Supply vs Demand: we're at the peak

SidecarFlip wrote:
I've never understood the keep an RV a year or two and get a new one. One, you get the issues handled and two, it's depreciated so much you take a bath on anew one and start all over again with maybe issues and for sure, no equity and another fat payment book.

I'm a long haul owner. I make changes to my liking and keep them a long time.

I scratch my head about that philosophy...

Perhaps some folks have deeper pockets than others. I'm in the other category.

I've never understood the keep an RV a year or two and get a new one. One, you get the issues handled and two, it's depreciated so much you take a bath on anew one and start all over again with maybe issues and for sure, no equity and another fat payment book.

I'm a long haul owner. I make changes to my liking and keep them a long time.

I scratch my head about that philosophy...

That is why we purchased Northwood. We started out with the Fox Mountain and went out and got the Arctic Fox. The Fox Mountain no problems at all and we had it for 4 years. The Arctic Fox only 1 small issue (Microwave oven) and it was replaced the same week. I have found other's with a floor plan we loved but no we are staying with our Fox.

goducks10 wrote:
Not only that the worker shortage is huge. Anyone that can pass a drug test is hired. Skills not needed.

I think this is a bigger problem ! During the recession, the RV industry crashed and many families left the area of IN where most RVs are built.

What I see is more an more is camp grounds filling up with what I call long timers, people who live in these RV parks full time. Go into any RV park near a big city an you will see maybe 50 percent of the spaces rented out to people who live there year round ...

Some of the RV parks we stayed at last year had very nice cement pads which all the long timers had, the short time travelers or vacationers got the gravel back-in or pull thoughts spots ... Not say there isn't some nice gravel pull thoughts or backin's because there are, but once in awhile I'd like to join the upper class an have a cement pad LOL

Safe Travels

SidecarFlip wrote:
Never had been a problem for me and I don't anticipate it ever will be. I can park my unit just about anywhere and 'camp', even on a city street.

I can find a place to camp, but a nice waterfront, or beachfront site is getting tough to find without advanced planning. Deciding on Wednesday to head to the lake after work on Friday is almost impossible.

Never had been a problem for me and I don't anticipate it ever will be. I can park my unit just about anywhere and 'camp', even on a city street.

I've got mixed feelings on this. I think it is great family time, and I hope more people get out and do things. But dang, it is getting harder and harder for us weekend warriors to find campsites. The lake sites around here are pretty much booked up a month in advance. Beach sites are booked 6-12 months in advance.

Additionally, If I was buying a conventional unit like a TT or a 5er ot toy hauler or even a motorhome, I would have bought pre-owned.

In my situation, I cannot. I own a TC and truck campers in this neck of the woods are a rare commodity and used ones are just that, very used, mostly old and water damaged so I bought a new one but I don't plan on selling it for at least 10 years, maybe longer. My last one (a Lance), I owned 15 years and that wasn't 15 years of using it 2 times a year either. My wife and I even full timed in it for 5 months one year. Talk about 'togetherness'....

goducks10 wrote:
Not only that the worker shortage is huge. Anyone that can pass a drug test is hired. Skills not needed.

That is FR's and Lippert's credo. If it breathes and pass a whizz test, hire it.

Isn't much 'skill' involved anyway, the
Amish Craftsmen take care of the skilled labor part... (chucking about that).

Last time I was at the Palomino plant in Colon, Michigan (to get some parts and be nosy), I don't live that far from there, I walked in through the front office (instead of the plant which I usually do) and as soon as I cleared the front door, a pretty lass came up to me and asked me if I was applying for a job. I told her no, I was just nosing around and wanting to get some cabinet hardware.

She seemed disapointed. I guess middle aged males that actually dress nice and can speak in a sentence are a rare commodity there.

I could have went to work immediately, I can certainly pass any drug screen but a 60 mile commute one way to work to trip my trigger at all.

In defense of Palomino, I have a 2 year old unit and I've never had any build related issues with it and I find the people in Colon, Michigan, at the plant to go out of their way to be accomodating, they even let me buy parts there direct.

I think I'd recommend a Palomino product actually. So long as it wasn't built on a Friday afternoon, a Monday morning on the last thing on a pay day. Those events could cause the unit to be a bust.

Looking in my crystal ball, I predict that the boom has peaked and that it's going to go the other way now. Money is going to get tighter, interest rates will go up and only so many people can afford a new RV today and a lot of those potential buyers are now aware that there is a big quality issue.

I think the used, late model market will stay strong simply because the majority of used units are practically new anyway. Very few owners use them more than a couple times a year and used units have the new, lack of quality issues addressed and finally, the depreciation curve is very steep on a new, never titled unit so savvy buyers let the first owner take the depreciation and build quality hit and buy used. Makes a bunch of sense to me.