I think dealers "floor plan" what is in their lot. They either pay cash for them or finance them with their local banks. Heartland probably offers them incentives from time to time to get the dealers to buy more units, it is then that dealers are willing to negotiate, "clear their lot". Some dealers will advertise a "big blow out sale" (bad terminology in the RV business) some dealers will just negotiate quietly. This is consistent in the car, airplane, and RV industry. It is a result of "floorplanning". Floorplanning is using other peoples money to hold your inventory.
In Texas, taxes must be paid on inventory, every nut, bolt, screw and rig must be counted, so ALL car and travel trailer dealers and pretty much any retailer reduces inventory to reduce their tax bill. This happens once a year, so if they have not moved their inventory this is an incentive, they just want their money out, they will replace inventory after it is counted for tax purposes. I would imagine its similar in other states. So if you order one and it comes through their dealership, they pay no taxes on it and no interest to floor plan it, then they can offer more to you.
The thing to do is develop a relationship with a local dealer, go visit several until you find one that you like. One of the ways you can tell that a particular salesman is eager, is if he meets you as soon as you arrive. IF no-one talks to you within 5 minutes. Get in your car and leave. If they don't care about talking to you,they surely won't negotiate. Negotiations begin with a "hungry" salesman. If he is not hungry then he will drag is a-- out to see you if he is hungry he will "goosestep". Dont worry, if they let you leave, you can go back next week they never knew you were there and perhaps a hungry salesperson will come out on the second trip.
Do your research first, you need to know what you want in a rig. So visit Heartlands website, and study youtube videos on RV. There are sellers all over the US selling RVs and displaying them on YouTube. I would not buy one in this manner but I did take video tours. I also got a lot of insight into the construction of a Heartland via YouTube.
Do not pit one dealer against another, but instead negotiate with many. Put a target price on a piece of paper and keep it in the palm of your hand, NEVER show it to anyone. Refer to it when talking to them so that they know you have a target they must achieve. Reject attempts to upsell you. Be patient, if the deal you want is reasonable you will achieve it. They want you to tell them your target price. Once they get your target price then they know what you will pay. What will you do if you show your target price, and they agree to the deal? Keep them guessing. Perhaps they will overshoot your target and you will get a better deal than you expected. If you stick to your target, one thing is for sure you won't pay more than your target if you keep it secret.
Its a new world in selling products today. The internet has changed everything and the bold are getting the deals. The internet facilitates buyers and sellers and the RV industry is no different. High volume Heartland dealers are playing the game. They take advantage of everything they can to move rigs. If they can order one for you and pass it straight from Heartland to you without ever putting it in inventory they will do it. The benefit to you is you get better customization and price when you have one built for you. I prefer to order and wait.
But develope a few relationships with internet sellers, if you don't find one that suits you then find another. Get them calling you, not the otherway around. Contact them, get a quote on exactly what you want. don't call him back, he will call you. If he does not then call and ask a question about the quote, get him interested in you again. Always let the salesperson add extended warranties and all the little goodies that you can reject later on. This way it sweetens the pot for him and keeps him interested.
Mid summer is a good time to order a fiver because the season is over everyone who wanted one has one. LOL. They are selling off what is on their lots, and Heartland is building the 2015. The incentives to the dealer are being offered now. If you order now in August you will get it around November, A high volume dealer will be happy to put your rig in the sold column for the 2015 this quarter.
BTW a nasty technique is to get a quote with everything on it, then you start deleting options you don't want, and ask for a revised quotes. I dont know if it is completely true but I think I negotiated a smoking deal on mine. I know the local dealer tried like heck to get to my target price, he let me walk away. Since then I have seen pre owned rigs like mine for sale for way more money than I paid new.
On the lot or ordering. If you have particular features that you do not want, a dealer must get you to buy something he knows you don't want. This is difficult for him, keep it that way. Always reject the notion that something you don't want is a benefit to you (even if it is). If the salesperson gets your wife he has you. Your wife needs to be mildly objecting to whatever is being sold. She needs to "put on" that she likes another one she saw at another dealer attitude. She needs to turn her nose up at anything. I call it the "I like the blue one down the street" technique. IF a car dealer is trying to sell you a white car, your wife needs to resist by saying she likes the blue one down the street. If its a Ford she needs to like the Chevy. Dont ever let the salesperson sell your wife. Let him know you have looked at the crummiest brand on the market, and that you like it. This puts him in the position of convincing you that his product is better. You know it is, but don't let him know that you know. Keep the sales person guessing, do not let him know that you know his product is superior.
Do not fall for the "we won't service it if you don't buy it here" BS. If you are told this, you should retort "what does the service manager have to say about that". The service department makes money on warranty repairs. They don't give a hoot in hades about the sales department. If its a warranty issue you are a service customer bird nest on the ground, no quoting, no nothing, they fix it and Heartland pays. The service department is not waiting around to service only rigs that were bought at that dealership. This is a myth. IF you are ever asked by the service department if you bought it there, you can just say you're passing through, or you bought it used. Don't ever answer that question at a service department, you may be put in the back of the line in favor of their customers, but the work will never be rejected based on where you bought the rig. I was told by the sales manager that the service department would not work on my rig if I bought it somewhere else. He apologized as I walked out the door. LOL.
So the answer is the end of the summer is a good time to order. IMHO. Ordering is the best method, and travelling to pick up your rig is more fun.
Good luck
If you are looking to maximize you r purchasing power, it depends on how much effort your willing to put onto the process. I started my new unit purchase (first I knew which model I wanted - it only took me two years to do!) by looking for a dealer invoice on the model I wanted on the net. Comparing that to the Hartland web site for different options gave me a feel for what I was looking at before I taked to a dealer. I compared that information to a unit at a local dealer and liked the unit very much. Unfortunately the dealer wanted close to full price for the unit (and wasn't budging very much). After that, I found 50 models of the unit I wanted with very similar options on the net when I looked. After contacting a few dealers, we ended up buying off the net.
