WSJ - Economy Puts Tight Squeeze on RV Makers

[Al - K4GLU]

Well I'm at Jackson Center in the Terraport and this afternoon I filled up at the gas station right at the entrance to Airstream and it was 3.77. Just walked up to the road and they've jumped to 3.93 - 16 cents in one jump. At some point this is going to start hurting the RV industy like hell. I suspect it is already. Took the tour yesterday and they're turning out about 35 a week which is down from the 42 a year ago and a lot more than that 2 years ago.

[Silvertwinkie]

It already has started to hurt the RV industry and it's been getting worse all this month....

Winnebego just halted production for several weeks at a time, Alfa just simply closed their doors, and Monaco in trouble and you can read more about the impending Thor meltdown which IMHO is in the very early stages. If this keeps up, Thor will also have some serious issue to contend with:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f224...dge-41546.html

Thor Industries tumbles after 3Q revenue slips 10 percent: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

[REDNAX]

Quote:

"Let's not kid ourselves.

Yes, RVing is cheaper...unless you figure in the 20,000-50,000 it costs to buy a travel trailer, or GASP, a motorhome. And storage, insurance, license, maintainance, etc.

I think if you do the math, taking a trip by plane with hotels, meals etc, may be cheaper.

I guess you may get some money back if you resell.

I think the bottom line for us is we just like our hassle free way to travel by camper, rather than all the crap that is the alternative.

Jonathan"

All the more reason to buy used equipment. I bought both trailer and truck for just under $30,000 (see signature). With repairs, upgrades, etc to the trailer and some maintenance on the truck I am still at way under $40. More specifically, the trailer "cost" is still well under $20. We lived full time in it for seven months, and not a lot more is needed.

A used A/S, ready to roll, ought to actually be worth a bit more due to the fuel economy increase over a SOB; a very good selling point. There is a silver lining in every storm cloud.

[Sky]

Originally Posted by munimula

Article discusses the current financial state for Coachmen, Fleetwood, and Winnebago and the rough patch those companies are going through.

See Economy Puts Tight Squeeze On RV Makers - WSJ.com

Hey munimula,

Thanks a million for posting that article. Interesting how the housing market has affected RV sales. Amazing how everything is linked together, and how the effect of greed in one sector of our economy ripples across most other sectors. Almost nothing goes unaffected.

Thanks again