monkey44 wrote:

One thing I notice in the article cited ... it talks about built and shipped, but not much about actual sales to consumers. Just because a manufacturer builds one and ships one does not mean a dealer sold one. Sold is the criteria, not when it sits on a dealer lot, waiting for a customer.

We are beginning to see a long-term recovery in both RV and truck sales, but that will also depend on interest rate dropping for those that finance and not cash-buyers. I'd expect the market depends more on financed buyers than cash purchases to remain viable to dealers. Dealers get the bucks either way, but the market is probably much less dependent on cash sales, especially with interest up and sale prices high.

RetiredRealtorRick wrote:

Hmmmmm, very interesting.

Am I wrong, or did we read not all that long ago that Thor was completely sold out of their 2023 production?

spoon059 wrote:

Diesel is $5.75 at the local cash only gas station, that's had some effect on our camping this year. Looking at our Florida trip, thats 1800 miles round trip at about 12 mpg. 150 gallons of diesel at $6/gallon will be almost as expensive as the campground for 2 weeks...

JIMNLIN wrote:

RV industry has had these ups and downs since I've been around the industry starting in the early 1960s.
RV prices never dropped like some seem to think during/after those periods.

Grit dog wrote:



While I wasn't RVing during the last big recession (our RV was a truck topper and a 4man tent), a new(ish) boat, a new(ish) truck and a chunk of land got gotten by us for a significant discount.
I don't believe for a second that the RV market was insulated from the rapid depreciation that everything else was.

JIMNLIN wrote:


Thats fine.

In 1972 I bought a new 8' 6" truck camper at the boat sport and travel show for 975 bucks. Even top of the line big name brand 10'+ truck camper with all the ginger bread sold in the 2800-3000 dollar range.

In the same boat and sport show in 1986 the exact same truck camper sold for 3600-3800 bucks.

The last years this mfg stopped making truck campers and went to all TT and 5th wheel trailers was 1992-93 era. This same model TC sold in the 8800-8900 bucks range.

I 'spect in 10 more years we'll look back at the new current prices and wish prices were back to the pandemic levels.

On the fuel cost subject...as long as the feds let shipping industry add fuel surcharges, costs of products won't come down for a long time...if ever.



EDIT: Quote fixed.