The end of cheap gas?

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by MarkyVasquez

We might have a favorable exchange rate but the Escape trailers just went up another $1200 CNDs.
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That increase is only on paper and only if you pay in Canadian Dollars . If you read the Escape forum you can learn how this supposed 4% price increase Is all smoke and mirrors and has something to do with an English to Metric money conversion.
I don't really understand monetary policy or the metric system
so I don't know how to convert 4% metric to 4% US.

[Paul O.]

Originally Posted by sokhapkin

.... I wonder where the concept of "dozen" came from. Why 12? Why 2x12 hours a day? Why 12 inches in foot? Why 12 pack of beer bottles?....

The 12-pack of beer is all about sharing with friends. You can share it evenly with one, two, three, five. A 10-pack only with one and four.

In other words, it is all about dividing by whole numbers, without remainders. Sixty is even better than twelve, but after a few twelve-packs with friends, none of this matters.

The price of gas changed by how much since we started on this?

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by MarkyVasquez

We might have a favorable exchange rate but the Escape trailers just went up another $1200 CNDs.

But the Canadian dollar just dropped back down from $0.76 CN to US dollar to $0.7489. I bought Ten Forward when the exchange rate was $0.86 CN to one US dollar. US buyers are still getting a bigger bang for their buck than I did in 2014.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Carl V

One easy tip if you need to convert mpg to l/100km is this: you only have one number to remember: 235.

Simply divide 235 by the value you want to convert.
235 divided by the l/100km value will give the mpg.
235 divided by the mpg value will give the l/100km.

That's for US gallons.
For Imperial gallons, the number to remember is 282, same principle.

Thanks for posting that. I was on the fly yesterday, but I was able to confirm this morning that 235 is, as I suspected, the number of liters in a gallon (3.785) divided by the number of kilometers in a mile (1.609), multiplied by 100.

The reciprocal relationship actually makes it easier rather than harder to convert because you don't have to think about whether to multiply or divide, and there is only one conversion factor to remember. Math rocks! My headache is gone!

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by MarkyVasquez

We might have a favorable exchange rate but the Escape trailers just went up another $1200 CNDs.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

Hi: MarkyVasquez... The increase is likely caused by the exchange rate. The RV component dealers show is mid Nov. so Reace& Tammy were probably there buying for another year.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Carl V]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Thanks for posting that.I was able to confirm this morning that 235 is, as I suspected, the number of liters in a gallon (3.785) divided by the number of kilometers in a mile (1.609), multiplied by 100.

Well, you went deeper into this than I did!!
I never took the time to actually figure out were this number actually comes from, all I know is that it works!! Now I know why!


Carl

[MarkyVasquez]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

But the Canadian dollar just dropped back down from $0.76 CN to US dollar to $0.7489. I bought Ten Forward when the exchange rate was $0.86 CN to one US dollar. US buyers are still getting a bigger bang for their buck than I did in 2014.

I get the price increase, but this is the second one. When calculating the exchange rate on the $1200 to US dollars at $.75 it becomes a $900 dollar increase. That's the second one this year. It just makes the US fiberglass manufactured trailers better priced and owners are holding on to their trailers and not of buying. Instead of taking advantage of the exchange rate the way other countries do, they're making it a disadvantage with price increases.
I read on the Escape forum, buyers are scurrying to get their build sheets turned in and asking if the price increase will affect them. People are getting discouraged. I know for now Escape has more than they can handle but, things can quickly change. I know a lot of those orders were because of the exchange rate. The fiberglass RV business is riddled with great high priced trailer failures. Two of these great companies have come back, but they are still struggling. Escape makes a great trailer but, they've also had their problems with thin fiberglass cracking, solar panels blowing off, frames breaking, refrigerators not cooling, etc.
I am one of the ones who was getting ready to order a 19' Escape but, decided against it with the price increase. I like others, refuse to pay more. A new Casita looks good to me now.


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[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by MarkyVasquez

I get the price increase, but this is the second one. When calculating the exchange rate on the $1200 to US dollars at $.75 it becomes a $900 dollar increase. That's the second one this year. It just makes the US fiberglass manufactured trailers better priced and owners are holding on to their trailers and not of buying. Instead of taking advantage of the exchange rate the way other countries do, they're making it a disadvantage with price increases.
I read on the Escape forum, buyers are scurrying to get their build sheets turned in and asking if the price increase will affect them. People are getting discouraged. I know for now Escape has more than they can handle but, things can quickly change. I know a lot of those orders were because of the exchange rate. The fiberglass RV business is riddled with great high priced trailer failures. Two of these great companies have come back, but they are still struggling. Escape makes a great trailer but, they've also had their problems with thin fiberglass cracking, solar panels blowing off, frames breaking, refrigerators not cooling, etc.
I am one of the ones who was getting ready to order a 19' Escape but, decided against it with the price increase. I like others, refuse to pay more. A new Casita looks good to me now.


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Escape has raised their prices approx 20% in the last year .
They have priced themselves out of the market for us and many others and have used the exchange rate to mask their price increases
When you compare the price of an Escape and an Oliver based on cost per foot , standard and optional features / equipment and build quality , the Oliver may be a better bargain .


If Scamp or Casita would come out with a 19 or 21 ft trailer at a comparable cost to their 16 or 17 ft trailers , I believe they would capture a large part of the 19 /21 ft market. Oliver and Escape as things sit have no incentive to keep cost / prices down
We could use more manufacturers and completion in the FG trailer market IMHO

[MarkyVasquez]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Escape has raised their prices approx 20% in the last year .

They have priced themselves out of the market for us and many others and have used the exchange rate to mask their price increases

When you compare the price of an Escape and an Oliver based on cost per foot , standard and optional features / equipment and build quality , the Oliver may be a better bargain .





If Scamp or Casita would come out with a 19 or 21 ft trailer at a comparable cost to their 16 or 17 ft trailers , I believe they would capture a large part of the 19 /21 ft market. Oliver and Escape as things sit have no incentive to keep cost / prices down

We could use more manufacturers and completion in the FG trailer market IMHO

I've been going to the rally's and it's mostly Casitas, Scamps, and a handful of Escapes. I went to a rally where there were over 175 Casitas! Some were parked two to a site. Casita is also shipping their trailers to Japan under the name Global. My point is that if Casita were to make a 19/21 ft, game over.
Now with the predictions that gas might be going up we'll see what companies weather the storm. Several major websites and television stations are predicting $3 a gallon in 2017. We'll see.
http://www.wideopencountry.com/gas-p...allon-in-2017/
http://www.wilx.com/content/news/Wil...406258955.html


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[stude]

Originally Posted by james kent

Up here I pay $.99 a litre. That works out close to $4.00 a gallon.


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:British Columbia where we pay $1.21.9L and it is always going up as more and more taxes are happening to us.
Just yesterday we paid $$2.12.9 gallon at the truck crossing 262 Exit off I5 as we belong to Good Sam we get around 6cents a gallon off their posted price so when down that way we make sure we fuel up there.
Stude

[stude]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

But the Canadian dollar just dropped back down from $0.76 CN to US dollar to $0.7489. I bought Ten Forward when the exchange rate was $0.86 CN to one US dollar. US buyers are still getting a bigger bang for their buck than I did in 2014.

:just raised there interest rates up a quarter or more, so far Canada has not followed suite. But if they do that might drop the Canuck buck even lower and we Canucks will not be travelling south of the border until it comes back to a $85cent dollar.
stude

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Escape has raised their prices approx 20% in the last year .
They have priced themselves out of the market for us and many others and have used the exchange rate to mask their price increases
When you compare the price of an Escape and an Oliver based on cost per foot , standard and optional features / equipment and build quality , the Oliver may be a better bargain .


If Scamp or Casita would come out with a 19 or 21 ft trailer at a comparable cost to their 16 or 17 ft trailers , I believe they would capture a large part of the 19 /21 ft market. Oliver and Escape as things sit have no incentive to keep cost / prices down
We could use more manufacturers and completion in the FG trailer market IMHO

The 5.0 TA has increase 17% since in the last year, but only about 20% in over 2 years. To be fair, much of this increase has been due to improvements and added standard features, resulting in what many consider a better product. This was witnessed by the fact that many people with a 2016 on order willingly accepted a $4,000 increase to gain these added features with the 2017 model (me being one of them), while just a few were more than happy with the original model

Though both Casita and Scamp offer a good value for what you get, they are not of the quality build that Escape is, with many folks who have owned both will attest too. There is no doubt that Oliver is still a huge step in quality above an Escape, albeit with a price tag to more than match.

What Escape offers that others don't, is the willingness to accommodate a wide range of options. For some, this is a very important feature, and one worth the cost, while others are more than happy to get the features that Casita and Scamp offer.

I think even if Scamp and Casita offered larger 19 and 21 foot models, while possibly having a small amount of effect on Escape sales, it would be a modest effect at best. For the most part they would be hitting a different market. At this size you are also competing in quality and price with lots of conventionally built trailers. For the vast majority of folks buying an Escape, it is not just the size that sells them, but the product they get.

Still, it would be good to see more competition in this price range. There must be a reason Scamp and Casita don't offer larger models to go after a different market. We can only speculate, as the owners are the only ones who really know.

Originally Posted by stude

:just raised there interest rates up a quarter or more, so far Canada has not followed suite. But if they do that might drop the Canuck buck even lower and we Canucks will not be travelling south of the border until it comes back to a $85cent dollar.
stude

We did an 18 day trek into the US in October, and for the most part the exchange rate did not affect us too badly. With our biggest expense being fuel, we actually saved there. Groceries were on par with exchange rates considered. Some camping fees were definitely higher. If one is careful on what they purchase it really is not too bad.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

The 5.0 TA has increase 17% since in the last year, but only about 20% in over 2 years. To be fair, much of this increase has been due to improvements and added standard features, resulting in what many consider a better product. This was witnessed by the fact that many people with a 2016 on order willingly accepted a $4,000 increase to gain these added features with the 2017 model (me being one of them), while just a few were more than happy with the original model

Though both Casita and Scamp offer a good value for what you get, they are not of the quality build that Escape is, with many folks who have owned both will attest too. There is no doubt that Oliver is still a huge step in quality above an Escape, albeit with a price tag to more than match.

What Escape offers that others don't, is the willingness to accommodate a wide range of options. For some, this is a very important feature, and one worth the cost, while others are more than happy to get the features that Casita and Scamp offer.

I think even if Scamp and Casita offered larger 19 and 21 foot models, while possibly having a small amount of effect on Escape sales, it would be a modest effect at best. For the most part they would be hitting a different market. At this size you are also competing in quality and price with lots of conventionally built trailers. For the vast majority of folks buying an Escape, it is not just the size that sells them, but the product they get.

Still, it would be good to see more competition in this price range. There must be a reason Scamp and Casita don't offer larger models to go after a different market. We can only speculate, as the owners are the only ones who really know.

We did an 18 day trek into the US in October, and for the most part the exchange rate did not affect us too badly. With our biggest expense being fuel, we actually saved there. Groceries were on par with exchange rates considered. Some camping fees were definitely higher. If one is careful on what they purchase it really is not too bad.

Jim , The fact that Escape will customize a trailer is a wonderful option for some but one I do not wish to pay for that luxury .
I don't care what the color of the flooring or countertops or drapes are . If the flooring , countertops ,drapes function as intended that's good enough for.me.

The fact is that Escape has increased their price almost 20% irregardless of any changes in the currency exchange rate.

We are looking for a larger trailer ,that is well built , at a reasonable price with timely delivery. I basically have 2 FG trailers to choose from if we want a bigger trailer , Escape and Oliver . Both are overpriced by my standards and with little competition in that segment of the FG trailer market , they are charging what the traffic will allow. We saw what happened in the US auto industry when the big 3 controlled the market and it was not good for consumers . The only solution to the situation is competition .
The fact that some are willing to pay an inflated price for a product that offers some intangible , undefinable , imaginary perceived value is not new. Look how many PET ROCKS were sold.

It is difficult to budget / save for a purchase when the price of that purchase is a constantly moving target .
Dealing with a changing exchange rate is one thing but dealing with a vendor that can not give you a firm price that's good for longer than the end of the business day is impossible



We were in Canada for 3 weeks in September . When paying with US currency many Canadian businesses were giving you a 0% , 5% or 10 % exchange rate . Your chances of getting the published exchange rate is slim and none. We purchased Canadian money at a Canadian bank ,which worked our better for us.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

We were in Canada for 3 weeks in September . When paying with US currency many Canadian businesses were giving you a 0% , 5% or 10 % exchange rate . Your chances of getting the published exchange rate is slim and none. We purchased Canadian money at a Canadian bank ,which worked our better for us.

I would always convert at a bank, and spend in the currency of the country. For most Canadian vendors, the hassle of having to take US cash to the bank to deal with separately is too big of a hassle. I know of some that will just refuse it. We actually bothered to just set up a US account through our bank which also has a US credit card to go along with it. We find we get a much better exchange rate this way.

In Mexico, even the places that accept US cash, will still not accept Canadian money, as it is too much of a hassle for them.

[Ice-breaker]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

...I basically have 2 FG trailers to choose from if we want a bigger trailer , Escape and Oliver . Both are overpriced by my standards and with little competition in that segment of the FG trailer market , they are charging what the traffic will allow...

If you want to get into the larger FG RV game, you may just have to shake some of the moths out of your wallet and make a decision to buy.

Originally Posted by steve dunham

...Dealing with a changing exchange rate is one thing but dealing with a vendor that can not give you a firm price that's good for longer than the end of the business day is impossible...

I understand that the prices are firm for those who have made a commitment and purchased the trailer. Those who agonize for years over making their purchase are subject to whatever fluctuations in price that the manufacturer may apply.

Originally Posted by steve dunham

We were in Canada for 3 weeks in September . When paying with US currency many Canadian businesses were giving you a 0% , 5% or 10 % exchange rate . Your chances of getting the published exchange rate is slim and none. We purchased Canadian money at a Canadian bank ,which worked our better for us.

Definitely exchange your money at a bank or even withdraw from a bank machine with your debit card. Exchanging at an individual business is subjecting yourself to too much uncertainty as to what you will get for an exchange rate.

[Paul O.]

Three years ago we stopped to get a nice and friendly tour of the Scamp factory (even though I bought used) and learned, among other things, that Eveland's was trying to stay below the 50 employee limit (obamacare related). We can be sure that this will be changed soon and they might grow the company carefully. However, I doubt they would put money into tooling up a completely new, bigger Scamp. That is a gamble.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Ice-breaker

If you want to get into the larger FG RV game, you may just have to shake some of the moths out of your wallet and make a decision to buy.



I understand that the prices are firm for those who have made a commitment and purchased the trailer. Those who agonize for years over making their purchase are subject to whatever fluctuations in price that the manufacturer may apply.



Definitely exchange your money at a bank or even withdraw from a bank machine with your debit card. Exchanging at an individual business is subjecting yourself to too much uncertainty as to what you will get for an exchange rate.

If I shake the moths out of my wallet , my wallet would then be empty. I am not going to turn this thread into a back and forth and debate this subject . I've made my comments and stand by them.

Happy Holidays

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I am not going to turn this thread into a back and forth and debate this subject .

Sounds good to me.

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Sounds good to me.

Hi: gbaglo... Why is it that every time I get to go play in Mrs Klaus' sleigh... It's on empty?
91.9 a liter in "Brass bucks"!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Paul O.

Three years ago we stopped to get a nice and friendly tour of the Scamp factory (even though I bought used) and learned, among other things, that Eveland's was trying to stay below the 50 employee limit (obamacare related). We can be sure that this will be changed soon and they might grow the company carefully. However, I doubt they would put money into tooling up a completely new, bigger Scamp. That is a gamble.

I'm inclined to agree, though I think If Scamp simply stretched the 16' to 17', put all of the extra length into the dinette bed and kept everything else the same, I think they might make a dent in Casita's dominance of the 17' class. They could cut and stretch a 16'er to make the plug, and the only new interior parts would be the rear dinette benches. That would make a 57" wide bed, compared to Casita's 54". If they retained the relative weight advantage they enjoy over Casita in the 16' class, a 17' Scamp should end up under 3000 pounds on the road. What's not to like?