Question Has it begun?

[Jim]

Just past a General RV. Looked like they were stocked to the hilt. Hmmmm!

I've been following several 2018 Dutch Star's on RV Trader and they are not moving like they were 6 months ago. Some of them have been on the market for a few months, and the asking prices are starting to come down.

There's a nice couple that stayed at our park twice last year. They are trying to sell their 2021 bullet TT, and it isn't exactly flying off the shelf like when they bought it. A year ago, it was standing room only to buy their trailer. Today, it's slowing down.

People who at one time viewed the RV lifestyle as affordable are starting to reevaluate the actual costs involved. Especially the cost of fuel.

 

[Nobaddays]

I set up notification search options on rvtrader a year ago for my next rig. I used to get emails once every few weeks on a new listing that matched my criteria. I am now getting about 4 new listing notifications per week. Excited for the next email as it could be the perfect upgrade.

 

[Jim]

Interesting article on the anticipated "glut" of used RV's soon to come.

 

[redbaron]

Interesting article on the anticipated "glut" of used RV's soon to come.

It was written a year ago, so doesn't mention fuel, which I believe is the final straw

 

[Neal]

I think we are seeing a separation of the real RVers from the novelty RVers. During the pandemic where remote work was high, home schooling, etc. everyone saw the opportunity to hit the road. Now with all of these factors including fuel costs, inflation, campground costs coming into play, the real RVers will remain, others will be discarding their time travel capsules and exiting the hobby.

 

[redbaron]

Real RVers....Love it.

I am a member!

 

[Neal]

I'm amazed at the 1-2 year old coaches hitting the market. Were they bought in error?

 

[Jim]

I'm amazed at the 1-2 year old coaches hitting the market. Were they bought in error?

If I had to guess, I'd say it's like everything else we buy. For example, I had never owned a Class A before and after owning a 35' gasser for awhile, I realized the floorplan was wrong and the V10 was not adequate for my needs. I replace it with a 40' diesel pusher with compression break (I think that's what it's called), 4 slideouts and a larger floor plan.

I'm only into my 3rd year of RV-ing and realize the last DP wasn't what I was looking for either.

 

[GypsyR]

I think there is a certain percentage of the population that just blindly follows fads. Going into debt for thousands of dollars for a vehicle you don't really want isn't the dumbest fad I've heard of. An in-law of our family did exactly that. Bought one because the rest of the family seemed to have campers and they wanted to fit in. (I guess.) They literally don't want it and camping of any kind isn't their thing at all. But there it sits. I'm in agreement that a lot of the lightweights will be clearing out with rising fuel prices.

 

[DHudson]

Here is what I think happened and happening. Americans were isolated, locked up so to speak when Covid hit what with all the lock downs,etc. They saw a loop hole in RV’s, to get out and some what live again. As people tired of all the restrictions, and those restrictions began to go away, they were able to return to their normal life, that included normal travel. For many, time spent at their destination is more important than the time spent getting there. Most families only have 2 weeks a year for a prolonged vacation, so getting there quickly is important to make the most of the time you have. Weekend excursions usually don’t warrant a RV. Now with the self induced inflation and fuel cost, that RV has lost a lot of “want” value. So they are taking their loss and moving on.
I bought for a totally different reason. I hate hotels. $100.00 + a night to sleep in a bed is crazy. And then 3 times that a day to kennel my pets. So I set a limit I would spend and started looking. That limit wasn’t much really. $20,000.00 After about 6 months my 2000 Dutch Star popped up for $18,000.00. And it is in pretty good shape. Now we can go 500 miles stay a week and take our pets. Use it to go to the lake on weekends, races,etc.
Upgrade as much as I want and not be hurt by the market. And the short trips won’t effect me that much on fuel cost, all things considered.