Pricing strategies on a Hymer Touring GT - Fiberglass RV
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Old 03-13-2019, 07:29 PM   #1
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Pricing strategies on a Hymer Touring GT

OK I’m new at the trailer buying game and I need some advice on ‘dealings’ on fiberglass trailers with RV dealers. I was considering a Hymer Touring GT fiberglass trailer, but the $34,000 price seemed a bit extreme for what you get in a trailer.
Move forward a few months, and Hymer North America, the maker of the new to market Hymer Touring GT has collapsed and gone out of production leaving ‘orphan’ Touring GTs out there at RV dealerships. A dealer in the Willamette Valley in Oregon has 3 of them sitting on their lot. They have cut the price on their Hymers from $34,000 to $29,000, but that still seems a lot for a new fiberglass trailer that no longer has a trailer warranty!
Is there a ‘bargain’ here ($15,000-$20,000 offer on the orphan trailer) or best to stay away from a new model trailer that will not have a parts or factory support? Remember I’m a newbie—I’m checking with you experts on this! Thanks in advance!
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Old 03-13-2019, 07:35 PM   #2
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Stove, furnace, fridge etc. will be covered by each appliance manufacturer's warranty. I don't know what was covered by Hymer that could go wrong ( cupboard hinges? ).
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Old 03-13-2019, 07:50 PM   #3
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Karmantra, I have been watching these too. I think you'd get laughed off the lot if you offered 50%-66% of the already reduced asking price of these trailers at this point. Here is one at the "fire sale" price of $24,000 (plus dealer fees): https://www.alpinhausrv.com/--xInven...inventory-link.

A warranty runs out in what, a year? Two years tops? If you were buying a 2 year old used molded FG trailer, would you expect to pay 50% of the original purchase price?
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Old 03-13-2019, 07:58 PM   #4
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Have you spent any time inside the Hymer? I checked one out at the Tampa RV show in January, we thought it was really cramped inside.

I would not base my decision on a warranty or lack of. I would expect a discount as Hymer never really got a following on these trailers before they went out of business. The one for sale above for $24,000 gives you a starting point. Personally I'd work down from there. The worst they can do is turn down your offer.


if you are new to this, I would recommend you attend a FG rally first. You may just fall in love with another brand. We made the mistake of going to a rally AFTER we bought our trailer. Sure enough, we found what we should have bought. At that point, ours went for sale and the search began for what suited us better.

Good news/bad news on molded FG trailers, there's lots of variety out there, and most brands have little in common with their competitors. Chances are, one brand will suit you best. If it is Hymer, go for it. Myself, I would start my offers at $20,000, all cash. You can always leave them an offer and walk away. Since they have three in hand, that every day are getting older, they may eventually get very flexible. The fact is the one above is $24K. If they tell me its a long drive, I'd tell them I was planning to make a trip out of it and visit friends back east or whatever.
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Old 03-13-2019, 08:30 PM   #5
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Have you spent any time inside the Hymer? I checked one out at the Tampa RV show in January, we thought it was really cramped inside.

I would not base my decision on a warranty or lack of. I would expect a discount as Hymer never really got a following on these trailers before they went out of business. The one for sale above for $24,000 gives you a starting point. Personally I'd work down from there. The worst they can do is turn down your offer.


if you are new to this, I would recommend you attend a FG rally first. You may just fall in love with another brand. We made the mistake of going to a rally AFTER we bought our trailer. Sure enough, we found what we should have bought. At that point, ours went for sale and the search began for what suited us better.

Good news/bad news on molded FG trailers, there's lots of variety out there, and most brands have little in common with their competitors. Chances are, one brand will suit you best. If it is Hymer, go for it. Myself, I would start my offers at $20,000, all cash. You can always leave them an offer and walk away. Since they have three in hand, that every day are getting older, they may eventually get very flexible. The fact is the one above is $24K. If they tell me its a long drive, I'd tell them I was planning to make a trip out of it and visit friends back east or whatever.
I will be heading to the valley to view and walk through the Hymer this weekend, but won’t be making any offers at this time—will decide if it is a trailer that might fit our needs. The other trailer I am considering is the Escape 19– there are two in central Oregon to view but my wife and I have not had a chance to view one yet because of the ‘snowmaggedom’ we have endured over the last two weeks! Any dealings on a Hymer will be a take it or leave it cash offer. If both trailers seem acceptable, it will boil down to the best value. $15,000 to $20,000 for a Hymer or $32,000 to $35,000 US for a option loaded Escape 19? Your thoughts? Thanks in advance for your comments!
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Old 03-13-2019, 08:58 PM   #6
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I owned two of the older Hymer Eribas - a Puck and a Triton and they were great trailers - I just sold my thirty year old Eriba Triton a few months ago and it was still in very nice condition. I was looking for something with a bathroom (wife's requirement) and was seriously considering the new Hymer Touring GT - until I saw one in person.


My wife thought it was too cramped feeling as well and I didn't like the obvious shortcuts I saw compared to the European models - even though Hymer was selling the new fiberglass trailer for more than the ones they were still building in Europe with much better finishes and details. So I wound up with a 17' Escape that is a much better trailer than Hymer Touring in my opinion. Its a shame because I really like the elevating roof on the Hymer trailers - its a great feature and my 30 year old version never leaked a drop of water in any weather.


I certainly wouldn't spend over $18k on an orphan trailer with the shortcuts they took to build it down to a price. The older Hymer Eribas were like "German Airstreams" before the Thor takeover.
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Old 03-13-2019, 10:09 PM   #7
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I'd also view other size Escapes, if you can. When we were trying to decide what to get, we viewed the 19, 21 (both with the u-shape and regular dinette) and 5.0. It was great seeing the differences in each one. You can contact Escape for names of folks near you willing to show you their trailers. Or maybe someone on this forum will chime in.


I'll be along the OR Coast for all of April if you're in that neck of the woods, you're more than welcome to view mine (a 21). If you're interested, PM me and I can tell you where I'll be and when. Please note that I won't have internet connections (heck, not even cell coverage) at many of the places I'm at, so I might not respond right away.
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Old 03-13-2019, 11:04 PM   #8
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I was looking for something with a bathroom (wife's requirement) and was seriously considering the new Hymer Touring GT - until I saw one in person.
Jack,

It's sad to hear that the North American Hymers didn't adhere to the quality you had with your older one. I have always liked the fiberglass and fabric pop-tops ever since I had one on a '65 VW breadbox.

I occasionally glance out at our Escape 21 and consider how to cut it down and install a pop-top so that it won't tow like an open parachute, then reason and sense once again sadly prevail...

...or maybe I'll try adding an aerodynamic tail that will garage the folding bikes instead. I'm always dreaming about one thing or another...
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Old 03-13-2019, 11:15 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Karmantra View Post
A dealer in the Willamette Valley in Oregon has 3 of them sitting on their lot. They have cut the price on their Hymers from $34,000 to $29,000, but that still seems a lot for a new fiberglass trailer that no longer has a trailer warranty!
John,

I can't speak to the trailer. As noted above, I am enthusiastic about the pop-top as a concept, but I can't speak to the execution as produced in this model. Some of this could depend on your skill set and ability to sustain and maintain a prospective "orphan".

Or, though perhaps unlikely, someone may potentially resuscitate the builder and the trailer won't be an orphan.

I do suggest giving Roger Dawson a through read if you are interested in negotiation.
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Old 03-14-2019, 03:51 AM   #10
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One question that would concern me in a situation like this would be "who has the title"? The dealer obviously has the trailer, but if the dealer has not paid for the trailer yet and someone else, bank, finance co. or builder is holding the title, it could be a difficult situation.
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Old 03-14-2019, 06:30 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by Karmantra View Post
I will be heading to the valley to view and walk through the Hymer this weekend, but won’t be making any offers at this time—will decide if it is a trailer that might fit our needs. The other trailer I am considering is the Escape 19– there are two in central Oregon to view but my wife and I have not had a chance to view one yet because of the ‘snowmaggedom’ we have endured over the last two weeks! Any dealings on a Hymer will be a take it or leave it cash offer. If both trailers seem acceptable, it will boil down to the best value. $15,000 to $20,000 for a Hymer or $32,000 to $35,000 US for a option loaded Escape 19? Your thoughts? Thanks in advance for your comments!
You mentioned the importance of options. When we bought our Escape 19 used, we paid pretty close to the price of a new one. What we did get were a lot of options: thermopane windows, front box, AC, awning, on and on. Total, there were about $6,000 in options on the trailer. And we avoided the wait too, and it was close to home. I assume your Escape pricing above is for a brand new one. Finding a used one is difficult for sure!

The reason we picked a 19 over a 21 was simple, 19 was the biggest unit that could fit in our parking area on our lot. Any larger and it would have been stored off site, with a monthly fee, and a lot less convenient. If I had the room, a 21 would have been nice, and my favorite Escape right now is the 5.0TA or whatever they are calling their fifth wheel.

A comparison between the Hymer and the Escape 19 is not "fair". Once you step into an Escape, you will know the difference room wise. A fairer comparison would be a Scamp 16.
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Old 03-14-2019, 08:45 PM   #12
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One question that would concern me in a situation like this would be "who has the title"? The dealer obviously has the trailer, but if the dealer has not paid for the trailer yet and someone else, bank, finance co. or builder is holding the title, it could be a difficult situation.
Good point on title—who owns the title? The dealership or the company in bankruptcy? You would certainly hate to pay the bucks to the RV dealer and later find out that they didn’t own it free and clear from Hymer NA and it all ends up in court.
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Old 03-15-2019, 06:42 AM   #13
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The title is not issued until the trailer is registered in a state, you will get a Certificate of Origin from the dealer and that is turned into your state for the title. If the dealer financed the inventory, the dealer's finance company will also be shown and will need a release. So technically, if the dealer has it, the ownership has transferred to them, subject to payoff of any floor plan loan. So the dealership has possession, they own it, and once sold a title will be issued to you by your state.
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Old 03-15-2019, 09:04 AM   #14
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Karmantra, I have been watching these too. I think you'd get laughed off the lot if you offered 50%-66% of the already reduced asking price of these trailers at this point. Here is one at the "fire sale" price of $24,000 (plus dealer fees): https://www.alpinhausrv.com/--xInven...inventory-link.

A warranty runs out in what, a year? Two years tops? If you were buying a 2 year old used molded FG trailer, would you expect to pay 50% of the original purchase price?
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Old 03-15-2019, 09:09 AM   #15
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The title is not issued until the trailer is registered in a state, you will get a Certificate of Origin from the dealer and that is turned into your state for the title. If the dealer financed the inventory, the dealer's finance company will also be shown and will need a release. So technically, if the dealer has it, the ownership has transferred to them, subject to payoff of any floor plan loan. So the dealership has possession, they own it, and once sold a title will be issued to you by your state.
cpaharley: Thanks for the clarification—when I visit the RV dealer I will ask these specific questions and see what their response is in this situation.
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Old 03-15-2019, 09:22 AM   #16
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This is a peanuts to prime rib comparison. You can get an extended/rider warranty on anything, but you'll pay a premium or jump through hoops, and coverage may differ. Manufacturer warranty is not a dealer warranty and is built into the MSRP of the trailer, and doesn't account for 50% of the asking price. To use "no warranty" to ask for half off is like telling someone you'll buy their 1 year old Escape for half of what they paid because the warranty has run out. Not going to happen.

For this dealer, who knows? You're probably not going to get any more discount by saying "there's no manufacturer warranty" because the dealership offers their own. But you could take that price to another dealer and ask what they can knock off for not having a warranty. Probably they'd offer their own discounted extended warranty instead of taking any more off their asking price, knowing you're likely to mess up a claim or miss a required inspection.
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Old 03-15-2019, 09:31 AM   #17
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VW poptop brings back memories!

Civilguy: I also have a fondness for pop tops—In the early seventies I had a 65 VW Camper double side door van with the center pop top decked out with the full wood interior, icebox, bed—even included the outside tent! Lived in it for five months while going to college (‘rented’ a driveway parking spot). Wished I never sold it! Maybe this has nothing to to with fiberglass RVs except that the pop top ‘top’ was made of fiberglass!
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Old 03-15-2019, 11:26 AM   #18
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The discount is more about an orphan product from a bankrupt company, with limited production (lacks track record). There are many orphan brand trailers, my 1977 Trillium is an example. But they built trailers for many years and had a good track record. This is what differentiates a used Snoozy vs the Hymer. Snoozys were produced for 8 or 9 years, had a favorable quality reputation and a desirable design.

IMO first comes an inspection of a Hymer versus other trailers you are considering. A discount on a trailer that you won’t like is false savings. But if you love it then a discount could be sweet. As long as multiple dealers are stuck with Hymers, the advantage goes to the buyer. Not every dealer has to respond. Just one of them is enough.
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Old 03-17-2019, 10:13 PM   #19
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Saw the Hymer today—no thanks!

Saw the Hymer Touring GT trailer today and was not impressed for the price ($29,000). They had sold one on Saturday according to the salesman “around” their sales price (whatever that means) and had two left.
I was underwhelmed with what my wife and I saw—bowed bathroom door, outside door misaligned on both units, rather sloppy caulking around the perimeter. Small refer, cramped feeling, lateral sway when walking inside did not install confidence in this rig.
My original plan was to make an offer of around $20,000 on one of these orphan trailers, but even that seemed too high an offer for the Hymer. They will probably sell the other two eventually, but it’s no bargain to me!
There are two Escape 19s in Central Oregon we plan to see in April on a referral by Tammy at Escape. Although we have never seen one, we like the layout. We did see an Escape 17 zipping south as we were heading north on I-5, only two seconds of viewing but I liked what I saw! Thanks Forum members for your suggestions and comments!
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Old 03-18-2019, 10:41 PM   #20
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Saw the Hymer Touring GT trailer today and was not impressed
That's sad to hear as the design concept is nice and the European models seem to have much better execution.

Maybe try hanging a tow bar on one of those old Westphalia's with a pop top and haul that around as a trailer - ? Though, the vintage ones are getting crazy-expensive anymore.

Ah, here's the answer! And, it's even fiberglass to boot!

https://dub-box-usa.com/
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