Re: Who manufactures the highest quality class A coach???
Generally, you should attempt to get 25% (or perhaps more, these days) off of MSRP. And make sure it really is MSRP and not some inflated value created by the dealer. If you find one you like which is 'last years' model, you should be able to do even better. In fact, in my opinion, you should treat it as used even if it has not been owned yet, since the instant you drive it off the lot it will be 1 (or more) year old and used.
Dickering with the dealer is an art form. The first step is to FIND WHAT YOU WANT. Make sure the unit will meet your needs; spend a lot of time pretending to do the things you will do in it, to ensure that it will do what you need it to. In particular, see how usable it is with any slides in. In my opinion, a RV which you cannot take a nap, use the toilet, or fix and eat a meal with the slides in, is of limited use.
Next, once you find a unit which seems like the one, check out the manufacturer and the dealer. See how they treat their customers. Some manufacturers will bend over backwards to make your unit right. Others will drag their feet over every manufacturing defect. Some dealers have a fabulous service department; some take forever and do crappy work. You must be comfortable with both the manufacturer and the dealer in order to have the best RVing experiance.
There is an independant RV rating organization. It costs to join, but their reviews are not influenced by any 'sponsors' so tend to be more trustworthy than the magazines. I don't recall what it is called, but it has been mentioned several times in these forums.
Only now are you ready to deal. One method which I find useful is to insist on dealing on 'out the door' price. This keeps any 'unexpected' fees from blindsiding you. The local dealer here insists on an $80 'document preparation fee'. Seems to work out to about $10 per typo... If he wants that fee, fine, but play math games with my offer; I'm not paying extra for it. Sales tax is always known about and usually an unpleasant surprise on the bottom line, and so on.
Next, know how much the unit is worth, in general, and to you in particular. Obviously, you want to start out well below this value so as to have room to come up. Don't go higher than this value without careful consideration.
When you make an offer, there are only 3 acceptable responses: 1) Sold!, 2) No, but how about xxxx (where xxxx is lower than their last offer) or 3) Some flavor of 'we can not go any lower'. Anything else, and I mean ANY OTHER RESPONSE, is just noise. If you don't get 1 or 2, walk out the door, because you are not in, or are no longer in, a negotiation. Sometimes they will stop you and give you one of the acceptable responses, or even call you at home with an acceptable response. If not, check back in a week or a month and see if they are better able to deal.
Of course, fair is fair; once they present you with a valid counter offer, you should respond with one of 1) Sold, 2) no, but how about xxxx where xxxx is higher than your last offer, or 3) Sorry, I don't think we will be able to reach an agreement (ie, you are already at your maximum bid). Generally, you will want to have your increases be equal or less than the dealers decreases. For instance if he makes a counteroffer $28 lower than his last offer, it would generally be unwise for you to then counter offer $2800 higher than your last offer.
During the sales process, the salesman and/or dealer will probably make you a number of assurances and promises. Write these down, and don't sign any paperwork until the dealership signs and gives you a copy of these items. If you don't have a signed copy of them, they don't legally exist. A good dealer will attempt to live up to them, but many dealers will not (in fact, one of the things you will probably have to sign is a statement that there are no agreements except those contained in the contract). Thus, before finalizing the deal on a used unit, make sure you have thoroughly inspected the unit (perhaps even had a professional check it out), and that anything that must be fixed is included in the contract. A new unit should be covered by warranty; make sure you are completely familiar with its terms.
If you have a trade in, know its value. And have financing set up before you sit down to deal. The dealer may be able to provide acceptable financing, but you need to know what is good and what is not good. And some dealers may play games by getting your signature on the deal and then 'finding out' that the financing is not available, so sorry but it will cost you much more. You always want to have your own financing to fall back on.
Watch out for the 'finance office'. Here you will be presented with various finish protection packages, extended warrantees, security options, safety options and the like. Some of these are good things and some of them are worthless. They tend to be significantly overpriced, so it is critical to investigate each option and be prepared to dicker for the ones you decide are worth having so you get them at a reasonable price.
Insurance is a whole nother story. Basically, you want a company which specializes in RV insurance. Many auto insurance agencies will insure your RV, but generally their prices will be higher and their coverage lower than a specialty insurer. For instance, you want the ability to suspend liability coverage while the unit is in storage.