MSRP of Thor Axis/Vegas (Hershey RV Show)

[ducksface]

Originally Posted by taylorbob1

I purchased a new, “well after” end of year model that had sat on dealer’s lot for a very long time.
The result was paying just 59% of sticker price. And I still probably paid too much.

But this was a time when supplies were plentiful & demand was average minus.

That said, I did not get the newest/latest model year with many perceived upgrades.

Since we're telling purchase stories:
2018 24.1
Nationally advertised.
5,600 miles
Owner hadn't made their third payment from buying it in July 2018. We bought it Oct30th.
Had been to the shop for the silly little warranty stuff loose screw stuff. So everything was perfect.
He had Aligned the front end
An upgraded roku tv over the door(were still hooked up to his premium accounts.)
Two firesticks and a Google stick or whatever the thing is called.)
$600 retail worth of pro doghouse insulation.
Professionally detailed and waxed...twice.
A roof treatment of some sort.
6 added seat belts(he thought he could use the 24.1 to soccer-mom for the kids)
84 month top line, tires, all boxes checked, extended warranty$7,500.
$500 retail cell phone booster installed.
$1,000+ worth of food(we STILL have some of their canned goods) and bedding and hoses and equipment and every chemical(probably 25lbs of spray bottles)and toy cw sells and lawn furniture and bbq....
55 gallons of fuel.
Full(not 1/3) water
Full propane
Loaded, packed, bring a toothbrush and drive off ready.
Such nice people I wish he were a nephew.

Ask was 69k.
We didn't grind and said yes.
He said if we could be three days early he'd lower the price so he could go get a sprinter in Maine that was a great deal.
We did, he did, he did.
$64,000(maybe 66k. I'm not really 'member berrying), transferred at our bank in his town...AND no sales tax in AZ on private party purchases.


Had we cashed in the warranty it would have been $7,500 to us once we did the $75 transfer.

We drove from the Grand Canyon to Cape Girardeau To pick it up.
Rented a yaris one-way, was nice to the desk clerk at the rental...rolled out in a new g30 instead.

[txc2936@yahoo.com]

Read above. Yes, 32 - 34% off of MSRP was exactly what i paid for the RV. Good Rule of Thumb....

[chunker21]

Originally Posted by txc2936@yahoo.com

Read above. Yes, 32 - 34% off of MSRP was exactly what i paid for the RV. Good Rule of Thumb....

Sales made last year aren't the same as now. Last year didn't have the big shortage of semiconductors which has put a big slowdown on motorized RVs. I bought mine in May, it was built late last year and I got the equivalent of 26% off MSRP. How long an RV is on a dealer's lot is a major influencer to pricing and potential discounts. But if a dealer isn't getting any he's not likely to discount much. If you closed on yours in early November 20, and ordered it, you probably ordered somewhere 4-6 months prior to that and the motorized supply was much larger back then.

[taylorbob1]

Originally Posted by txc2936@yahoo.com

Read above. Yes, 32 - 34% off of MSRP was exactly what i paid for the RV. Good Rule of Thumb....

The maximum reduction in today’s market is not much more than 25% off an inflated list.
So you did well, but others not so much.

Give it 12-24 months.
The just-used market will come alive as fuel prices & interest rates increase.

[chunker21]

Originally Posted by taylorbob1

The maximum reduction in today’s market is not much more than 25% off an inflated list.
So you did well, but others not so much.

Give it 12-24 months.
The just-used market will come alive as fuel prices & interest rates increase.

All the pricing speculation and guessing is for naught if I/you don't need to sell when the bottom falls out, IF it does. I never know how long I'll keep any vehicle but if the Omni proves durable, I figure to have it long enough that today's inflated pricing will be a memory like the housing situation of 08. I didn't buy or sell anything in that market so it didn't affect me.

[sportcoupe]

Originally Posted by TerryJames

Perhaps useful to remember, if one is planning to purchase a new Axis or Vegas to your specification … rather than “off the lot,” … plan on being able to purchase at around 32% to 34% off MSRP. As “drive away price.”
Requires a little innovative “request for quote” communications, and investment of time chatting to both Thor and Dealers … but quite doable.

Realize there are only five options on the Axis/Vegas models.

1. Electric stabilizers
2. Power drivers chair
3. Home collection interior decor
4. 100 watt solar panel with controller
5. Holding tanks heating pads

Then of course there are two exterior sticker colors to choose from. Also, two interior color combos to choose from if you don't order the optional Home Collection above.

That's it. A little bit customizable but not like other models.

To add further the parts shortages will effect what they actually build even if you custom order. In July 2021, the electric stabilizers and power driver seat were not available. They built the coaches anyway and ship them (drive) to the RV dealer for delivery anyway.

.

[TerryJames]

“Sealed bid” approach may not work for many, but worked fine for us, albeit a while ago..
We built a relationship with 7 Thor dealers that we’d let them know when we were ready. We also build a relationship with the Thor plant into giving us a call when an E450 was available ‘cos they still had some, and at that time they were using both randomly. They “held” the offer for 10 days.

Then we bid as mentioned before, we finalized the deal and Thor were ready to receive the order.
We were in no rush, and of course today is different with supply … However, may be worth a try.
(Probably better than … “I need an RV for my planned trip next weekend.”)

Previous posts on the method:
https://www.thorforums.com/forums/sh...1&postcount=15
https://www.thorforums.com/forums/sh...9&postcount=20

Best Regards,
James

[txc2936@yahoo.com]

That is so interesting. I would think it would be great to have a relationship like this with THOR products. Factory Direct and being able to see your RV going down the line would be fantastic.

You could actually take part in the quality control, and when it is complete, fly up to Indiana and drive you New RV off.

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by txc2936@yahoo.com

That is so interesting. I would think it would be great to have a relationship like this with THOR products. Factory Direct and being able to see your RV going down the line would be fantastic.

You could actually take part in the quality control, and when it is complete, fly up to Indiana and drive you New RV off.

There are manufacturers that will do just what you mention, it’s just not Thor and the others will make you pay considerably more for the custom built rig.

[taylorbob1]

Originally Posted by txc2936@yahoo.com

That is so interesting. I would think it would be great to have a relationship like this with THOR products. Factory Direct and being able to see your RV going down the line would be fantastic.

You could actually take part in the quality control, and when it is complete, fly up to Indiana and drive you New RV off.

When I was a teen in 1970, my parents ordered a Champion 20 footer (don’t remember the model).
And they flew to Indiana or Iowa (don’t recall), and picked up their brand new RV at the Champion plant.
FYI…the quality control was worse then. It was on a Dodge chassis with a very underpowered 318 cu inch engine.

It looked like this:

[Chateau_Nomad]

My girlfriends parents had a 1973 Champion. Traveled to several horse shows in it. I even drove it a few times. Believe me... it rode and drove just like it looks!

On a related note... I drove past Ricart "Mega Mall" today; probably the largest Ford dealership in Ohio... just south of Columbus.

In previous years, that GINORMOUS lot had literally thousands of Fords, Kias, Hyundais, and hundreds of Ford pickups.

I should have taken a picture... it was BARREN. Trucks were parked front row end to end to make inventory look better than it is. The Kia lot - usually packed - looked like an abandoned parking lot at a major airport!

In the last 40 years I've NEVER seen inventory at any major car dealership as sparse! Especially Ricart. This is bizarre... I'm not sure what damage this is going to do to the economy, or if maybe it's a sign that the damage has already been done... and we're just waiting for the other shoe to drop??

[taylorbob1]

Regarding lack of inventory….

- Just waiting for the computer chips to arrive from China

[sportcoupe]

Originally Posted by taylorbob1

Regarding lack of inventory….

- Just waiting for the computer chips to arrive from China

Everyone may have seen the fields full of unfinished F150's, thousands of them due to "chip shortage".

My coworker special ordered a F150 early summer and it arrived in 7 weeks, better then the dealer lie of 8-12 weeks.

The chips shortage don't impact everything.

[chunker21]

Originally Posted by Chateau_Nomad

My girlfriends parents had a 1973 Champion. Traveled to several horse shows in it. I even drove it a few times. Believe me... it rode and drove just like it looks!

On a related note... I drove past Ricart "Mega Mall" today; probably the largest Ford dealership in Ohio... just south of Columbus.

In previous years, that GINORMOUS lot had literally thousands of Fords, Kias, Hyundais, and hundreds of Ford pickups.

I should have taken a picture... it was BARREN. Trucks were parked front row end to end to make inventory look better than it is. The Kia lot - usually packed - looked like an abandoned parking lot at a major airport!

In the last 40 years I've NEVER seen inventory at any major car dealership as sparse! Especially Ricart. This is bizarre... I'm not sure what damage this is going to do to the economy, or if maybe it's a sign that the damage has already been done... and we're just waiting for the other shoe to drop??

Yes but those vehicles are of course motorized. On all the trips I have taken and latter of last year, when I passed an RV dealer the lots were full of NON-motorized. railers, tagalong and 5th wheel are abundant. Yes I have seen the auto dealerships and the sparse lots that also have far more used than new. A couple I drive by frequently, Ford and GM blend the new and used together.

Regarding RVs on my recent trips, big class A diesel seemed to be in abundance and while I didn't look closely, there weren't many Cs of any flavor. The scene was the same at several CW, and other RV dealers large and small. As such I would think that a person looking for a towable should have no trouble finding what they wanted with acceptable pricing, but the smaller motorhomes, i.e. less costly may be a challenge for a while.

[bevedfelker]

One additional thing I forgot to mention about my visit to the Hershey RV show -- every Class A, B, and C that I looked at had a sold sign on it. And the day I was there was the day it opened -- and the time we arrived was about noon.

[pneumatics]

We did attend the Hershey Show. I had heard that Wednesday was busy, we got there 10:30AM on Thursday and waited an hour and 15 minutes to get in. Poor planning over the bridge to get in, they needed another entrance for the security scan that was a joke. During the weekend afterward camping a fellow camper was there Friday and experienced the same. The place was packed like a home football game.

Over past years it was a different show to be sure.

-VERY VERY Many trailers and 5-ers like 80% of the units there. I counted perhaps 10 high end diesels and maybe 30 gas Class A's. A larger contingent of class B's than what I saw in the past. Many 4-wheel drive versions and specialty units. I was not everywhere but a big difference from prior.
-Almost every gas Class A unit had a show price of $30K to $60K over 2019 prices. I took pictures in 2019 of stickers....
-Every unit (class A) that I saw was sold. And almost ALL had signs on that we have 2 or 4 or something units available in Nov. or Dec. or Feb of 2022.
-Overall heard a couple of sales discussions about buy now, will hold the place in line, delivery early next year before camping season.... yada yada.
-Had a discussion with a factory guy from Dometic, shortages in parts, labor and they are on their 3rd price increase this year for the supply to manufacturers.
-More vendors than in past year. Campers Inn had the Rink floor and several areas outside, I would believe they were #2 on total presence.
-It was very refreshing to NOT see the Camping World gang there as they pulled out last year and this year are having their own show on the lot locally. Replaced by many other dealers and some that would not have been able to be there previously. General RV was the big one with several manufacturers shown. Campers Inn #2.

Funniest thing saw? There was a plane towing a banner around the complex... PAY LESS AT CAMPING WORLD (there is one about 20 minutes from the show).

[chunker21]

Originally Posted by pneumatics;3

[COLOR="Red"

Funniest thing saw? There was a plane towing a banner around the complex... PAY LESS AT CAMPING WORLD (there is one about 20 minutes from the show).

[/COLOR]

Not so sure what was so funny about that, larger dealerships CAN offer better pricing due to volume and stock. Yes I know CW has a bad reputation just as does every large dealership, General RV, Lazy days, Indoor RV, etc. CW earned that bad reputation just as others have and are. But a careful buyer shouldn't omit CW because of the past or the corporate owner.

Reference your comment about all the sold signs, does that include the big A's DP style? My comment earlier about plenty of A's on dealer lots was being viewed from the road, not walking the lot. All those units have body paint and will look new/good from a distance and may not be distinguishable from a used. I have no interest in an A of any flavor so not up to speed on pricing or availability.

EDIT adding; I find it interesting and predictable that dealers will use the shortage to create the panic buying environment. Think back last year to the TP shortage. RV purchases just like a car/truck purchase can be more emotional than logical and if someone is on the fence, the panic that they "may not get theirs" sets in they jump and have a panty full of TP or sitting waiting with an RV contract/purchase order with no firm pricing.

[TerryJames]

Originally Posted by bevedfelker

My wife and I went to the Hershey RV show yesterday -- 92 degrees on the ramp -- brutal!

I'm not in the market for a new RV -- we really like our 2015 Thor Vegas 24.1 and it has been reasonably reliable for us. I've not paid attention to prices as a result of the pandemic, but I have read on several forums about price increases on new and used RVs.

I stopped at the General RV Thor display at Hershey and was shocked. The sign they had on a new Vegas 24.1 showed an MSRP of $139,000 and a show discount selling price of $101,000. Back in 2015 when we bought ours new from General RV in Tampa its MSRP was $94,000 and the selling price was $69,000.

That new price is about 46% higher in MSRP and selling price from ours in 2015. I know there is a 7 model year difference in time, but 46% seems pretty high to me.

Since it was so hot we did not look at many RVs but what Class A and C that I did see -- nothing was under $100,000 selling price.

Hi Ed,
Just a little thought on the price increases you mentioned.
- MSRP : $94,000 at 5.5% and 7 years = ~ $137,000
- Price “Drive off lot” : $69,000 at 5.5% and 7 years = ~ $100,000
Of course, one could play with appropriate discount rate etc. …. Looks like you got about 27% off the MSRP back then. So … maybe just a little perspective to consider.
Thank you for all your assistance in the forum.
Best Regards, James

[Chance]

Originally Posted by taylorbob1

When I was a teen in 1970, my parents ordered a Champion 20 footer (don’t remember the model).
And they flew to Indiana or Iowa (don’t recall), and picked up their brand new RV at the Champion plant.
FYI…the quality control was worse then. It was on a Dodge chassis with a very underpowered 318 cu inch engine.

It looked like this:

Hard to believe entire families camped out of a 20-foot motorhomes, but compared to a tent it probably seemed luxurious and spacious.

It is interesting that today many Class B van campers match or exceed that length, and have plenty of headroom for most adults, so only lack in width when compared to those old motorhomes.

When I mentioned possibility of a lower-cost Axis/Vegas option in a previous post, I was thinking of a modern-day version of that Champion, or Winnebago, Barth, etc. A new Class A in 20-foot range would have too much competition from larger vans, but an Axis/Vegas in 23-foot range may do really well with couples and small families looking for a bit more space than vans can provide, provided they keep cost down to same range as a Class B van camper. I think Thor would need to keep cost of an entry level 23-foot Axis to $100~$110k MSRP in order to appeal to enough buyers.

[Scubawise]

My wife family. Dad mom 4 kids camped in a small pop up and then a $1000 20 ft camper