# Wholesale Dealers Vs. Local???



## bka4tcu (Aug 18, 2010)

We have decided that the OB 301BQ is the trailer for our family. I have received rpicing from a dealer about 200 miles from my home (no Keystone dealer in our local market)and from one of the wholesale dealerships. I would like to buy locally, but there is a $3,000 price difference if I go the wholesale route. Wholesale also means I have to go get the trailer, but it will certainly cost less than $3K to do that.

So the "local" dealer is trying to tell me that the trailers the wholesalers get are not the same as the ones he gets. The prices I received look to be an apples to apples comparison, but he tells me they typically drop items from the build to save money so they can sell for less. I am not buying this stuff, but wanted to ask if anyone had heard this before. I think its just the local guy wanting to make a sale and realizing that he is not going to get it because he is so much higher on price.

Any advice on buying from the wholesale guys vs. local?


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## john7349 (Jan 13, 2008)

Your dealer sounds like he is blowing smoke. Ask him what exactly is being deleted....


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## felony (Apr 24, 2010)

I believe that all outbacks are built the same. The only option you have is interior color. I traveled from Oregon to Michigan and saved thousands on my 250RS. My local dealer told me that if I ever needed warranty work done I would go to the back of the line and probable have to pay out of pocket for repairs. I had a problem with my rear slide, called local dealer, and had it fixed under warranty within a week. They will tell you anything just to get your dollar. I tried to give them my business but they would not even come close to Lakeshore.


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## W5CI (Apr 21, 2009)

I agree, i just picked up a new 268RL at Lakeshore, 800 mi drive saves $5000, the only option on Outbacks is the int color. all are loaded and any Keystone dealer can do warranty work.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Your dealer is lying to you. All the Outbacks are the same.

I drove from Oregon to Lakeshore last summer for our 301BQ and saved closed to $5000 AFTER all the fuel/travel costs.....and we had a great family vacation along the way!!


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## Fanatical1 (Jan 9, 2006)

I agree with Oregon Camper. Your dealer is not being trueful. All Outbacks come with the same options regardless of dealer.

I also bought from Lakeshore and would do so again but can understand someone buying from their local dealer that may 
offer some other items of value ie... service, trade ins ect.

But, if your local dealer is not completely honest (or just uses negative selling)
that would make my decision for me. 200 miles away is not, in my opinion, a "local dealer". 
Might want to offer the "local" dealer the lower price your getting from the
wholesaler and then add any additional costs you will incur by traveling the
additional distance to pick it up. If they accept the offer, that's great, if not go for
a drive and get your new trailer. Just make sure they understand it's a black and white
deal. No negotiating.

Good luck with whatever you decide.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Want any more confirmations???









Give the local dealer a chance (let him add in transportation costs.....), then buy the once with the price tag you want to pay


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## bka4tcu (Aug 18, 2010)

I felt like this was the response I would get. Moving from a pop up to a TT has been a learning experience, but I felt like this guy must be blowing smoke to try to get the deal. Even with travel costs, I'll save about $3,000 going to the wholesale dealer. If my "local guy" will match the price, great, otherwise, I'll be on the road.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

I think your dealer may be confused but not purposefully misleading you. There used to be some models of Outback that were an "LE" edition. They indeed were missing some items. What I remember most was a picture of the typical Outback small bathroom but the upper half of the cabinet that is next to the toilet was not there. They also didn't have the outdoor stove. I think you will find that current models are the same no matter where you buy.

2008 21RS LE Pictures.


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## Texas Friends (Feb 12, 2006)

HOLD THE PHONE FOLKS!!!!!!!! There can be and VERY WELL may be a difference in the unit if you are buying it up north... The difference being the Air Conditioner Unit itself. A fellow Texan Outbacker (KBraziel) just purchased a unit from up north and the AC unit was only a 13000 BTU unit. Most every trailer you see for sale in Texas will have a 15000 BTU unit. The 13000 BTU unit was not enough to keep the trailer cool in our extreme heat down here in Texas. It was bad enough that he replaced the unit with the bigger BTU unit!
The Price difference is only a few hundred dollars but definately something to check out... It ony got up to 105 degrees here today!

just a word of advice...

Bryan


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## H2oSprayer (Aug 5, 2006)

Texas Friends said:


> HOLD THE PHONE FOLKS!!!!!!!! There can be and VERY WELL may be a difference in the unit if you are buying it up north...


Humm.....I not sure how much "up north" Wisconsin can be, but my unit came with a 15,000 unit.

I just love that "warm and fuzzy" feeling you get from dealers that (in most, but not all cases) would practically sell out their own mother for a sale.


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

H2oSprayer said:


> HOLD THE PHONE FOLKS!!!!!!!! There can be and VERY WELL may be a difference in the unit if you are buying it up north...


Humm.....I not sure how much "up north" Wisconsin can be, but my unit came with a 15,000 unit.

I just love that "warm and fuzzy" feeling you get from dealers that (in most, but not all cases) would practically sell out their own mother for a sale.
[/quote]

Is there an easy way to confirm what size A/C unit you have? Not from brochures or spec sheets, but from actually inspecting the A/C unit? I think I'd like to see what my Sydney 290RLS has on it. I recently attempted to run the A/C with my Honda 3000EUi generator, and it overloaded. I'm in the process of investigating the hard start kit, but probably should determine for certain if I have a 13,500 or 15000 unit.

Back to the original poster... I saved well over $5000 even after travel and expenses going the wholesaler route. Your dealer is trying to plant some seeds of doubut. Of course trailers can come with a few option differences, but they are still the same trailer. 15K A/C units have often been listed as options on Outbacks... so it's not surprising there could be something like that.... but when comparing prices, I'd expect you'd be checking the main options, A/C, Fridge, stabilizer jacks, etc.

The other thing often said is "any Keystone dealer can do warranty work". The key word there is CAN. My local Keystone dealer, that I've done plenty of accessory and service work on in the past refused to touch my Outback for some very minor warranty work. They do not sell Outback, but they sell several other Keystone brands. The gave me the BS story that they can't do warranty and I'd have to go back to place of purchase. I said that was bull and told them they lost my business for good. I drove 2 hours away to another dealer who was happy to do any work I needed, and really went overboard to make sure things were fixed right, and under warranty. Also, another dealer less than 45 minutes away, who sells Outbacks, said they could do warranty work, but it would be my task to get reimbursed from Keystone since we didn't buy there. That's BS too.

I've said enough ;-) heh. To say the least, I'm annoyed how Keystone dealers can just choose to not do warranty work. Then again, I obviously don't know the ins and outs of the industry... there may be history there that is part of the problem. I do know, when you find a dealer/service center that treats you right, it's worth the drive to reward them with your business.


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## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

X2 to luverofpeanuts. He's right on the money--reward the firm that will do your needed work with doing your optional work, buying your toys, etc. I am constitutionally unable to get out of our RV place without stopping into the store area "just to see what they have.."!!!

I saved well over $5000 on my purchase last year; all I had to do was drive from Baltimore to Cincinnati (Holman) and pick it up. Total costs to get it for lodging (for two), food, gas, and one night in a campground halfway back was $500.

$500 to save $5000 is a darn good return on my investment.

I've found a local dealer (who does not sell Keystone) who is delighted to do the work and take my money. Cultivate that relationship and then when you do have an emergency, he'll be responsive.


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## Dave_CDN (Sep 13, 2007)

I purchased at Lakeshore and have had two warranty claims both of them honored by Keystone. I had the work completed by a local dealer, paid directly for the repairs and then was reimbursed by Keystone.

Even if I had to pay the cost of these repairs out of pocket, the savingsI enjoyed on the original purchase would have made wholesale the right choice. Keep in mind that unless you purchase extended or third party warranty it is only one year of coverage. Which in reality it is one camping season May to October for us here in eastern Canada.

Good Luck with your choice.


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

Dave_CDN said:


> Keep in mind that unless you purchase extended or third party warranty it is only one year of coverage. Which in reality it is one camping season May to October for us here in eastern Canada.


Exactly, that's why it made sense to me to go to Holmans....and why it also boggled my mind that my local dealer of other Keystone brands snubbed me... knowing that he would have had 10 years of regular service and supply business from me. He's lost out on that...and I spread the word on the attitude they gave me.


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## Texas Friends (Feb 12, 2006)

H2oSprayer said:


> HOLD THE PHONE FOLKS!!!!!!!! There can be and VERY WELL may be a difference in the unit if you are buying it up north...


Humm.....I not sure how much "up north" Wisconsin can be, but my unit came with a 15,000 unit.

I just love that "warm and fuzzy" feeling you get from dealers that (in most, but not all cases) would practically sell out their own mother for a sale.
[/quote]

Please dont take offense by the "up north" term... I merely meant that as a generalization. I dont think you would find a dealer selling a camper with a 13500 BTU A/C unit here in Texas. We would die in the summer! 
CALL IT JEALOUSY! I can only dream of cool nights camping in August! Believe it or not the top news story last night was about the "COLD FRONT" that came thru north texas the other day which brought the high temp down to the low 90's. Compared to the high of 107 the day before.

Happy camping
Bryan
(IAFF Local 1329)

p.s. We'll see ya next summer when we head that way to escape the heat!


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

Texas Friends said:


> CALL IT JEALOUSY! I can only dream of cool nights camping in August! Believe it or not the top news story last night was about the "COLD FRONT" that came thru north texas the other day which brought the high temp down to the low 90's. Compared to the high of 107 the day before.


;-) We're already "up to" 66 degrees Fahrenheit here today in Minnesota. Should be almost up to 75 for a couple of hours today... back to low 60's upper 50's tonight. I might be able to turn the home A/C off after the heat of the day is over.


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## twincam (Jan 11, 2010)

Outbacks, are Outbacks, all are made in Indiana, all the same but color, go save money, we did, Lakeshore Rv has the lowest prices..period. Enjoy your new Outback and your extra money!


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## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

We found that Holman is/was highly competitive with Lakeshore. Our experience w/Holman was fine, and based on what I've read here over the past year, both Lakeshore and Holman will give the buyer the best prices...


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

hautevue said:


> We found that Holman is/was highly competitive with Lakeshore. Our experience w/Holman was fine, and based on what I've read here over the past year, both Lakeshore and Holman will give the buyer the best prices...


ditto. And, I might add, Holman's dealership is **HUGE** I have never in my life seen so many campers in one spot, or even one town for that matter ;-)

I think these dealers that do a good wholesale business pose challenges in dealing with long distance customers. I had pretty good luck with Holmans but did find it necessary to call a few times. Using the phone is my secondary comm device... I prefer email first ;-)


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## Up State NY Camper (Apr 7, 2010)

We have 3 dealers who sell Keystone trailers in the Buffalo area. Only one sells the OB. (our least favorite) One of the other ones told us that they would be happy to do warranty work on our OB trailer even though we didn't buy from them. We bought our first trailer from them so there is a relationship, but they said they get paid from the manufacturer weather or not it was bought from them. So I would think it wouldn't be hard to find a dealer who would work with you on warranty issues.


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

Up State NY Camper said:


> So I would think it wouldn't be hard to find a dealer who would work with you on warranty issues.


Yeah...that's what I would think too. It's surprising how many cop an attitude.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

For those of you in the heat, Definetly tell them you want a 15k A/C. Don't complain if your OB is standard with a 13.5 AC. Heck, my 35' Cedar creek had a 13.5 BTU AC and it did a great job in Michigan!









As for revenge for the northern comment, I would like to point out that I needed to down comforter to stay warm last night. I think it was ~58 deg and I slept great with the windows open and that cool breeze blowing in.


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## WWH (May 7, 2010)

We purchased our 2007 Outback Sydney used that was originally sold in Ohio. After one camping day in Texas I knew I had to add the second AC unit and eventually converted to 50 amps.

SO MAKE SURE THE AC IS BIG ENOUGH FOR YOUR CLIMATE!!!!!!!

We can now camp in 100 plus heat and remain comfortable. And of course WE CAMP ALL YEAR LONG and need the down comforter at night if we forget to turn one of the ac units off. Generally we take short trips every two weeks or so and at least two long trips a year. Last week at 103 outside temp the inside temp was 76.


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## heron (May 13, 2010)

bka4tcu said:


> We have decided that the OB 301BQ is the trailer for our family. I have received rpicing from a dealer about 200 miles from my home (no Keystone dealer in our local market)and from one of the wholesale dealerships. I would like to buy locally, but there is a $3,000 price difference if I go the wholesale route. Wholesale also means I have to go get the trailer, but it will certainly cost less than $3K to do that.
> 
> So the "local" dealer is trying to tell me that the trailers the wholesalers get are not the same as the ones he gets. The prices I received look to be an apples to apples comparison, but he tells me they typically drop items from the build to save money so they can sell for less. I am not buying this stuff, but wanted to ask if anyone had heard this before. I think its just the local guy wanting to make a sale and realizing that he is not going to get it because he is so much higher on price.
> 
> Any advice on buying from the wholesale guys vs. local?


As others have said they are lying. I saved 9K over my local dealer. I had my unit delivered for $850. The only thing I would change is make sure, even if you have to pay extra but have a proper PDI done. I worked with a dealer 1000 miles away and had an issue with a PDI but it was not the dealers fault it was a BS salesman. I have since dealt with the owner of the dealership and they have been great. I'd buy another from them in a heartbeat. My 312 has everything in it the brochure says it should have. 
Now, on the AC side. I was told emphatically that a 15K AC could not be put in unless I had a 50 amp service in my unit which of course only has a 30amp.


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## outbackmac (Feb 1, 2005)

1) those that have dealt with Lakeshore will they take a trade in?
2) Iam close to making a deal on a 321FRL 5ver Got the best price so far from Northside rv and i called Holman and they said they had no problem doing warranty work on a unit not purchased there.
3) Holman will not budge off the quoted internet price but i gurantee you YOU can beat there price


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## Camping Fan (Dec 18, 2005)

outbackmac said:


> 1) those that have dealt with Lakeshore will they take a trade in?


When I bought my Outback from them a few years ago they took my Jayco Kiwi in trade. It was paid off, so no loan balance to deal with. I'm not sure if they would take a trade that had a loan balance or not.


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## bka4tcu (Aug 18, 2010)

After much negotiation and looking at wholesalers vs dealers closer to home, we made the decision to buy a 301BQ from a dealer 200 miles away. His pricing was comparable to the wholesale guys in Ohio and Michigan once I factored in the time and travel costs to go get the trailer, versus buying from him and paying a bit more. We are not buying from the dealer discussed in an earlier post, but a different dealer in East Texas, Genuine RV in Nacogdoches. They have been great to deal with and we look forward to taking delivery in late September.

Many thanks for the advice and guidance.


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## twincam (Jan 11, 2010)

IMHO I would choose Laakeshore Rv in Muskegon Michigan and ask for Marci in sales, great service, lowest price in the country and personal delivery to our home. Outback rocks!!!


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## Sonnysrv (Dec 1, 2008)

If you talk to the right local dealer they can/should match or come close to the "wholesalers" pricing.

Plus you can build a relationship for parts and service.


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

I would by as local as you can............... If they can get close in price i would buy local......... Remember #1 you will hopefully get better service and the local business generally is supporting your community......... I know i sponsor 6-10 different teams a year in sports......... I give to almost all the fundraisers that come across my desk and are for things in our community........

Most of america wants "small town america" as far as morals and ethics............. Then turn around and buy everything from walmart, home depot, Wholesalers - China and sell out to save a couple bucks....... reality is if they can get with in 1500 dollars and you have travel costs........ probably better off local









I will get off my soap box now


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## Leedek (Nov 28, 2010)

You guys just helped me make up my mind. It looks like my wife and I are getting to go on a roadtrip in April. I haven't decided whether Lakeshore or Holman will be my dealer but a new Outback 210RS will be behind my Silverado coming back to Vancouver, WA. The 10th Anniversary edition looks to be an outstanding setup. My 1998 Prowler went to a great young couple with two kids and one more on the way. Thanks again for voicing your opinions.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Leedek said:


> You guys just helped me make up my mind. It looks like my wife and I are getting to go on a roadtrip in April. I haven't decided whether Lakeshore or Holman will be my dealer but a new Outback 210RS will be behind my Silverado coming back to Vancouver, WA. The 10th Anniversary edition looks to be an outstanding setup. My 1998 Prowler went to a great young couple with two kids and one more on the way. Thanks again for voicing your opinions.


Sounds GREAT!!! We had a great time going to Michigan and back for our 301BQ. We drove non stop there (except for fuel/food) had had a nice 7 day trip back with the Outback. Let me know if you have any questions.


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

Good question but it isn't necessarily a cut and dry answer. Firstly, if the dealer is blowing smoke he is hurting himself. The original statement for example, He can't think you or anyone else is that ignorant not to check the product in which they are interested in. Any person looking for a deal is shopping around. Even if it is a particular brand or floor plan. The sales person is shooting him/herself in the foot making the statement that the units are different out west.

They are not different. They are the same thing that all the RV dealers get across the country. The wholesale dealers prices take a huge chunk out of what the local dealer makes for a profit. It is difficult in most cases for the local dealer to compete with the Wholesale dealers in the mid-west due to the proximity of those places to the factories. A lot of money is saved on fuel, shipping etc.

I just got our Fifth Wheel from Cold Springs RV in NH and they offered a very attractive deal. They knew that I was not new to this business, I knew what my options were and how much they were going to cost.

Specifically getting a unit from Holmans, Lakeshore, Cost of Delivery, Cost of driving out and picking it up. Getting the unit serviced for warranty issues and routine maintenance, ETC. All those things have to be factored in.

For us there was about a 2-3K difference in price when all was said and done. That difference did not justify a run out to the Mid-West, or paying for the shipping or the worry about where we would und up on a list for servicing should the unit need it. Plus I helped the local economy.

I say give the local dealer the opportunity to see what they can do to be competetive. They know what they can do, they know what the deal is. They should be very well aware of the wholesale dealers and the products they have. The internet makes research quick and easy. If it doesn't work out with them, thank them for the effort and move on to plan "B". You may have to go back to that same place for service or help.

In any case, dropping the name Outbackers.com as a nation wide (and Canada) site for Outback travel trailer and fifth wheel owners, and that those owners have bought from the local dealer AND the wholesale dealer and we talk about these things should perk that persons ear up.

There is nothing like positive or negative feed back going out to thousands of owners of a particular brand. And Knowledge is power. Outbackers is a very "Powerful" site.

Eric


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

egregg57 said:


> I say give the local dealer the opportunity to see what they can do to be competetive. They know what they can do, they know what the deal is. They should be very well aware of the wholesale dealers and the products they have. The internet makes research quick and easy. If it doesn't work out with them, thank them for the effort and move on to plan "B". You may have to go back to that same place for service or help.


For our experience, even the local dealer who we had serviced our previous camper with thumbed their nose at us not only for dealing on new campers...but also on service. I'd say I eliminated most of the convenient dealers from ever gaining my business even for toilet paper due to their extremely poor attitude toward servicing campers not bought with them. It's not their policy of serving their customers first that bothered me so much as they were actually RUDE. On the positive side of things, I've found a couple of places that not only treat *any* customers with appreciation and respect....but they are more skilled at repairs and service too.


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