When Is The Best Time To Purchase a Camper?

This is a question that I receive ALL.THE.TIME.  My answer is always the same...the best time to purchase a new camper is between the months of October and December.  There are several reasons why this is so.


#1 - National Dealer Show in September

Every September the RV Manufacturers host a national dealer show in Indiana (photo on left is from the Thor display in Elkhart).  At this show dealers are able to view new models, see product changes and sign up for new franchises.  To entice dealers to order order order, the manufacturers offer special discounts on units ordered at the dealer show and many even offer to pay any interest that the dealer will be charged on their inventory for a period of a few months.  As a result, most dealers will place large orders for inventory at the show which means that from the months of November to December, inventory levels will be at an all time high at most dealers' lots -- meaning you have lots to pick from and because of the special incentives they have been given by the manufacturer's at the show, the dealer will be able to offer larger than normal discounts on in stock units. (Just for good measure, the picture above is one taken of me at this year's RV Dealer show where we picked up the Rockwood GeoPro product line)



#2- It's the Slow Time of Year
After school starts RV Sales typically slow down until after the New Year.  Dealers will have a high supply of units but lower demand, so they are going to be willing to take a little (or a lot) less profit than normal to move a unit.


#3- Dealers are in a Race to Boost their Year End Numbers
99% of dealers rely on a financing source for their inventory (called Floorplan Lending).  The Floorplan lender bases the dealer's line of credit amount (how much money they will let the dealer borrow to buy inventory) in large part based on the amount of sales they had the previous year.  So December is the month that dealers are racing to add sales to their books in hopes of getting a larger line of credit for the following year.

#4- Tax Time Savings
If you are a business owner or travel for business, you may be able to write off the cost of a new camper.  Talk to your CPA and see if this is something that you can do to save money come April.

 And, even if you aren't able to write off the camper, the IRS will let you write off the interest you pay on your camper loan as it is considered a 2nd residence.  Talk to your CPA to learn more.

So if you are thinking about buying a camper in the spring, why not do it now when you have a better chance of finding the exact unit you want, in stock, and having the opportunity to pay less for that unit than you would in Spring.  Add to that some of the best financing terms available in recent history, including rates as low as 3.15%, $0 down financing and up to 90 days no payments (all with approved credit of course), it's almost a no-brainer!

Why not try something new with your family...WINTER CAMPING!  Camping is not just a spring and summer activity, search the web and you'll find tons of people who love camping in the winter with no crowds, easy to find reservations at popular campgrounds..there's not better way to make family memories.

Coleman vs Coachmen Viking Travel Trailers

Coachmen Viking vs Coleman Lantern LT

A Head to Head Comparison

As many of you know, RV Outpost of Eugene, Oregon carries the Coachmen Viking line of travel trailers.  As a company, we have carried this brand for many years (at 2 different locations) and have been overwhelming pleased with the quality, features, price and value that we get from this line of campers.  Our customers also have seen the value and it has lead this product line to become our best selling line of campers.

Recently we have had several people ask us how our Coachmen Viking stacks up against the Coleman campers carried by our competition...who we will refer to as the "Giant Camper Land Place".

Well, in an attempt to make the comparison straight forward and easy to understand, we have done a side by side comparison of 2 similar models...the Coleman 17FQ and the Coachmen Viking 17BH.  You will see that the Coachmen Viking clearly wins out!  This is based only on features and standards on the campers...it does not even go into the fact that Coachmen has been in business for over 50 years and is one of the most respected brands in the RV Industry.

So, check it out for yourself...tell me which unit you think is the better value!  And bear in mind that our price is generally quite a bit less than what Giant Camper Land Place usually charges...but even when they do an incredible "lowest cash price" price for someone...we are usually at about the same price and you just get so much more with our Coachmen Viking.

Be sure to stop by and visit us in Eugene Oregon and see our large selection of Coachmen Viking campers!  Head to head comparison is pictured below!

RV Outpost in Eugene is Opening Soon!

RV Outpost, Eugene Oregon's newest RV Dealership is opening it's doors soon.  You can visit us starting in June 2016.  We are a full service dealership, located in an easy to get to location right off of I-5, just north of Eugene in Coburg (exit 199).

We are going to be carrying a large selection of new campers by Highland Ridge (Open Range), Starcraft by Jayco, Coachmen Viking and Forest River.

The owners of RV Outpost, Ed and Veronica Capiak, recently relocated to beautiful Eugene from Southern Alabama where they owned a very successful RV Dealership.  Their dream was always to live in the Pacific Northwest...and so here they are!  You will love working with the Capiaks.  They are very hands on with the business approach and customer service is their number one priority.  You will find a relaxed, fun shopping atmosphere with no high pressure sales tactics ever.

So, be sure to come visit and see our all new, all 2017 model inventory in June 2016!!

Also, RV Outpost is hiring for the following positions: RV Tech, Office Manager/Title Clerk, Lot Porter, Sales Person.  We offer excellent pay and benefits. If you would like to apply, send a resume to veronica@rv-outpost.com or call for an interview (541-343-1633).

Happy Camping!

Why is the credit score the lender pulls different than the one I saw Online???

Understanding credit scores is complicated.  We are often asked why the credit score we pull is drastically different than the credit score our customer "thought" they had.  There are several reasons for this.

#1- There are 3 different credit bureaus...Equifax (most commonly used in our industry/state), TransUnion (used by 2 of my lenders) and Experian (not used by any of my lenders).  Each bureau has their own score and scoring model, so the score we pull on Equifax will typically not be the same score that we might pull on Transunion.

#2- There are many types of credit scores....FICO, Vantage, Beacon, just to name a few.  Many customers have only ever seen their Vantage Score or Beacon Score.  When in actuality, most lenders (including all of ours) use the FICO score.  Each of the 3 credit bureaus has their own FICO score.

#3- As if that weren't all confusing enough, there are also many versions of the FICO score for each bureau.  So, even if you have seen your FICO score, it may not be the same FICO version that the lender is using.   See the chart below, taken from the website myfico.com

I hope that helps clear up some confusion on the subject of credit scores.

I would also like to add one side note on a semi-related topic.  I often hear customers state that they are worried their credit score will drop if I have to send their application to more than one lender.  While I do not "shotgun" an application out as many dealers will, having several lenders pull your credit will not typically hurt your credit score.  See the image below for an explanation on this subject from the myfico.com website

$0 Down Financing vs Putting Money Down

Right now the economy is booming.  We are seeing record sales, record numbers of customers and lenders that are being super aggressive with their rates and terms.  So aggressive in fact that we are even able to offer $0 down financing through two of our lenders.  The rest of our lenders still require 10% down in the form of cash or trade equity.

So....if you can get zero down why in the world would you ever go another route?

Pretty simple really...if you finance your camper with no money down that means you are financing your camper plus your sales tax and title (and any applicable warranties, gap insurance, etc).  You are therefore going into the loan upside down.  It will take you a lot longer to ever be in a positive equity position that it would if you had put 10% cash down in the first place.  If you do end up doing 100% RV Financing, we recommend that at least once or twice per year you make an extra lump sum payment on the principle.  This will help get you out of that "upside down" state faster.

Also, another advantage to traditional 10% down financing is that we are often able to get longer terms and lower rates...that means a lower overall payment for you!

Ready to finance your next camper?  Fill out an online credit app here...  

The Open Range Light 297RLS

As many of you know, we started carrying the Open Range (Highland Ridge RV) brand of products this year.  We have always prided ourselves on having the most innovative brand of products on our yard, so it was a logical decision for us to pick up this brand when we saw the quality and innovative features that are standard on the Open Range campers.

One of the best features of the Open Range Light line, is the ability to tow the fifth wheels with a Half-ton pickup (F-150, 1500, Tundra, Titan, etc) even with a 5.5' bed.  And this is done without the use of a slider hitch!

One of the most impressive features that we learned about the Open Range line of products, during our factory tour was the fact that they do not use rubber screw insert moulding outside, nor do they use silicon caulk and they also use 3M flashing underneath all mouldings.  If you have ever owned and RV before, you know that most water damage is caused by failure of the caulking.  This is a non-issue with these products.  

This video shows many of the exterior features of this camper.

Another awesome feature is the 100" Wide Body Construction and 42" deep side rooms, making these campers, up to 15" wider than the competition, when the slide rooms are open.  But that is just one of many exclusive features.  Watch these quick videos to learn more!

How to Inspect a Pre-Owned RV before Purchase

I am going to just come out and say this....I really dislike selling used campers.  Why?  Simply stated, I (as the dealer) have ABSOLUTELY no way of knowing how that RV was maintained by it's previous owner(s).  Did they always make sure the camper was level before using the fridge (if not, the lifespan of that fridge is seriously diminished)?  Did they regularly service the water heater?  Did they inspect their seals and recaulk the camper when it needed it?  The best I can do is visually inspect for any signs of previous water damage and operate all appliances to make sure they are working.

However, just because a fridge is working right now, doesn't mean that it will be working tomorrow or next week or next year.  Just because the air is blowing cold today, doesn't mean the a/c unit will still be working tomorrow.  I have no way of knowing.  My service tech with 20 years of RV repair experience, has no way of knowing.

But, even though we clearly state on every used RV that they are USED AS IS -- NO WARRANTY, about 75% of the time, we end up having the customer return or call to complain that such and such stopped working shortly after they purchased it.  If they bought an extended warranty, then this is generally nothing more than a minor inconvenience, as the warranty will generally cover the repairs.  However, if they opted to decline any extended warranty coverage, they bear the entire burden of the repair costs.

This is not to say that New Campers don't have issues...they do.  BUT, the owner is covered by a manufacturers warranty which has a $0 deductible.  Plus, we instruct our customers on the proper maintenance procedures that they need to perform on the camper to keep it in good condition for many years to come.

Don't think it is just us that run into this issue.  It is industry wide.  And, I haven't even talked about the number of customers that we have come in after having purchased a used camper from a private party individual.  Where we, as a dealer will visually inspect and test all the systems on the camper and then SHOW the customer that everything is working...most sales that occur between individuals happen without the new owner ever "seeing" that everything on the camper works.  Nothing on the camper having been inspected by a real RV tech.  A potential buyer usually responds to an online ad, goes to see the camper in person but it's generally not plugged into a power source, takes five minutes to walk through the camper (usually too timid to really poke around and inspect for damage), asks the owner if everything works (which invariably garners the response "yes, last time we used it everything was working perfect").

I've had more customers than I can even count who have purchased a used camper from an individual and later discover that the roof has been leaking and is now rotted in places.  Then they are upset when they find out that a new RV Rubber Roof will run them $3000-$10,000 depending on the size and the extent of damage to underlying wood.

So, I am going to share with you my tips for inspecting an RV (I am directing this toward towable RV buyers) before you buy it.  You can use these tips with a dealer unit or a private party unit.  When buying a motorized unit, these same items will apply but you will also need to thoroughly check the motorized portion.

1. Visually inspect the exterior for gaps/cracks in caulking and any delamination.  Delamination almost always indicates the presence of water damage within the walls.  Sometimes it is not even visible to the naked eye, but underneath the wallboard will be loads of mold and rotted wood.
   
   
   
   This unit  (above) is showing the beginning stages of delamination near the top of the front cap.  Delamination is separation of the fiberglass exterior from it's underlayment (in most cases this is luan but sometimes it is cardboard).

The unit above has advanced delamination issues.

   2.   Get a ladder and inspect the roof.  This is a major one.  You need to inspect the caulking around          every vent and the entire perimeter.  Also feel the entire roof with your hands to see if there are          any soft spots.   

   3.  On the inside, open all cabinet doors and look/feel for any soft spots or wrinkling of the wallpaper.  Also look/feel the walls around all slide rooms and windows.  This photo shows the inside of a wall that had a little bit of wrinkling on the wallpaper.  This is the wall from the camper pictured above with the beginning stages of delamination.  As you can see, the water damage was pretty extensive, even from that little bit of delamination.

   4.  Look up!  Check the entire ceiling for signs of water intrusion.  This is generally going to look like a little bit of brown staining and the seams.

  5.  Do the sniff test.  This is my (almost) sure-fire way of detecting water leaks.  I can almost always detect the odor of water before I even see any damage.  The smell will be a musty odor.

  6.   Walk the entire floor and look for soft spots.  This is a photo of a floor that felt a little soft, after we took the linoleum up.

8.  Insist on having the camper hooked to electric and ask them to have the fridge pre-cooled before you get there.  It takes an RV Fridge about 12 hours to cool down, so if they don't have it running well ahead of time, there is no way for you to know for sure if it's not working.  A new cooling unit for an RV Fridge costs about $1500 plus labor.   Make them demo the fridge operating on both electric and propane.  Have them demonstrate the operation of the furnace, a/c unit, water heater, water pump, slide rooms, etc.

  9.  Have them open the awning.  Make sure that it works correctly and that the canvas is in good shape.  If the canvas is not in good shape, take that into consideration when making an offer.

One thing that I will say though is don't get too nitpicky over items that are purely cosmetic (decals, chipped wood, faded carpet, scuffed plastic, etc).  Remember, you are buying a USED camper, you are saving money by doing so and it will never ever be a NEW camper.