The RV Industry Association’s April survey of manufacturers found that total RV shipments ended the month with 40,243 wholesale shipments, a decrease of 15.2 percent from the 47,442 units shipped last April.
Through April, RV shipments have reached 140,219 units, down 24 percent from the 184,528 units at this point last year.
Towable RVs, led by conventional travel trailers, totaled 35,718 units for the month, a decrease of 13.7 percent compared to last April’s total of 41,411 units. Motorhomes finished the month with 4,525 units, down 25 percent compared to the April 2018 total of 6,031 units.
Memorial day weekend,forecast Friday and Saturday sunny, light wind . Sunday and Monday cool and rainy. We have only a few campgrounds in our area and they’re booked solid from January 1. Forecast right one . Almost 3 inches of rain . No matter. Campgrounds full. Exactly where are the putting all those newbies. I couldn’t sleep nights owning all the inventory that 2 dealers within 1/2 mile of me have. P.s. I stayed home,let the newbies have the campsites,I’m retired,I can go during week.
Ok unit production is down. Just curious why this is the case? The boomers continue to retire at 10k per day we hear and except for this recent stock market dip, the economy is strong. Why the drop?
We are on the road now and will be for 6 more months. We are at our 8th stop for this trip. Several newbies we’ve talked to have bought gently used RV’s. So my humble opinion is boomers are smart and thrifty and they have looked for used versus new. In the park where we live the other 6 months, folks are constantly buying RV’s from people who are forced to give up the RV lifestyle for health reasons or just want to stop. They are buying direct from previous owners, not through a RV company. That is my opinion but ask people and see if that is the case.
First I would think pricing is over the top. It is no longer the “blue collar” recreation it once was. I have certainly left for the used market. Next is the availability of destination campgrounds. In early May I looked at a county campground in Petoskey, MI. on Lake Michigan. July and August every single site was already reserved. Looks like to many campers chasing too few camp sites. I am guessing supply and demand will dictate prices rising to the limit of what the market will bare.
Good news but a long way down to go. I see a lot of bloated inventory on dealer lots too.
This is to be expected! As I travel around the country, up and down the nations highways, you see literally thousands of RV’s (of all kinds) sitting on dealers lots.
Dealers cannot buy new RV’s before they sell the ones they got. And in many cases, dealers have to purchase 4 or more from the manufacturer just to get new RV’s They can’t just buy ONE!
While dealerships are BLOATED with RV’s, so goes the Campground Industry as well. Parks are full most of the summer months and people have No Place to take their RV’s. So, they get rid of them and never buy another RV.
Word is getting around too, about the Crap that is being built and scares off prospective buyers.
Bye for now!
Interesting … just as I heard predicted awhile back. How’s the used RV biz? Up, down, stable? Thanks!