What the RV Industry needs and how it works.
I haven't posted for a while. Mostly happy trouble free camping has kept me a lurker. Trouble free however must have context, i'm a handy guy. A small insurance claim and having a kid has me assessing...
Forum Discussion
If you want to know what's going on in the industry, subscribe to RV Business magazine. I have been a subscriber since I started offering my consulting services to the RV industry.
First off, there is a tremendous level of innovation today in the industry. One mfr is now offering a 3 year warranty on all new towable units. More mfrs are now adding staff and floor space to do PDIs at the plant instead of making the dealer responsible for it, so problems get fixed quicker and dealers have less headaches delivering trouble-free units to their customers.
You cannot compare RVs to cars, appliances or anything else for that matter. The demand for RVs is VERY elastic, meaning that it's a completely discretionary purchase. Mfrs need to balance hi-tech with a price point, consumers are only willing to spend so much for a "toy". The majority of towables buyers are families with kids, once you get into the hi-end bus market, price takes a back seat to luxury.
Elastic demand also means that once the economy slows down, the RV purchase is the first thing to get chopped. Mfrs, dealers, and CG owners that have been around for a while know that you must be cautious in boom years if you want to survive the bust years. Coming off of the biggest bust in 2008, the camping industry is now in its biggest boom period....ever.
You want a quality build with attention to detail, then you're in the $40-50k market for a towable. If you are shopping $20-30k for a towable brand new, then expect some compromises in either build quality or features. There's no magic formula here. Go take a factory tour and see what goes into making a trailer and you'll leave wondering how they can even afford to make a trailer for $20-30k, and understand why they are made the way they are.
First off, there is a tremendous level of innovation today in the industry. One mfr is now offering a 3 year warranty on all new towable units. More mfrs are now adding staff and floor space to do PDIs at the plant instead of making the dealer responsible for it, so problems get fixed quicker and dealers have less headaches delivering trouble-free units to their customers.
You cannot compare RVs to cars, appliances or anything else for that matter. The demand for RVs is VERY elastic, meaning that it's a completely discretionary purchase. Mfrs need to balance hi-tech with a price point, consumers are only willing to spend so much for a "toy". The majority of towables buyers are families with kids, once you get into the hi-end bus market, price takes a back seat to luxury.
Elastic demand also means that once the economy slows down, the RV purchase is the first thing to get chopped. Mfrs, dealers, and CG owners that have been around for a while know that you must be cautious in boom years if you want to survive the bust years. Coming off of the biggest bust in 2008, the camping industry is now in its biggest boom period....ever.
You want a quality build with attention to detail, then you're in the $40-50k market for a towable. If you are shopping $20-30k for a towable brand new, then expect some compromises in either build quality or features. There's no magic formula here. Go take a factory tour and see what goes into making a trailer and you'll leave wondering how they can even afford to make a trailer for $20-30k, and understand why they are made the way they are.
