MattFromPA
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Joined 13 years ago
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Re: Pooo! RVIA Shipment Report for March Reveals 50.8% Decrease
I see plenty of TT's for sale on social media in the "bought in 2021, no time to use it now" bucket, and at the same time people are apparently still buying brand new. I've seen 2022's going for less than half MSRP, as in $16k for a 29ft no-slide bunkhouse. There is a new General RV near me that is packed to the rafters with units. Funny there is also a 'Now Hiring' banner strung up on their main building. I can only guess its their way of saying "situation normal here, no sale prices needed look how prosperous we are." The floorplans these dealers are carrying have to be ruinous. When do the implosions start?792Views0likes0CommentsRe: Chew on this.
I've taken a few long road trips this month and last, including a long stretch of I-95. Dealer lots were packed. A large Camping World next to Cabela's in PA was overflowing last weekend. My Facebook RV groups are filling up with for-sale postings (almost always TT's). Seasonal, sure, but the timing is interesting. My credit union RV rate is 7.75% for 60 months, 8.25% for 120. Inflation is vaporizing the margins in family budgets. I know it has for mine. Hard to imagine sitting down and signing loan papers in this environment. So if you are looking to buy, hang in there. Dealers will be sweating this winter IMHO.1.1KViews0likes0CommentsRe: A tale of two trailers, or prices are thru the roof.
propchef wrote: MattFromPA wrote: When interest rates go up the party will be over. Many borrow to acquire their RV's and money has never been cheaper. The industry is going to crater. When it does I'd like to swoop in on a deal. Problem is, covid campers are always going to be junk. Many who find themselves deep underwater won't be able to get enough on the resale to cover the note. We'll start seeing lightly used units more and more this winter but I think the gates will open in late 2022. By then those that bought on impulse in 2020 (and learned it isn't for them) will finally give in and sell, eating the difference owed if necessary. At least water damage will be easier to detect by then. ^^^yup. However, little things like thousands of canceled flights (and fights on planes!) will continue to fuel RV sales. When the airlines and cruise industry come back to full strength I think then you'll see a turn-around in the RV industry. I think most RV'ers are weekend warriors. At least that's my observation. I fly for long vacations and use the TT for weekends and the two do not mix for me. I don't have time to drive cross-country for one thing. Anyway, when the debt bubble bursts its going to create bargain shopping for some and extreme pain for those that bought RVs and trucks at the peak.872Views0likes0CommentsRe: A tale of two trailers, or prices are thru the roof.
Brandon the Traveler wrote: What I am seeing with RVs is price gouging and it's not so much the dealers as it's starting at the manufacturer level. Those guys are not your friend nor will they ever be. It's a one of a kind special industry and always has been Now its on steroids. Hopefully energy costs, runaway inflation, etc soon slams the brakes on the party. It can't happen to a nicer load of crooks. When that happens the values are going to drop 3 times as fast as they increased, and all these folks buying them like hotcakes while financing them for 120, 180, 240 months are going to be left holding the bag. When interest rates go up the party will be over. Many borrow to acquire their RV's and money has never been cheaper. The industry is going to crater. When it does I'd like to swoop in on a deal. Problem is, covid campers are always going to be junk. Many who find themselves deep underwater won't be able to get enough on the resale to cover the note. We'll start seeing lightly used units more and more this winter but I think the gates will open in late 2022. By then those that bought on impulse in 2020 (and learned it isn't for them) will finally give in and sell, eating the difference owed if necessary. At least water damage will be easier to detect by then.871Views0likes0CommentsRe: 16 years with no blowouts, now two in a month.
Had two blowouts in a single week last summer! The first occurred not a mile away from the storage lot on a Wednesday. Put on the spare and picked up a replacement (Goodyear Endurance as it turned out) the next day. The second one blew on the way to the campground Friday night, followed by hunting down an open tire shop on Saturday. Moral of the story, always pick up a new tire ASAP after a blowout. I was on borrowed time with the China bombs that were on the trailer and I knew it. Five years and done for me going forward. Picked up 8-ply Carlisles earlier this summer to replace the other two.584Views0likes0CommentsRe: Is it a good time to sell?
Can't really get your hands on one around here. RV Trader listings have all but dried up within 150 miles of me. The large dealer I follow online has almost no inventory. This isn't the year to get a deal. I would sell ASAP if you want to get the maximum value out of it. I suspect the used market will flood in the spring and maybe all of next year.321Views0likes0CommentsRe: Are all new RVs built this bad or is it just mine?
This is making me not want to buy a new (or even newer used) TT. My 2005 Keystone has its problems but they're manageable. The actual build quality is overall pretty good, as I've learned while digging into various age-related problems. I do feel for those living through the RV dream-turned-nightmare. And yet my friends who have bought new the last two years have had good experiences - both had minor warranty issues but nothing eyebrow-raising. And one is a Forest River.1KViews0likes0CommentsRe: PA Local income taxes?
Be sure your intended destination allows full-time living. I checked out a park model-only place that wouldn't allow you to use their address - and you had to prove residency elsewhere and needed to vacate a set period per year. All this to prevent the township from levying property tax I believe.685Views0likes0CommentsRe: Pa Open for Camping
Went last weekend - so May 15-17. A Thousand Trails property in PA. In general it was handled very well in terms of distancing and people wearing masks. All facilities were closed so no problem with picking up COVID from a shared surface. The only staff interaction was getting my parking pass at check-in, which was handled at the entry shack and not in the office. Fishing was still 'open' on the creek frontage. I will say not everyone wore a mask all the time including me. We just weren't in close proximity to anyone else at any time. On paper you needed a mask if leaving your site. I'm much more concerned going for groceries than camping.579Views0likes0CommentsRe: This could be a problem
Looks like sales have been booming here in PA. I window shop, and I've noticed since May 1 when auto/rv sales could resume, that the new and used inventory of a large multi-location dealer is just about depleted. Its not Camping World. March and April were of course dead and prices were lower. I think you could only buy online at that time, with home delivery. RV Trader is also showing fewer units in my area. I guess its pent-up demand, along with some folks making more staying at home plus the stimulus cash?553Views0likes0Comments
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