I don't care about the cost of the unit.. what I care about is having a 60K TT delivered to my house and I spend 6 months fixing the crappy workmanship which, for some odd reason, can't be regulated or enforced. Why wouldn't I take it to a dealer for repairs you ask?... have you seen the repair market??? Thanks for being here Josh!
So amazing is the poor workmanship of RV’s. Once you realize they have no intention of repairing your post sale checklist, you start doing your own work and it’s crazy what you find. These are put together with staples and cardboard. Zero clean up and sawdust everywhere they made any cuts. Wire rat nests and some so taunt, they are piano wire tight.
Took the words right out of my mouth. Currently, RVs are expensive and carry a poor reputation for quality, resulting in endless waits to get parts or repairs. Build a better quality RV and get out of the mess the industry is in currently. If the price skyrockets as a result, the tradeoff may be that I cannot afford it. Great video, Josh.
I believe more units would sell if the prices were closer to the actual value of the RV. They are beautiful but the poor quality and inflated prices are a turn off. They should concentrate on quality control and customer service. I watch the reviews all the time. I look forward to Josh's bubbly personality and honest opinions. ❤
Josh, I can’t thank you enough for being a standup honest guy. It’s refreshing to know that somebody out there actually cares about the folks that buy from them. Again I have learned so much from watching your channel here. And whenever I go out to get my first RV, I will definitely be buying it per your suggestions, cautions, and just downright damn good advice. Thank you so much and keep doing what you’re doing, buddy.😊
One thing that FR could do to improve their product is to plan studs inside the walls where major components attach. Our dinette is screwed into paneling and shakes apart on travel days. Another thing would be investing $100 more into their trailers in the form of CRE3000 suspension or torsion suspension as they do include on the Rockwood and Flagstaff brands. We have a Grand Surveyor which was promoted as being high quality. Interesting that it was not included on your list of quality brands in this video. Thanks for what you do! Hopefully we all can work to make RV’s better.
Thanks for another great update Josh from British Columbia, Canada. In 2018 we purchased a new Keystone Montana Model 3720RL Legacy (at 90K CAD). I am a do it yourself owner and have done a lot of modifications to this unit. While working on the various modifications, I have been all through this 5th Wheel and I am constantly disgusted with the quality of workmanship and, this unit was built before the pandemic! I am a retired Tradesman and it is an absolute disgrace that Keystone allows this poor quality to leave their factory. I look forward to your next review!
Canadian here. I think part of the reason that travel trailers are selling better has to do with our park size limitations. Seems like these days most 5th wheels are huge and pushing 35' plus. One thing we have noticed is that a lot of the provinical parks that we frequent 30' is about the sweet spot for size. When you get larger than that it is harder to find sites. Plus a lot of the parks are tighter to navigate. Granted there are long travel trailers too, but there seems to be more options than when it comes to 5th wheels. Plus there are stricter limitations when it comes to towing weight and how it affects the weight of the tow vehicle. For example in our province anything over 9999 lbs requires an upgraded license that is requires additional testing and requirements. And if your vehicle is has a gvwr over 9999lbs it has to be inspected yearly. This can make it much more difficult for the avg camper to justify buying a larger towable and larger truck.
We’re just here for the squirrels and Tractor Tyler. 😜 Thanks as always for the frank, honest information. I for one, really appreciate the time and energy you put into this monthly video!
I (full-time RVer for > 7 years) will pay for Quality over low price. I was at the Hershey show. Leisure Travel Vans & Pleasure Way were the "Look at our quality!" vendors. (Both Canadian.) All the other brands were focused on price - and had more sales. The problem is you don't know what cost savings measures were used until it's too late (Vinyl wrapped pressboard instead of real wood floorboards, cabinets, and counters which swell when leaks occur, poorly installed bay door weather stripping caused leaks inside, no barrier applied to saw cuts around wheel wells which invite mice and water intrusion). 25% of my THOR issues have been cost savings issues, 75% have been lazy employees who don't care assembling it.
As an rv salesperson and avid camper myself, I always love the insight. My question/comment/observation about pricing comes from a different angle, and I wonder what your thoughts might be. I think (absolutely do not know) that this industry has followed the same path as homes and the real-estate inflation in the US. The industry seems to have started building larger, more well equipped (fancier) rvs thru simple evolution the same as the average home size increased and became fancier. The average sized home built in 1980 was 1500 Sq ft, today the average is closer to 3000 Sq ft. and that alone has taken many out of the market new homes. We're living in nicer, fancier homes and frankly (were paying for all that unnecessary room). Back to the correlation, rvs in 1980 were much simpler in design overall and heavier, so the average sized (Sq footage) would have had to be much smaller for 1/2 ton trucks to tow them. The industry then and is still trying to build bigger (Sq footage) with cooler, lighter (cheaper) materials in order to compete. That and the importation of goods (that they the rv industry leaders) asked for, has led to a sometimes horrible result for the end user. All that to say, maybe we, the general public are asking for too much out of the industry overall and they are abiding us by building these technology infused beasts that ar built with match sticks instead of steel and simply can't hold up to usage like the older units. A clear example is any 2014 Fuzion TH. ,compared to its equivalent today in 2024. The materials used in those are ridiculously heaver and better built than today's units. Sorry for the verbose comment.
I would definitely go with better quality and higher price. If that goes beyond my budget then i downsize some. Been rving over 50 years in every kind of rv. There have been improvements the years but quality has gone down. I would like to see a lemon law for towables. Maybe if the manufacturers had to get their products back it would force them to do better in the first place!
I guess that travel trailers being cheaper and better able to fit under tree branches likely explains why they are a larger percentage of what Canadian dealers sell. Of course, truck campers are more popular out west, and a few BC manufacturers specialize in making them.
What I see in the RV industry is a lack of BUILD quality, not so much the quality of the parts going into the product. As long as the big RV companies keep putting out a very inferior product, sales will continue to decline. People want something they can depend on and not be towing (driving) it to the dealer every time they take it out. And then wait 6 months to (maybe) have it fixed. I've owned 4 different campers in my life. The latest is my last. 2010 DRV Moblie Suite. Very solid 5th wheel.
We excited to be buying a 98 beaver contessa from your Omaha Nebraska store and have been very pleased with the experience with them and can't wait to go pick it up and start living in full time!
The negative stories are being heard loudly and are amplified by YT channels wanting clicks for money. Several of these channels actually exaggerate the problem for dramatic effect. Negativity sells on social media. Yes, there are some problems with some RV’s. By far the majority of the RV manufactured are decent quality. There are several hundred thousand RV’s manufactured annually that are just fine. There are some horror stories, but you never hear about the many thousands of satisfied consumers. I have owned RV’s my entire adult life and they all need maintenance and repairs.
1) I like these industry updates. Guess I’m just a nerdy student and you are the nerdy professor 🧑🏫 😂 2) Can I play devil’s advocate professor? I agree that there are probably scrupulous RV salesmen just like a used car salesman; but how many of these “auction” sales are really just the dealership simultaneously selling the RV on eBay, and eBay is the auction that they are talking about? I know that a reputable RV dealer sells ALL used RV’s that they take in on eBay. Apparently they don’t want the hassle of having it sit around. Guessing they figure that it is too much hassle. IDK 🤷♂️ 3) If Hershey is the largest RV show in the country, and if every manufacturer is there; I bet this very expensive for the manufacturers to take their units there. Advertising dollars and budgets must be high. 4) You mentioned about the 2019’s starting to come across the auction blocks. This is the start of the COVID class of RV’s. Seems to me that with their reputation of lack of quality that these amounts would be lower. Am I wrong? 5) If shipments are up, and sales are down; that means that dealerships should have plenty of inventory on their lots. This could eventually become a good buying opportunity as they should be willing to make even better deals to unload them. The higher the interest rates go, the slower the sales - typically. That all being said; has the RV manufacturing industry ever do their own in house financing at a super low interest rate like GM offering 0.9% interest rate for example on cars? 6) It amazes me how in this current economy how any vehicles or RV’s are being purchased. I’m a locomotive engineer and we ship vehicle trains constantly. I don’t know if these are going overseas or what, but they keep building them. Some is buying. Not me, too damn expensive. 7) Curious if most Canadian RV’ers are the snowbirds that head to our southern states? 8) Depending on which political party takes control of DC, my prediction is that our economy will go into a deeper recession and rates will go up. This rate reduction was only done for political purposes. If the. D’s remain or increase their power, things will get much worse. If the R’s take over, past policies that worked in the past will be reintroduced and things will improve. 9) ALL imports should be of good quality. American’s should be willing to pay more for quality. We should all look at the labels and only buy American made products. When you buy cheap Chinese junk, you are only helping the communists. 10) The new wambo-combo would be interesting to see. 11) I haven’t noticed anything different in your videos. Not sure which ones he has edited. 12/37) Another fine educational video Professor 🧑🏫 Nerd 🤓 😁🙃
I'm kind of late but good talk. I think one thing affecting the motorhome market, Class A and C at least, is folks realize that for anything more than a weekender they still need to have some form of transportation once they arrive at their destination. Many motorhomes don't have the capacity to tow a vehicle. Folks don't always own a vehicle that can be towed or it will need to be trailered which gets us back to the low towing capacity of many motorhomes. Lastly the need to hookup and disconnect the TOAD is as much if not more work than hooking up a trailer. Another area affecting motorhomes is service can be a problem as most dealers do not have the facilities to handle RVs and though commercial truck centers do many won't work on RVs. This problem includes basic things like oil and fluid changes. An example is I live in a metro area of around 1.5M people. We have three Ford commercial truck centers within 25 miles or so of each other. None will work on Ford RV chassis even thought they have service bays more than large enough to handle them. The closest truck center that will work on RVs is 90 miles away. That's a long drive for an oil change not to mention a mechanical problem. In the end any or all of these can actually make buying a trailer a better choice. At least it was for us. I don't think many folks understand that loan interest rates are not strictly based on the cost of funds but are also based on demand. In fact it is not uncommon that demand is the more important number as a recent mortgage rate increase showed after the rates had been falling. I've said before I would be fine with paying more for an RV that didn't come to me already broken. How much would I pay for something that works as well as a car or truck on delivery? I don't know but it is well past time for the RV industry do the work to tell me what the costs would be rather than claiming some mythological increase of unknown size. My longer term plan when the Furrion water heater (for the 2nd time) and A/C fail is to replace both with Truma units. They do cost more but the over all quality and spec improvements seem to offset the the cost difference.
Increase the quality of parts and "fit and finish" !!!! So what if the price goes up a bit. Better that hiving your unit sit at the dealership for months waiting on warranty work.
Better quality, higher cost. Is fine. I believe the average time some keeps an rv is 5 years. Maybe if they were built better people would keep them longer. Most people usually get the the longest term loan possible. Trading in so fast puts them upside down. Having a better quality Rv that you keep for the duration of your loan is better in my opinion
Looking for a F350 SRW. The dealer felt it was appropriate to add $3,200 add on. The truck has been on their lot since May. I actually laughed at them as I was leaving.
@@KylesRVI just ordered a F350 DRW the end of July, got it last Thursday and got it a little less than sticker very pleased with the truck! I live in Georgia.
My wife finally decided she wants a trailer. The problem is I fear a trailer will break our 200k mile FJ Cruiser. It was only rated for 5k when it was new. So, i started looking for trucks and i can't imagine spending $60 - 90k to pull another $30 - 50k. Those numbers just seem insane, especially with interest rates where they are.
I go to the Hershey show each year. We went on Friday this year and numbers were definitely low, no problems getting food from the food trucks, lol. I have heard different numbers, that initial sales/contracts were up but sales that made it to final approval... were way off. Apparently alot of sales were made off sight at the dealerships. It was nice to talk to factory reps, trying to figure out what they are thinking. Feel like the factories are pushing what they want to sell you not what you may want. Thanks for the updates.
I’m hopefully going to buy my first motorhome next spring and my thoughts are old school: you get what you pay for. I’m done owning stocks and bricks and will gladly put good money into a Jayco class C. I’d rather pay more and get something of value than pinch my pennies and pay later. So that’s my thoughts on the pay now or pay later 😉 question. Research and then make your purchase. AndI have for the last 8 years. Can’t wait to visit you guys and do just that! Keep up the great work until then guys!😊
We recently purchased a three year old Forest River Wildwood for a little more than half of what the listing price was new. We still got all the advantages of buying a new trailer without it costing us an arm and a leg. Good video for those following the market and interested in buying a rig.
Love the transparency… thx for this vid. We bought a 2022 jayco travel trailer.. we love it .. have no complaints of the build quality despite hearing the noise that RVs were built shoddy in the years following Covid?!?! In any case, I hope the future the RV world trends up 👍🏻
I was one of those saying election year sales drop all across the board. It does not matter who wins, prices will never go down to anything close to 2020/21. My thought is, Sales may increase next year, but after a yr or 2 more people will be dropping like a rock from the camping scene. Just like hotels who have priced themselves out of business, Campgrounds are heading the same direction. With campground prices going sky high, insurance, gas etc: , those who buy may be short lived camper owners, sell sooner. What was a family thing for all economic backgrounds, is changing to only those who have extra cash to throw into a hobby. Less kids are going to enjoy the advantage unless its in a tent. There are so many campgrounds popping up with deluxe hotel type amenities driving prices even more. A lot of individuals have also joined the bandwagon rent spaces on their private property. Im in a campground now that increased their monthly rate by $200 since last summer. I was paying top price for the last 5 yrs of, no more than 450 with electric included in the west. This summer , I encountered $800 plus electric as a standard. A friend just returned from the northwest and paid $1400 plus elect a month. I know the east coast has gone bonkers, Fla. especially. Have seen ads for $2500. KOA has pretty much increased to at least 50 and upwards to 97 in larger cities just for a basic electric and water backin site. State and Federal parks are also on the rise. More are limiting their season and charging 30 plus to boondock. The free a offering are now coming with a fee too. Well that's my observation anyway.
Always appreciate your honesty about the state of the RV market and when you review products. It is one of the main reasons I watch your videos. I’m more of a pessimist than an optimist, but I’m expecting the next 12-18 months to be tough for both Auto and RV manufacturers/dealers.
I'm in Alberta and have been studying which fifthwheel to buy in the next few years. You have taught me well and I have so much more knowledge thanks to you. We have owned a 29ft Keystone Cougar fifthwheel since 2016. It's been ok but it's soooo cheaply made. Looking for that better made fifthwheel in the next purchase (Brinkley most likely haha)
I agree on the reporting if stats by brand; not monolithic ownership. Telling us how each brand is doing says so much more about the market and where consumers spend their money. Hiding brand stats is muddying the waters regarding price, quality, and other factors relevant to us with the wallets.
Thanks for the update as always, Josh! Great information. Curious to see how the market changes play out in the coming months, especially during the off-season.
I would definitely agree to pay more money for something with a lot more safety and quality built into it. Yes, the RV industry is pretty expensive, especially with the state of the country now. But even then it’s always better to go with quality rather than crap.
Josh, it would be nice to see you heading to Europe for one of their trade shows. Comparisons are very useful, showing new ideas and different ways of thinking, after all we all want progress in a positive way.
Thanks for your monthly industry update Josh. I would like to see more quality in parts so that I don't need to spend so much time during a vacation fixing stuff.
As someone in Manitoba, I can speak to the difference in 5ers vs travel trailers in my province. Any trailer above 10k lbs requires a Class 3 license up here which is essentially a light duty CDL despite using it for personal use only. Many people are scared off by this and go for TT's or "half ton towable" 5th wheels.
Thanks for the video. I care about the price! I would like more money spent on structural integrity and finish work, ie freakin molding stapled on. If want high quality fixtures and appliances I can upgrade later.
I finally bought a heavy duty truck. After being in the market for 3 years because the prices were outrageous. Still high but now they're willing to make deals. I'm sure houses and everything else will be next.
I feel the pain of others. We've been looking at new fw. Between the cost and the horror stories we've kept our old 2014 and made some more upgrades. Now it's starting to have a delay problem. I'll fix that to. It's just hard to justify spending Between 80-100k for the issues our friends tell us about. All mfg. We have a friend who spent 97k on a kz 2 years ago. It burnt down 3 months ago. She just got a grand design 2 weeks and she is already having issues with plumbing.
Hopefully interest rate decreases are a net positive, still a little hesitant of an inflation rebound with China increasing monetary stimulus at the same time. The small reduction in rates shouldn't spark an inflation rebound in itself. Thank you for your analysis, love your vids!
Hey Nerd, Hello from Ontario Canada. Been watching all of your videos for a long time now. We started wanting a C Class, until we rented one, and we've been looking at fifth wheels ever since. You are right about the Canadian market being mostly travel trailer focused. Probably close to a 4 or 5 to one ratio of trailers vs. fifth wheels on the roads here. I think you're right about price being a factor but probably more about the truck than the trailer. Where we live its truck country, lots of people already have half tons so you buy the trailer you can tow. We were looking at a GMC one ton for the fifth wheel we want, and the truck dealership wants $120,000 CAD. Ouch!
Josh at what point do we draw the line. Back in the day before total greed took over this country, we all worked hard for a living instead of running back to mommy and daddy every time something happened. The highest quality steel and other things were made in the good old U.S.A. Now we import everything complain about the quality and charge up the ass for junk when is enough going to be enough. As always great video and there might be others out there that do what you do but none of them do it as well.😉
@Josh, I’ve been following your content for a while, and I really appreciate the value you bring to the RV community with your deep knowledge and insights. As a fellow RVer and someone who runs a digital marketing agency, I’m always impressed with how well you connect with your audience and help people make informed decisions. I’m really interested in getting more involved in the RV industry to help businesses enhance their online presence and connect with their ideal customers. Do you have any advice on how I could get my foot in the door and start building relationships with businesses in the space? I’d love to use my skills to bring value to this community!
Apologies without a better idea on exactly what it is you’re seeking to accomplish or what kind of service you were thinking of providing I’m not really sure where to begin offering ideas
@@JoshtheRVNerd thanks for getting back to me! To be more specific, I am interested in working with retail/e-commerce companies, RV dealerships, and potentially other tangential industries where I can get their product or service found online. We specialize in e-commerce and growing revenue through advertising so I expect that is where my skills are most valuable to the industry.
Another great industry update Josh! We traveled through Michigan (first time visiting the state, we live in FL) during our 2 month summer road trip and stayed at 2 campgrounds in MI; Sleepy Hollow SP near Lansing and Brevoort Lake Campground in St. Ignace. We considered going through Coldwater to visit Bish's but just could not fit it into our schedule due to time constraints. It would have been great to possibly see you!
100% Quality because a lot of that is invisible to the buyer and cheap, low quality parts are more expensive to own in the long run. Knockoffs, like you mentioned with Blue Ox, are a serious threat to both domestic manufacturing and consumers.
Thank you for these honest reviews! You make a valid point about the fact that “increased quality” could increase the cost to the point that less people will be able to afford to purchase RVs. That definitely seems to be a tightrope balancing act, doesn’t it. I’m super excited to see your review of that new Rockwood Mini Lite 2506FK/Flagstaff Micro Lite 25FKB, BTW. :)
I do actually have that one on file and coming so stay tuned! I feel like they took everything that was problematic with the 2506S and fixed it in one swoop
@@JoshtheRVNerd, awesome! I’m excited to see your review of this model! From what I can tell, that was exactly what turned me toward this model! I like the 2506S, except for the fact that the bathroom and bedroom are inaccessible in “road mode.” I also like the 2516S, but I’d rather not have the extra slide for the bed. In the summer, I pretty much live in my trailer (2016 Team Lodge Extreme 2 that I plan to sell this winter to buy a more travel-friendly travel trailer for my 2020 Tundra to pull). I mostly “work from home,” (I’m in the business of helping folks who experience functional impairments in gaining greater independence through employment) so my trailer functions as a “mobile office” of sorts. With the Team Lodge, I converted the dinette area into a desk. My plans for the 2506FK are to order one with the Theater Seating and use the lagoon tables as a “laptop desk.” Anyway… thank you for all that you do for this community! I’ll be on the lookout for that review! :)
Looking to sell our 5th wheel as life requires us to step away from the RV ownership side for a few years. Trying to time selling and buying is not a fun process 😂 thanks for the insights.
Buy a RV in my opinion is this, what floor plan you what, do you wan pull, 5th wheel, or self powered. General all the appliances are made by the same manufacturer.
How about leaving the quality up to the rv manufacturers? You and I have the ability to see other user’s reviews of products and we can make educated decisions based on. And let’s face it if the price seems too good to be true it is.
Thanks Josh for being on here and educating us all. My wife and I are huge fans. I would like to ask a question. What are the quality differences between a Grand Design Imagine 23LDE and a Rockwood Signature 8263 MBR? Aside from the interior differences and 30 vs 50 amp the materials used are similar. I looked at the suspensions and see differences but is one better than the other or are they about the same? Does ABS on the trailer make that much difference and/or can it be added to the Rockwood fairly cheap? Are the sidewalls both Azdel? We would like to full time and have a 3/4 ton diesel so storage will be back in the bed of the truck mostly.
I have full factory tours for the Rockwoods here on the channel if you would like to review those to learn more. I wouldn’t turn my nose up at either and I’m not able to break down a full side-by-side bullet point explanation in a RUclips comment but if you forced me to give a to one or the other, then I would personally lean toward the Rockwood. Once again… The records on imagines are pretty excellent
lol don't forget the Salmon Fingers! or.. something. idk Anyway I'm not hurting for anything so if you are feeling generous then consider something like a donation to a local charity that could help your community
I will tell you straight up that a quality built RV is the most important thing to me. The problems with wiring, plumbing and materials used is horrible. You don’t buy something to work on it from the get go.
Just had a factory tour at Keystone Cougar fifth wheel today, they told us that the numbers were at the lower side this year 😮 what they told you at the end of the show ......
I go to the Hershey RV Show every year. What needs to be accounted for is that they had perfect weather the whole week. It's been years since that happened. That's probably the main reason for the increased attendance.
When you feel frogy one day it would be nice if you did a clip-on warranty for RVs. you buy a car which can be cheaper than a lot of RV units, but you get like three-year warranty. Thanks for all your work you put in the video. Thanks . Charlie from N.C.
I'm not buying until the quality gets better. I have a Rockwood Roo 21dk. It leaks like crazy and the floor has soft spots that will cost a lot to fix. Not a happy camper. 🤔
One thing I can tell you on those - they stopped using the laminated flooring that caused the soft spots you're seeing. That changed a while back actually. I'm sorry yours is experiencing a floor failure like that but they have added a lot of weight and structure to their rigs to prevent that now I have several rockwood factory tours if you'd like to see it all come together
@Josh what is the market share percentile change YOY with Grand Design? Also, agree that Thor and Forest River should break out their Division sales by percentiles too. Glad I bought a one owner used 2018 Riverstone Legacy 38MB this past summer. I also think those who jumped into the RV lifestyle thinking it would be a cheaper way to live or because of social media influencers are moving along. RVing is a lifestyle
I’m not in a place where I have access to that data right now but that’s actually pretty easy information to get a hold of normally. I’m just out of position at this moment sorry. I think it depends on section. And transcend are both up. But I also think reflection has been down fairly painfully.
@@JoshtheRVNerd I appreciate the response and your channel! I did find their peak revenue of 130 million in 2023 along with YOY 22 versus 23 on the industry overall (MCCalls) since watching your channel and your discussions about sales numbers - I was assuming you have access to those industry numbers in an easy format and it is reliable data as opposed to an internet searches. I did find Winnebego’s 3rd QTR 2024 report but that is bundled and not broken out by division. I imagine your dealership gets all the reports, trends, projections, etc
Tyler, how about sprinkling in some blooper reels of Josh's vids? Is he ever gonna letcha hold the camera and follow him around? Josh....my wife and I just retired and are looking to get into the RV gig. Never owned an RV before, so your videos have been a great way to start getting up to speed. Thanks for all that you do.
Awesome show and details as usual Josh! Do you expect any future issues in the industry with the eastern ports closing down on October 1st? 👏👏👏 great show!
interesting question re quality versus price. I bought LTV (Canadian) as much for quality as for any other reason. I paid a lot for it and I'm very happy with it. Previously I owned an Alpenlite 5th wheel, also high price and high quality. I would say there is a probably a small segment of buyers who will pay for quality. Most will not. Reading other comments, I think the older models of almost everything are a little higher quality. Even LTV is suffering from a lot of bad comments on social media regarding the new models. I'm very glad I bought a "new-to-me" 2018.
"Most will not" I don't want to agree with that but based on so much of my experience I fear that may be painfully accurate. I've seen so many people say they want higher quality. But when they see the price tags that go with better materials the response is almost always "they want HOW MUCH for that?!" no way!"
I would rather pay more for quality parts. But I would really like to see better built and quality units. We we're just at an RV show and couldn't believe crap out there.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
I don't care about the cost of the unit.. what I care about is having a 60K TT delivered to my house and I spend 6 months fixing the crappy workmanship which, for some odd reason, can't be regulated or enforced. Why wouldn't I take it to a dealer for repairs you ask?... have you seen the repair market??? Thanks for being here Josh!
So amazing is the poor workmanship of RV’s. Once you realize they have no intention of repairing your post sale checklist, you start doing your own work and it’s crazy what you find. These are put together with staples and cardboard. Zero clean up and sawdust everywhere they made any cuts. Wire rat nests and some so taunt, they are piano wire tight.
Exactly! We want reliable product for our money period!!!
@@x96riley Then don't buy one.
Took the words right out of my mouth. Currently, RVs are expensive and carry a poor reputation for quality, resulting in endless waits to get parts or repairs. Build a better quality RV and get out of the mess the industry is in currently. If the price skyrockets as a result, the tradeoff may be that I cannot afford it. Great video, Josh.
@@sitchadThen why did you😂🤣😂
I believe more units would sell if the prices were closer to the actual value of the RV. They are beautiful but the poor quality and inflated prices are a turn off. They should concentrate on quality control and customer service. I watch the reviews all the time.
I look forward to Josh's bubbly personality and honest opinions. ❤
The industry earned and deserves about 75% of them being out of business.
No bail outs for bad businesses
The only RV mfr I feel positively toward are the factory direct fiberglass RVs. Oliver($$$), Casita, Scamp, Bigfoot.
@@kjmorgan6115I agree
Josh, I can’t thank you enough for being a standup honest guy. It’s refreshing to know that somebody out there actually cares about the folks that buy from them. Again I have learned so much from watching your channel here. And whenever I go out to get my first RV, I will definitely be buying it per your suggestions, cautions, and just downright damn good advice. Thank you so much and keep doing what you’re doing, buddy.😊
Will do. TY so much
Canadian! ❤ looked at new… the quality was horrible!!! Frame was paper thin, settled for an older model that was far better quality.
Thanks, Josh, for the straightforward reporting and honesty and thanks to the Bish gang for being onboard with the honesty here.
You bet!
One thing that FR could do to improve their product is to plan studs inside the walls where major components attach. Our dinette is screwed into paneling and shakes apart on travel days. Another thing would be investing $100 more into their trailers in the form of CRE3000 suspension or torsion suspension as they do include on the Rockwood and Flagstaff brands. We have a Grand Surveyor which was promoted as being high quality. Interesting that it was not included on your list of quality brands in this video.
Thanks for what you do! Hopefully we all can work to make RV’s better.
Thanks for another great update Josh from British Columbia, Canada. In 2018 we purchased a new Keystone Montana Model 3720RL Legacy (at 90K CAD). I am a do it yourself owner and have done a lot of modifications to this unit. While working on the various modifications, I have been all through this 5th Wheel and I am constantly disgusted with the quality of workmanship and, this unit was built before the pandemic! I am a retired Tradesman and it is an absolute disgrace that Keystone allows this poor quality to leave their factory. I look forward to your next review!
Josh, thanks for the insight on what's currently going on in the industry. I appreciate you taking the time to put these videos out!
Our pleasure. Hope it helps!
Canadian here. I think part of the reason that travel trailers are selling better has to do with our park size limitations. Seems like these days most 5th wheels are huge and pushing 35' plus. One thing we have noticed is that a lot of the provinical parks that we frequent 30' is about the sweet spot for size. When you get larger than that it is harder to find sites. Plus a lot of the parks are tighter to navigate. Granted there are long travel trailers too, but there seems to be more options than when it comes to 5th wheels. Plus there are stricter limitations when it comes to towing weight and how it affects the weight of the tow vehicle. For example in our province anything over 9999 lbs requires an upgraded license that is requires additional testing and requirements. And if your vehicle is has a gvwr over 9999lbs it has to be inspected yearly. This can make it much more difficult for the avg camper to justify buying a larger towable and larger truck.
We’re just here for the squirrels and Tractor Tyler. 😜
Thanks as always for the frank, honest information. I for one, really appreciate the time and energy you put into this monthly video!
Tyler is truly THE star
I (full-time RVer for > 7 years) will pay for Quality over low price. I was at the Hershey show. Leisure Travel Vans & Pleasure Way were the "Look at our quality!" vendors. (Both Canadian.) All the other brands were focused on price - and had more sales.
The problem is you don't know what cost savings measures were used until it's too late (Vinyl wrapped pressboard instead of real wood floorboards, cabinets, and counters which swell when leaks occur, poorly installed bay door weather stripping caused leaks inside, no barrier applied to saw cuts around wheel wells which invite mice and water intrusion). 25% of my THOR issues have been cost savings issues, 75% have been lazy employees who don't care assembling it.
yes but 250k too.
As an rv salesperson and avid camper myself, I always love the insight. My question/comment/observation about pricing comes from a different angle, and I wonder what your thoughts might be. I think (absolutely do not know) that this industry has followed the same path as homes and the real-estate inflation in the US. The industry seems to have started building larger, more well equipped (fancier) rvs thru simple evolution the same as the average home size increased and became fancier. The average sized home built in 1980 was 1500 Sq ft, today the average is closer to 3000 Sq ft. and that alone has taken many out of the market new homes. We're living in nicer, fancier homes and frankly (were paying for all that unnecessary room). Back to the correlation, rvs in 1980 were much simpler in design overall and heavier, so the average sized (Sq footage) would have had to be much smaller for 1/2 ton trucks to tow them. The industry then and is still trying to build bigger (Sq footage) with cooler, lighter (cheaper) materials in order to compete. That and the importation of goods (that they the rv industry leaders) asked for, has led to a sometimes horrible result for the end user. All that to say, maybe we, the general public are asking for too much out of the industry overall and they are abiding us by building these technology infused beasts that ar built with match sticks instead of steel and simply can't hold up to usage like the older units. A clear example is any 2014 Fuzion TH. ,compared to its equivalent today in 2024. The materials used in those are ridiculously heaver and better built than today's units. Sorry for the verbose comment.
Thinking about what I see being towed down the highways today vs 20 -30 years ago tells me you're not wrong in the slightest.
I would definitely go with better quality and higher price. If that goes beyond my budget then i downsize some. Been rving over 50 years in every kind of rv. There have been improvements the years but quality has gone down. I would like to see a lemon law for towables. Maybe if the manufacturers had to get their products back it would force them to do better in the first place!
I guess that travel trailers being cheaper and better able to fit under tree branches likely explains why they are a larger percentage of what Canadian dealers sell. Of course, truck campers are more popular out west, and a few BC manufacturers specialize in making them.
What I see in the RV industry is a lack of BUILD quality, not so much the quality of the parts going into the product. As long as the big RV companies keep putting out a very inferior product, sales will continue to decline. People want something they can depend on and not be towing (driving) it to the dealer every time they take it out. And then wait 6 months to (maybe) have it fixed. I've owned 4 different campers in my life. The latest is my last. 2010 DRV Moblie Suite. Very solid 5th wheel.
Didn't expect the School House Rock reference in an RV video but I (and others here over 50yrs old) got it. 😆🙂
You’re welcome lol
We excited to be buying a 98 beaver contessa from your Omaha Nebraska store and have been very pleased with the experience with them and can't wait to go pick it up and start living in full time!
I want to buy but am scared to death I’m going to buy a piece of crap and then get the run around. So many horror stories out there!
I am ready to buy, got a new truck. Waiting for better interest rates. Afraid of buying a junk RV.
The negative stories are being heard loudly and are amplified by YT channels wanting clicks for money. Several of these channels actually exaggerate the problem for dramatic effect. Negativity sells on social media. Yes, there are some problems with some RV’s. By far the majority of the RV manufactured are decent quality. There are several hundred thousand RV’s manufactured annually that are just fine. There are some horror stories, but you never hear about the many thousands of satisfied consumers. I have owned RV’s my entire adult life and they all need maintenance and repairs.
I think if you set your expectations, educate yourself, and research your dealers, you’ll be alright. Either sit and worry, or take a chance and live.
U will regret it
@@x96riley Remember there are literally hundreds of thousands of satisfied buyers each year. Negatively sells on social media.
1) I like these industry updates. Guess I’m just a nerdy student and you are the nerdy professor 🧑🏫 😂
2) Can I play devil’s advocate professor? I agree that there are probably scrupulous RV salesmen just like a used car salesman; but how many of these “auction” sales are really just the dealership simultaneously selling the RV on eBay, and eBay is the auction that they are talking about? I know that a reputable RV dealer sells ALL used RV’s that they take in on eBay. Apparently they don’t want the hassle of having it sit around. Guessing they figure that it is too much hassle. IDK 🤷♂️
3) If Hershey is the largest RV show in the country, and if every manufacturer is there; I bet this very expensive for the manufacturers to take their units there. Advertising dollars and budgets must be high.
4) You mentioned about the 2019’s starting to come across the auction blocks. This is the start of the COVID class of RV’s. Seems to me that with their reputation of lack of quality that these amounts would be lower. Am I wrong?
5) If shipments are up, and sales are down; that means that dealerships should have plenty of inventory on their lots. This could eventually become a good buying opportunity as they should be willing to make even better deals to unload them. The higher the interest rates go, the slower the sales - typically. That all being said; has the RV manufacturing industry ever do their own in house financing at a super low interest rate like GM offering 0.9% interest rate for example on cars?
6) It amazes me how in this current economy how any vehicles or RV’s are being purchased. I’m a locomotive engineer and we ship vehicle trains constantly. I don’t know if these are going overseas or what, but they keep building them. Some is buying. Not me, too damn expensive.
7) Curious if most Canadian RV’ers are the snowbirds that head to our southern states?
8) Depending on which political party takes control of DC, my prediction is that our economy will go into a deeper recession and rates will go up. This rate reduction was only done for political purposes. If the. D’s remain or increase their power, things will get much worse. If the R’s take over, past policies that worked in the past will be reintroduced and things will improve.
9) ALL imports should be of good quality. American’s should be willing to pay more for quality. We should all look at the labels and only buy American made products. When you buy cheap Chinese junk, you are only helping the communists.
10) The new wambo-combo would be interesting to see.
11) I haven’t noticed anything different in your videos. Not sure which ones he has edited.
12/37) Another fine educational video Professor 🧑🏫 Nerd 🤓 😁🙃
And its easy for Thor to dominate #'s when they buy up all the competition.
As soon asThor buys a brand quality goes to shit.
Lippert did the same bought up all the component/appliance competition now what do you get junk junk junk
Buy a Thor any Thor and you will get the hammer 😳😳😳
I'm kind of late but good talk.
I think one thing affecting the motorhome market, Class A and C at least, is folks realize that for anything more than a weekender they still need to have some form of transportation once they arrive at their destination. Many motorhomes don't have the capacity to tow a vehicle. Folks don't always own a vehicle that can be towed or it will need to be trailered which gets us back to the low towing capacity of many motorhomes. Lastly the need to hookup and disconnect the TOAD is as much if not more work than hooking up a trailer. Another area affecting motorhomes is service can be a problem as most dealers do not have the facilities to handle RVs and though commercial truck centers do many won't work on RVs. This problem includes basic things like oil and fluid changes. An example is I live in a metro area of around 1.5M people. We have three Ford commercial truck centers within 25 miles or so of each other. None will work on Ford RV chassis even thought they have service bays more than large enough to handle them. The closest truck center that will work on RVs is 90 miles away. That's a long drive for an oil change not to mention a mechanical problem. In the end any or all of these can actually make buying a trailer a better choice. At least it was for us.
I don't think many folks understand that loan interest rates are not strictly based on the cost of funds but are also based on demand. In fact it is not uncommon that demand is the more important number as a recent mortgage rate increase showed after the rates had been falling.
I've said before I would be fine with paying more for an RV that didn't come to me already broken. How much would I pay for something that works as well as a car or truck on delivery? I don't know but it is well past time for the RV industry do the work to tell me what the costs would be rather than claiming some mythological increase of unknown size.
My longer term plan when the Furrion water heater (for the 2nd time) and A/C fail is to replace both with Truma units. They do cost more but the over all quality and spec improvements seem to offset the the cost difference.
Increase the quality of parts and "fit and finish" !!!! So what if the price goes up a bit. Better that hiving your unit sit at the dealership for months waiting on warranty work.
preach
Better quality, higher cost. Is fine. I believe the average time some keeps an rv is 5 years. Maybe if they were built better people would keep them longer. Most people usually get the the longest term loan possible. Trading in so fast puts them upside down. Having a better quality Rv that you keep for the duration of your loan is better in my opinion
I believe the lack of tow vehicles, F350, 3500’s and the cost of these could add to the FW decline.
it's definitely a factor that's not helping their sales right now
Looking for a F350 SRW. The dealer felt it was appropriate to add $3,200 add on. The truck has been on their lot since May. I actually laughed at them as I was leaving.
Thanks, Nerd 🍺 🤓.. Great work, as always 👍
@@KylesRVI just ordered a F350 DRW the end of July, got it last Thursday and got it a little less than sticker very pleased with the truck! I live in Georgia.
My wife finally decided she wants a trailer. The problem is I fear a trailer will break our 200k mile FJ Cruiser. It was only rated for 5k when it was new. So, i started looking for trucks and i can't imagine spending $60 - 90k to pull another $30 - 50k. Those numbers just seem insane, especially with interest rates where they are.
I go to the Hershey show each year. We went on Friday this year and numbers were definitely low, no problems getting food from the food trucks, lol. I have heard different numbers, that initial sales/contracts were up but sales that made it to final approval... were way off. Apparently alot of sales were made off sight at the dealerships. It was nice to talk to factory reps, trying to figure out what they are thinking. Feel like the factories are pushing what they want to sell you not what you may want. Thanks for the updates.
I’m hopefully going to buy my first motorhome next spring and my thoughts are old school: you get what you pay for. I’m done owning stocks and bricks and will gladly put good money into a Jayco class C. I’d rather pay more and get something of value than pinch my pennies and pay later. So that’s my thoughts on the pay now or pay later 😉 question. Research and then make your purchase. AndI have for the last 8 years.
Can’t wait to visit you guys and do just that!
Keep up the great work until then guys!😊
We recently purchased a three year old Forest River Wildwood for a little more than half of what the listing price was new. We still got all the advantages of buying a new trailer without it costing us an arm and a leg. Good video for those following the market and interested in buying a rig.
Good for you!
Love the transparency… thx for this vid. We bought a 2022 jayco travel trailer.. we love it .. have no complaints of the build quality despite hearing the noise that RVs were built shoddy in the years following Covid?!?! In any case, I hope the future the RV world trends up 👍🏻
I was one of those saying election year sales drop all across the board. It does not matter who wins, prices will never go down to anything close to 2020/21.
My thought is, Sales may increase next year, but after a yr or 2 more people will be dropping like a rock from the camping scene. Just like hotels who have priced themselves out of business, Campgrounds are heading the same direction. With campground prices going sky high, insurance, gas etc: , those who buy may be short lived camper owners, sell sooner.
What was a family thing for all economic backgrounds, is changing to only those who have extra cash to throw into a hobby. Less kids are going to enjoy the advantage unless its in a tent.
There are so many campgrounds popping up with deluxe hotel type amenities driving prices even more. A lot of individuals have also joined the bandwagon rent spaces on their private property.
Im in a campground now that increased their monthly rate by $200 since last summer. I was paying top price for the last 5 yrs of, no more than 450 with electric included in the west. This summer , I encountered $800 plus electric as a standard. A friend just returned from the northwest and paid $1400 plus elect a month. I know the east coast has gone bonkers, Fla. especially. Have seen ads for $2500. KOA has pretty much increased to at least 50 and upwards to 97 in larger cities just for a basic electric and water backin site. State and Federal parks are also on the rise. More are limiting their season and charging 30 plus to boondock. The free a offering are now coming with a fee too.
Well that's my observation anyway.
Always appreciate your honesty about the state of the RV market and when you review products. It is one of the main reasons I watch your videos. I’m more of a pessimist than an optimist, but I’m expecting the next 12-18 months to be tough for both Auto and RV manufacturers/dealers.
I'll be really curious to see how it plays out
Quality, quality and more quality always! I believe you will save long term avoiding repairs. Thanks Nerd!
Ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
I've read that warranty cost id built into the price. But yes they could save even more if it was done right the 1st time.
Nice work Tyler!! That dude knows how to move trailers! 👍
He really does. The dude moved serious iron.
Thank you, Uncle Josh, you are the man! 🎉 🤗 🤗 🤗 🤗 🤗 🎉
I'm in Alberta and have been studying which fifthwheel to buy in the next few years. You have taught me well and I have so much more knowledge thanks to you. We have owned a 29ft Keystone Cougar fifthwheel since 2016. It's been ok but it's soooo cheaply made. Looking for that better made fifthwheel in the next purchase (Brinkley most likely haha)
I agree on the reporting if stats by brand; not monolithic ownership. Telling us how each brand is doing says so much more about the market and where consumers spend their money. Hiding brand stats is muddying the waters regarding price, quality, and other factors relevant to us with the wallets.
preach!
Go Tyler Go! Awesome operating day after day!
Keep up the great work too Garrett!!!🎉
Oh, and, I guess, Thanks Nerd #37!!!😂
Ty so much Michael! It truly is a team effort!
Thanks for the update as always, Josh! Great information. Curious to see how the market changes play out in the coming months, especially during the off-season.
I'm actually starting my november update notes now to catch a few things along the way
I would definitely agree to pay more money for something with a lot more safety and quality built into it. Yes, the RV industry is pretty expensive, especially with the state of the country now. But even then it’s always better to go with quality rather than crap.
Josh, it would be nice to see you heading to Europe for one of their trade shows. Comparisons are very useful, showing new ideas and different ways of thinking, after all we all want progress in a positive way.
Thanks for your monthly industry update Josh. I would like to see more quality in parts so that I don't need to spend so much time during a vacation fixing stuff.
Canadian here - Thanks for another informative update and the nod to our great Canadian "tree blood!"
🌳TREE BLOOD!!🩸
As someone in Manitoba, I can speak to the difference in 5ers vs travel trailers in my province. Any trailer above 10k lbs requires a Class 3 license up here which is essentially a light duty CDL despite using it for personal use only. Many people are scared off by this and go for TT's or "half ton towable" 5th wheels.
ahhhh.. i wasnt aware of licensing differences. That makes sense
Thanks for the video.
I care about the price! I would like more money spent on structural integrity and finish work, ie freakin molding stapled on. If want high quality fixtures and appliances I can upgrade later.
makes sense. TY
I finally bought a heavy duty truck. After being in the market for 3 years because the prices were outrageous. Still high but now they're willing to make deals. I'm sure houses and everything else will be next.
Glad you found one! What did you get?
I feel the pain of others. We've been looking at new fw. Between the cost and the horror stories we've kept our old 2014 and made some more upgrades. Now it's starting to have a delay problem. I'll fix that to. It's just hard to justify spending Between 80-100k for the issues our friends tell us about. All mfg. We have a friend who spent 97k on a kz 2 years ago. It burnt down 3 months ago. She just got a grand design 2 weeks and she is already having issues with plumbing.
Once again another awesome video! Thanks for all you do for us out here in RV land!
absolutely my pleasure!
Hi Tyler!!! Bring him in on a video soon😊
Hopefully interest rate decreases are a net positive, still a little hesitant of an inflation rebound with China increasing monetary stimulus at the same time. The small reduction in rates shouldn't spark an inflation rebound in itself. Thank you for your analysis, love your vids!
Hey Nerd, Hello from Ontario Canada. Been watching all of your videos for a long time now. We started wanting a C Class, until we rented one, and we've been looking at fifth wheels ever since.
You are right about the Canadian market being mostly travel trailer focused. Probably close to a 4 or 5 to one ratio of trailers vs. fifth wheels on the roads here. I think you're right about price being a factor but probably more about the truck than the trailer. Where we live its truck country, lots of people already have half tons so you buy the trailer you can tow.
We were looking at a GMC one ton for the fifth wheel we want, and the truck dealership wants $120,000 CAD. Ouch!
that's some awesome intel there and something I didn't really know before. THANK YOU for helping me better understand!
Thanks very helpful
You're welcome!
Josh at what point do we draw the line. Back in the day before total greed took over this country, we all worked hard for a living instead of running back to mommy and daddy every time something happened. The highest quality steel and other things were made in the good old U.S.A. Now we import everything complain about the quality and charge up the ass for junk when is enough going to be enough. As always great video and there might be others out there that do what you do but none of them do it as well.😉
@Josh, I’ve been following your content for a while, and I really appreciate the value you bring to the RV community with your deep knowledge and insights. As a fellow RVer and someone who runs a digital marketing agency, I’m always impressed with how well you connect with your audience and help people make informed decisions. I’m really interested in getting more involved in the RV industry to help businesses enhance their online presence and connect with their ideal customers. Do you have any advice on how I could get my foot in the door and start building relationships with businesses in the space? I’d love to use my skills to bring value to this community!
Apologies without a better idea on exactly what it is you’re seeking to accomplish or what kind of service you were thinking of providing I’m not really sure where to begin offering ideas
@@JoshtheRVNerd thanks for getting back to me! To be more specific, I am interested in working with retail/e-commerce companies, RV dealerships, and potentially other tangential industries where I can get their product or service found online. We specialize in e-commerce and growing revenue through advertising so I expect that is where my skills are most valuable to the industry.
Even though rv sales are down significantly from covid, im not seeing any good deals that are worth it
Another great industry update Josh! We traveled through Michigan (first time visiting the state, we live in FL) during our 2 month summer road trip and stayed at 2 campgrounds in MI; Sleepy Hollow SP near Lansing and Brevoort Lake Campground in St. Ignace. We considered going through Coldwater to visit Bish's but just could not fit it into our schedule due to time constraints. It would have been great to possibly see you!
thank you for bringing things to light that must people would never know or catch
I sure try!
100% Quality because a lot of that is invisible to the buyer and cheap, low quality parts are more expensive to own in the long run. Knockoffs, like you mentioned with Blue Ox, are a serious threat to both domestic manufacturing and consumers.
Quality over cost everytime. In the long run you will save money.
"Buy cheap.. buy twice"
Thank you for these honest reviews!
You make a valid point about the fact that “increased quality” could increase the cost to the point that less people will be able to afford to purchase RVs. That definitely seems to be a tightrope balancing act, doesn’t it.
I’m super excited to see your review of that new Rockwood Mini Lite 2506FK/Flagstaff Micro Lite 25FKB, BTW. :)
I do actually have that one on file and coming so stay tuned!
I feel like they took everything that was problematic with the 2506S and fixed it in one swoop
@@JoshtheRVNerd, awesome! I’m excited to see your review of this model! From what I can tell, that was exactly what turned me toward this model! I like the 2506S, except for the fact that the bathroom and bedroom are inaccessible in “road mode.” I also like the 2516S, but I’d rather not have the extra slide for the bed. In the summer, I pretty much live in my trailer (2016 Team Lodge Extreme 2 that I plan to sell this winter to buy a more travel-friendly travel trailer for my 2020 Tundra to pull). I mostly “work from home,” (I’m in the business of helping folks who experience functional impairments in gaining greater independence through employment) so my trailer functions as a “mobile office” of sorts. With the Team Lodge, I converted the dinette area into a desk. My plans for the 2506FK are to order one with the Theater Seating and use the lagoon tables as a “laptop desk.”
Anyway… thank you for all that you do for this community! I’ll be on the lookout for that review! :)
I think you'll like what you see :)
@@JoshtheRVNerd , awesome! I’m excited! Thank you!
Thanks again for another great video Josh and Garrett
Glad you enjoyed it
Looking to sell our 5th wheel as life requires us to step away from the RV ownership side for a few years. Trying to time selling and buying is not a fun process 😂 thanks for the insights.
I would rather pay more for better quality. Because cheaper components end up needing replaced anyway.
same
I agree
Ditto @@JoshtheRVNerd
You are very informative and HILARIOUS!!😂😂
TY! :)
You're a good man Uncle Josh, a good man! 🙏😊
Buy a RV in my opinion is this, what floor plan you what, do you wan pull, 5th wheel, or self powered. General all the appliances are made by the same manufacturer.
How about leaving the quality up to the rv manufacturers? You and I have the ability to see other user’s reviews of products and we can make educated decisions based on. And let’s face it if the price seems too good to be true it is.
Thanks for the update on the industry Uncle Josh
you bet!
We need a Tyler highlight video of some of his best rv moves with that tractor I think 🤔 🤷🏻♂️😂👍
Every RV on that lot is his work! he's done well all alone :)
Yes! Please!
Thanks for all your hard work!
Absolutely higher quality and if the price increases unreasonably compared to the quality increase then the manufacturer can eat it
Thanks for another great update with some chuckles Josh. 😂
You bet!
I saw a “Hail storm Sale” on facebook. More comments were concerned about the “damage”, then the discounts the Rv store was offering.
In my experience it's a lot of just skin-deep little dent stuff but I ALWAYS recommend getting a chance to see it in person
These looked like they were used as a backstop at a driving range
Hi Josh - Love the return of Chin McChin Face. Great when he chimes in to the video!
😆
Thank you for the awesome industry updates 😊 we appreciate you guys!!
you bet! TY for watching :)
It's incredible you can do this video with just barely glancing at some notes.
I'm blessed with an ability to basically cram for a test JUST before I take it an get an A- basically. It's a gift that has served me well in life
Thanks Josh for being on here and educating us all. My wife and I are huge fans. I would like to ask a question. What are the quality differences between a Grand Design Imagine 23LDE and a Rockwood Signature 8263 MBR? Aside from the interior differences and 30 vs 50 amp the materials used are similar. I looked at the suspensions and see differences but is one better than the other or are they about the same? Does ABS on the trailer make that much difference and/or can it be added to the Rockwood fairly cheap? Are the sidewalls both Azdel? We would like to full time and have a 3/4 ton diesel so storage will be back in the bed of the truck mostly.
I have full factory tours for the Rockwoods here on the channel if you would like to review those to learn more. I wouldn’t turn my nose up at either and I’m not able to break down a full side-by-side bullet point explanation in a RUclips comment but if you forced me to give a to one or the other, then I would personally lean toward the Rockwood.
Once again… The records on imagines are pretty excellent
@@JoshtheRVNerd. Thanks. You are the man! Oh by the way… tree blood is awesome. I already stole it 😂
Thanks for the content and insight!
You bet! Glad I could help
Social media has helped consumers. Thanks for all the info. Hope the RV industry turns around.
Our pleasure
Thanks for the Canadian numbers, always much appreciated! Where can I send the pail of tree blood and box of beaver tails? lol
lol don't forget the Salmon Fingers! or.. something. idk
Anyway
I'm not hurting for anything so if you are feeling generous then consider something like a donation to a local charity that could help your community
I will tell you straight up that a quality built RV is the most important thing to me. The problems with wiring, plumbing and materials used is horrible. You don’t buy something to work on it from the get go.
Tyler is the highlight of the video. I might send over some Tree Blood
Thanks for the great updates!
My pleasure TY!
Thank you again for telling it the way it really is. The state of RV Sales will depend on election results.
Awesome informative channel. Thank you from Canada
Our pleasure!
Went to look at a 2023 Vibe 25RK. Absolutely loved it, hope my cat does too because i plan to live in it. Sincerely George & Pretzel
Just had a factory tour at Keystone Cougar fifth wheel today, they told us that the numbers were at the lower side this year 😮 what they told you at the end of the show ......
Interesting TY
I go to the Hershey RV Show every year. What needs to be accounted for is that they had perfect weather the whole week. It's been years since that happened. That's probably the main reason for the increased attendance.
That's awesome insight and you're the first to share it with me. Thank you - seriously
Higher quality!
When you feel frogy one day it would be nice if you did a clip-on warranty for RVs. you buy a car which can be cheaper than a lot of RV units, but you get like three-year warranty. Thanks for all your work you put in the video. Thanks . Charlie from N.C.
Great suggestion!
Higher Quality
I'm not buying until the quality gets better. I have a Rockwood Roo 21dk. It leaks like crazy and the floor has soft spots that will cost a lot to fix. Not a happy camper. 🤔
One thing I can tell you on those - they stopped using the laminated flooring that caused the soft spots you're seeing. That changed a while back actually. I'm sorry yours is experiencing a floor failure like that but they have added a lot of weight and structure to their rigs to prevent that now
I have several rockwood factory tours if you'd like to see it all come together
thank you Uncle J. Happy to be a RV Nerd family. lol PS Looking good Taylor
:)
@Josh what is the market share percentile change YOY with Grand Design? Also, agree that Thor and Forest River should break out their Division sales by percentiles too. Glad I bought a one owner used 2018 Riverstone Legacy 38MB this past summer. I also think those who jumped into the RV lifestyle thinking it would be a cheaper way to live or because of social media influencers are moving along. RVing is a lifestyle
I’m not in a place where I have access to that data right now but that’s actually pretty easy information to get a hold of normally. I’m just out of position at this moment sorry.
I think it depends on section. And transcend are both up. But I also think reflection has been down fairly painfully.
@@JoshtheRVNerd I appreciate the response and your channel! I did find their peak revenue of 130 million in 2023 along with YOY 22 versus 23 on the industry overall (MCCalls) since watching your channel and your discussions about sales numbers - I was assuming you have access to those industry numbers in an easy format and it is reliable data as opposed to an internet searches. I did find Winnebego’s 3rd QTR 2024 report but that is bundled and not broken out by division. I imagine your dealership gets all the reports, trends, projections, etc
Tyler, how about sprinkling in some blooper reels of Josh's vids? Is he ever gonna letcha hold the camera and follow him around?
Josh....my wife and I just retired and are looking to get into the RV gig. Never owned an RV before, so your videos have been a great way to start getting up to speed. Thanks for all that you do.
I actually advised my editor to keep little "whoops" moments trimmed off to the side to make a fun little collection sometime
Awesome show and details as usual Josh! Do you expect any future issues in the industry with the eastern ports closing down on October 1st?
👏👏👏 great show!
It's entirely possible. I'm not fully up to speed on that as I've been totally overwhelmed with new MFG displays for basically a month though
Josh, thank you for the information you provide. Ive been doing alot of research and Bishs will be my go to .
We would love the opportunity when you're ready. That's all we ask. And if we drop the ball, then maybe we werent the right place for you.
Sound fair?
interesting question re quality versus price. I bought LTV (Canadian) as much for quality as for any other reason. I paid a lot for it and I'm very happy with it. Previously I owned an Alpenlite 5th wheel, also high price and high quality. I would say there is a probably a small segment of buyers who will pay for quality. Most will not. Reading other comments, I think the older models of almost everything are a little higher quality. Even LTV is suffering from a lot of bad comments on social media regarding the new models. I'm very glad I bought a "new-to-me" 2018.
"Most will not"
I don't want to agree with that but based on so much of my experience I fear that may be painfully accurate. I've seen so many people say they want higher quality. But when they see the price tags that go with better materials the response is almost always "they want HOW MUCH for that?!" no way!"
Thank you for your videos. I was unscribed without knowing it. Of course, I subscribed again.
Thanks Josh Mr. Nerd
Quality all the way!
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I would rather pay more for quality parts. But I would really like to see better built and quality units. We we're just at an RV show and couldn't believe crap out there.