Trailer demand and prices

[Gleaner]

Been looking since last year for a bigger trailer to fit our family. Remember seeing some and didn't act fast enough and they were gone last year. Thought this year might be different. I passed on one and all of the sudden I can hardly find one that suits us unless it's about new price or half way across the country. Everyone said those that bought first time last year would be selling and there would be deals. What are you all seeing?

[lane_hog]

I thought there'd be a lot more available by now as well, but have seen an uptick on some brand specific Facebook For Sale groups of "used only X days" trailers in the last couple weeks.

[youngtravelers]

Im in Oregon, and local trailers used (1-3 yrs) old are selling like hotcakes. co-worker posted up his 2016 TT for sale for what he paid for it- sold it in 24 hours for more than he asked, as he had numerous people showing up for it, ended up being a "bidding war".
another co-worker sold his pop-up (OLD ONE) for $2200, had over 100 calls on it within the hr he posted it.

We bought a 2020 Heartland torque T314 in January of 2020. The Selling Dealer called us in september, asking if we wanted to sell it for more than what we paid for it, and "upgrade" to a 2021. problem was it would be 3 months out, 2nd- we were currently living in it due to loss of our home to a fire.
It partly depends on where you are, and what your looking for.
We travel to BOISE ID, frequently, it appears their RV lots are loaded with RVs of all types. however- do some research, and some of those places had a LOT of complaints, and BAD reviews.

[Lwiddis]

“By about the 5th year,..”

But with NO roof or seam maintenance...

[bgum]

Yesterday passed by a Camping World and several large and midsized RV dealers and there is no shortage in new units. All classes and sizes are available. Really couldn't tell about used units.

[Gleaner]

Thanks for all the replies. That all makes a lot of sense. Kind of like last year I passed on something earlier that looks good now. Of course I'd have one to sell too...

[toedtoes]

Historically, many new to RVing RV buyers use the RV a lot the first year or two and then get distracted with the rest of their lives and do less and less with it. By about the 5th year, they see it sitting in the driveway or they see the storage bills and decide they should sell. They willingly take a loss on it because they realize they are throwing money away having it sit there. A small few hate the RV so much they want to sell it within months of buying - but they want what they paid for it.

With the pandemic, many folks wanted to believe that new to RVing RV buyers were somehow different than in the past and they would "hate" it so much they'd just want it to disappear at any cost.

In reality, they are the same as always. They aren't going to sell until the RV has sat for a few years. If they do sell now, they want the full price.

Those who might have been ready to sell now are hanging on to their rigs because of the pandemic. The RV has become an "in case of emergency" plan for them. They will wait until the pandemic has been over for a couple or so years before selling.

It was all fortunetelling and no data and research.

[Lwiddis]

It is going to be a sellers' market for sometime in practically all areas. Similar to what my parents said it was after WWII. Heck, in 1949 they wanted a new car, went to a local Plymouth dealer and he said take your pic...we have two new cars.

[goducks10]

I can go to several dealer websites here in Oregon and all of them have diddle for used RV's and their supply of new is less than 2019. What I'm seeing is that when you scroll down the page you see a lot of "On order" postings.
I also drive by a lot that is now selling a TT brand that they didn't in the past. Didn't need to because the brands they did sell they could get more fairly easy. Now they're stocking anything so they can make a sale.

Here's an interesting take on the state of the RV world as of now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqV28ayI1o4

[Gdetrailer]

Gleaner wrote:

hornet28 wrote:
Some of those crystal balls were defective and cracked

Do you think the demand is just as strong this year? Since I'm looking at used units and have some specifics in mind, do I have to adjust my price range up if I find one that fits the bill?

Manufacturers are still not producing at normal rates, lots of material shortages right now putting a squeeze on new units being available for the demand and that pushes the prices up.

Take that into account on the used market, if new units are scarce and the cost has soared there is less incentive for folks to trade or sell off their old ones. This also drives up the prices of what used units will be selling for.

If you have hard set "specifics" then most likely your gonna have to step up to the plate and jump on the first one that fits your specifics and it most likely is going to cost more than what your set budget is.

Otherwise, perhaps lower your "specifics" a bit and buy what you can find at the most reasonable price right now.. If you work it right, down the road you might find your dream RV at a better deal and you can sell off the one that doesn't fit the dream with very little loss.

[jdc1]

Quit wasting time here on this board. You probably missed out on three RV's that fit your needs in the time you posted . LOL.

[valhalla360]

Gleaner wrote:

hornet28 wrote:
Some of those crystal balls were defective and cracked

Do you think the demand is just as strong this year?

Things are getting better but...
Much of the international travel is still closed.
While domestic air travel is increasing compared to last year, it's still a fraction of what is normal.

Most of the pressures pushing towards RVs are still present and the fears around RV travel are gradually decreasing.

It's likely going to be at least 2-3yrs before most people give up and sell. There's a psychological component. People will be embarrassed if they dumped tens of thousands into an RV and then the next summer sold it....so they will hold off until it's long since obvious that they won't be using it.

[thomasmnile]

A recent story in the Orlando Sentinel quoted an RVIA spokesman estimating RV sales of 530000 units in 2021; higher than the 430K of 2020 and surpassing the industry record of 500K set in 2017.

It's not just RV's. New boat registrations in Florida have jumped 30% in the last year, and even camping equipment such as tents is in high demand.

[WNYBob]

I had a "crystal ball" that was made of plastic, for forecasting solvents (like gasoline) in 1972!

[BB_TX]

I doubt many first time buyers will dump after one year. More likely start seeing it in 3-5 years when they begin to find it is not really what they thought. And the dollars are still going out to pay for it. Demand will not likely be as high this year as last year, but probably will not slump a lot until at least next year. My crystal ball. :B

[Gleaner]

hornet28 wrote:
Some of those crystal balls were defective and cracked

Do you think the demand is just as strong this year? Since I'm looking at used units and have some specifics in mind, do I have to adjust my price range up if I find one that fits the bill?