RV retail sales drop 31% April year over year.

Grit dog wrote:

Camper445 wrote:
Article


With fuel approaching $5.00 per gallon national average and predicted to keep climbing, watch this accelerate like a runaway train. Of course they still sugarcoat it, which is to be expected coming from the RV Industry's propaganda publication.

This is news?

Only if you want it to be.

bukhrn wrote:

theoldwizard1 wrote:
I expect the used market will be flooded this fall !

This means New prices will take a serious dive, until current stock is gone, but Used prices will jump with increased demand.

You think there is going to be increased demand for used RVs with $5.00+ gallon fuel and runaway inflation in general? I don't.

Camper445 wrote:

bukhrn wrote:

theoldwizard1 wrote:
I expect the used market will be flooded this fall !

This means New prices will take a serious dive, until current stock is gone, but Used prices will jump with increased demand.

You think there is going to be increased demand for used RVs with $5.00+ gallon fuel and runaway inflation in general? I don't.

I would expect the used market to be more sensitive to gas prices.

They guys dropping 6 figures on an RV probably aren't overly worried about gas prices.
The guys dropping $5k on an RV, gas prices may be more than they can handle.

Interesting, a couple months back, there was talk of a huge backlog in RV demand...I suggested it was likely just refilling the dealer inventory and it looks like that may be true.

MitchF150 wrote:
"approaching $5/gallon..." Ha, ha... I'd jump all over 'only' $5 gas!

At least for the gas I get.. I use 92 octane for the F150 and it's got a 36 gallon tank.

When the pump shuts off at $100 and that's really only 1/2 tank, that's where it is and what it costs these days..

I ain't cancelling any planned trips this year, but I have started driving my Mom's 2014 Ford Escape for the daily grind! F150 has not left the garage for over 2 weeks now!

Wait until it gets to $10/gallon... ha, ha!

Mitch

Do what I now do. Stop for gas when your tank is 3/4 full. Now it costs me less than $50 to fill up, just like the good ole days of 2020.??

I wish gasoline prices were "approaching" five dollars a gallon in California.

You guys are pretty close to naming the factors that affect a demand curve.

Complements are goods that are consumed together. Substitutes are goods where you can consume one in place of the other. The prices of complementary or substitute goods also shift the demand curve. When the price of a good that complements a good decreases, then the quantity demanded of one increases and the demand for the other increases. When the price of a substitute good decreases, the quantity demanded for that good increases, but the demand for the good that it is being substituted for decreases. Take a deeper dive into how changes in the prices of complements and substitutes affect the demand curve in this video. Created by Sal Khan.

In this case:

* Complimentary goods = fuel
* Substitute goods = new vs used

https://www.khanacademy.org/economics-finance-domain/ap-macroeconomics/basic-economics-concepts-macro/demand/v/price-of-related-products-and-demand

shum02 wrote:
I'm already seeing rigs for sale that have not even been used yet here in Ontario.

Here as well, although in almost every case they're asking what they paid new which is usually too much for a used unit, even if it's never been out. I see this with the Lance's and Airstreams in particular, where someone paid top dollar for new and are now selling, asking more for a used unit than a current new one (after discount).

propchef wrote:

shum02 wrote:
I'm already seeing rigs for sale that have not even been used yet here in Ontario.

Here as well, although in almost every case they're asking what they paid new which is usually too much for a used unit, even if it's never been out. I see this with the Lance's and Airstreams in particular, where someone paid top dollar for new and are now selling, asking more for a used unit than a current new one (after discount).

Stands to reason. A lot of dreamers in Cali!

I was just thinking about all this yesterday and with politics aside!

My diesel motor home has sat in my driveway for months now. We could afford it but I refuse to pay the close to 7 bucks a gallon here in Calif. Add to that the direction we seem to be going...buy electric, buy electric, you get the picture. Maybe I'm way behind on developments in the trucking/RV industry as to electric vehicles in that arena....but where is the outcry from these manufacturers? I don't see a battery powered HDT or motor home in the near future.

I was trying to picture RV'ing with no fossil fuel....load the electric car with tent and cruise quietly to the local campground? I'm not really complaining, I'm old enough to figure it's going to be a New generation issue but an issue that is and will be here before we know it.

Acampingwewillgo wrote:
Maybe I'm way behind on developments in the trucking/RV industry as to electric vehicles in that arena....but where is the outcry from these manufacturers? I don't see a battery powered HDT or motor home in the near future.

They're coming, but slowly.

Winnebago showed a Ford eTransit based EV:

https://fordauthority.com/2022/01/winnebago-e-rv-concept-debuts-as-ford-e-transit-camper-alternative/

But it's still a concept vehicle, not for sale. The 120 mile range is limiting for many people, but for those that like to go on weekend trips near home, it'd work fine. It would cover around 80% of my RV trips.

They announced a Class-A concept with the same range.

The cost (and availability) of the large battery needed for long range is the biggest limiting factor, eventually that will be solved, along with charge time. Tesla claims 300-500 miles of range for the Tesla Semi along with 30 minutes of charge time to add 400 miles of range at a Tesla "Megacharger".