Seattle RV Show, Dissapointed!

February 12, 2011, 07:49:36 pm

I have never been to an RV show nor have I ever owned a Class A motor home before. I once had the use of a 1984 Class C motor home made by Coachman that had real wood in it but my experience has been to watch others poor money into their driveways up until last year. I guess owning a couple airplanes were like pouring money into a black hole. Much like a boat is a hole in the water to which one pours money. I digress.
So I went to the Seattle RV show today and was very disappointed in what I saw. Lots of trailers with lots of plastic parts, small tires on black steel rims with flimsy looking leaf springs. exterior and interior trim work that was just average. Some small RV's and some 32 feet long. Lot's if not most with slide outs on very flimsy looking slides compared to CC's. There were about 15 class C motor homes and maybe 8 class A's and only one or two that were a diesel pusher. I even found a new motor home that looks like a direct knock off of a SeeYa brand motor home. I wonder if someone restarted that company.
One motor home that caught my attention was a 38 foot Winnie with a tag axel and they were asking somewhere around $300,000 for it and it had a dishwasher, gas refrig, and both a washer and dryer. From what I could tell it was what everyone was talking about because it was the best of the best that was there. After installing a residential refrigerator in my CC last year a found myself trying to figure out if every trailer or motor home that I went through could be connverted. Once you have a residential refrigerator you may never go back IMHO.
After going through the Winnie and seeing what it had to offer, there is no way that I would give up my 2004 intrigue ovation for a straight across trade knowing full well that I might not get more than $150,000 for my motor home if I tried to sell it.
I had a close friend that bought a 2009 38 Winnie, ($285,000 built a garage for it, drove it 2800 miles and then died of cancer less than a year later. His wife has still not managed to sell it for $130,000. I passed on buying from her because I wanted to see what else was out there.
Side by side, the country coach just feels more solid. I am so glad that I bought my last motor home first thanks to this very same comment someone had said in a post on this forum.
Now I can presume that most people going to these motor home shows are not in the economic situation to afford the diesel pusher class A's so perhaps that is why there were few Class A's there and tons of gawkers looking at the few that were there. But when I walked into a few of those gas pullers and even the Winnie, I could not help but notice the differences in the feel of opening the inside doors opening a drawers, feeling the thickness and quality of wood work, noticing that the tires were a lot smaller, the smaller engine, freightliner chassis, and the general look and paint job, the way the garage doors opened and the lack of battery space for adding more batteries.
I called my wife who could not go today to tell her that I did not buy up. She was relieved when I told her that we made the right decision 5 months ago. 2004 country coaches are still better than new Winnies IMHO.
Game over. My wife is happy that my credit card is still running cool. I am so glad that I ended up with a country coach within the budget we had last year. Unfortunately I found that these RV Shows left me NOT WANTING for anything more (well almost not anything more, I liked those hideaway bunk beds). Maybe that is a good thing though. Money saved for buying more diesel down the road and no buyers remorse. A successful day.
P.S. My story would be different if the Winnie was actually a Marathon Coach but then I would have been one the many gawkers with no intent to buy.

Dallas 2004 country coach intrigue 42 C-12

Re: Seattle RV Show, Dissapointed!

Reply #1 – February 12, 2011, 08:02:48 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 68380

What you saw is what they say is selling - towables and low price points. The big stuff is dead. We noticed a big change in what is at the local RV show as well. Good for young families getting started.

Leonard

97' Magna 5418

Re: Seattle RV Show, Dissapointed!

Reply #2 – February 13, 2011, 01:37:27 am

Yahoo Message Number: 68394

Leonard, I'am reading the trade papers and they tell you RV sales are up. Must be selling RV's someplace else, not here. I attended the KC - RV show last weekend having skipped last year. What a change seeing all the towables, class C and the latest tear drop style towables. Very few Class A which has suffered largely due to unable to get financing. Nearly half of the booth area has disappeared. Pot and pans, nuts, jerky, oil additives, tools, all kinds of RV trinkets and trash not seen. Just from memory the estimate show using only half the floor space now.

AL

00 affinity #5851

Re: Seattle RV Show, Dissapointed!

Reply #3 – February 13, 2011, 08:00:21 am

Yahoo Message Number: 68397

I have a friend who just bought a 32 Monaco Vesta class a diesel puller from Lazy Days in FL. He said Lazy Days was very busy selling a lot of RVs. They sold his trade-in 5th wheel while he was there. All 4 incoming Vestas were sold before they were delivered to LDs.

Larry, 03 Allure, 30856

Re: Seattle RV Show, Dissapointed!

Reply #4 – February 13, 2011, 11:13:39 am

Yahoo Message Number: 68406

Exactly, toy haulers are very big, then units to sleep families, a few years ago it wasn't so. The units for two people to live in are few.

Leonard

97' Magna 5418

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