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Old 05-11-2016, 01:32 AM   #1
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Buying a 2016 Aerolite 292BDHS

I am looking for the best deal on the 292 DBHS Platinum package which has the stainless steel appliances. I have found them in Ohio and Indiana for $24,995 with an MSRP for 30K-32K and then my home state of Florida for $30,000 with an MSRP of 41K - 42K. I don't mind driving up to Ohio to buy my new trailer, since my work reimburses my mileage and I can make the trip for business. I just can't justify paying almost $12,000 more just to buy it in Florida. I had a dealer down here tell me that it is delivery cost. BS! I ran into a guy that shuttles these things down here from Goshen and they only pay him $150 a day. I also found a site that gives you an idea what dealer invoice is on these units. I figure right around $19,000 for the platinum package. I almost bought one at Camping World in Akron. They had it listed on sale at $24,995 (MSRP $31,000) and it had been on their lot for 3 months and also had been at an RV show that had a thousand people walk through it. The back window was also left open and rain got in the back. So it may even had some water damage. I offered them $22,000 cash out the door and the salesman was offended. He told me that that is below their invoice price! I even came up to $25,000 out the door and he still told me no! I walked away and they never asked me for my number.

I had found another 292 DBHS at Tom's Toys in Springfield, OH listed for $24,995. It too was damaged. Somebody backed it into a tree or telephone pole and bent the spare tire to a 45 degree from the bumper. The dealer wouldn't come off his price any! I offered him $22,000 out the door and he wouldn't budge. I came up to $24,000 out the door and he still didn't budge. He said his trailers are at Rock Bottom prices and that's it. Plus, he told me they charge $1,200 for dealer set up fees. I got up and politely left thinking he would chase me down in the parking lot. Nope. He let me drive away without even getting my number.

So what's up with the prices of these units? Dealers won't budge.
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Old 05-11-2016, 01:33 AM   #2
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Sorry, I am looking at a 2016 Aerolite 292 DBHS
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Old 05-11-2016, 11:51 AM   #3
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Apparently they can get more money selling them to someone else. You made two offers at $22K - $25K and they didn't sell them to you. That should give you a clue. Apparently you're going to have to offer something more than $25K to buy one. I don't know where you got your $19K invoice number from, but I seriously doubt it's validity.
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Old 05-11-2016, 01:25 PM   #4
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I considered going up to Ohio to save a few bucks on a camper, but after hearing the problems you're likely to encounter, I didn't go through with it. I shopped locally and found one at the end of the season for basically the same price.

The one big problem is service, no one around you is going to fix the stuff that will go wrong with a camper you bought in another state. My local guy happily replaced a refrigerator, air conditioner, door strut and repaired a spider cracked nose all within the first year of ownership. No matter how handy you are, these are things not many can fix themselves.

I wouldn't even consider buying another camper any further away than i'm willing to drive for service.
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Old 05-11-2016, 09:27 PM   #5
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Ran into similar issue with local dealer. Would not budge on price for a trailer that had sat on their lot for almost 1.5 years... and they had two of them. He was willing to deal on a current year model (different model) however. It made no sense to me that they were willing to sit on two trailers that were previous year models. I even sent them the dealer ads from multiple sites showing the same 2014 model offered at a price $5k cheaper than them and 2015's of the same model $2k cheaper then their price.

Fun stuff.
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Old 05-12-2016, 04:52 PM   #6
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I suppose I was lucky as I just recently purchased our new trailer our of state two months ago with minimal issues. I live in the Phoenix, AZ area and found a great deal on a trailer in Indiana. Similar to what mikey1011 has been seeing, this saved me right around 10k when all was said and done including shipping costs and taxes. The only issues I experienced was with arranging transport from IN to AZ; in the end the trailer made it to me as advertised. Regarding service, again I must be lucky. Upon washing the trailer for the first time, I noticed the skylight over the kitchen area had a large crack. Called the local dealership nearby where I live and they got me in contact with Dutchmen customer service right away and scheduled my trailer for repair. The local dealer made a point to me that they don't care where the unit was originally purchased; if its a brand they are an authorized dealer for and its under warranty its all the same to them.


Good luck in your search!
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Old 05-13-2016, 02:47 PM   #7
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I also live in the Phoenix area and the local dealer didn't want to negotiate on my 282DBHS. I looked all over the internet and found better prices in CA, TX, OK. The local guy thought I was bluffing that I'd purchase it elsewhere so I walked. I ended up driving 15 hours to Tulsa, OK and made my purchase there. It was a great experience and made for a fun road trip back home. I had a few small issues that required service and the same dealership that had a crummy sales dept. had a great service team. They fixed my issues promptly and without issue. I believe they can bill Dutchmen for the work so they don't really care about the location of purchase. If I were you then I'd drive to the better price but make sure that they run through the proper inspection lists with you before you sign anything. I did that and video taped the entire inspection so I could remember how to use everything when I got home.
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Old 05-13-2016, 04:16 PM   #8
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We have two Dodge dealers in Kamloops, next door to each other. I bought the Ram at one dealer and take it to the other dealer for warranty/recall work.

Same deal with the camper. I don't know about the RV industry, but an auto dealer can't refuse to do warranty work. Doesn't mean they can't play silly little games with you, but the service manager really doesn't care where the unit was bought from, they have performance targets to meet.

If I could save $10K on a camper I would do it and worry about the warranty work if and when it comes up.
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Old 05-13-2016, 05:34 PM   #9
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I am going to an RV show that the local RV dealer is having at the fairgrounds. The sales guy I have spoke to on the phone says they will beat any price! This should be real good! I will keep you all posted. I am curious as to how they can beat the Indianapolis Camping world price listed on the internet of $22,995. I am gonna start the negotiations at $22,500 out the door and work my way up to $25,000 out the door. Of course, once at the higher end of my budget, there will be some extras that will have to be thrown in, in order to close the deal (Slider awning, central vac, X chocks, ladder, surge protector, leveling blocks, dual batteries). Wow, there's my Christmas list!!! Wish me luck.
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Old 05-13-2016, 07:01 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by mikey1011 View Post
I am going to an RV show that the local RV dealer is having at the fairgrounds. The sales guy I have spoke to on the phone says they will beat any price! This should be real good! I will keep you all posted. I am curious as to how they can beat the Indianapolis Camping world price listed on the internet of $22,995. I am gonna start the negotiations at $22,500 out the door and work my way up to $25,000 out the door. Of course, once at the higher end of my budget, there will be some extras that will have to be thrown in, in order to close the deal (Slider awning, central vac, X chocks, ladder, surge protector, leveling blocks, dual batteries). Wow, there's my Christmas list!!! Wish me luck.
You'll need more than luck. One way or another you are going to pay for the shipping and forget your Christmas list. The P&A is where the dealers make the real profits, so one way or another they are going to make a profit on the deal.

I like to keep as much of my money in my pocket, just like everyone else. I do that by getting the best possible price I can on the unit, then shop my P&A list around.
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Old 05-14-2016, 09:10 PM   #11
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I bought a 2016 292BDHS last month. My local dealer would only come down to $27,900 with an msrp of $35k. He said he was moving 1 a week of those model. I believed himy cause he had 2 in holding waiting to be prepped and picked up.

That's being said I found the same trailer used (4 months) 90 miles away and worked a deal of $25k with a 5 year extended warranty. The trailer looked brand new so I feel of got a decent deal.
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Old 06-22-2016, 02:25 AM   #12
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I don't know if you're still looking, but I picked up my 2016 282dbhs in April from RVWholesalers in Ohio. I paid $28,000 total, but that included a lot of extras. It included the slide out awning, 15k BTU A/C, a second 13.5k BTU A/C in the bedroom with 50Amp service, an equalizer hitch, and a 4 year warranty. Without the extras I think it was around $25,000. My whole experience with RVWholesalers was really good. My salesperson was Tammy. I drove from NY to Ohio to pick it up and everything was ready when I got there and I was in and out.
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Old 08-12-2016, 06:19 PM   #13
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Aerolite 292

You get prices and the lowest you see out there is pretty much what it is going to sell for. Here is my question with the 292. The cargo load is very small on it. And when you sit down on the ground and look at the wheel base and the undercarriage, you know why.

Can the undercarriage be modified to carry a larger cargo load? And about what would that run?

Otherwise, I am looking at trailers that need to be pulled with my F250 instead of my Expedition...
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Old 08-12-2016, 06:21 PM   #14
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How are you liking the 292 now that you have one?

Thanks* What problems or no problems?
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Old 08-12-2016, 07:15 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by Saraberry View Post
You get prices and the lowest you see out there is pretty much what it is going to sell for. Here is my question with the 292. The cargo load is very small on it. And when you sit down on the ground and look at the wheel base and the undercarriage, you know why.

Can the undercarriage be modified to carry a larger cargo load? And about what would that run?

Otherwise, I am looking at trailers that need to be pulled with my F250 instead of my Expedition...
You can do anything if you throw enough money at it. The legalize fine print is, no matter what you do, it changes nothing until the unit is certified to a new weight rating. It could become very costly, if you give the insurance company a reason to deny a claim.

I can't speak to your state laws, but in BC our Commercial Vehicle Safety Inspection guys have been known to pull over campers. They aren't shy about condemning vehicles on the side of the road, saw one guy cooling his heals on the side of the road waitng for an RV tow truck. He had been there 3 1/2 hours from seeing him the first time. We had been to town and on our way home.
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Old 08-12-2016, 10:51 PM   #16
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Huh? Are you talking to me about trying to modify the suspension on trailer to be able to carry a heavier load?

I would not do anything that wasn't legal. Just fyi.

I am just trying to figure out what the purpose of getting a 292 would be if you can only pack 500 lbs into it.

I have learned that the full tank of fresh water is about 425 lbs. or half the load you can add.

Which is why I am tending to the Denali Lite 3155BH now.
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Old 08-13-2016, 03:27 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by Saraberry View Post
Huh? Are you talking to me about trying to modify the suspension on trailer to be able to carry a heavier load?

I would not do anything that wasn't legal. Just fyi.

I am just trying to figure out what the purpose of getting a 292 would be if you can only pack 500 lbs into it.

I have learned that the full tank of fresh water is about 425 lbs. or half the load you can add.

Which is why I am tending to the Denali Lite 3155BH now.
I was just pointing out, even if you did all the upgrades required to carry the extra cargo, in the eyes of the law the OEM specs do not change. In order to protect yourself, the camper would have to be certified by someone qualified to create a new data plate.

Our tags and insurance coverages are based on the Gross Weight of the unit, so you have to have that certification in case of roadside safety inspections or insurance claim.

The numbers game is much harder, to find the right camper, that fits the tow vehicle.
Than finding the right tow vehicle, that fits the camper.
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Old 08-13-2016, 06:25 AM   #18
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It's not about a tow vehicle.

It is about the weight you are able to carry with the 292. The sticker says 1040 lbs. Some spec sheets say 1400 lbs.

Still not very much for a trailer that is 34' long with ample storage.

And when you look underneath, it is clear to see why.

So if you have this vehicle, and you are loading it to the spatial capacity, be forewarned, you may soon have issues underneath.
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