RV Industry Faces Worst Spending Slump Since The Great Recession

[Kevin D Pem]

Truly build quality is part of the problem. But inflation in everything RV related can't be overlooked.

The dream state is fragile! When you see your food bill higher every trip to the store. And the drive over to the RV lot cost an extra buck or two, you can't help but understand why there's a slump in the RV market spending.

Not being negative,just being realistic.

When those people that used to buy your trade ins quit buying because outside pressures of staying afloat. Well trading up becomes more difficult.

If you're sponsored, as in racing circuit buyer's are, then trade ins can be looked at as cost of doing business (I believe the reason Newmar is courting racing exposure). For everyone that can't look at ownership in that way trade ins as a cost of doing business, need to add inflation cost into the equation.

 

[Neal]

I bet if we went back to before RV's had motors, they were talking about bad build quality too!

RV's don't go through Q/A like cars do. They are kludged together and only have to successfully operate until across the dealer's curb!

 

[Underboss]

I bet if we went back to before RV's had motors, they were talking about bad build quality too!

RV's don't go through Q/A like cars do. They are kludged together and only have to successfully operate until across the dealer's curb!

Different animals. Cars are mass produced so much that you take the car with the least sales and I would venture a guess that that model alone outsells rvs 1000 to 1
To build an rv with the detail and level of a car would take an 800k coach to 2 mil minimum. Lets not overlook that Prevost's at 3 mil still have quality issues and more.
The technology in all vehicles the last few years has grown exponentially. The more tech in an rv chances are the more issues.
As for costs rising, the last year and the insanity believing tariffs would help has completely upended manufacturing and farming in the USA. Prices of everything have skyrocketed. Coffee in 12/24 was 9.99 for 3 lbs at costco, same brand and size in $22. Who is going to spend money on a coach (besides a few of us) with the threat of endless inflation with no end in sight?

 

[turbopilot]

Let's examine some of the issues contributing to the "RV Slump".

I think the biggest issue is that the market is trying to digest the glut of RV's bought during the pandemic. When those pandemic RV's become "old" the cycle will reverse.

The biggest question is how so many people can buy such poorly built, badly designed and low reliability RV machines. There are two reasons. The biggest reason is the avalanche of paid internet/Youtube influencers. These people make their living by selling "good news" when the news may not be so good.

A close companion to the paid internet influencers are the people who actually talk about their RV experience through the vail of being fully infected by the Stockholm Syndrome. After paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for an awful machine some folks will defend the decision because they don't want to admit to such a poor choice or compromise the resale value of their bad decision.

But the biggest problem is that an RV is a luxury item that for many people is seldom used. For rational reasons they want to spend as little as possible on a seldom used toy. So they buy based on price, not quality. During the last 10 years I think many people realize the vast majority of RV's are just junk and they have just given up.

A well engineered, quality built RV is very hard to sell given the current conditions.