Below is the publishers editorial from his weekly RV newsletter from which I pulled the links referenced in my original post.
Read the bold highlighted section from HIS editorial. The highlight is that in the past he has purchased new motorhome's however his recent purchase within the last month was a USED motorhome due the quality issues that have developed in the industry with the large surge in new RV sales and the cost difference a between new and exactly the same but lightly used RV that he purchased for 1/2 the money.
People ARE taking notice of the quality issue!
I wonder what the Airstream lovers are going to do when they buy the new
fiberglass Airstream and find it to be a superior none leaking product to the current & traditional Airstream offerings?
July 9-15
RV Travel Newsletter, July 9-15
July 8, 2016 RV Staff
Learn about RV camping, RV travel, RV news and much more. This newsletter, now in its 15th year of continuous publication, is funded primarily through advertising and voluntary subscription contributions from our readers. Thank you!
Issue 750 • Week of July 9-15, 2016
Editor’s corner
With Chuck Woodbury
Chuck (at) RVtravel.com
happy-750
Happy RVers enjoying their RV.
But for others, the happiness may be more elusive.
Every weekday, I receive RV industry newsletters from RVbusiness.com and RVdailyReport.com. I also get news releases from RV manufacturers as well as from companies that make products for RVs and RVers. I believe I know the mood of the industry pretty well from these newsletters and other sources, plus the readers of this newsletter.
Right now, the industry couldn’t be happier. RVs are flying off sales lots. RV makers and dealers are making a lot of money. Wherever you look, it’s a rosy picture (the demise of EverGreen RV being an exception). However, from a consumer’s perspective, it’s less flattering.
Critics of the industry complain that to keep up with the current sales frenzy, manufacturers are cranking out RVs so fast that quality has suffered. I get letters often from readers about problems with their new RVs. In some cases, these buyers must wait weeks or months to get repairs or even just a necessary replacement part. In some instances, they never get their problems fixed.
Frankly, because of what I’ve heard and read lately about bad quality, I bought a used RV last month rather than a new one as I have in the past. I figured the previous owner would have worked out the bugs and, frankly, it’s nice getting an RV that looks like new for half the price of one that really is new.
My friend Greg Gerber, the editor of RV Daily Report, is running a series titled “The RV Industry Death Spiral,” where he runs down, point by point, how “the current [RV manufacturer’s] business model is simply unsustainable.”
He notes that people in the RV industry:
• Know what’s going on, are in denial, and remain hopeful the problems will simply fix themselves.
• Don’t want to know what’s going on and keep their heads firmly planted in the sand ignoring many very obvious signs.
• Are aware of the problem, know it won’t end well, but are simply choosing to ride the wave as long as they can.
Now, Greg can be a bit “doom and gloom” at times, and he has no crystal ball, but his series may spur further discussion about what needs to be done to keep you and me, RV consumers, happy — with well-built RVs that roll off the line working properly. You can read the first segment in Greg’s series here.
In his second segment, he continues …
“Manufacturers are competing intensely against each other to produce RVs that are built cheaply, with cheaper components so they can be
sold at what I call the ‘mythical price point.’ . . . that price at which RV manufacturers, and in some regard dealers as well, believe is the absolute highest price consumers are willing to pay for a recreation vehicle. Add one more quality component and RVers will run away.
“For example, a 360 Siphon vent is an effective $10 [wholesale] part that can eliminate RV odors, which people who actually use RVs know is a consistent problem. But, many manufacturers won’t install the simple device. Why? It will push them out of the mythical price point.”
If you would like to learn even more about the problems with new RVs watch this 17-minute video, which consumer rights attorney Steve Lehto headlines “Why you should not buy an RV.” After citing one bad RV buying experience after another, he ends with some helpful buying advice.
I know most of you love your RVs (me, too) and by shopping carefully and intelligently we purchased them with few problems that couldn’t be easily fixed. But for today’s buyer, it’s a crazy time, with a glut of poorly built units on dealer lots for eager buyers who don’t do their homework. For we consumers it means we must be extra careful to not end up with a lemon.
By the way, I am intentionally not mentioning specific manufacturers here — the good, the bad or the ugly. I’m not knowledgeable enough to comment on individual companies. If you really want to keep a close watch on the industry, you might start by subscribing to the free online editions of RVbusiness.com and RVdailyReport.com.
Chuck Woodbury Editor