How many of the Newbies will be around in a year?

[Doneworking]

There has, as we all know, been a real rush to buy RVs of all kinds (but especially Bs and Cs) by a lot of folks that were motivated by COVID 19 restrictions and wanted to take themselves or family on a trip or vacation.

I am just curious. Do you think they will still have a RV in a year or two? Or, will the experience just be a passing fancy? Many, it would seem, are naive as to the ongoing maintenance and normal problems of a house going down the road on wheels. COVID and cheap interest rates have made for some strange purchases.

So, how many will stick with their purchase?

What say ye???

[avanti]

Good question.
Maybe it will depend on whether the current frenzy also attracts more service people to the industry. I suspect that it won't be the problems per se that would force people away, as much as discovering how difficult it is to find a competent place to get things repaired.
There is a real opportunity here for mechanically-oriented tradespersons. The costs of entry are not high. We'll see if anybody notices the opportunity.

[booster]

Judging by what is happening around here in Minnesota with boats, I wouldn't be surprised if many of the new RV folks get out of it fairly quickly.


The boat thing here was similar and seen as a safe getaway from the virus, so lots of people bought them. Sold out all the dealers at crazy prices.



Now that winter is coming I see quite a few boats out by the road with for sale signs on them, and many look essentially new. The realities of winter storage, maintenance and with new found knowledge of going boating regularly with all the hookup, driving, launching, loading, clean off the invasive species, etc has probably convinced some that it isn't for them.

[IWUGrad]

I'm a newbie and I plan to be around for a long time. Of course, I'm new to owning a Class B, but not new to camping. Covid did play a part in the thought process to purchase one, but it mainly sparked the desire for us to get back into camping after many years away. We have a son and family in California and that road trip will be amazing. We love driving and cooking for ourselves, and I do love my own bathroom where ever I go! LOL. So this was a perfect fit.

We did carefully consider ongoing maintenance and the costs involved with keeping it it top shape, but honestly did not consider how tough it was going to be to find someone to work on it. I'm hoping it will get easier as some people will drop away and places won't be so backed up and busy. I'm not "handy" but am finding ways like this forum, YouTube videos and other ways to learn to do the simple things myself.

And then of course, there's the lack of availability in State Parks and Campgrounds. Good luck booking a weekend. Again, that my die down as well.

It will be interesting to watch the market and see what happens.

[mkguitar]

similar with motorcycles, the "idea" of a motorcycle can be very attractive


the "reality" of riding a motorcycle ...caught in the rain, bugs, danger has many get in and get out at a loss


I bought my BMW 1/2 price from a guy who brought it home and had the "either it goes, or me and the kids go"
The spouse just about threw the keys at me when i rang the doorbell.


There are now 5 PleasureWays within a couple of blocks of my house- I saw a self build promaster in progress this morning walking the dog, and a couple of other B's..I'd guess this is up from a total of 4 a year ago.


or the secret is out about how much fun we are having.



Mike

[kmessinger]

I think quite a few will be around. Once they discover they can use the B for a daily drive it makes a lot of sense.

Ours is also our escape vehicle from fires, earthquakes, BLM, and crazy neighbors. We keep it mostly packed and ready to go.

Stuck in traffic? Pull off and have a cold brew. Need a bathroom? You don't need a McDonalds.

I've had a B or a van since my first Westfalia in 1973. I don't think I will ever go back to a car.

[rowiebowie]

Just my guess, but I'd gonna go with 60/40. Sixty percent will enjoy them and keep them as a backup for the next pandemic or whatever comes next. So it will swell the ranks of rv'ers noticeably. But 40% will find (like owning a boat) that they just don't use it enough to offset the expense of maintenance.

One indication of the crazy current demand is the prices of new & used rv's that people are willing to pay. An example is that both me and one of the other rare Airstream Avenue Suite owners paid $57K and $55K respectively for our '2012 Avenues three years ago. He sold his last month for $10K more than he paid for it ($65,000) after putting 3 years and 50,000 miles on it. It sold in less than a week, sight unseen to it's new owner. He told me from all the interest he received that he thought he could have gotten more for it.

Two '2012 Airstream Avenues were listed recently at $79K & $89K. Since the original MSRP was just under $100,000, I'm pretty sure they sold for those prices when new.

[IWUGrad]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

One indication of the crazy current demand is the prices of new & used rv's that people are willing to pay. An example is that both me and one of the other rare Airstream Avenue Suite owners paid $57K and $55K respectively for our '2012 Avenues three years ago. He sold his last month for $10K more than he paid for it ($65,000) after putting 3 years and 50,000 miles on it. It sold in less than a week, sight unseen to it's new owner. He told me from all the interest he received that he thought he could have gotten more for it.

I just bought mine in August. It's 13 years old and in amazing one owner shape. I knew I was overpaying because of demand, but let's just say when the title was signed over and I saw the amount the previous owner paid brand new, I felt a little sick. Let's just say they recouped very nicely.

[GeorgeRa]

I have not enough wisdom to predict numbers, but can likely guess that a good numbers newcomers’ purchases will result with two happy days, bringing a B home and getting rid of it.

I was trying to help friend’s daughter selecting a B van, a happy family of four. I had difficulties to persuade her away from a new Airstream Sprinter, likely not the best option for 4 to sleep. Airstream and Sprinter are still magical words these days.

[Doneworking]

This is a forum for Bs. My original post and question, however, indicated the fact that Newbies are buying Bs and lots of Cs. They also are buying a ton of trailers and a few Class A rigs as well.

We will certainly pick up a goodly number of permanent fellow B'ers in this new purchase group, but I really wonder about about the C's and trailers as well. B's are multi use vehicles and the other categories are pretty well singular in use. Also, their storage requirements are different.

One of the truly compelling things about a B is that just about anyone can drive, park and generally handle them. Not everyone can successfully pull a trailer, understand load distribution, hitch equipment for control, towing capacities (especially of SUVs) and so on. A C is generally much easier to work on than a B because access to systems is generally better. But, you don't run to the grocery store in one do you?

When winter storage time gets here I wonder how many Newbies have thought through what you do with your new toy in freezing weather. I wonder how many of the purchases will really stick, not just on B's but on all types of recreational vehicles. And if you are not "handy" working on your own stuff, we all know how far behind schedule rv service places are right now and probably will be in the future.

Time will tell and next summer, we probably will know the answer.

[Belzar]

I think we'll see a bigger drop out of new full-timers than new recreational RV'ers. Many of those who are attempting to start life on the road may be in for surprises and disappointments when some of the realities hit home.

[Davydd]

My new son-in-law just sold his cabin on Lake Winnebigoshish in northern Minnesota and bought a 22 foot trailer RV. He has towing experience since he owns a horse and horse trailer and a diesel Ram pickup truck.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

I have not enough wisdom to predict numbers, but can likely guess that a good numbers newcomers’ purchases will result with two happy days, bringing a B home and getting rid of it.

I was trying to help friend’s daughter selecting a B van, a happy family of four. I had difficulties to persuade her away from a new Airstream Sprinter, likely not the best option for 4 to sleep. Airstream and Sprinter are still magical words these days.

George, concerning the Airstream, maybe avanti's phone number?

Bud

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by Bud

George, concerning the Airstream, maybe avanti's phone number?

Bud

Good point, in 2013 we evaluated Airstream, in just a few minutes of we noticed a very shoddy workmanship. Fit and finish was not near quality of Bigfoot trailer we had at that time. In comparison to Airstream trailers, Intestate Vans represented MR Hyde side of Dr. Jekyll side and Hyde family. Since I didn’t see one so their quality could have improved.

[wny-pat]

It's a long story and not telling it all. We started with a Toyota Sunrader, moved up to a Allegro, then graduated to a Foretravel U225 Grand Villa 36ft diesel pusher. Loved the Foretravel!!! We traveled in style in that coach!!, and repairs cost me some big bucks! Had to replace the engine's head because of a exhaust leak. I've got a tight pocket book, so I got a rebuilt one off of ebay. Boy of boy, did she ever run nice after that. Well to make a long story short, was between Lobo and Valentine, Tx going down the hwy and she was just purring when all the sudden we heard a loud BANG followed by rattle rattle rattle. I coasted her in to a rest stop and called Coachnet. They sent out a tow truck which towed us all the way into El Paso, TX to the Cummins dealer. Cummins said that she had dropped a valve which messed up the cylinder walls. Needed a remanufactured engine. We waited about a week and found out that the engine was lost somewhere in Northern New Mexico, so we went home to Western NYS. About a week after we got home Cummins called and said she would be ready by the time we got back down there! Well we drove back to Tx and arrived at the Cummins dealer on April 1st. I went in to the service desk and they told me she wasn't ready yet. I thought for sure that it was a April Fools joke, but they were serious!!!! Another week in El Paso's motels. Finally she was ready and they wanted $24,000!!! I told they that they could have the coach and the title. After some dickering we got it down to $15,000 out the door. Only got as far as Fort Worth. Needed to replace the remanufactured injector pump, which Cummins picked up.

Anyway, when we got home, the better half said no more RVing -- sell the Foretravel. That was way back in about 2014/15!

Well, she missed having her own bed and her own toilet when traveling! But she said it would have to be something that she can drive!! So I went on a seach for a Class B, some thing along the lines of a Roadtrek, Pleasureway, Chinook or Born Free. I was in for a shock when I started seeing today's high used prices! I searched and searched and searched with no luck. Finally we found a 2008 Roadtrek 210 at a bargain price. We call her "The Wantabe"!!!

So we're Newbies again!!! At least we know what we're getting into!! RVing isn't cheap, but it is a fun way to travel, as long as you can take the good with the bad!!!

[yvairguy]

My guess is there will be some good buying opportunities in the next 3 to 5 years and really beyond. I almost bought a 40 foot bus conversion once that was on a second owner. He bought it and his wife hated it, it sat for about 7 years. My guess there are going to be a lot of people rushing into this and not liking this or that aspect of RVing and there will be some good deals on the horizon.

[Beachlife]

Originally Posted by Doneworking

There has, as we all know, been a real rush to buy RVs of all kinds (but especially Bs and Cs) by a lot of folks that were motivated by COVID 19 restrictions and wanted to take themselves or family on a trip or vacation.

I am just curious. Do you think they will still have a RV in a year or two? Or, will the experience just be a passing fancy? Many, it would seem, are naive as to the ongoing maintenance and normal problems of a house going down the road on wheels. COVID and cheap interest rates have made for some strange purchases.

So, how many will stick with their purchase?

What say ye???

You can't really tell what will happen with so many factors. Weather, Election, COVID, civil unrest, and Money. My guess is some will love it like we do and continue. Others just wanted an escape. I am so glad I have all those toys I bought last year. There will be a time the market is flooded with RV's and Boats, but we might be surprised how many people actually like their toys. I did find that if these items fit in their yard and they have time to putter around it may be a new hobby. Otherwise the costs of storage and fees will get to them. I guess we will just wait and see into the new year.
I plan to keep my Travato B 59K a long time and use the heck out of it. Be well everyone.

[Gaucho]

As others have alluded to, there is a general RV market and there is also the Class B submarket.

Then there are people who will fulltime and others for whom an RV is more recreational and also perhaps part of their emergency plan.

The way I see it, for the Class A, C, and fifth wheel RVs that were purchased for recreation are akin to someone buying a boat. They need to be stored which adds a financial burden as well as the chore of picking up/dropping off that can grow old relative to the enjoyment of the new toy. Their purchase is in addition to whatever other vehicle they own.

Surely, there will be new Class B owners for whom their experience with RVing will be short-lived. There will be other new RV owners, however, that purchased in a relative rush without knowing which class of RV would fit them best. So, it’s possible that new owners of A, C, and fifth wheels will seek to trade in for Bs in order to take advantage of the van platform (storage, HOA rules, ease of boondocking, replacement of car, driveability/parkability, gas mileage, etc).

Covid has been a massive disruptor, and the civil unrest in cities is compounding things. Along with a digital transformation with people working remotely, today’s events are revolutionizing work life. Not only are people leaving cities, they are also migrating to other states. I will be among those emigrees.

I don’t claim to know how the multitude of factors will influence how the Class B market will look in a year, but it’s going to be interesting as hell to see how it unfolds... from my van. 🙂

[Camped49]

Originally Posted by IWUGrad

I'm a newbie and I plan to be around for a long time. Of course, I'm new to owning a Class B, but not new to camping. Covid did play a part in the thought process to purchase one, but it mainly sparked the desire for us to get back into camping after many years away. We have a son and family in California and that road trip will be amazing. We love driving and cooking for ourselves, and I do love my own bathroom where ever I go! LOL. So this was a perfect fit.

We did carefully consider ongoing maintenance and the costs involved with keeping it it top shape, but honestly did not consider how tough it was going to be to find someone to work on it. I'm hoping it will get easier as some people will drop away and places won't be so backed up and busy. I'm not "handy" but am finding ways like this forum, YouTube videos and other ways to learn to do the simple things myself.

And then of course, there's the lack of availability in State Parks and Campgrounds. Good luck booking a weekend. Again, that my die down as well.

It will be interesting to watch the market and see what happens.

I too belong to the category of new to Class B but not to camping. Have been camping for 20 years and have camped in all 49 states one can drive to. However, I used a popup camper. Now need something a little more comfortable. Besides coming up on retirement. The pandemic made me take the jump to getting a B class and I suspect there are many like me who have just jumped into the B life. Though there will be many who will not be able to continue I think there will also be many who will discover the joy of RVing and camping and decide to keep doing it

[bumpersignal]

Originally Posted by kmessinger

Stuck in traffic? Pull off and have a cold brew.

is that legal in CA?