This is JMHO, but I do think RV sales are going to be strong for a couple years, provided no disasters happen that affect the complete nation.
I've also been watching the market, and I think the market has changed since the big tanking in '08. It will be interesting to watch.
I was reading some negatives though. One comment was about a major company (not sure which) that was going back to Filon on luan for the siding after running a couple years selling rigs with Azdel siding. People need to watch for that, since a 2011/2012 model that may be delamination-resistant, might not have a 2013/2014 successor that is.
Of course, there are some promising new technologies. Atwood's on-demand water heater that fits in a six gallon enclosure will be something that will be a must have.
Then, there are existing technologies which are getting cheaper, so hopefully will make it into more rigs. Solar cells and chargers for example, or lithium-ion house batteries.
bucky wrote: Most of the dealers areound here are tanking, or surviving off used sales only. I don't believe a word the media says anymore.
A lot of bricks & mortar neighborhood businesses are struggling because buyers are internet savvy for finding best prices and strong customer service reputations even if the dealer is a long distance away. The smarter, adaptable retailers will survive and use the developing technology to their advantage.
Dealers in Colorado have closed or cut back drastically. Most have gone to carrying low-priced and lower quality units so they can sell more. Inventories are down, as have been for last 3 years or so. Poor economy + poor economic outlook = low inventories = low sales.
RV sales have been strong last year, some dealers here claim to have had their best year ever… while that might be true there are fewer dealers at the same time…
The brick & mortars are struggling because they are disadvantaged by the so called internet savvy buyer and e-seller, that use the B&M to kick tires and use up the sales staffs time while never intending to buy anything because they are to savvy and able to find a e-seller with no overhead, employing no one, offering nothing to the community, and paying relatively no taxes that will undercut a traditional and local B&M…
of course the savvy internet buyer will still expect the B&M to carry a full line of stock for their convenience and parts needed more quickly than the 3 to 5 business delivery days of the internet store and if they can’t do that for them, they should close their doors…
It’s hard to imagine what life will look like when all the smarter, adaptable retailers survive and use the developing technology to their advantage and there are no traditional B&M stores left, just the smarter adaptable big box’s and the e-stores…
Love my mass produced, entry level, built by Lazy American Workers, Hornet
JJBIRISH wrote: RV sales have been strong last year, some dealers here claim to have had their best year ever… while that might be true there are fewer dealers at the same time…
The brick & mortars are struggling because they are disadvantaged by the so called internet savvy buyer and e-seller, that use the B&M to kick tires and use up the sales staffs time while never intending to buy anything because they are to savvy and able to find a e-seller with no overhead, employing no one, offering nothing to the community, and paying relatively no taxes that will undercut a traditional and local B&M…
of course the savvy internet buyer will still expect the B&M to carry a full line of stock for their convenience and parts needed more quickly than the 3 to 5 business delivery days of the internet store and if they can’t do that for them, they should close their doors…
It’s hard to imagine what life will look like when all the smarter, adaptable retailers survive and use the developing technology to their advantage and there are no traditional B&M stores left, just the smarter adaptable big box’s and the e-stores…
Very true. No one here will purchase a RV unless they get 30 to 35% off. Yet they want the RV to be perfect, no surprises, and they want a "lifetime" warrenty even if the written warrenty states 2 yrs. I just wonder where they will find all these used RV's when all the dealers selling new rv's go out of business? Of course this is BS. Look at the people that attended the Tampa RV Show and look at the sales they recorded. I think there are a few on this forum that are full of BS.
There are a lot of people on here that at times are full of things. I am just speaking about my very rural area. We were in the Tampa area last weekend, but the weather was too good to go look at units we can no longer afford. We did go to Hershey in the fall, and there was a lot of sales activity, but some of the dealers had sold signs on every unit when the show opened the first day. It's an old sales con, make everybody believe that they are going to miss out on somthing. I do believe the larger metro areas are doing well, but here in rural America not so much.
The brick & mortars are struggling because they are disadvantaged by the so called internet savvy buyer and e-seller, that use the B&M to kick tires and use up the sales staffs time while never intending to buy anything because they are to savvy and able to find a e-seller with no overhead, employing no one, offering nothing to the community, and paying relatively no taxes that will undercut a traditional and local B&M…
of course the savvy internet buyer will still expect the B&M to carry a full line of stock for their convenience and parts needed more quickly than the 3 to 5 business delivery days of the internet store and if they can’t do that for them, they should close their doors…
It’s hard to imagine what life will look like when all the smarter, adaptable retailers survive and use the developing technology to their advantage and there are no traditional B&M stores left, just the smarter adaptable big box’s and the e-stores…
What I am talking about are RV dealers that use technology well ... combined with great staff and service. There are local dealers around the US who have had great web sites for years, send messages to buyers when a unit comes in of interest to that buyer, have online answers to your questions and back up their Internet marketing with excellent service. They've managed to survive the recession and are doing well as people are buying again.
Then there are dealerships with clueless salespeople, out of date web sites, etc who sit around and whine about the economy. But this is true in every type of business.
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