‘Tis the Season!…to buy a travel trailer

If you’ve ever considered buying a travel trailer, now might be the time! Fall and winter are seasons where you can negotiate your best deal on the RV you’ll be using when the snow and cold weather is a mere memory.

As the weather cools off, RV deals warm up. Autumn is a great time to begin your search for the perfect travel unit. And, because it’s not “high season” you might also get some extra special attention from salespeople so that you can get the time you need to get all of your questions answered.

As an added incentive to shop now, many dealers will be looking to unload last year’s models to make room for the new year’s models that are coming in.
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**TIP**
Know that you will often not see a drop in price, but will be offered added options that usually cost extra…but if you negotiate hard enough, they may take some off of the price, too!

To narrow down what you like and what you don’t need, crawl the internet and take a little window shopping tour through a couple RV dealerships. Make calls. Ask questions. Take notes. Dial in whether you are looking for luxury or would enjoy a unit that is made more for “roughing it”. What size RV do you want? Get an idea of the features you must have. Then make your list and check it twice!

Once you get an idea of costs and features, you’ll need to decide if you want to buy a new or pre-owned trailer.

If you choose the pre-owned option, you’ll also need to decide whether you’re open to purchasing from a private party or will only want to work with a RV dealership.

Regardless of those choices, you’ll also need to do some financial planning.

Are you interested in obtaining a loan from the dealership or companies they work with, or will you get your cash for the downpayment or loans personally?
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Many financing deals appear at the end of summer…dealers KNOW how hard it is to move units in January!
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Search the internet to see what units are going for and know that many RV manufacturers are in the southern states and you’ll often find the cheapest prices near where they are made. Make a few phone calls and you just may find your sweetest deal…just be sure to add in transportation costs or the cost for a one-way plane ticket!

Another great place to obtain information or find a good deal on the perfect RV is during the trade shows that (usually) happen in the winter months. As we all know, COVID could affect this plan this year, though.

You should also know that private sellers can be savvy as well. They know that now is the time to buy new…which leaves their old units on the market. You’ll find more used units on dealer’s lots and also via independent sources like CraigsList and RV Trader (rvtrader.com) .

Another great way to find pre-owned units that have not gone on the market yet is to ask RV storage facility managers. They usually are in-the-know about who’s selling what…so give them a call and see what they might be aware of that will be comin g on the market.

**TIP**
While fall IS a great time to buy a travel trailer, know that you will be paying for storage for a few months that your unit will not be in use. Figure that into your financing, also.
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