# Tacomarv - Shipping To Alaska



## akjason (Jan 2, 2011)

My wife and I are dead set on finding an Outback 210RS. Problem is there are no dealers locally that sell, or stock them. Has anyone ever had TacomaRV ship a trailer to them? I am wondering the price difference between ordering one from a local keystone dealer and having it shipped to them, or by going through a dealer in the Seattle area and having it barged up. I also looked on HolmanRV and their cheapest price is $16,591.00 for the 210RS. What can I expect to get from Tacoma RV? It's the holidays so they are closed through the new year weekend and wanted to get some advice before speaking with them. I was told by the local dealer to expect to pay around 27k to get one locally up here, the price seems very high.

I have debated on purchasing from Tacoma RV and then having it barged up myself. I don't have the time off of work to drive the three days down one way, to drive it back up. So I am looking for an alternate solution on delivery / cost. Any advice is appreciated.

- Jason


----------



## dirtengineer (Jun 6, 2010)

Sorry I can't help, I ended up buying mine locally used. You don't say where you are in Alaska, but I will assume the Anchorage area. Looks like buying a new one and shipping it is probably about the same price as buying one used up here. The local Outback dealer was Simmons RV in Anchorage, but I think they went under.

Looks like TOTE charges about $3.5k for Northbound. Totem Ocean

If I were you, I would get the total price for buying one out of state and shipping it to see if the local dealer will match. By the way, which dealer are you looking to use?


----------



## akjason (Jan 2, 2011)

Thanks for the reply,

Yes I am shopping from the Anchorage area. I contacted ABC Motorhome sales, since they are a listed dealer on multiple vendors. However I have been told by multiple people they are highly over priced. After the holidays are up I was going to contact Valley RV Center in Wasilla to see what sort of deal they had. At this point I am not so sure I want to pay the close to 30k price tag on a 210RS to get it up here. I know Valley RV Center has a lot of the Hideouts, but I am not too big on those. Seem as though they use cheaper quality material and insulation.

I'll be pulling this with my 1/2-ton truck, and due to parking limitations I wanted to keep it under 25'. Seemed like the 210RS was the best for that.


----------



## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

If Holman is $17,000, and shipping (towing) to Seattle is $2000, and barging from Seattle to Anchorage is $3500, your total is $22,500.

We bought from Holman in April '09 and their price was about $8000 under local (Maryland) dealers. I suspect their price will be about the best you can get. To that add shipping and if the numbers above are right, you're at $22,500 at the dock in Anchorage (or Seward if you have to go there for pickup). Add the usual taxes, registration, etc. and you get your total.

I have read on this site that Holman ships anywhere, so I'm betting that they've had sales to others in Anchorage.

Good luck!


----------



## conp435 (Nov 7, 2010)

I just looked at tacoma rv 2010 210rs is $22000 and they wont deal. So i ordered a 2011 10th anniversary for $16700 from lakeshore rv just have to go pick it up or delivery is about $1.30- $1.50 a mile.My link


----------



## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

Congrats conp435 on your new acquisition. Unless you have logistical problems picking it up, I suggest you try to do that (maybe in March or April when the weather is more tolerable).

We bought our 268RL from Holman (Cincinnati) in January '09 and picked it up in early April. Unless you are an experienced TT owner (and I most definitely was not!), the visit to the dealer and learning all about it will be an excellent investment of your time. This site has several very complete Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) checklists, and Holman was totally cooperative in spending the 4 hours we needed to learn about it. Lakeshore does the same thing, I've read.

And the trip back home (in our case 500 miles) really gave me time to do the "shake down cruise." There has to be a first time to back into that TT parking space in a campground, and I was delighted to do that in April when the CG was empty and no one but my DW could see me learn how to back it up in the dark, turning, into an angled slot, and not hit the trees or run off the crushed gravel!

Good luck and let us know if we can be of any assistance.


----------



## akjason (Jan 2, 2011)

Thanks for all the great information.

I did some quick math, and it would come out to about a 1,500 fuel bill for me to drive down both ways and pick it up from Tacoma RV. I'll get in contact with our local Keystone dealer and see if they can't get it here for around 25. However they are not an outback dealer, they do Hideout, Springdale and Sprinter. So im curious to see how much more they are going to hit me with for this. This is turning into quiet the process. My wife and I have looked at the Jayco X213, which is basically the same thing but with less insulation and fresh water holding. Prices are almost identical. We do have multiple Jayco dealers, but I am getting the feeling that these light weights are going to run me on the low end 25, and the high end 30. It's almost a 5,000 mile trip for me to get it from Holman RV. So the prices seem to be coming out correctly.

Both the X213 and the 210RS come out as a MSRP of 24k on their websites. Oh decisions decisions. Thanks again for the information guys!


----------



## ORvagabond (Apr 17, 2009)

You also might want to explore shipping tour vehicle down on Totem and flying to save time if you go that route. I think 3 days to get back to Anchorage is optimistic. It is about 2600 miles and at 8-9 mpg you will stop every 100-120 miles to gas up and that eats into the time and you cant tow late as gas staions close generally prior to 8pm or earlier. And that does not factor in the ice heaves that slow you. I would seriously look at having the trailer shipped.


----------



## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

ORvagabond said:


> You also might want to explore shipping tour vehicle down on Totem and flying to save time if you go that route. I think 3 days to get back to Anchorage is optimistic. It is about 2600 miles and at 8-9 mpg *you will stop every 100-120 miles* to gas up and that eats into the time and you cant tow late as gas staions close generally prior to 8pm or earlier. And that does not factor in the ice heaves that slow you. I would seriously look at having the trailer shipped.


Most trucks have a 30 gallon tank...or 40. Even with the 30 gallon tank at 8 MPG, that woudl be 240 miles per tank. What am I missing?


----------



## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

I've driven to and from AK. What you're missing is that you absolutely positively have to know how far the next gas station is, and calculate how much gas you need from where you are, to get to that station.

While you might easily get 240 miles per tank, if you pass that open station to get to the next one, and the next one is farther away than you have gas to get to, then you have to stop at that open station. Thus plan to stop every 100 - 150 miles. Each stop adds time, of course.

On my return trip "outside", we were pushing like mad (not fast, just drive and drive and drive) from Anchorage to Vancouver. At 9pm we got to a station just closing, filled it up and knew the next one was only 3/4 tank away. No sweat.

BUT when we arrived at 3 am, the station was still closed for the night. That's when you do not dare to keep going or you'll run out of gas. We stopped, got out the tent and crashed for 4 hours or so. By leaving the car at the pump, with a note on the windshield where we were, we had custom wake-up service at 7 am!


----------



## ORvagabond (Apr 17, 2009)

hautevue said:


> I've driven to and from AK. What you're missing is that you absolutely positively have to know how far the next gas station is, and calculate how much gas you need from where you are, to get to that station.
> 
> While you might easily get 240 miles per tank, if you pass that open station to get to the next one, and the next one is farther away than you have gas to get to, then you have to stop at that open station. Thus plan to stop every 100 - 150 miles. Each stop adds time, of course.
> 
> ...


Exactly except that most tanks are 26 gal and you are at around 200 miles max. It means you simply may need to add more time or carry extra gas.


----------



## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

OK , I see now. The lack of gas every exit will in fact cause a lot of stopping. Thanks for clearing that up.


----------



## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

I delivered rvs for 3 years. Most Alaska shipments are sent thru Tacoma and barged to Ak. This time of year, the gravel will destroy the nose of the rv. The frost heaves are also very hard on the unit. I would suggest that you pay the extra and barge it out of Tacoma. The repairs that will be needed will end up costing the same as the barge.

Carey


----------



## akjason (Jan 2, 2011)

I actually just got a quote from Tacoma RV of barging shipped being 2800. Far less than me taking time off work, fuel, wear and tear. Total price is right around 24,500. Currently up here no matter which dealer you talk to or private party 2008's are going for around that price.


----------



## akdream (Mar 21, 2006)

akjason,

Did you check with Simmons on Old Seward above Diamond. They had a good selection when we bought ours. They were very helpful. Ours was on the lot so that made it easier. The $2800 is about what I've heard for shipping be boat. I know that people/businesses will 'drive' a new trailer to AK for a price, I don't know what that is.


----------



## akjason (Jan 2, 2011)

akdream said:


> akjason,
> 
> Did you check with Simmons on Old Seward above Diamond. They had a good selection when we bought ours. They were very helpful. Ours was on the lot so that made it easier. The $2800 is about what I've heard for shipping be boat. I know that people/businesses will 'drive' a new trailer to AK for a price, I don't know what that is.


From what I heard was Simmons went under a couple of years back. For the price quotes I am getting from the lower 48, it seems like I will end up getting a lot more trailer for the money rather than buying locally. Out of curiosity what is your vehicle and trailer setup? I'm not sure if my 1/2 ton will pull around the 250RS all too well, as it's about 1200lbs dry more than the 210RS.

I did look into doing my own shipping, however I do like the idea of having the dealer take care of the shipping issues for liability.


----------

