!

[GDS-3950BH]

! :S

[jdc1]

Smart people will buy a nice used RV instead of an overly priced new rig. Taken care of, RV's last generations.

[mockturtle]

You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality – Ayn Rand

Great quote, Bob. I'm a big fan of Ayn Rand.

[Terryallan]

GDS-3950BH wrote:

wildtoad wrote:
Sounds a bit like Chicken Little.

No chicken little, just accurate data. A drop of close to 100,000 sold, or 20% in two years, is substantial. Call it 4 billion dollars (if you do the math from the RVIA trumped up revenue numbers), not exactly chump change.

Could it be that every body that wants one, has one.

[Scottiemom]

We've been fulltiming since 2005. We travel all year. At times you hardly ever saw another RV out there on the roads. This year I would say there were more RV's we have seen traveling in a long time. I know that's nothing official, but campgrounds are fuller as well.

If you spend any time in northern Indiana, you know that every field and parking lot is crammed full of units. Manufacturers run out of places to store them, so they put them anywhere. Thousands of units just waiting to be shipped out. It's like the industry ignores signals. If the economy is good, they produce until the bottom falls out, then they stop. Like another poster mentioned, they reach the saturation level, but keep going. I think sometimes they are their own worst enemy.

Dale

[2012Coleman]

I'll start believing this data when I no longer have to plan trip a year in advance in order to get a spot.

[bikendan]

azdryheat wrote:
I work for a multi-state RV dealer and we're selling record numbers at our shows.

I just went to a big RV show, in the Seattle area. i've been attending it for the past 5 years and this was the most crowded one i seen.

[time2roll]

What if normal is 300 to 350? Why would you think the peak at 504 is normal?

OK maybe the exuberant party is over but still plenty of good times right now.

[colliehauler]

davelinde wrote:
I could not get data after 2014 but the rate of family formation is dropping... I did not look for data but I am thinking the rate of early retirement and/or retirement into a stable financial situation is dropping. On top of that I will guess that the number of families that want to RV as a family and the number of retirees who want to RV could be dropping. The combo of a smaller target demographic (families and retired) along with a smaller rate of interest in RV lead to the decline in sales.

Just my guess

This would be my guess as well. Probably less disposable income or competition for other interest as well.

[colliehauler]

azdryheat wrote:
I work for a multi-state RV dealer and we're selling record numbers at our shows.

What demographic do you sell the most RV'S to ?

[azdryheat]

I work for a multi-state RV dealer and we're selling record numbers at our shows.

[davelinde]

I could not get data after 2014 but the rate of family formation is dropping... I did not look for data but I am thinking the rate of early retirement and/or retirement into a stable financial situation is dropping. On top of that I will guess that the number of families that want to RV as a family and the number of retirees who want to RV could be dropping. The combo of a smaller target demographic (families and retired) along with a smaller rate of interest in RV lead to the decline in sales.

Just my guess

[Bipeflier]

We older Baby Boomers are starting to slow down and not spend as much money, moving into retirement type homes instead of campers. Younger folks are not into camping. Given the demographics in the U.S. I suspect it is all downhill from here.

[blofgren]

I would suspect that lack of camping spots, increasing camping fees, and increasing cost of fuel, insurance, etc. has a lot to do with it. I know it definitely has me thinking about the RV lifestyle, which is much less affordable than it used to be.

[winniman]

EV2 wrote:
With the predictions of climate change and the world ending in ten years, there is not enough time to get the RV paid off!

If that's true, who cares if its payed off. Its hard to get dead people to pay up. Its all bunk if you asked me.

[TomG2]

If South Texas is any indication, thousands of those units have been "Shipped and not sold". Inventories are huge. Good times plus low unemployment means less skilled workers and/or higher labor costs. Probably both. We pay more for less.