Our RV Buying Adventure

Our RV Buying Adventure

Five and a half months of diligent, painstaking recreational vehicle research.  Countless visits to dealership lots, a hundred hours on manufacturers’ web sites, spreadsheets with complicated and arcane scoring methodologies, printed literature and magazines, hours of YouTube videos, blogs and reviews, emails with factory and dealership representatives, and even research into the ownership structures of various RV manufacturers.  Armed with all that information we made a decision... to buy nothing.

I lay the decision to not purchase anything largely at the feet of the manufacturers, and to a lesser, but not inconsequential extent, the dealers.

Don’t misconstrue the intent of this article.  The Recreational Vehicle industry is growing and is poised for even more astounding growth, and I truly wish the manufacturers and dealers of these products nothing but the best.  But manufacturers should take heed my experiences, suggestions, and insight, and not squander this opportunity to vastly improve the RV shopping experience.  That may sound pretentious, but trust me, I’m qualified to make these observations and recommendations.

Our plan was to pursue a life change from house-bound suburban dwellers to “full time” traveling and camping.  I have some experience, albeit many years ago, having owned a small motorhome first, and later a travel trailer.  We have a well-reasoned budget that would allow us to pay cash and begin our journey debt-free.  In our analysis, we could either purchase (A) a new midrange fifth wheel and a new tow vehicle, or (B) a new Class A gas motorhome and a new small “dinghy” vehicle.  Either choice represented almost exactly the same number of dollars.  So this initial A/B choice was paramount.

Without boring the reader, it came down to a personal lifestyle choice for us, and after a careful analysis and a little soul-searching, it was clear that a Class A gas motorhome with a tow-behind vehicle would better suit our personal preferences.  The shopping experiences we had, however, apply to either motorized or towed RVs.  Having made this first critical decision, we began our search for the “perfect” (for us) motorhome.  And it is here in this story that overly-sensitive manufacturers and dealers may want to tune out. But if you can stand a little constructive criticism, please read on...

Some well documented data indicates that 86% of car buyers begin their search/research on the internet and an astounding 81% of home buyers do the same.  Since a motorhome, or for that matter, a fifth wheel or camper broadly overlap those two categories (vehicle and house), it might be safely assumed that something north of 80% of potential RV buyers head to their computer to start their search.  And universally, across the board, with zero exceptions, RV manufacturers have the least informative, most frustrating, misleading (hopefully that’s unintentional) , and largely useless web sites of any product in this, or most any, price range. Oh, to be sure, there are some very pretty web sites.  There are some very “trick” bits of functionality, too, but I would gladly trade “beauty,” and perhaps even a bit of functionality, for some solid well-organized information.  Some observations and suggestions:

1. Get rid of the camera with the wide angle lens and show pictures that are correct in perspective.  Give the viewer a real sense of the size of things.  Whether you realize it or not, after viewing pictures on a web site, then seeing a unit “live” there are two ways a person can react... (A) with glee that things look “as good” or “better” in real life than in the photos, or (B) with disappointment that everything looks so much “smaller” and “crowded” in real life than in the photos.  Setting up people for disappointment when first walking into an RV is a disservice to customers, dealers, and ultimately, yourself.

2. 3D walk-around image software seems all the rage now, but is largely useless.  Many manufacturers have such a system on their web site, the money is spent, so I’m not advocating doing away with it, but trust me, this is a mostly useless bit of technology.  Multiple professionally executed still photographs (see above) will serve the customer well.

3. Floor plan drawings are critical, but the universal tiny thumbnail-size drawings are almost as useless as 3D images.  Provide a full-page image link to your floor plans.  If you want to “leapfrog” the competition, add a second floor plan with dimensions clearly indicated.  When considering a bunkhouse model and contemplating turning the bunk area into a mini-office, it took countless emails and phone calls to get a simple data point - how wide is the space between the side walls of the bunk area?  It just shouldn’t be this difficult.  Want another “leapfrog” idea?  Provide a “basement” floor plan that shows the location of wet bay, generator, batteries, storage, etc.

4. Static interior photographs of functional areas of a trailer or motorhome are yet another “leapfrog” opportunity... if done correctly.  For example, imagine a photograph of the dinette set-up.  Little question marks inside circles over areas of interest could allow customers to click and get pop-up details.  For example, a question mark over the seat cushion might pop up information like width, depth, thickness, springs or not, does it lift to reveal storage or not, what is the fabric, color options, etc.  In other words, selling opportunities and definitive information.  On the dinette table itself, a pop-up might reveal a link to a video of how the dinette is dropped into sleeping position, etc.  These pop-up information boxes would be a wonderful place to address options, competitive advantages, and little-known features as well.  Opportunities galore.  Another opportunity would be to add dimensions to photos... for example, a customer might want to know if their favorite folding lounge chair will fit in one of the basement bay doors... but not one single manufacturer provides the opening dimensions of these storage compartments.

5. Speaking of options, floor plans sometimes show line drawings of options... a couch instead of theater seats, for example... but try to get a photograph or detailed information about those options... it is nigh impossible.  One floor plan we rather liked offered a “dinette/desk” option, but apparently no photograph even exists of such an option... or if it does, the manufacturer decided keeping it a big secret was a successful selling tactic. Hmmm.

6. Web sites are expensive to create and maintain, but additional pages within a given site are virtually cost-free.  Each prospective buyer has personal “triggers” and you (respectfully) have no idea what those “triggers” are.  So I would suggest that more information is better than less.  For example, if you list “solar” as “prepped” or “optional” or even “included,” include a link to a page that thoroughly describes what this entails.  Solar prep can apparently range from a wire in the side of the unit that runs to the battery, or can be a full-blown roof-top prep with solar controller, battery monitors, etc.  Which is it?  And what outlets are powered when in battery/solar mode?  What are the expansion capabilities?  Kudos, by the way, to Keystone’s recent addition of “Super Solar Plus” to its Montana line, and the very thorough explanation on their web site... a “leapfrog” moment for them.  Other areas that could benefit by supplemental web site pages to further explain features might include macerator toilets, WiFi systems, convection microwaves, built-in surge protection, etc.  I list these because it seems that the manufacturers of these “sub-systems” might be enlisted to provide the content for the supplemental information web pages and be entrusted to keep those pages up-to-date.

7. The so-called “build and price” functionality isn’t.  It is abysmal... universally.  Six years ago I purchased a $25,000 tractor, and the “build and price” functionality on the manufacturer’s web site was light years ahead of anyone’s in the RV industry... and considering that a modest gas-powered Class A motorhome costs roughly six times as much as my little tractor, that is a travesty. Forcing a potential customer go through an even highly truncated “build and price” exercise only to receive a final screen that says, “fill in this information and a dealer will contact you,” is frustrating beyond belief. I understand the desire to get a lead and build a mailing list, but good customer service will do that for you.  Show the doggone MSRP!  Everyone who has done more than a minute of RV research on line knows that the MSRP is a largely mythical number, but it is a useful reference point when comparing models/features/floor plans, etc.  Perhaps most of all, make sure all the options are listed and make sure those options match the list of options on the “build sheet” at the dealership.  Lastly, going back to number 6 above, include links or pop-ups for options in the build and price function that give more information.

8. Specifications on RV manufacturer’s web sites range from extensive to minimal.  Extensive is better.  One example is interior ceiling height.  This is a data point likely very important to people of a certain height, and is a notoriously difficult dimension to get.  Also, manufacturers, please get together at the next national RV show and get everyone to agree on “pounds” or “gallons” for LP capacity.  Customers will appreciate the consistency.  Include anything and everything that a customer might ask about in your specs, i.e. tire sizes, water heater capacity (gas or electric or either or both), cargo carrying capacity and what that includes or doesn’t include, size/type of chassis, etc.  Here’s a hint that a high-priced consultant might give, and it’s free... assign someone in your customer service department to document all questions posed by customers or dealers on behalf of customers, and include the information in future iterations of your web site specifications.

There is much more, but these few suggestions will set apart the manufacturers who heed them.  Customers always... and I stress, always... appreciate more information and reward those who provide it.

My well-intentioned critiques would be remiss if I left out the dealer component.  Dealerships vary widely in size, service capabilities, and even showroom or lot presentation, but there is uniformity in one key area... your salespeople are mostly incompetent.  During our five-month long adventure in trying to buy an RV, I began to record the number of questions salespeople could not answer, or worse, answered incorrectly.  It was laughable.  And sad.  And potentially disastrous for the dealership.  Education is costly, but it is an investment.  If you are not willing to make that investment, then shame on you.

I intimately understand the dealership business due to previous unrelated, but similar, business experience.  I know you have to order a certain amount of “floor” stock, and that you must select certain options that you feel will best represent the clientele in your area.  But are you really listening to your customers?  On a lot full of motorhomes, all with residential refrigerators installed, I asked a salesperson why they never order in units with LP/Electric refrigerator options and he amazingly replied, “I don’t know.  I get a lot of requests for that, but they always come in with residential refrigerators.”  Dealers, are you listening to your customers?  And are you listening to your salespeople?

One of the very best strategies a dealership could use is the “after action report.”  Just like the military uses “after action reports” to analyze and perfect their future battle plans, an “after action report” can guide a dealership in ordering options, educating salespeople, and building customer rapport.  For example, after several salespeople provide “after action reports” indicating that a sizable percentage of their potential customers don’t like dark upholstery on the sofas and dinettes, should you reconsider how many units you order for lot stock with those dark colors?  After a dozen or more customers ask if an “RV-style” refrigerator is available, are you learning something?  And what about solar?  If customers are repeatedly asking about solar, perhaps it is time to either order some units in that are legitimately prepped with solar, or alert your manufacturer to these requests. Salespeople are the direct link to potential customers, and their feedback should be heeded... there simply can be no better consumer research.

And please, dealerships, pay close attention to selling basics.  Salespeople should never, never, never, mislead (intentionally or unintentionally) or “make stuff up,” or obfuscate, or opine.  While shopping for fifth wheel RVs, I asked the salesperson if side-view cameras were available for the model we were considering, and he told me a long story about how his camper had them and he never used them and was going to have them removed.  So, the answer, I suppose, was that side-view cameras were not available on this model, but the better answer would have been, “No, they are not available from the manufacturer, but they could be added here at the dealership.”  

And last, and this is probably the single most important thing... don’t lose a customer.  Now that seems obvious, but dig into this a little deeper... don’t lose an RV customer on behalf of the entire industry.  If you know from good consultative selling efforts that you simply don’t have the “perfect” RV for a customer, don’t send them away to never buy anything, like me, but instead help them find a dealership where they can see a unit that might actually fit their needs.  Yes, I know it hurts to lose a sale to a competitor, but any sale made in the RV industry ultimately helps you... even if the sale was made through a competing dealership.  That might be a bit esoteric and strategic for you to understand, but think about it. That customer you help find the “perfect” (for them) RV will remember your help, and might just reward you with future business.  And that sale, even though it wasn’t at your dealership, is another sale that adds to the overall RV industry volume.  The rewards for helpfulness are many.  The rewards for competitive bitterness or jealousy are few.

Now, a word to all the YouTube reviewers... some of you work for dealerships and some are “fellow travelers.”  I’ll speak to all of you.  I don’t know how to say this without being offensive, but get a darned tripod!  The jerky handheld camera “technique” worked once... and once only... in “The Blair Witch Project.”  That was an interesting movie where the dizzying vertigo-inducing camera movements contributed to the story.  It doesn’t work when you are attempting to demonstrate features, advantages, and benefits of a motorhome or trailer.  It’s annoying.  It’s distracting.  It’s amateurish.  Stop it.

And if you are sincerely interested in providing information about a motorhome or trailer, do a little research ahead of time.  Don’t try to “wing it.”  If you can’t take the time to write a script, at least create an outline and stick to it.  Get the facts right, and don’t guess.  Please don’t try to figure it out as you go along.

There are a few notable exceptions to the generally poor quality of YouTube reviews.  Matt (I’m sorry I don’t know his last name) of Matt’s RV Reviews is one.  He is an entertaining and likable young man who tries very hard to give an honest and complete review.  Unfortunately, as an employee of a dealership, he is somewhat limited in the number of different competing units he can review.  But, even given that constraint, he typically provides more information than the manufacturers’ web sites, and I thank him for that.

In one prescient video Matt said, and I’ll paraphrase, “there is no such thing as a perfect motorhome... there are trade offs.”  Never were truer words spoken.  But the question has to be asked, “why?”  Why can’t a buyer find a motorhome or fifth wheel with all the features that are most important to them?  Of course the answer is “manufacturing efficiency.”  Henry Ford famously said of the Model T, and again, I will paraphrase, “You can have any color you want as long as it is black.”  Well, we all know how that turned out.  Customers will always buy what they want, or not buy at all.  I would encourage RV manufacturers to re-think the short term end-of-quarter mentality that has ruined so many companies, and think instead of how they can accommodate the widest array of potential customers through options and upgrades.  We live in a world where “mass customization” is not just a hypothetical futuristic manufacturing theory, but where companies are accomplishing this feat using technology, advanced manufacturing techniques, and innovative engineering.

All potential RV buyers likely have a pretty well-defined set of “must-haves,” “like-to-haves,” “might-be-nice-to-haves,” and “who-cares-about-that?” amenities.  The companies that learn to adapt to those individual desires will win... and win big.  Don’t shoehorn buyers into making the very negative decision “what features am I willing to give up in order to get these other features?”  Don’t force us to pick any color, as long as it is black.

This is all very respectfully submitted.  I wanted to buy a motorhome, but was unable to find what I believe to be a reasonable set of features without unreasonable trade-offs.  Have I given up finding that “perfect for me” motorhome?  No, but I can clearly wait a bit, and see if any manufacturers start to listen to their potential customers and respond accordingly.  It is my sincerest hope that other potential buyers find a different experience or are happy with “settling” for a dearth of information and a compromised wish list of amenities.  I couldn’t.  I wouldn’t.  But, best of luck, everyone... customers, dealers, and manufacturers... I want you to be successful.