Navistar RV is gone.......Hello new owners

BillMFl wrote:
Its much like the airline business. Consolidation in a shrinking industry. A larger piece of a smaller pie. Fewer choices for the consumer. Lets face it, fewer and fewer folks are getting fat retirement benefits, and those of our generation that did are gradually dying off. I don't see the average retiree of the next generations having the same disposable income. Most government projections are showing the average American poorly prepared for retirement with many having to work until they drop. And who buys the biggest share of MHs? Not young people! There will always be a market but the glory days for the MH industry are in the past. Just my opinion, and I'm sticking to it! :)

This makes a lot of sense!!!

It makes sense as to why Monaco's ans HR's were built so well back in the 1990's.

In today's market aren't any younger folks buying RV's?

Personally, I don't care who owns Monaco, as long as we can get parts and all the good stuff that comes along with it.

MM.

TimV wrote:

The Texan wrote:
Knew it was coming, but never thought Monaco & Holiday Rambler would become a division of Fleetwood RV.

Allied Specialty Vehicles (ASV) is the one that bought Holiday Rambler, Monaco and R vision. not Fleetwood. Fleetwood is under the ASV umbrella.

Each company will be on its own from a product standpoint. The idea is to leverage the strengths of the brands and gain more market share. while lowering operations costs.

Fleetwood HR and Monaco will probably use the same factories. but the products will be different . Also leverage buying power. Roadmaster will stay as a viable chassis brand as well.

ASV with Fleetwood, Monaco and Holidat Rambler brands will have great synergies and now will command much more market share combined than separate

I think this was a win win for HR, Monaco and ASV

Mike Snell will be president of Monaco, HR and R Vision. John Drahiem will be President of the Fleetwood division

with the industry picking up ASV should be in a great position to offer more brands and competitive prices

Come back in 18-24 months and tell me again just how good this was for Monaco/HR and how great Mike Snell is.....

The Texan wrote:
Knew it was coming, but never thought Monaco & Holiday Rambler would become a division of Fleetwood RV.

Allied Specialty Vehicles (ASV) is the one that bought Holiday Rambler, Monaco and R vision. not Fleetwood. Fleetwood is under the ASV umbrella.

Each company will be on its own from a product standpoint. The idea is to leverage the strengths of the brands and gain more market share. while lowering operations costs.

Fleetwood HR and Monaco will probably use the same factories. but the products will be different . Also leverage buying power. Roadmaster will stay as a viable chassis brand as well.

ASV with Fleetwood, Monaco and Holidat Rambler brands will have great synergies and now will command much more market share combined than separate

I think this was a win win for HR, Monaco and ASV

Mike Snell will be president of Monaco, HR and R Vision. John Drahiem will be President of the Fleetwood division

with the industry picking up ASV should be in a great position to offer more brands and competitive prices

gemsworld wrote:

Daveinet wrote:
I think what it really is about is buying out the competition, so they are no longer competing. Long term expect to see a single product line with different badging and slightly different features and paint - just like what we have seen with GM in the 80s and 90s.

The original Monaco was doing the very same thing with the Monacos, HRs, and Safaris. Monaco basically used the same unit and slightly changed the front and rear caps on each brand.

Its much like the airline business. Consolidation in a shrinking industry. A larger piece of a smaller pie. Fewer choices for the consumer. Lets face it, fewer and fewer folks are getting fat retirement benefits, and those of our generation that did are gradually dying off. I don't see the average retiree of the next generations having the same disposable income. Most government projections are showing the average American poorly prepared for retirement with many having to work until they drop. And who buys the biggest share of MHs? Not young people! There will always be a market but the glory days for the MH industry are in the past. Just my opinion, and I'm sticking to it! :)

Daveinet wrote:
I think what it really is about is buying out the competition, so they are no longer competing. Long term expect to see a single product line with different badging and slightly different features and paint - just like what we have seen with GM in the 80s and 90s.

The original Monaco was doing the very same thing with the Monacos, HRs, and Safaris. Monaco basically used the same unit and slightly changed the front and rear caps on each brand.

Glad I'm on my last motor home. We've had HR's since 1991 and really liked the brand. We've been lamenting that there are few dealers left. The old Monaco screwed too many existing dealers because of their bankruptcy so other dealers didn't want to pick up the brand. Hopefully this new management will redesign the front ends of the new HR's. Hate the "new" look.

Too funny!

Many of the comments missed the reality of Navistar RV as it exists today. Navistar has been trying desperately to unload it - it is NOT making money or producing much. Navistar management was down to two choices - close it down or get rid of it any way they could - at no time did they indicate anything more. This is NOT a case of selling something "desirable" - it's a case of getting rid of Monaco RV at any cost.

For months, Monaco has been trying to unload existing inventory by "extending" a rebate sale - this while RV inventories are LOW. There are very few Monaco RV dealers - many stopped taking orders and doing business long ago. All of Monaco's apparent "life" over the last year has been aimed at presenting Monaco RV as a worthwhile purchase for anyone who might consider it.

If anything, Fleetwood's owners have bought Monaco's trailer business and little else - probably a worthwhile move for them at (I guess) a bargain price.. There won't be much bragging at Navistar about the price they got for Navistar RV, but it won't be dragging them down anymore.

It's a shame! A once-proud leader in the RV business - with a history of innovation and daring (Workhorse, Roadmaster, and more) - dragged down to this. Will any of their patents (if they still are owned by Navistar RV?) ever see the marketplace again?

What's in a name? With all the new names in trailers and motorhomes, probably not much. Shopping today means learning all those new names and brands, but people manage. I wonder if the new owners feel reviving the old names will be help or hindrance? People who bought Holiday Ramblers are probably not going to be in the market again - and "Monaco" may suffer from it's history of recent years.

I hope they can save the HR line from extinction. At one time they were very well made trailers. Now they are just pretty pigs, at least the ones I looked at were.

I think what it really is about is buying out the competition, so they are no longer competing. Long term expect to see a single product line with different badging and slightly different features and paint - just like what we have seen with GM in the 80s and 90s.