RV Sales Decline

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sightseers said:
It's possible everyone was/is waiting to see if the economy is going to decline.

Is there anyone that really trusts things enough to go out and sign a loan for a new $200k toy ?  ???

Just my two cents but I don't think it is an economy thing.  Jobs are good and the stock market is up.  People have a very poor track record of anticipating catastrophic events or planning very well.  When things are good most think they will be good forever and when they are bad most think they will be bad forever.  Human nature.

I am just guessing that as others have said market saturation is at work.  In the same way fads come in and out, everyone wanted to RV and now maybe there is some pull back from that. 

While I like to see people enjoying RVing, I sure would like to see a $15 campground that I can call on my way!!!!!!  Now that would feel like freedom! ;D. Booking months in advance doesn't give you the feel of the open road and freedom I was looking for.
 
Sure hoping there is not a decline, looks like I may be selling mine soon. Hurts more since I have 20 miles on new tires and batteries. hard to get anything out of an older one
 
KandT said:
And worst roads.  Seems those two things shouldn't go together. :(
Yes I agree,  but they do....look at California...2nd highest gas tax and possibly worse roads than Penn.

And the Lottery was supposed to fix our public schools ...that didn't happen either.
 
I don't know.... but based on these Home Ownership stats. 

I think the old days of getting a 2nd and going out to buy a new RV are kinda over.  :-\



 

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catblaster said:
Sure hoping there is not a decline, looks like I may be selling mine soon. Hurts more since I have 20 miles on new tires and batteries. hard to get anything out of an older one

Well keep in mind 2017 was a record setting year so there will be some pull back from that although -4% and then -25% growth is pretty extreme.  I doubt you will have any trouble selling your RV with new tires and if it is in good condition.  People are still buying RV's and RVing.  I am just suggesting that maybe the peak was hit in 2017 and we are leveling off to a more sustainable rate.
 
Are there any good figures out there on the number of used units selling, or on the market?  I get the feeling that lots of folks may have bit on the sales pitch of sitting by the side of a lake, making s?mores all by yourselves, only to find crowded ?campgrounds? that are more akin to trailer parks, if you can even get into a park without reservations made months in advance. Then there?s the added expense of payments, insurance, fuel, etc, that just come with the program, but are somehow never mentioned in the sales brochures, so they get disillusioned and decide to sell. Seems to me that lots of low mileage or little used late model rv?s on the market would put a dent in sales of new units.
 
Patnsuzanne said:
Are there any good figures out there on the number of used units selling, or on the market?  I get the feeling that lots of folks may have bit on the sales pitch of sitting by the side of a lake, making s?mores all by yourselves, only to find crowded ?campgrounds? that are more akin to trailer parks, if you can even get into a park without reservations made months in advance. Then there?s the added expense of payments, insurance, fuel, etc, that just come with the program, but are somehow never mentioned in the sales brochures, so they get disillusioned and decide to sell. Seems to me that lots of low mileage or little used late model rv?s on the market would put a dent in sales of new units.

I don't know about used sales but I agree with you 100%.  The sales brochures don't show your neighbor 15 feet away or explain the "poop pyramid" if you don't know what you are pooing oops doing. ;D. They never show just you and like 45 campers around you who have a smoldering fire going for 4-5 hours when you want to have the windows open for the crickets.

Personally, I can't imagine taking out a loan on a quickly depreciating new unit and then buying insurance, fuel, camp ground fees, and maintenance.  Not to mention, when you have an RV you like to go places.  When you are there you want to do something.  That "something" can add up to a heck of a lot of money quickly. 

All that being said I love RVing and while I wish everyone the enjoyment of it, I would enjoy it a little more with either a couple less of us or more CG infrastructure.

I have Yellowstone on my list but have heard it just gets crazy crowded.  That being said, my family's best trip was out to Devil's Tower and Custer.  We try to travel out of sync with everyone else which means up and moving to the most popular stuff early.  We had spent time watching the buffalo and prairie dogs before most ate breakfast.
 
I agree the advertising hype does not match reality, we recently got back from a 2 week / 900 mile trip in our motorhome and probably close to a thousand dollars worth of repair expenses, which includes the $250 insurance deductible for a new windshield thanks to a truck throwing a rock when we were less than 10 miles away from home at the start of the trip, a new generator starter, replacing a skid wheel which dragged the ground entering a visitors center, new LED porch light which died just 3 months out of warranty, ...  having said that, there are still nice places out there and  particularly if you just need a stop for the night, there is not yet a strong need for reservations in my part of the country.  We were driving through east Texas, just west of College Station on the way on on Memorial day, and saw one fairly new commercial RV park that was nearly empty (at 10-20% capacity), nice enough looking place I googled it after getting home $40 per night $180 per week, maybe a bit higher than average in the region, but it was newish, had a pool, clubhouse room, and about 100 concrete pads.  We had spent the previous night in a popular Texas State park, it was packed, in fact when we left on Memorial day Monday at noon they were turning people away at the gate.  Having said that we made our campground reservations there less than 3 weeks out, and at that time they had I think 4 out of 120 sites available, a week earlier they had 12.
 
PancakeBill said:
Well don't blame me, I did my part and bought 2 in the last 8 months.

Ok Pancake, I'll bite - Why two in the past 8 months?  Do you tow your TT with your class A?
 
Isaac-1 said:
I agree the advertising hype does not match reality, we recently got back from a 2 week / 900 mile trip in our motorhome and probably close to a thousand dollars worth of repair expenses, which includes the $250 insurance deductible for a new windshield thanks to a truck throwing a rock when we were less than 10 miles away from home at the start of the trip, a new generator starter, replacing a skid wheel which dragged the ground entering a visitors center, new LED porch light which died just 3 months out of warranty, ...  having said that, there are still nice places out there and  particularly if you just need a stop for the night, there is not yet a strong need for reservations in my part of the country.  We were driving through east Texas, just west of College Station on the way on on Memorial day, and saw one fairly new commercial RV park that was nearly empty (at 10-20% capacity), nice enough looking place I googled it after getting home $40 per night $180 per week, maybe a bit higher than average in the region, but it was newish, had a pool, clubhouse room, and about 100 concrete pads.  We had spent the previous night in a popular Texas State park, it was packed, in fact when we left on Memorial day Monday at noon they were turning people away at the gate.  Having said that we made our campground reservations there less than 3 weeks out, and at that time they had I think 4 out of 120 sites available, a week earlier they had 12.

That must be fun for the people turned away at the gate!!  Possibly new RV and ready for the freedom that brings.  Agh!  No place to stay when you are driving a house!!  Ironic.
 
KandT said:
That must be fun for the people turned away at the gate!!  Possibly new RV and ready for the freedom that brings.  Agh!  No place to stay when you are driving a house!!  Ironic.
We have been camping for 40 plus years in tents, pop ups, travel trailers, and now a motorhome. I even spent a summer as a seasonal park ranger even more than 40 years ago. Even when we started it was not easy to find a spot on Memorial Day weekend (or 4 July or Labor Day). I strongly doubt anyone who has ever been even had a picnic at a Texas State Park on Memorial Day would be surprised they couldn?t find a spot on one of the three busiest weekends of the year. Before reservation systems, we didn?t even try, knowing people who had more days off had already taken all the sites.

I also thought of another reason for decreasing RV sales that many don?t think of - the need for temporary housing for oil workers. We were in the Permian Basin in Texas this spring, and there were tens of thousands of RVs, mostly travel trailers, set up as housing for the oil field. Oil at best an even employment, and some areas like North Dakota and Wyoming have had a major contraction of oil-related employment.
 
KandT We had our Southwonf for about 11 years and was considering going back full time and wanting more space, a forum member happened to email me that he was selling his Adventurer.  Well what could I do?  So we bought it.  Had a buyer for the southward in the spring (fell through),  and off we went.  That was #1.  Then in Feb we went to Quartzsite and camped next to another forum members Magna, our forever dream coach, so we bought it.  Then we got the Adventurer sold and now selling the Southwind.  Hopefully soon.

In the meantime, we are looking at buying a small enclosed utility trailer to tow to FL, but we now need to sell our two cars, or at least one and have one shipped.  It is a long and winding road.  and for a few months we actually owned 3 motorhomes!  At least we are down to 2 now.

You asked.
 
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