Solitude Price questions, seedealercost.com accurate?

[JM0397]

Hi all,
We are zeroing in on a rig, definitely a Solitude and happy to see price is about the same from 310 to the 345; our 2 choices.

I see the historic standard of 25-30% off “retail” is a good rule of thumb, so that math is easy. However, these are strange times... it seems with the winter slowdown and increased production, deals are available now.

Question 1 - are the numbers from seedealerinvoice.com accurate?


We were at the dealer yesterday, the 310 has the old 90k retail slashed and “Sale price” at $75k
Sales guy says they can do better, so at least they admit it outright!

Our budget is max $65k and I thought used is gonna be necessary, but after yesterday it seems like $65k is a reachable target for a new rig.

Question 2 - Does this all sound like reasonable expectations?

Thank you!

-Colin
Still no truck, picking rig first but it will be a 3500hd

[bertschb]

You can use the Grand Design website to "Build and Price" any model. That will get you the factory MSRP. From there you can negotiate the discount with your dealer. You are wise to start with a 1 ton truck. If you choose a heavier Solitude, you may want to consider a dual rear wheel (DRW) model to take advantage of the much higher payload rating.

[JM0397]

You can use the Grand Design website to "Build and Price" any model. That will get you the factory MSRP. From there you can negotiate the discount with your dealer. You are wise to start with a 1 ton truck. If you choose a heavier Solitude, you may want to consider a dual rear wheel (DRW) model to take advantage of the much higher payload rating.

Thanks Brian!
I am trying to avoid a DRW as we are starting part time and may be able to ease into full time, work depending - so this will be my daily vehicle.
My brother pulls his Forest River 40’ MB with the new for 2020 GMC/Chevy 3500 with the 10-speed Allison transmission - SRW is rated at a massive 21,000 lbs max and hitch weight around 4500, off top of my head - so it’s a monster for a SWD - gonna look at some of those this week. I know I’ll be more stable in DRW but trying to balance how it fits in the grocery store parking lot!

[bertschb]

I totally understand the DRW vs SRW issue (see my signature). I'm not the weight police but I do try to help educate people so they make good decisions for themselves. All modern diesel trucks can TOW (pull) just about anything. The limiting factor is payload. With the exception of the Solitude 310GK, all of the Solitudes will put more than 3,500lbs on the pin. When you add the weight of the hitch, passengers and anything else in the truck (an additional 500lbs ?), this will exceed the payload rating of most all SRW trucks. Ignore the published payload numbers as those show max available payload which is for the gas engine, single cab, long bed, 2WD stripped trucks. To find the true payload rating of the trucks you are interested in, you need to look at the sticker on the driver's door. It will be significantly less than published numbers.

Having said all of this- many, many people tow heavy 5th wheels with 3/4 and 1 ton SRW trucks and ignore payload ratings. Again, I'm not trying to steer you towards a decision you won't like. Just want to educate. I personally don't care what truck people use to tow their RV's. That's their business, not mine! I'm using an SRW truck to tow my 310GK and some think I'm crazy.

[JM0397]

Oh I hear you and I’m gonna do what’s best for towing first, then grocery shopping 2nd - so I appreciate all the feedback!
I have found this resource for the GM-Chevys, helpful to see what’s what and ensure the truck came built with the max HD options. I can already see the dealers listings are not to be trusted! I believe there are sites for the other manufacturers.
https://chevroletforum.com/forum/vindecoder.php

Starting fresh, it’s easy to admit ignorance!

Thanks again for the info!

[orbsah]

Our budget is max $65k

Hopefully you’ve factored in tax, license, hitch and all the other accessories needed to get going. These can add up in a hurry.

[JM0397]

Hopefully you’ve factored in tax, license, hitch and all the other accessories needed to get going. These can add up in a hurry.

Yes, tracking that also, thank you for the reminder. That’s our base price target and then we can add on as makes sense. We’re very fortunate to have sold our house for a nice profit last year and in a rental now with funds available, but don’t want to thrown money at bad decisions just because we can!

[JM0397]

Hopefully you’ve factored in tax, license, hitch and all the other accessories needed to get going. These can add up in a hurry.

I started another thread on this, but since it’s in your signature...
Did you get the brakes and tires done by dealer at point of purchase, or did you go aftermarket?
Weighing cost/convenience against the obvious high price dealers tend to get for upgrades, vs 3rd party after market, vs do somethings myself where it makes sense...
I would not try the axels and breaks myself!!!

Thank you!

[orbsah]

Did you get the brakes and tires done by dealer at point of purchase, or did you go aftermarket?

I ordered our unit with the factory installed disc brakes. It was “roughly” the same cost as it would have been to have it done by someone else after and logistically much easier.

[JM0397]

I ordered our unit with the factory installed disc brakes. It was “roughly” the same cost as it would have been to have it done by someone else after and logistically much easier.

Good to know, thank you!

If you don’t mind sharing, what price did you get for your 310?
After discussion with the DW and info above, 310 is gonna be better start for us that the heavier and larger 345.