Honestly, this isn’t something I would have ever thought of. I’m so thankful that my husband did. He is an amazing researcher and doesn’t usually jump in to anything lightly. This was so true of buying our travel trailer. We ordered our RPod 192 just over a year ago, but he had been researching for months. What follows are the things that he considered the most when looking for a dealer.
Price
It took us awhile to decide on a couple‘s trailer. It took a little longer to decide on the RPod 192. Our next step was to find the best deal. First, we looked locally. The closest RPod dealer we could find was Moix RV in Conway, Arkansas. When we visited there the people were very friendly and not pushy at all. This is very important to me. They also have a large inventory of travel trailers, fifth wheels, and motorized RVs. But when it came down to it, their price was higher than what we could find somewhere else. So we went somewhere else!
Next we looked at Couch’s RV Nation in Trenton, Ohio. We have heard good things about Couch’s, and they definitely had the lowest prices on RPods. They also have a large variety of RVs to meet the needs of just about anyone. According to Google Maps it’s about an eight hour drive from where we live. The price was so good, we really considered ordering from them.
But then we looked at AOK RVs in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. While their price wasn’t as good as Couch’s, it was still pretty good. And it was more like a four hour drive, which is nice when you consider needing service. In addition, Colin, the sales rep my husband worked with, was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. We kind of split the difference in location and price and ordered our RPod from AOK. It was a great choice!
Service
Every RV is going to need service at some time or another. Finding a dealership with an excellent service department is extremely important. We have heard horror stories from other RV owners about trying to get service and parts for their rigs. We have been so pleased with AOK in this regard. We took our RPod in for some warranty work on late October. We just had a couple of small things that needed to be looked at, but they checked it out from top to bottom, to make sure it was good to go. It didn’t take long, and we ate an amazing breakfast and looked at bigger travel trailers while we waited.
Relationships
I know that sounds weird. Why do relationships matter when you are looking for a good RV dealership? All I can say is that there were some places that just didn’t feel right. At one large dealership, we saw a large conference room that reminded me of past timeshare presentations we attended. We got out of there pretty fast! An RV is a significant purchase. I think it’s important to be able to trust your salesperson and know they are being honest.
We certainly felt this way about Colin at AOK. When we told him we were hoping to get a bigger travel trailer, he gave us some great advice on selling the RPod and what we should consider. He will be quick to tell you he doesn’t get commission. This totally surprised me!
So there you have it! I would love to hear other’s perspectives in how they chose their RV. I’m already shopping for our next rig, even though it may be awhile. Unless Santa wants to bring us one for Christmas!!
