When to buy?

If you think you will enjoy the lifestyle, including extra work required, maintenance & repair, offset by all the benefits of rving, I would not wait.

But after two to five years of newbie ownership no maintenance will have been performed, tires uncovered after sitting in the sun etc.

jdc1 wrote:
Then you have those tens of thousands of families that took the opportunity to use their Covid relief cash to get something they may never had been able to afford otherwise. Those people will be RV lifer's, filling up campgrounds for years to come.

Especially as they give up their home or get evicted from the apartment. RV life could be the permanent solution for many. The cities will be lucky if most stay in campgrounds vs squatting on public streets.

Hot market for sellers. Class C sold last year for a great price, 19 Rubicon sold for 500 less than what I paid for it 2 years ago. That Jeep didn't do anything for me. I have enough toys. Found a work n play for my side by side and it put my Duramax back to work. 14mpg vs the C's 8

coolmom42 wrote:

radiojeffrv wrote:
Would have to agree...I believe many people ran out and bought RVs during the height of the pandemic and had no clue what it really takes to maintain a RV. I expect to see many on the market over the next 2-5 years.

I agree. But 2-5 years of zero maintenance is going to take an expensive toll in the form of water intrusion and bad tires and worn=-out batteries. Buyer beware, even more than usual.

What makes a greater propensity for lack of maintenance? And how much "needs" to be done in the first few years?
Besides, I just bought "2-5 year old" RV. 4 to be exact. Zero maint. Had to air up the tires to tow it home, and a little sun fading from recent times out of covered storage.

Let's see, needs a little minor caulking (probably present since almost new), greased up the bearings (no different than any other new trailer), cleaned the roof and couple minor repairs that were not maintenance related.

I don't see the connection between Covid and RV maintenance whatsoever. Not like because someone bought a new camper to go sightseeing during Covid that it wasn't just as big of a (relative) investment for them as anyone else or any other reason to buy a camper.

time2roll wrote:

jdc1 wrote:
Then you have those tens of thousands of families that took the opportunity to use their Covid relief cash to get something they may never had been able to afford otherwise. Those people will be RV lifer's, filling up campgrounds for years to come.

Especially as they give up their home or get evicted from the apartment. RV life could be the permanent solution for many. The cities will be lucky if most stay in campgrounds vs squatting on public streets.

Again, nothing to do with the OP's question....

If we're talking totally off topic responses, I got one that is at least somewhat related. Raw materials inflation and materials/components availability issues will/have actually affect(ed)/increase(ed) the cost of RV manufacturing, thereby offsetting some of the potential savings of a potential glut of covid campers selling their RVs.

That said, there are theories that the wildly inflated prices of the last year or so will become the "new" normal (not just rvs) and that mfgs will try to craft the future of lower production numbers and higher unit profits.
And the direct opposite that the excess of slightly used (more specific to RVs and toys) merchandise will drive prices back down.

Everything has gone nuts. I bought a used 2019 Ford F 150 Lariat 18 months ago for $36k. Dealers are asking $42 to $48k for a used '19 now,

Johnny Hurryup wrote:
Everything has gone nuts. I bought a used 2019 Ford F 150 Lariat 18 months ago for $36k. Dealers are asking $42 to $48k for a used '19 now,

Local Chevy dealer has used vehicles in showroom. No new trucks available.

Johnny Hurryup wrote:
Everything has gone nuts. I bought a used 2019 Ford F 150 Lariat 18 months ago for $36k. Dealers are asking $42 to $48k for a used '19 now,

The crazy used car market may be nearing an end:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/01/used-car-high-prices-may-finally-be-dropping.html

Though I still think we won't see a big change in the used RV market until next summer (assuming COVID subsides by then).

This past July there were more than 1 million visitors to Grand Tetons and Yellowstone which was a new record. With the delta variant and so many unvaccinated clowns walking around it is still far safer to travel by RV to recreation areas than to fly or take a cruise on a ship.

If you are looking to buy then decide which models work for your needs and continue to scan Craigslist and RVtrader and be ready to have cash in hand to make the purchase.