Cadillac Man has talked sometimes of going on the road with Frosty the Dog and there's no telling what really comes on the Great Way of Things but the vibe is looking better in all kinds of ways.
One of those ways is that RV sales are in a state of booming and have been every year except 2009 after the crash. Maybe that conjures the image of semi-senile cranks filling the RV parks but it's not going just that way since many of the buyers are much younger.
Sales of recreational vehicles are at genuinely never-before-seen record levels. And buyers are getting younger. The RV category includes both motorhomes and trailers of all sizes.
Last year, 430,000 recreational vehicles of all kinds were sold, according to the RV Industry Association, an increase of 15% over the year before. And sales have been rising year after year following a one-year decline in 2009, during the financial crisis.
Some of that has to do with low gas prices and easy credit.
But ironically, the flood of new technology -- smart phones, 4G data connections and so forth -- has also helped drive the trend. It's made driving around the country for weeks at a time a much less daunting prospect.
CNN: RVs are back and bigger than ever
It's nice nice that they sell lots of them since that shows an ongoing demand for keeping those RV parks and camping grounds available.
Maybe the more interesting part is who is buying them.
And now the people who grew up with technology are now reaching RV-buying age. More than half of RV buyers are under the age 45, according the RV Industry Association.
People like Gerrad Archibald and his wife Krista, both 39, are helping to pull down that average age. For seven months, they've been connecting the dots between America's national parks in a BMW SUV towing a small Alto pop-up trailer.
- CNN
That may make an interesting dynamic in the campgrounds plus there are many examples on YouTube of kids with much lower means who have adapted vans, etc to live in them permanently. The kids doing that seem to be in their twenties and who knows how long they can continue it but for now they live on the road.
The headline for the article is misleading since the emphasis wasn't so much on big RVs but rather smaller ones and also trailers. Multiple companies are making vehicles of that size for people who don't have huge amounts of money to spend. These ones seem to run up to about forty grand and that's a lot but, relative to one of the RV buses, it's tiny. Those buses can go up over a million for the really insane ones.
Unknown if it happened yet but Lotho was talking of buying one of those buses and he would be one to follow around as he shops them since, apart from a few cars, I've never known him to buy anything to impress anyone. Whatever bus he finds is likely to be the best value around. The lowest price for a Winnebago bus is about $150,000 and that's new so the price should drop nicely a few years after the new purchase and I believe that's when Lotho gets interested.
Sure this is a vicarious jam for me since I love roaming about like that with no particular destination. Unknown how the plans will play out but there does seem to be new information.
One of those ways is that RV sales are in a state of booming and have been every year except 2009 after the crash. Maybe that conjures the image of semi-senile cranks filling the RV parks but it's not going just that way since many of the buyers are much younger.
Sales of recreational vehicles are at genuinely never-before-seen record levels. And buyers are getting younger. The RV category includes both motorhomes and trailers of all sizes.
Last year, 430,000 recreational vehicles of all kinds were sold, according to the RV Industry Association, an increase of 15% over the year before. And sales have been rising year after year following a one-year decline in 2009, during the financial crisis.
Some of that has to do with low gas prices and easy credit.
But ironically, the flood of new technology -- smart phones, 4G data connections and so forth -- has also helped drive the trend. It's made driving around the country for weeks at a time a much less daunting prospect.
CNN: RVs are back and bigger than ever
It's nice nice that they sell lots of them since that shows an ongoing demand for keeping those RV parks and camping grounds available.
Maybe the more interesting part is who is buying them.
And now the people who grew up with technology are now reaching RV-buying age. More than half of RV buyers are under the age 45, according the RV Industry Association.
People like Gerrad Archibald and his wife Krista, both 39, are helping to pull down that average age. For seven months, they've been connecting the dots between America's national parks in a BMW SUV towing a small Alto pop-up trailer.
- CNN
That may make an interesting dynamic in the campgrounds plus there are many examples on YouTube of kids with much lower means who have adapted vans, etc to live in them permanently. The kids doing that seem to be in their twenties and who knows how long they can continue it but for now they live on the road.
The headline for the article is misleading since the emphasis wasn't so much on big RVs but rather smaller ones and also trailers. Multiple companies are making vehicles of that size for people who don't have huge amounts of money to spend. These ones seem to run up to about forty grand and that's a lot but, relative to one of the RV buses, it's tiny. Those buses can go up over a million for the really insane ones.
Unknown if it happened yet but Lotho was talking of buying one of those buses and he would be one to follow around as he shops them since, apart from a few cars, I've never known him to buy anything to impress anyone. Whatever bus he finds is likely to be the best value around. The lowest price for a Winnebago bus is about $150,000 and that's new so the price should drop nicely a few years after the new purchase and I believe that's when Lotho gets interested.
Sure this is a vicarious jam for me since I love roaming about like that with no particular destination. Unknown how the plans will play out but there does seem to be new information.
6 comments:
I have hired a realtor and will have the house for sale soon. Since houses in this neighborhood are selling within 5 days I may soon be homeless. Look for my van, bus, RV, camper or whatever to pull up in front of The Rockhouse with Frosty. He has heard good things about Toby and wants to shake paws, However, he will miss the neighborhood where he has more friends than I. UH!
So cool when this becomes imminently imminent!
CM Congratulations on your move.
I am still in the planning stages
SS I am more of a Fleetwood-style. Winnebago is like Kleenex is to a tissue.
One of the coolest new features is the solar arrays that reduce the use of generators needed for power.
So the need to stay at campgrounds or RV parks is lessened.
But alas I am still a conventional vacationer I am lucky enough to take Fairy Princess to see Niagra Falls next week. I am looking forward to gettimg a picture of her on tne Lady of the Mist like the one of Mom.
Happy Travels CM
Any of the sibs will instantly remember that picture and the idea is adorable. I'm not quite clear on the alas aspect since you don't get to roll to Niagara Falls but you will still get there (larfs).
Both of you have been studying the move in your different ways for quite some time now. I'm still not sure what the final vehicles will be for either of you but the choice doesn't seem all that clear for either of you just yet. I am sure the selections in each case will be about as perfect for your purposes as you can manage and it will be most interesting to see what you decide.
The alas is the flying car rental hotel stays as compared to the turtle shell take wherever you go went you want to go there
Having the keys in my hand so I can roll when I feel like it is a grand freedom. Just grab yer stuff and roll out. That's mighty fine.
Post a Comment