RV Pricing (crystal ball), RV in general discussion

[TripleLindy]

I saw where Aliner recently announced a trailer that includes an indoor pop-up shower. Looked like a really innovative design. Problem is that it starts at $40k.

[Still Learning]

We retired in 2019 and transitioned away from boat cruising last year by selling our trawler at a nice price and purchased a 2 year old low mileage Ford Transit passenger van at a fair price which we converted into a camper ourselves including a kennel for our Black Lab. We were not drawn to other types of RVs as our travel style usually includes a combination of hotels, B&Bs and camping on local or cross country trips.



We ran into the federal park congestion on our first van trip to Maine last year so we just avoid for now preferring local campgrounds, especially those that are combination Campgrounds & Marinas. We tend to stay overnight at the campground and travel the surrounding area with only a power connection to deal with.


One advantage with the camping option is consistency of quality..........it's our van. We love hotels but a good hotel experience is still harder to find than pre-Covid. Food has usually been good (eat-in, take-out and cooking at the campsite where my wife gets a break as I do the cooking).


We have found considerably more positive experiences than bad in our land travels to date.

[SnowballCamper]

We got a fiberglass travel trailer about a year before covid, with plans to drive the Alaska highway to get to Denali--which hasn't happened yet. But we have done a lot of camping in the Pacific Northwest USA.

If you have the time to shop around, I'd seek out a quality used model, but you're not gonna save that much in dollars. You'll probably save months in wait time compared to buying new (talking about the premium quality models here). Keep in mind that the appliances are all pretty much the same in RVs, except for the very high end, and then parts/repair are $$$$.

I see the overcrowding others have mentioned...getting a state park reservation in WA has been pretty tough. However, they usually keep some sites as first come first serve, and if you can be flexible there are ways to make the trip with boondocking. I abhor the RV park as well.

I did recently read that Ford is going to be marketing some of their vans more for the DIY upgrade market.

We shopped for about a year before getting our travel trailer. One could shop forever with the choices out there in the RV industry. At some point you have to decide to get one and go camping, doing so sooner will get you more camping time...

[TripleLindy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnowballCamper We got a fiberglass travel trailer about a year before covid ...

Escape? Just a guess assuming you’re located just across the border in the PNW. I had a chance to get a used E21, which is kind of a rarity here in Texas, but I passed because COVID was just starting to become a thing and I had no idea what that was going to mean.

[finnski1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TripleLindy Escape? Just a guess assuming you’re located just across the border in the PNW. I had a chance to get a used E21, which is kind of a rarity here in Texas, but I passed because COVID was just starting to become a thing and I had no idea what that was going to mean.

would love an Oliver Legacy Elite II if they weren't so pricey. Built like tanks and a little heavy but very nice. To frugal to spend $70 k on a fiberglass trailer.

[Cobra9777]

We have a Pleasure-Way Class B. It's a quality brand that holds value better than most. At just over 19 ft, we can park in a regular parking spot. It has everything a regular motorhome would have, just packed into an extremely compact space.

We're not really "RVers" in the usual sense. We never stay in one place very long. We like to bike and hike in scenic places. We also like exploring historical sites, museums, quirky towns, unique restaurants, etc. I think of us more as "travel enthusiasts." The van is just transportation and a comfortable place to sleep.

We have never stayed in a private RV Park. We prefer state parks, Harvest Hosts, and other boondocking sites. We sometimes mix in some interesting rentals, like glamping tents and tiny houses.

Yes, national parks are a PITA right now. We just avoid them during busy times. When we do go, we stay at sites outside the park. Then drive in and park just like a regular car.

Class B is definitely small, and definitely pricey. But it's the right fit for us based on how we travel and things we like to do.

I don't have a crystal ball for OP. But here's what DW said when I suggested we wait to see if prices come down... "We're not getting any younger." BTD and hit the road.

[finnski1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobra9777 We have a Pleasure-Way Class B. It's a quality brand that holds value better than most. At just over 19 ft, we can park in a regular parking spot. It has everything a regular motorhome would have, just packed into an extremely compact space. We're not really "RVers" in the usual sense. We never stay in one place very long. We like to bike and hike in scenic places. We also like exploring historical sites, museums, quirky towns, unique restaurants, etc. I think of us more as "travel enthusiasts." The van is just transportation and a comfortable place to sleep. We have never stayed in a private RV Park. We prefer state parks, Harvest Hosts, and other boondocking sites. We sometimes mix in some interesting rentals, like glamping tents and tiny houses. Yes, national parks are a PITA right now. We just avoid them during busy times. When we do go, we stay at sites outside the park. Then drive in and park just like a regular car. Class B is definitely small, and definitely pricey. But it's the right fit for us based on how we travel and things we like to do. I don't have a crystal ball for OP. But here's what DW said when I suggested we wait to see if prices come down... "We're not getting any younger." BTD and hit the road.

Pleasure way makes some fantastic class B's.

[SJhawkins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fermion What about something quality, like one of the Casita? I have always loved the look of the fiberglass Casita and they seem to be built well above the level of the normal rubber roof box trailers.

Agree, this are nice, we have looked at those as well as Scamp with them being built just north of us.

[SnowballCamper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TripleLindy Escape? Just a guess assuming you’re located just across the border in the PNW. I had a chance to get a used E21, which is kind of a rarity here in Texas, but I passed because COVID was just starting to become a thing and I had no idea what that was going to mean.

No, we stumbled into a Bigfoot 17.5 when the deal on a truck camper fell through (didn't fit). There was actually one on the dealer lot...not to common even before covid. Just dumb luck after shopping for a year. Could have sold it back last year for about 10% less than what we paid, but then what would we get? Maybe when DD is all moved out we could upgrade to the Oliver... but likely not worth it.

[SJhawkins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by youbet That really describes the difference between RV'ing and camping. We have a 2010 Aliner we purchased new and have used for 13 seasons. We've put about 70k miles on it with no major issues. But I do maintain it myself which, fortunately, is reasonably easy/cheap with a small, simple camper. We tow with a light duty 1999 F150 which also doubles as our second car. The truck is also handy for fishing trips where we don't bring the camper. It has about 170k miles on it now so one of these days I'll have to think about replacing it. We've camped from coast to coast and almost always stay in public facilities such as state parks, COE campgrounds, national parks, county parks, etc. Costs vary from $10 to about $40 per night. Yes, the past few years things have been getting crowded in some situations. We've been going to Florida for a couple months the past few winters and that trip requires early planning for sure. But we've been successful and are looking forward to some great water front sites in nice parks. Other popular destintions, such as Yellowstone, require doing your homework early too. Of course, getting a room in the lodge is just about as tough! The rest of the time we're with a group of friends at various state parks or off by ourselves at places we really enjoy. For example, the COE has a series of campgrounds associated with lock and dams on the Mississippi River which are beautiful and nicely maintained. Only about 120 miles west of here. On weekdays (we're retired!), it's always easy to get in for a few days. Anyway, in 13 years of camping with the Aliner I figure ours has depreciated about $8k total and has cost a few kilobux to maintain. So maybe a kilobuck a year total depreciation + maintenance. It's been a lot of fun OP - since you said you were looking at getting a "little travel trailer," will it really be worth it to wait and try to save 10%, 20% or whatever? We bought ours in our early 60's so time was an important factor and I'm glad we didn't wait any longer.

I have had the same thoughts of way wait. Then after have one in the past think Im over the FOMO part of it. The kids are getting close to flying solo, a few years out from retirement, so itch is getting stronger.

I foresee a few long trips around the US, that will take a 2-3 years my guess then the rest of the time will local runs within the state with family and friends.

[SJhawkins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by finnski1 You're right. The Aliner we sold was a 2014 Classic. It was great, towed easily with the Toyota Tacoma and only lost 3 or 4 mpg. The only problem we had was it was tight for a 5+ week, 9000 mile trip we did this spring with a 75 lb dog. Also no indoor shower. We are carefully researching alternatives but no rush. I also do all my own maintenance and DIY mods etc. and enjoy doing that. As an example here's the new rear bumper I made to replace the wimpy sheet metal one that was there and cracked all around the welds during our long trip and was ready to fall. off

We loved our pop up, had lots of good trips with the kids, we are more camper type folk then RV'ers. After the pop up we went with a 20' travel trailer, best part was the shower and bath!

[SJhawkins]

I should fess up what we have been looking at!

In 2018 we liked the Geo Pros, still do but as of late we really like what we have seen with Intech, see below

https://intech.com/rv/models/sol/dawn/

Single axle, never was a fan of a wet bath but this is one is not half bad, better than most. Seems to be better built than many but at $35k for a 16 foot rig, ouch!

As a side note the Geo Pro G19FBS was $19k in 2018, today the "sale price" is $32.5k. I would call this a middle of the road camper. Know staying in a hotel is not the same.....but....thats a 100 nights minimum, toss in fuel and campground fees it maybe 150 nights!

Its a life style choice not a dollar problem in many ways.

Im thankful for our small acerage with our small home and shop along with the gardens to putter around in. If it was not for this the RV would have happened already.

[old medic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJhawkins We loved our pop up, had lots of good trips with the kids, we are more camper type folk then RV'ers. After the pop up we went with a 20' travel trailer, best part was the shower and bath!

We got our 1st Pop-Up in 1985, after several others we got a Hybrid in 2011, yes the bath and shower are great. the funny part is we never stayed in a campground until around 2007... we always boondocked someplace.

And $50K.... We don't have that much in our truck and camper with the Road King in the back...

[Badger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo This was a big factor in our decision to hang up our RVing spurs and sell our RV last year. All of the above plus so many in the now crowded campgrounds are new to the RVing world and either oblivious to or could care less about how to behave. "Get off my lawn out of my campsite!"

I haven't been to a campground in at least a couple of decades but it sounds like nothing has changed since the 70s. My VW bus was great to travel in so I could park most anywhere to sleep. The few times I went to a campground I was annoyed by all the loud music blaring from multiple camps and that along with the pricing of a night stay was enough for me to put on a backpack or paddle a canoe into wilderness areas. Sadly those times are now just a memory.

Cheers!

[TripleLindy]

Quote:

but at $35k for a 16 foot rig, ouch!

And therein lies the problem. Even a barebones teardrop with no AC will set you back over $20k.

Back to your original question, Bezos recently commented about holding back on large purchases. His comments were primarily around keeping cash on hand vs anticipating price reductions, but I suspect price reductions would be an outcome if buying slows down significantly.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/14/econo...omy/index.html

Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

[finnski1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TripleLindy And therein lies the problem. Even a barebones teardrop with no AC will set you back over $20k. Back to your original question, Bezos recently commented about holding back on large purchases. His comments were primarily around keeping cash on hand vs anticipating price reductions, but I suspect price reductions would be an outcome if buying slows down significantly. https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/14/econo...omy/index.html Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

I would never buy a new RV if at all possible. They depreciate even faster than new cars. Also many several year old units have very little if any use. I bought our last little Aliner for $8k when new ones were going for $20k it was like new. Just sold it for $11k
Even bigger discounts/depreciation on the big expensive rigs.

[troutnut1]

If you listen to the great prognosticator Chicken Little (who now gets paid for “clicks”), virtually everything will crash and be way cheaper next year (except of course groceries & gasoline). So just stock up on groceries and fuel, and wait to buy real estate, rent a home, buy a car, or purchase an RV.

[Trailwalker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by finnski1 I would never buy a new RV if at all possible. They depreciate even faster than new cars. Also many several year old units have very little if any use. I bought our last little Aliner for $8k when new ones were going for $20k it was like new. Just sold it for $11k Even bigger discounts/depreciation on the big expensive rigs.

Molded fiberglass RV's are the exception. It's crazy how they keep their value.

[Octogirl]

Agree the RV parks and National Parks are packed !
We were in Arches, Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon last month, thinking we would avoid summer crowds. It was still so crowded that Arches was closed for 3 hours due to volume of campers.
On a related note, we own an Airstream which seems to be holding its value
We belong to an Airstream campground and there are 25 people on the waiting list to get a summer spot. We got in in2019 just before COVID and are very grateful 😊
Good luck with your RV and camping.

[SJhawkins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trailwalker Molded fiberglass RV's are the exception. It's crazy how they keep their value.

I have noticed the same, also somewhat of a cult following, not in a bad way mind you. My outlaws had a 16 foot Scamp that they used to bomb the country side, worked great. When they passed 10+ years ago I no problem selling it.