RV Dealer says "We'll weather this slump and come back"

[Bobbie Mayer]

Fresno TV report on slumping RV sales. One local dealer was quoted saying that there have been slumps before and when things pick up people will be buying again. What do you think?

Bobbie

[Donna D.]

I listened to a reporting by former chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan (whom I greatly admire!) and he says basically the same thing. The difference, each time it happens, is we seem to learn (something) from our mistakes. For instance, the home mortgage mess... the overconfidence in the DOT com's, etc. When people have money, they spend it. It will be up to the manufacturers to guide the buying power.

[Alf S.]

Hi: I am not endorsing Scamp...but how many economic slumps have they weathered??? I feel very strongly that there will always be a place for small to medium sized light weight fiberglass trailers. The big bulge mobiles& trailers are everywhere on the used market!!! Where are the lite fiberglass used trailers??? SOLD
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Booker B.]

I think the difference in this slump is we will never have cheap gas again. Whether or not you believe in "Peak Oil" I think everyone has realized with China and India's burgeoning middle class the days of $50 barrel oil are gone.

When we were driving back with our new trailer a few weeks ago (being pulled by our trusty / rusty 4cyl Toyota Truck) I passed huge trailer after huge trailer pulled by equally huge trucks and really, that's not sustainable. In BC there are less then 10 Trillium/Boler size trailers and a smattering of Bigfoots for sale online - there are hundreds of 30'+ stick framed trailers for cheap.

Ok, I'm off the soap box - I think I spend too much time reading end of the world threads in reddit ... where's my tin foil hat =)

[Pete Dumbleton]

The RV industry took a big hit when the lines were forming at the pumps and folks could only buy gas on alternate days depending on their license plate numbers.

That was 35 years ago; gas wasn't cheap then either, but the RV industry is still around. And it's getting bigger, not smaller, in Europe where they think the Canadians have cheap gas (and the Canadians think the US has cheap gas). Cheap is a relative term.

[Doug Mager]

as Booker pointed out the ratio of stickies to Glass Eggs for sale here on the Wet Coast is by far heavier on the stickie side. People are getting fed up with the ever increasing fuel prices.

Speaking on behalf of (most) of the car people in this community, I venture to say that as long as there are car nutz who like to camp, there will be a need for glass eggs, whether new or used....

Some close friends (also with a '37 Plymouth, like ours..) tow their 17ft Boler everywhere!!!!

[steven jones]

i recall when i worked for a trailer company, sale were greatly affected by a snowless winter... no snow = nobody buying snowmobiles = nobody buying trailers...
with the gas prices ever climbing, dealerships will not be ordering as many of the larger trailers... future orders will be based on what sells, now...
imho, the future of rv's will be lightweight trailers, pulled by fuel-efficient vehicles...
--- steven

[Will M.]

Doug - Does the Plymouth have the original flat 6 engine? My old flat 6 Plymouth P1 has trouble pulling itself along. I'd love to pull my trillium but doubt the original engine is up to the task.

[Loren G. Hedahl]

The wealthy who want to RV will always have the means to do it in style. When they tire of a particular RV they will trade it in. The fuel cost isn't a big issue with them.

The middle class are the ones who will think twice about the fuel cost. They may downsize, may camp less, may camp closer to home, or may forget about it altogether. Or they may now be able to purchase a nice diesel pusher on the used market for a pittance and go full timing in style.

The poor may now be able to afford an RV now that they never could before.

In any case, the manufacturers will shift their product line to sell what the public wants. I expect the upper scale RVs will bounce back quickest. The middle class stick built sales may drop off for a much longer time. The FGRVs, Tabs, tent trailers, etc. won't hardly feel a bump.

That's my prediction.

[Bobbie Mayer]

I peeked at another list I'm on to see what people are saying about gas.

. Where I used to take my RV to even
the closer shows for convenience ... I have begun driving back and forth if the
show is less than 90 minutes from home.

If others are like me, I'm looking at
clusters that offer more than 2 days so I can get 4 shows for the gas of 2 so
there are bound to be lots of RV's

With gas prices going up, should we be looking at a Class C instead of
a Class A?

On the other hand, there was VERY little discussion on the list about gas prices. They aren't stopping people from going or, apparently, from buying motorhomes.