Posted by Ashley Gannon on Jan 20, 2012
When you attend an RV show, you’ll notice that many RV manufacturers and RV dealers offer special show discounts to encourage RV shoppers to BUY TODAY! As you cruise the displays at an RV show, you’re apt to see offers for special low show prices, discounts on premium features or free upgrades. The catch, of course, is that show deals are usually only available during the show, pressuring you to make a quick decision and buy now. If you go ahead and buy your RV at the show, you’ll kick yourself when you get home if you find out you could have gotten a better deal on the same RV on RVT.com.
So how do you tell if you’re being offered a legitimately great deal? Use RVT.com Price Checker to compare the deal you’re being offered to RV listings on RVT.com. Enter details about the RV you want to buy into our handy Price Checker, and Price Checker will instantly show you the NADA book value of the vehicle and pull up comparable RVT.com listings. Price Checker gives you access to both new and used RV listings, including RV dealer ads on RVT.com. Often RV dealers offer online discounts that are just as good as and sometimes better than deals available at RV shows.
If you have a smartphone, use RVT.com’s free iPhone app to access RVT Price Checker from the show.
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Jan 13, 2012
According to a recent J.D. Powers & Associates survey, price negotiation is the part of the vehicle-buying experience shoppers find most frustrating and least satisfying. Traditionally, the power in price negotiations has rested with the vehicle seller; but online resources are giving RV shoppers greater power when they negotiate the purchase of new and used RVs.
Using helpful information found on online RV classified ad sites, consumer reports, and NADA price guides, RV shoppers are arming themselves with better price intel before beginning negotiations with private RV sellers and RV dealers. According to J.D. Powers, last year nearly 80% of vehicle shoppers researched purchase options and prices online before making their purchase. That online research is paying off. Armed with better price information, RV buyers are driving harder bargains and negotiating better purchase prices.
A valuable price-negotiation tool, RVT.com Price Checker allows RV shoppers to instantly obtain the NADA retail book value of any RV. That’s a very handy figure to know and a good starting point for RV price negotiations, but RVT Price Checker also offers a comparative RV listing feature that RV buyers are finding even more valuable. Using search criteria, RVT Price Checker pulls up all similar RV listings on RVT.com, allowing RV buyers to instantly compare features and prices of RVs currently listed on RVT.com and negotiate the best price for their new RV.
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Dec 07, 2011
Saving on vacation costs is one of the primary reasons people buy an RV online. Compared to other vacation options, vacationing in an RV will save a family of four between 28% and 59% on their total vacation costs; and a traveling couple, from 15% to 45%. In a study conducted by PKF Consulting, an international travel consulting firm, RV vacations were found to be less expensive than any other combination of travel and lodging choices, including travel by car or airline and lodging in a hotel, rental house or condominium. In each scenario, the RV vacation was determined to be the least expensive choice.
The PKF study also compared vacation costs for different types of RVs: a car towing a folding trailer (pop-up), a pickup truck or SUV towing a travel trailer and a Class A motorhome. Not surprisingly, motorhomes, which are larger and heavier than other types of RVs, were found to be a more expensive travel option than travel trailers or folding trailers. What was surprising was the relatively small cost difference between travel trailer and motorhome vacations. For a family of 4, a 3-day weekend trip in a travel trailer cost an average $623. Traveling by motorhome cost $647, a difference of only $24. Vacationing in a folding trailer cost $508.
In comparison, driving and staying in a hotel cost $903. Add the cost of flying and vacation costs rose to $1,678. Staying in a rental home only decreased vacation costs by $150 to $1,514.
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Nov 25, 2011
In the rush to snap up Black Friday bargains at least one hysterical shopper went over the edge last night. According to the Los Angeles Times, a South California Walmart turned into a battle zone when a woman used pepper spray to fend off competing shoppers in what authorities are calling an extreme case of aggressive competitive shopping. Mmmm. Cyber Monday is looking better all the time.
If you shop on RVT.com, you don’t have to wait until Monday to score incredible deals on new and used RVs. You’ll find Black Friday bargains on RVT.com every day of the year. No matter what type of RV you are looking for — motorhome, travel trailer, 5th wheel, truck camper, toy hauler, folding trailer, toterhome or park model — you’ll find a huge variety of attractively-priced rigs among the online RV classified ads posted on RVT.com.
RV shoppers will find some of the best RV deals under Reduced RVs for Sale. Bargain hunters will also want to check out listings for Diesel Pushers under $100K, Trailers under $5K and Motorhomes under $15K. Easy-click access to all of these bargain listings can be found under the Search tab on RVT.com’s home page. We also offer an RV listing section for RV Traders who like to barter. Find the right buyer and you could trade your unused boat for an RV and the beginning of new adventures!
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Nov 04, 2011
With the holidays on the horizon and school breaks coming up, people are starting to make travel plans. During the 6 weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, millions of Americans will travel to share the holidays with relatives or enjoy a family vacation. The only hitch in your plans is likely to be how to get your family from point A to point B without busting your budget. High holiday airfares can quickly gobble up your holiday budget leaving little left for hotels and holiday fun. Driving is a more affordable option, but 8 to 12 hours in a cramped car with bored children isn’t a fun way to start a vacation. The solution? RV travel.
RV vacations are less expensive than any other type of vacation, according to a new RVIA study conducted by PKF Consulting, an international travel consulting firm. Even when fuel prices are high, RV vacations are still 26% to 74% cheaper than typical fly-drive-hotel vacations.
“In all cases, RV trips were more economical than other vacations analyzed, regardless of trip duration, distance or region of the country,” Kannan Sankaran, PKF’s lead researcher, reported.
In its cost comparisons, PKF included the cost of RV ownership to allow direct comparison of actual travel expenses. For every type of RV — motorhome, travel trailer and folding trailer — RV travel was considerably more affordable than any other travel option.
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Oct 24, 2011
Before you buy an RV online, you have to decide which type of RV to purchase. Towable RVs are more popular than motorhomes with first-time RV buyers, primarily because towables offer greater selection at the low-end of the price scale. A camping family that is ready to move up to an RV can purchase a lightweight folding camping trailer (commonly called a pop-up) that can be pulled by their family car for a few thousand dollars, considerably less if purchased used on RVT.com.
While upscale amenities, multiple slides, premium interior and exterior construction features and other upgrades can equalize the price difference between travel trailers and motorhomes, it is the engine that is at the root of basic cost differentials. When you buy a motorhome, you’re buying as a single unit both living space and the expensive engine that moves it. When you buy a travel trailer, 5th wheel RV or truck camper, you’re only purchasing the living space. You must provide the engine to tow it at additional cost. However, if you already own an appropriate RV tow vehicle (pickup truck or SUV) or purchase one used at a good price on RVT.com, you’re ahead of the game financially. You can put the money you would have spent on a tow vehicle toward upgrades and additional amenities in your new RV.
Next time: Comparing features
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Aug 26, 2011
If you’re tired of straggling through airports and trying to keep the kids entertained during a cramped flight, if you’re tired of hefty hotel bills that take a huge bite out of your vacation funds, if you tired of spending money on food your kids won’t eat, maybe it’s time you tried RVing. RV vacations are 27% to 61% cheaper than any other type of vacation, according to a study by PKF Consulting, an international travel and tourism consulting firm. Vacationing in an RV combines transportation, hotel and food costs in one neat, cost-efficient package, allowing you to take control of your vacation — and vacation costs.
Travel. Vacationing in an RV gives families room to spread out comfortably while on the road. You can stop to check out local attractions, sample a piece of homemade pie or stop for ice cream along the way. There are no schedules to keep or security lines to get through. And no one arrives at your destination tired and cranky.
Lodging. When you RV, you carry your lodging with you. A night in a comfortable RV campsite costs a fraction of what you’d pay for a night in a hotel. And many RV campgrounds now offer hotel-like amenities such as swimming pools, free WiFi, game rooms, playgrounds and more.
Food. A kitchen stocked your family’s favorite foods and snacks is just steps away when you RV, allowing you to eat healthfully and inexpensively and serve the foods your family likes to eat.
Posted by Ashley Gannon on Jul 15, 2011
Today we continue our step-by-step walk through the process of buying an RV online:
4. After you’ve narrowed your search to a few RV manufacturers, click on Consumer Reports for links to unbiased RV ratings and reviews. Use this information to narrow your search.
5. Go back to the type of RV you want to buy under RVs for Sale and browse listings for manufacturers on your short list. Decide which RV models have the floor plan and features you want. In narrowing your search to a specific model, consider information from consumer reports sites. You can also used Advanced Search features to shop for RVs in your city or state or to find specific features.
6. When reviewing RV listings, take advantage of the navigation bar at the top of each ad that allows you to save listings, print or share them via email and social networking sites.
7. After you’ve winnowed your choices down to a final few, click on Price Checker. Our price checker will show you the vehicle’s NADA book value, as well as the number of listings for that model on RVT.com, including the high, low and average asking prices. This information will point you toward good deals and can be useful in price negotiations with RV sellers.
8. Use the Contact Seller box included in every ad listing to connect with the seller of the RV you want to buy, cut your deal, and you’ll be a happy RV owner in no time!
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