Just a few weeks ago I started the process of researching purchasing a new coach. The beginning of that process is found in this post.
Since posting, I have been running numbers on both the purchase price of a new RV and the sale of my existing 2019 Dutch Star 4369. After reviewing market data, price quotes on the discounts, and product lines, I decided to upgrade to the 2022 London Aire 4551.
With the 2022 London Aire, I will not have to add the HWH Active Air that I have installed on my prior Dutch Stars, as it includes the Valid air system. In 2017 I test drove a London Air with the Valid system and found it to be very comparable in performance to the Active air. This has the added benefit of being supported by Spartan and included in the chassis warranty coverage.
2021 has turned out to be a very demanding market for new RVs. Sales are at a record high, while supply chain is suffering, and employees are hard to retain. This has caused delays in the production line, and a reduced model run.
Of the dealers I contacted, all where within $5,000.00. I was able to get a 28.6% discount off MSRP, which is comparable to a normal year. I also was able to choose between several build slots. I ended up choosing National Indoor RV centers for my order based heavily on their service model.
With my prior Dutch star orders, I have always done a factory pickup, which allowed me to utilize the factory to fix problems that I identified. This has been a tremendous value to me, and has allowed me to plan trips with confidence.
The downside of the factory experience is the slow pace of Nappanee. The towns motto is “embrace the pace”, and they truly live it. A normal business would have the repair items completed within 1/2 the time that it takes to get things done in Nappanee. Add to this the time of year, projected December of 2021, and the additional cost of $6,000.00 for a factory delivery, it is easy to see why a different experience is welcome.
My expectation of National Indoor RV is that they will exceed the quality of the factory deliver experience, in shorter time, and less cost.