went to the Atlanta RV show today what a joke

RichieC wrote:
Our culture has changed. . .time is filled with stuff.
There is a lot more texting, emails, Xboxes, and "stuff" to fill our time.
The new generations are hooked on "stuff".

We use to have more time.

+ 1 Agree!

Our culture has changed. . .time is filled with stuff.
There is a lot more texting, emails, Xboxes, and "stuff" to fill our time.
The new generations are hooked on "stuff".

We use to have more time.

Steve68steve excellent observations. I agree with you that to some degree the avid DIYer is a dieing breed. But then go see how busy the Lowes or Home Depot parking lot is and I think differently. So I think there are some DIY projects people will take on and others that they won't. But I am a firm believer that everything runs in cycles and the day of more self sufficiency will return along with more manufacturing in the U.S. but I don't want to turn this political. I am happy to save money doing what I can but do farm out what I can't. But the list of items " I can't " is pretty small. To each his own.

CKNSLS wrote:
...Besides, the days of the "do it your self" are long gone. And the guys that do fix it themselves is such a small market they are not gong to worry about them.

Was just talking about this. I saw an old article (Popular Science, maybe) in which the author used the phrase, "then, on your table saw," as if every reader owned a table saw.
...but on the block I lived on as a kid, practically everyone DID.

Men used to repair their own cars, build/ fix stuff in/ for their own houses, even hunt, fish, and garden to produce some of their own food.
Women used to cook and bake from scratch, can, and sew, knit, or crochet.

It seems like people my age (45) and younger have moved away from self-sufficiency. I've heard even 'poor' guys talk about how they don't dirty their hands - they'd rather pay someone to do it. Their wives think "heating prepared food" = "cooking". I think that's their loss. We've seen people turn their nose up at a new house because they don't like the interior colors - they "don't know how" to PAINT and would have to hire someone $$$.

The internet is amazing - anything you want to build, fix, maintain, make, etc - someone's already done it. They've posted how-to's online. There are youtube videos showing you how to do it. There are online forums like this one (which has a TON of info on DIY camper maintenance/ repair) for any and every possible hobby or piece of equipment. There are assembly drawings, parts lists, repair manuals. You can even order specialty parts and track their delivery. A lot of tools can be rented, or even purchased for less than the cost of repair, and then sold on Craigslist or Ebay.
In the long-ago, you'd have to hope you could find a book on the thing you were interested in at they public library, or that there was a specialty store within a hundred miles. Now you're never more than a few minutes away from learning how to do something and having access to the tools and materials to do it.

And yet people can't be bothered... or don't think they can. All that's required is a willingness to do it, and banishing "I can't" from your vocabulary.

I have few peers my age that even attempt to fix things. They either take it for service or replace it. I'm Mr. Fix-It in the neighborhood...

Take it to Bedlam, if he cannot fix it, no one else can. That's a hard claim to live up to, but I have mechanical ability and tools to do most of my own repairs. What I don't know I research on the Internet to get some insight and hope the concepts apply to something I ran across before. That's not to say that I do all repairs - Some are just not worth the time and tools I would need to invest.

I am 55.

rfuerst911sc wrote:
The days of do it yourself are long gone ???? You're kidding right ? Do you take your RV to the dealer for everything that needs to be fixed ? Same thing for your car ? I guess I grew up in a different time and am proud of all the skills I have honed over the years. You ever take a good look at some of these clowns that call themselves certified mechanics ? Shallow end of the gene pool in some cases but there are qualified mechanics out there and they get top dollar. I'm done with trying to defend my position enjoy your RV that's what counts.

It would be interesting to know your age. I will make an assumption that your over 55 years of age. The reality is that the younger generation doesn't have the desire nor wants to spend their time fixing stuff. Yea, I know one or two that will chime in here saying they do---but they are the exception to the rule. Their friends are very important, now relationships last much longer then your generation due to Facebook and Smartphones. They like electronics and video games. Woodshop, Printshop, Autoshop,etc.,etc., have all but been eliminated form high schools. To work on modern trucks is all but impossible. You can change the oil and maybe the brakes, but not much else.

To acquire mechanical skills now require extra effort and extended education.

The fix it yourself generation is dying off......

The days of do it yourself are long gone ???? You're kidding right ? Do you take your RV to the dealer for everything that needs to be fixed ? Same thing for your car ? I guess I grew up in a different time and am proud of all the skills I have honed over the years. You ever take a good look at some of these clowns that call themselves certified mechanics ? Shallow end of the gene pool in some cases but there are qualified mechanics out there and they get top dollar. I'm done with trying to defend my position enjoy your RV that's what counts.

I don't know what show you went to but the real Atlanta RV Show is Jan. 24-26. You must have been at a dealer show.

CKNsLS wrote:
Besides, the days of the "do it your self" are long gone. And the guys that do fix it themselves is such a small market they are not gong to worry about them.

I respectfully disagree. We have many people who are rebuilding and restoring classic TCs. Part of the reason is the enjoyment of using one's skills and creating a machine that is custom tailored to your interest. Another is to build a better and more sturdy machine. And in some cases, its to cut costs since the barrier to entry is so high.

I agree that at this point its a small market. But "the long tail" of the internet that accumulates thousands of people out of the millions, and concentrates their efforts, may in fact change that. Once its seen that its actually possible to find not only parts but also information, I think there will be an explosion of marketshare.

We know that we do not live in a steady state universe, and things can change radically. The show in Atlanta that catered to a certain group of people may not be the future. It may be the recent past.