Will we see a new surge of RV 1st timers?

[BuckyII]

Over the past week, my wife and I have had several discussions with different friends and acquaintances regarding travel options. Most have said they will be afraid to fly, take cruises and even stay in motels. One couple went so far as to say they were thinking of renting a Winnebago for when they drive North, to avoid motels. I realize these fears will subside somewhat over time. However, am wondering if we may see a significant rise of interest in RVing as a vacation alternative?

 

[Jim]

Over the past week, my wife and I have had several discussions with different friends and acquaintances regarding travel options. Most have said they will be afraid to fly, take cruises and even stay in motels. One couple went so far as to say they were thinking of renting a Winnebago for when they drive North, to avoid motels. I realize these fears will subside somewhat over time. However, am wondering if we may see a significant rise of interest in RVing as a vacation alternative?

Depending on how long the economic interruption lasts, there is a good chance there will be some attractive RV offers available. That coupled with the above mentioned fears, make a good atmosphere for new/more RV purchases in the future. Just my .02 of course.

 

[NWIP]

People have been more at home, spending more time with families and trying to relieve stress by doing things outdoors. In some areas this has had negative impact on social distancing closing many National parks like the Grand Canyon.

I think this pandemic may bring changes in the way people vacation bringing more people to the outdoors. This will benefit the RV industry but will not cure the effects that they will be facing.

 

[sheridany]

Does everyone remember buying their first RV? I sure do. It was a total comedy in hindsight. Bay doors opening not knowing how to turn on the wipers.

Here’s a guy who decides to buy a Prevost from watching Andrew Steele although he claims he’s driven big rigs all his life.

 

[Jim]

Does everyone remember buying their first RV?

That's a tad bit nicer than my first RV!

 

[steamyb]

Probably folks that have lost homes or apartments will downsize into RVs to avoid being homeless. Then as they travel looking for work, they will hopefully realize that they have not failed. The System failed them, the Dream was an illusion, and that our Worth is not the Sum of the Crap we Accumulated. IMHO

 

[Billie Bud]

I think you will see those who lose their livelihoods sell off their toys. At the same time, this will be an appealing way for folks who have never tried this way of traveling and vacationing.

I think new rv sales will go down somewhat, but the used market will be strong. I actually think it will be about the same with the exception of some being forced to sell as first timers come into the market.

 

[FL-JOE]

I tend to agree with Billie Bud's prediction. Many retired travelers were probably freaked out hearing stories about the poor souls trapped on cruise ships and/or stuck in another country when this whole thing took off. Also, depending on how congested their home metro area was they may have started thinking it would have been great to have an RV to get away from it all.

I think the market for new expensive RVs will suffer for a couple years. The cheaper pull behinds and general used market may not suffer much at all. Heck, with record low interest rates on the horizon some lower end types of RVs may even see a increase in sales.

 

[Neal]

What happens to housing may affect the RV sales. For example with lower rates it may trigger some that weren't ready to buy to buy which in turn means some getting to sell and convert from S&B into RV. Just a guess and potential side effect. Also some that were wanting to cash in on their real estate investment the time may be now vs. later.

 

[fish_fanatic]

I just purchased my second travel trailer Saturday and the all of the dealerships here in Utah are swamped. The dealership where I purchased mine sold 17 in a six hour span and our salesman stated that he believes many are buying them because they are concerned about losing their homes. He also thought that they were buying while their credit is still intact expecting for the worse. This pandemic has a lot of people making choices that may not be in their best interest and we can only hope circumstances change.

I am grateful my profession is considered to be essential but it is my opinion that everyone's source of income is essential. So in my opinion for sure we will see many, many new RV 1st timers and I think you will see a trend of more of them being the younger generation.

Randy