolution in RV design that you begin to find in most blueprints at the turn of the 21st century.

When you start searching for RVs that are over 20 years old, you will begin to notice that the prices bottom out around $2,000 to $3,000.

Wait for 5 to 8 Years to Minimize the Depreciation

Depreciation is just a fact of ownership. However, you can let others carry the most substantial part of the burden and turn what people consider to be a disadvantage into an advantage.

By the five year mark, there will be an expected depreciation of 36.86%. When you are purchasing something as expensive as a home, that is quite the discount.

Saving on this loss in value isn’t the only benefit.

New is Less Reliable Than Old

I realize how this is counter-intuitive. When we purchase something new to get that product in the best possible condition. RV’s are an unusual case in this regard.

Why? The manufacturing process is not as reliable as you might expect with a product such as a watch or a hairdryer.

I suppose it makes sense if you think about it. An RV is a house capable of propelling itself at 70 miles per hour. That is bizarre.

With those kinds of forces at play, it isn’t surprising that some things are going to shake loose.  Humans really can be quite inventive.

RV’s are expected to have significant issues within the first few years of ownership. By the 8th year, it is pretty much guaranteed.

The conventional wisdom in the community is to purchase your RV after the weak links have broken and replaced by the original owner.

At this point, the RV is considered to be in better shape than making a new purchase. Weird Right?

Ask for the Invoice Sheet

During negotiations, there are two types of power that both sides can wield. What is known and what is not known.

By asking questions and acquiring data, you are essentially gathering chess pieces that you can use to maneuver yourself into a good deal.

Asking for the invoice sheet takes one of those pieces out from the dealership and puts it into your pocket.

Not all dealerships will give you this sheet, but you can quickly look up the invoice price online on the website https://seedealercost.com/ .

It is a handy tool. If you don’t find it there, I would recommend going to a forum dedicated to the brand of RVs that you are looking to purchase.

RV Depreciation and Gas Mileage

Gas Mileage doesn’t affect the selling price of RVs as drastically as it does on cars.

The engines are built to last; they have to be tough to produce the necessary torque to haul such massive weights around the country.

Typically, these engines will last far beyond 200,000 miles.

There is also a sneaky fact that many don’t consider when purchasing a “new” RV.

The depreciation is an important factor, but there is another one that must be considered. As many people know, time, as well as weather, have a way of eroding anything that isn’t constantly maintained.

While the engine should be okay, there are problems that can develop in a vehicle that has been sitting idle for too long.

For this reason, when searching for the perfect RV, you won’t want to purchase an old RV that has very low gas mileage.

You will want an RV that has a bit of time on the road to prevent what many call “Lot Rot.”

Lot Rot is responsible for several deteriorating factors. One common issue with stagnated cars is rust.

The undercarriage can take quite a hit; rust can eat through pipes and turn a crispy clean looking car into a non-starter.  

The brakes can be just as bad. You may just have to replace them if they start to develop that third place copper color.

As the insides fade into dust, the paint can also start to go bad.

Time and disuse can really do a number on an RV, so even though it sounds weird, look for an RV with a few miles attached to it.

Renting Out Your RV

One thing that differentiates RVs from cars is that the loss in value of the RV is strongly tied to the year rather than the mileage.

With this inevitable decline in value, many part-time RV owners have become proactive in protecting the value of their financial investment.

When you consider the fact that most owners of RVs spend about two weeks in their precious campers, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify a second set of “house payments.”

The remaining 50 weeks of the year are leaving the camper to the possible damaging effects of lot rot.

For many, something has to be done.

Enter Outdoorsy and RVShare; these are two great services that are quickly becoming popular within the part-time camper community.   

These services connect those that want to rent an RV for a short vacation and for those that are tired of losing thousands of dollars to a vehicle sitting in their driveway.

They are both toted as simple services that can entirely offset the money that is lost each year in the dwindling value of your RV.

Both of these programs have insurance plans in place that protect the rented campers from any incidental damage.

Of course, you will need to decide if it is worth the risk. Careful consideration must be made before handing over your house keys to perfect strangers.

How Much Can You Make?

According to RVShare, you can make $120 to $365 per day.

That impressive sum can be a regular occurrence with the right RV and the right renter feedback.

According to one website, you can expect to receive $5,000 to $30,000 per year in revenue.

Take the time to calculate the depreciation cost of the RV that interests you.

Part-Time RV Living – Write-Offs

There is an additional opportunity for those that are interested in renting their camper out part of the time.

The current tax laws allow owners who use their RV’s for business purposes to write off a percentage of the cost that is relative to the amount of time that the RV is used for business vs. the amount of time it is used for personal use.

To reiterate, if you use the RV for personal use 20% of the time, and to use it for business 80% of the time; you will be able to write off 80% of the RV cost.

This doesn’t just apply to the price of the RV and the interest on the monthly payments. This also applies to the running costs of the RV.

The fuel that you buy. You can write that off. Does the RV need a 300 dollar oil change? You can write that off.

You can even write-off those expensive repairs and that inevitable water damage that every camper eventually acquires.

Of course, you will still need to pay the 20% that is associated with personal use, but do you understand the value?

This is a very simple business that will demolish the costs of depreciation, and make owning an RV financially viable.

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Let our highly-trained staff help you find the right trailer for your needs. We invite you to call us at (877) 808-5447, or come by one of our 48 stores across the USA! We'll get you hooked up and hauling on down the road!

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Put-in tours

Original tour agency in moscow and st petersburg..

Onboard a Soviet van!

Welcome to Russia!

We are Sergey and Simon, a Russian and a Frenchman, both  passionate about Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and classic cars. Together, we have created Put-in tours. Our goal is to help you experience Russian culture off the beaten path. Join us onboard our classic Soviet van and let’s get rolling!

In Moscow we offer you a city tour to discover most of the city in an original way as well as a night tour to admire the lights. Our pubcrawl is ideal to explore Moscow’s night-life and have fun. If you are craving to discover Russian culture, come impress your senses during our monastery diner or join our 100% Russian Banya Excursion . The latest will also bring you to Sergiyev Posad and it’s famous monastery!

For the most extreme travellers, our shooting tour will deliver your daily dose of adrenaline whereas our tank excursion will let you ride a real tank and shoot a bazooka.

We also offer help to receive your visa , safe and multilingual airport transfers , as well as organisation services for team-building events or bachelor parties .

All our excursions (but the monastery diner) happen onboard our Soviet military vans and can be covered by our  professionnal photographer or videographer.

In Saint Petersburg

We welcome you in Saint Petersburg onboard our Soviet van to discover the imperial city with our city tour and night tour .

Continue your discovery in style! The adrenaline lovers will like our shooting tour  which brings 3 Russian weapons to the tip of your trigger finger.

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At Put-in tours, we put you in our classic Soviet vans to go explore Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Russian culture off the beaten path. Discover our Moscow city guided tour, visit Moscow by night, join our banya & Sergiyev Posad excursion, visit and dine in one of Moscow's oldest monastery or even Luzhniki stadium, before you party on our famous pubcrawl! Original and atypical tours : Shoot AK47 and a bazooka after riding on a tank with our tank & bazooka excursion ! Extreme tours: Fly a fighter jet in Moscow onboard a L-29 or L-39 aircraft!

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How to use the Moscow Metro (PHOTOS+INFOGRAPHICS)

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It’s really convenient to use the Moscow Metro and city trains. They operate from 5:30 in the morning to 1:00 at night and you can pay for them with the same ‘Troika’ ticket card. Indeed, the map of the subway looks complex. But that’s only at first glance.

For starters, let’s separate the underground metro from surface city trains. The underground map is marked by bright solid lines, while the lines of surface routes are marked by two parallel lines with a white gap in between.

Underground metro system

It has two ring lines – the brown Koltsevaya, or Circle line (5) and the new Bolshaya Koltsevaya line (Big Circle Line) colored turquoise (number 11). These rings cross all other underground metro lines, so if you need to reach another line from the outskirts – it’s convenient to use one of the ring lines.

Circle Line

Circle Line

We can consider that the center of the city is inside of the ring line (5). Also there’s a multitude of transfers from one line to another within the brown ring. The record holder is Biblioteka Imeni Lenina – Arbatskaya – Alexandrovsky Sad – Borovitskaya. These whole four lines crossed in one place (right next to the Moscow Kremlin). Also, you can reach the Kremlin quickly and conveniently from stations Okhotny Ryad – Teatralnaya – Ploshchad Revolyutsii, which also have transfers between each other.

Big Circle Line

Big Circle Line

You can also reach the Vnukovo Airport right by metro! The corresponding station of the Solntsevskaya Line (8A) was opened in September 2023.

How does the underground metro operate?

Pykhtino metro station, opened in 2023

Pykhtino metro station, opened in 2023

The intervals between trains are really small – on average about 2 minutes; during rush hour, they run even more often. So you don’t need to run and squeeze yourself into closing doors (that’s also dangerous). Just wait for the next train, it’ll arrive quickly. Unlike the subway systems of other cities – the trains run along single lines, without branching away. So you can just board the train in the required direction without worrying that you will go somewhere you didn’t intend to.

There are only two exceptions:

  • From Alexandrovsky Sad Station of the light-blue line trains run either to Mezhdunarodnaya Station (where Moscow City is located, where a lot of businessmen go) or to Pionerskaya.
  • Bolshaya Koltsevaya line also has the so-called fork branching: from Savelovskaya Station to the Business Center (also to Moscow City).

Big Circle Line

Sometimes you can hear an announcement ‘This train runs to the station…’ If you need to go further, you simply need to get off at the station the train is bound for, and wait for the next train. Perhaps, this train just needs to go to the depot.

Surface routes:

Apart from the underground metro itself, the new map marks suburban trains. You can tell them apart immediately – these lines are indicated with two parallel lines with a white gap in between.

1) MCC: Moscow Central Circle (14)

Moscow Central Circle (MCC)

Moscow Central Circle (MCC)

Let’s take a look at the map again and find a red circle, situated between the underground Koltsevaya (5) and Bolshaya Koltsevaya (11) lines. This is the Moscow Central Circle (14) or simply MCC.

This is a surface urban train that circles around the city. There are stations from where you can transfer to the underground metro. However, these transfers usually are not as short as between subway stations. Sometimes you’ll need about 10 minutes of walking to transfer.

Moscow Central Circle (MCC)

So we don’t recommend you to use MCC purely as a transfer route. In addition, the interval between trains on MCC is longer than in the metro, and can reach 4-8 minutes, depending on the time of day.

However, a big advantage of the MCC is that it has a lot of stations that are far removed from the metro, and which are most conveniently reached specifically by the MCC.

2) Moscow Central Diameters (MCD)

Moscow Central Diameters (MCD)

Moscow Central Diameters (MCD)

Moscow diameters on the metro map are the longest lines that cross the entire city (hence, they are called diameters). They are reminiscent of urban trains, like S-Bahn in Berlin or Vienna or RER in Paris.

Those are suburban train lines that run from suburbs (from the Moscow Region, marked as a green shadow on the map) and, crossing the entire city, are bound for suburbs on the other side of the city. At some of the stations of a diameter you can get off and transfer to the metro or the MCC. During rush hour, MCD trains run with an interval of 5-7 minutes.

Moscow Central Diameters (MCD)

D1 – Belorussko-Savyolovsky Yellow Diameter runs from Odintsovo Station south-west from Moscow through Moscow City and Belorussky railway station to Sheremetyevo Airport and to Lobnya Station in the north.

D2 – Kursko-Rizhsky Pink Diameter runs from the Moscow Region city of Podolsk in the south through Kursky railway station, Three Station Square (Leningradsky, Kazansky, Yaroslavsky), and Rizhsky railway station to the village of Nakhabino in the north-west.

D3 – Leningradsko-Kazansky Orange Diameter runs from Ippodrom Station in the south-east (the city of Ramenskoye) to Zelenograd in the north.

D4 – Kaluzhsko-Nizhegorodsky Green Diameter runs from the city of Aprelevka in the south-west through Moscow City, Belorussky, Savelovsky, and Kursky railway stations, as well as through Three Station Square (Leningradsky, Kazansky, Yaroslavsky) to Zheleznodorozhnaya Station in the city of Balashikha in the east.

A fifth MCD line is also projected, which is promised to be finished by 2028. It will connect the south (Domodedovo) and the north (Pushkino).

3) Moscow Monorail

Moscow Monorail (highlighted above) and  Light metro (bottom)

Moscow Monorail (highlighted above) and Light metro (bottom)

Look for the only monorail line in Russia to the north from the center of Moscow. It’s not just a surface line, it’s an elevated line that stands on piles. It’s a short line (13) that operates in an excursion mode – from it, you can get a beautiful view of the Ostankino TV Tower, for example.

Once per half an hour, the train runs from Timiryazevskaya Station (which is near the station of the same name on the Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya (9) line, which is the gray metro line) to Ulitsa Sergeya Eisensteina Station, which is located next to the entrance to the VDNKh park and to the VDNKh metro station of the Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya (6) metro line.

4) Light metro

Butovskaya (12) line in the south of Moscow runs from Buninskaya Alleya Station to Bitsevsky Park Station; from it, you can make a transfer to the gray Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya (9) line and the orange Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya (6) line. This line runs mostly on the surface, entering a tunnel, but is considered a part of the subway (hence, this line is marked with a solid line as other metro lines).

A useful piece of advice

The Moscow Metro website has an interactive map with all metro lines, MCC, and diameters. With it, you can build a route from the departure station to the destination station, take a look at all travel options and where you can make necessary transfers.

How to pay the fare

The convenience of the Moscow transportation system is that you only need the Troika card for travel with any type of public transport, be it the metro, suburban trains, or buses/trams. You can purchase it in ticket offices or from machines at stations. Also in souvenir shops and in the metro internet store you can purchase keychains, bracelets, and rings that work like a Troika card, as well as Troika cards with a unique and custom design.

Troika design dedicated to the 875th anniversary of Moscow

Troika design dedicated to the 875th anniversary of Moscow

You can top up your card by simply adding a particular amount of money – or purchase the Unified ticket for 60 travels or unified unlimited ticket for 1/3/30/90/365 days.

The deposit price of the Troika card is 80 rubles, and you can get it back when returning the card to the ticket office. The validity period of the card is 5 years, so you can save it for future travels.

One MCC, MCD (in the city center), and metro trip costs 54 rubles. Transfers in the metro, MCC, or between diameters are free within 90 minutes. The fare on MCD in the suburbs costs 71 rubles.

Important: you need to pay the fare in the metro and MCC only upon entrance. On diameters, you need to activate trips upon entrance and then tap your card again at the turnstile upon exiting.

Also almost every station has a terminal where you can pay your fare, tapping your bank card.

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VIDEO

  1. Outrageous DEALER MARKUPS Over MSRP in 2024!

COMMENTS

  1. What Is The Markup On Travel Trailers (RV Best price ...

    The markup on travel trailers is around 40% as an industry standard, and with overheads, an average dealer is looking at a 28.5% gross profit. Although MSRPs may differ from place to place, season, and the travel trailer model you chose, 20-25% off MSRP is considered a good deal. Sometimes RV industry figures, sales, and profits may be pretty ...

  2. Tips For Negotiating The Best Price On On A Travel Trailer

    7: Utilize Multiple Dealerships. Pitting dealerships against one another is a great way to drive down the price of the trailer you want. The strategy for doing this usually requires that you find the exact same trailer on two different lots. And those trailers will typically have to be listed at different prices.

  3. How Much Can You Negotiate on a Travel Trailer?

    When the dealer knows that you are an informed buyer, they will know that you are serious about making a purchase. As a result, they will likely be willing to reduce the price of the trailer to a price that is closer to what Nada recommends. 15. Tell the Dealer that You Can Get a New RV for That Price.

  4. What Is The Markup On Travel Trailers?

    Dealership markups on travel trailers and RVS, in general, can vary between 35-40% depending on influencing factors that would be specific for that market. We have seen some sites suggest markups as high as 50% but it is unlikely you will see a markup this elevated. The hassle of high-pressure salesmen and extreme markups can seem overwhelming ...

  5. How to Negotiate a Travel Trailer Price (RV Negotiating Tips)

    Here is the best way to negotiate the price of a new travel trailer: Research: Gather information about the travel trailer's market value, features, and comparable prices. Set a budget: Determine your maximum spending limit and stick to it during negotiations. Inspect the trailer: Thoroughly examine the condition of the trailer, noting any ...

  6. How Much Money Do Dealers Make on the RVs They Sell?

    Here's how it works: A buyer brings an RV in to trade that has a wholesale value of $20,000 and a retail sales value of $30,000. The retail value of the RV he wants to buy is $205, 405. The dealer is only going to pay the manufacturer $136,936 for the new RV, which leaves him a potential profit of more than $68,000.

  7. How Much Do Dealers Mark Up Travel Trailers?

    Dealers mark up travel trailers to maximize the overall profit. Yet you'll typically see dealer prices below the MSRP. Let's say the dealer sells a travel trailer for $50,000. The dealer will usually make around $14,250. After operational costs, the dealer will keep between $712.50 to $2,137.50. Of course, a lot of those travel trailers are ...

  8. How much below MSRP should I pay for a travel trailer?

    You should expect 20% below MSRP when paying for a new travel trailer. Still, keep in mind that the pricing of trailers is often very misleading. Suppose you see a $20,000 trailer at one dealership and another $22,000 trailer at a different dealership. Obviously, you'll think the $20,000 trailer is cheaper, but that might not be true.

  9. How Much Are Travel Trailers Marked Up

    The markup on a travel trailer is typically around 50% of the cost. The markup varies depending on the size and quality of the trailer. ... For the best price, you are looking to get from 20%-30% off the MSRP. I suggest 15% off MSRP as the minimum you would be willing to accept. A discount closer to 30% is only going to happen if the dealer is ...

  10. Understanding RV Prices

    The other option is for paying dealers only. At the top of the page click on " RVs .". You will then be taken to the " RV and Prices page .". Click on " Start Here .". A pop-up will ask for your local zip code; enter it. This is required because prices do vary around the country.

  11. How Much Will RV Dealers Come Down On Price?

    Since the Florida RV was about $6,000 less than the San Diego RV, we decided we could easily drive across the country for less than $6,000, and it was a great excuse to see more of the country. In summary, our 1999 Oregon purchase was discounted about 18%, and our Florida RV was discounted 20%, two decades later.

  12. Calculating Fair Market Value (FMV) for RVs

    And many RV manufacturers and dealers leverage MSRP values to create forced scarcity and false discounts. MRSP values are intentionally set higher than what the market will bear. Dealers can then sell the unit at "15% off - July only!" and still make their normal profit. Typical dealer markup ranges from 20-40% of the invoice price.

  13. Average Cost of New Travel Trailers (With 16 examples)

    A new travel trailer typically costs between $11,000 and $35,000. An average 24′ travel trailer with decent construction will cost approximately $23,000. DON'T MISS OUT ON CAMPER REPORT UPDATES. ... MSRP $162,500 we paid $98,000 for that unit with a 5 year warranty included in the price. We are in the process of buying a Jayco travel ...

  14. Is 25% Off MSRP a Good Deal for an RV?

    In a typical RV market, 25% off MSRP was a decent deal for an RV. However, we haven't lived in a regular RV market for quite some time due to supply shortages and increased demand. These have combined to create a bit of unpredictability in the RV buying process. Many RVs sold in recent years sold closer to MSRP than consumers typically have ...

  15. Buying An RV

    Scenario 1: Ordering a New RV. Once you settle on the specific model, color, and options, create a Bid Specification and send it to all the dealers that sell that Brand in the geography that you are willing to travel to. Announce to the Dealers that you will award your business to the lowest price bid, modified by your estimate of the value of ...

  16. What Is The Dealer Markup On RVs?

    The dealer markup on RVs is usually between 20% and 40%, depending on whether the RV is brand new or second-hand, but also on your negotiating skills. Many sellers earn commissions of 20% to 30% of the profit on an RV, although this amount varies by dealership and area. The profit on a new RV is not substantial due to negotiations and a buyer ...

  17. RV Depreciation Chart (Year-by-Year RV Value Loss)

    The average markup from the invoice price to the MSRP is roughly 33% on average, but this number is not a hard rule. To further complicate this calculation, that 33% is the initial set price that is expected to be a starting point for negotiation. ... travel trailers. I produced the following data from the collected depreciation reports that I ...

  18. Why Are RV MSRPs So Inflated in 2023?

    While we're starting to see some deals returning to the 10% to 20% range, very few have gone back to offering 30%. During the peak of the pandemic, RVs were selling insanely fast; dealerships had zero reasons to take anything off MSRP. As a result, many consumers paid tens of thousands of dollars more for their RV.

  19. Is the markup on RVs really that much? : r/GoRVing

    Just searching around, I saw where the markup on RVs can be up to 30-40%. Is that really the case? So if you see a travel trailer with an MSRP of $30,000, for example, is it not crazy to offer something like $20,000?

  20. Interstate Enclosed Cargo Trailers, Snow Sports, Car Haulers, Utility

    Our trailers are built like a tank and watertight. Read More. Search our network of TrailersPlus dealerships. Let our highly-trained staff help you find the right trailer for your needs. We invite you to call us at (877) 808-5447, or come by one of our 48 stores across the USA! We'll get you hooked up and hauling on down the road!

  21. Home

    We have over 300 PJ Trailers, Truck Bed and Parts Dealer Locations in the US & Canada. Each dealer provides expert service and knowledgeable advice. Enter your postal code or city and region to find a PJ Trailers Dealer near your you. Staying Safe on the Road. Trailer Safety Resources.

  22. Tours in Moscow and St Petersburg

    In Moscow. In Moscow we offer you a city tour to discover most of the city in an original way as well as a night tour to admire the lights. Our pubcrawl is ideal to explore Moscow's night-life and have fun. If you are craving to discover Russian culture, come impress your senses during our monastery diner or join our 100% Russian Banya Excursion.The latest will also bring you to Sergiyev ...

  23. How to use the Moscow Metro (PHOTOS+INFOGRAPHICS)

    It's really convenient to use the Moscow Metro and city trains. They operate from 5:30 in the morning to 1:00 at night and you can pay for them with the same 'Troika' ticket card. Indeed ...