Senile Greywarrior can't figure out why people buy what they want to buy...

[asdf2231]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4218484

graywarrior  (1000+ posts)        Sat Oct-11-08 02:35 PM
Original message
Why are recreational vehicle dealerships loaded with shoppers?
Seriously...the two up here in northern NH are packed with people all looking to buy. WTF? I mean, if you're palnning on living in one as your main house parked on the side of the road or you get some chape land I can see it. But at 8 mpg, why would anyone invest $80 grand and then pay $5 grand to register it?

gateley  (1000+ posts)      Sat Oct-11-08 02:40 PM
Response to Original message
1. I'm guessing they're looking at them as housing options. Nothing else
 makes any sense.

Or they could make a good living... You dunce.

Texas Explorer  (1000+ posts)        Sat Oct-11-08 02:40 PM
Response to Original message
3. Actually, it makes sense. If you equate the last Great Depression
 with the one we're entering now, and if you have the money, it makes sense to buy an RV and stock it. That way, you can find a cheap place to park it and you have a home. As for gas, you only need that for moving it. I'm sure those people aren't all looking for RVs for recreational purposes.

 

snappyturtle  (1000+ posts)      Sat Oct-11-08 02:51 PM
Response to Reply #3
11. I heard a man explain why he bought one. He is now a resident of a
 "Hoover" park in CA. He said, let's see how did it go, oh, first he lost his job and then his wife lost hers...mergers, outsourcing whatever. The point is their jobs were disappeared. She had found a minimum wage job. He continued to look, unemployment ran out and they knew they were not going to be able to keep up on their mortgage payments. Consequently, they put away what they could until they were foreclosed and bought a small motorhome. It wasn't a Prevost or anythig like that but there they were starting all over again, writing resumes and looking for work from Hooverville.

   

napi21  (1000+ posts)        Sat Oct-11-08 02:44 PM
Response to Original message
6. Is it possible that those customers were & still fairly wealthy, and
 the RV dealers are giving GREAT DEALS just to stay in business? I know, right now if you have the $$ to buy a new car, there's some fantastic deals out there.

graywarrior  (1000+ posts)        Sat Oct-11-08 02:46 PM
Response to Reply #6
7. Obviously they have money, but they are not in the top 1%
 I know some of these people. They own small businesses in NH that they close down for the winter.

Snowbirds.  Google it.

NNN0LHI  (1000+ posts)      Sat Oct-11-08 02:57 PM
Response to Reply #7
16. Most of the 1%ers I know look and dress like homeless people and cry poor mouth constantly

They won't even eat right to save money. Thats how they became 1%ers. It is a sickness.

Don

WTF?

[Texacon]

Heh.  I hope it is a catching sickness!  The more 'infected' 1%'s there are the more property I get to sell.  I'm such a greedy bastard.

KC

[Chris_]

True story:

I was on vacation in the Bahamas last week. We went on a pretty cool and extremely expensive horseback ride and there was this guy saying "the country is in PAIN.  America is SUFFERING!"

I didn't want to get into it, but I thought "yeah -- suffering.  Which part of your Bahama resort vacation is suffering?  The 3 hundred dollar snorkeling or the 2 hundred dollar horseback excursion?"

Horrors -- HORRORS I TELL YOU!

[Chris]

True story:

I was on vacation in the Bahamas last week. We went on a pretty cool and extremely expensive horseback ride and there was this guy saying "the country is in PAIN.  America is SUFFERING!"

I didn't want to get into it, but I thought "yeah -- suffering.  Which part of your Bahama resort vacation is suffering?  The 3 hundred dollar snorkeling or the 2 hundred dollar horseback excursion?"

Horrors -- HORRORS I TELL YOU!

Wow, that sounds like a ripoff. 

The only time I've been to that area was on my parent's dime as a high-school student.  I don't know what it cost, but don't people normally vacation in scenic, third-world countries to save money?

[Chris_]

Wow, that sounds like a ripoff. 

The only time I've been to that area was on my parent's dime as a high-school student.  I don't know what it cost, but don't people normally vacation in scenic, third-world countries to save money?

For God's sake do NOT vacation in the Caribbean -- Jamaica, Bahamas, St. whatever -- expensive and not pretty.  If you want pretty, go to the South Pacific (Hawaii and the like).  If you want pretty cheap, go to Mexico (Cancun/Cozumel for those who like the Gulf/Caribbean, Pto Vallarta, Cabo and Mazatlan for the West folks).  PS: Hawaii is cheaper than the Bahamas and a bazillion times prettier -- go to Kauai or The Big Island for beauty to last your lifetime.

I will be updating "Ask Mr. Flight" tomorrow on my experiences in the Caribbean Ghetto.

[Chris]

If you want pretty cheap, go to Mexico (Cancun/Cozumel for those who like the Gulf/Caribbean, Pto Vallarta, Cabo and Mazatlan for the West folks).  PS: Hawaii is cheaper than the Bahamas and a bazillion times prettier -- go to Kauai or The Big Island for beauty to last your lifetime.

That does sound nice.  I'd rather go to the Pacific anyway.  The biggest draw to the Bahamas for a nerd like me is how they keep all that Malaise-era Detroit iron running.

[Chris_]

That does sound nice.  I'd rather go to the Pacific anyway.  The biggest draw to the Bahamas for a nerd like me is how they keep all that Malaise-era Detroit iron running.

Well, it ain't Cuba. 

Interestingly, Jamaica has mostly right hand steering UK-style wheel vehicles, while Bahamas has mostly left hand USA-style vehicles.  But both drive on the left like the UK.  The cars and lorries seem to be about the same age distribution as the USA. To rent a 2007/8 compact is about $60 a day, including insurance -- about the same as the USA.

Save your money -- you won't see 1940's vehicles held together by string and family dynamics.  The oldest vehicle I saw on either island was probably a 1985-ish Pontiac or Chevy.

[Chris]

Most of the cars I saw were 80's-era Pontiac Bonnevilles and Ford Granadas.

[Chris_]

Most of the cars I saw were 80's-era Pontiac Bonnevilles and Ford Granadas.

I assume they have all been shipped to Haiti or DR by now.

[LC EFA]

$80K RV ???  pffft

Damn Cheapskates

[whiffleball]

I once heard that RV sales was a good economic indicator. 

As to vacationing in the tropics I vote for Belize.  It's fantastic and welcoming.  The roads weren't in the best of shape when I was there 7 years ago.  Some even just ended without warning as you were toodling along.  But, the scenery and the relaxation factor was beyond my pretrip hopes.

[jtyangel]

I once heard that RV sales was a good economic indicator. 

As to vacationing in the tropics I vote for Belize.  It's fantastic and welcoming.  The roads weren't in the best of shape when I was there 7 years ago.  Some even just ended without warning as you were toodling along.  But, the scenery and the relaxation factor was beyond my pretrip hopes.

Don't judge the economy by that. Seriously, it is indeed ****ed at the moment--Pardon the language.

Remember you got lots of baby boomers reaching that retirement area age who still probably have a lot of cash to spend and there are deals to be had now(I just bought a terrific laptop at a steal! If you have something you've been holding out to buy, now is a good time--deals everywhere). We've been delaying the purchase of a new tv(yes, we have all analogs and quite frankly as I've said here many times we don't watch enough to justify buying a new one in the past, but it may be necessity since we are down to 2 tvs in the house and the rate my autsie turns the volume up and down, it might not last much longer)...anyway, the point is we are going to look at after Christmas deals since we are assuming that this xmas will be lousy on sales. I have a feeling there are a few others like us who are now 'crowding' the stores. I would also think its peak season up north for RV sales as we are in the fall and snowbirds might be looking to purchase to head down south.


The caribbean used to be a cheap getaway in the 80's when you lived in Miami. Shame to hear it's gone up so much.

And 60 bucks a day for a compact comparable to the US? Meh, you did say with insurance so that's probably about right.

[GOBUCKS]

NNN0LHI  (1000+ posts)      Sat Oct-11-08 02:57 PM
Response to Reply #7
16. Most of the 1%ers I know look and dress like homeless people and cry poor mouth constantly

They won't even eat right to save money. Thats how they became 1%ers. It is a sickness.

Don

In this DUmmy's world, a "1%er" is likely to be anyone who has an annual income in 5 figures. Envy drives him to hate them.

A "1%er" at the other end of the spectrum is probably a DUmmy, and does fit the description in his post.

[NHSparky]

$5K to register an 80K vehicle?  I smell patchouli covering the smell of bongwater.

Even in New Hampshire, where vehicle registrations are rather expensive, $5K would pay the property taxes for a 250-300K home for a year.

When I bought my car earlier this year, I paid $700 to state and town to cover from April to next July (they go by birthmonths for registering vehicles here).  Next year, therefore, one would expect I'll only pay about $450.  So an 80K motor home would run around 1K, not 5.

Maybe if the dumbass is taking it back to Maine, I might believe that.

My father has worked construction for over 30 years, and still travels the country using a 5th-wheel trailer as a residence while maintaining his home in AZ.  Great thing about that, he now has TWO tax deductions.

Vacation?  Maui or Kauai.  Hands down.  I did the weekend getaways when I was stationed at Pearl.  Awesome if you ever got a 3-day weekend, which was almost never.

[Chris_]

$5K to register an 80K vehicle?  I smell patchouli covering the smell of bongwater.

Even in New Hampshire, where vehicle registrations are rather expensive, $5K would pay the property taxes for a 250-300K home for a year.

When I bought my car earlier this year, I paid $700 to state and town to cover from April to next July (they go by birthmonths for registering vehicles here).  Next year, therefore, one would expect I'll only pay about $450.  So an 80K motor home would run around 1K, not 5.

Maybe if the dumbass is taking it back to Maine, I might believe that.

My father has worked construction for over 30 years, and still travels the country using a 5th-wheel trailer as a residence while maintaining his home in AZ.  Great thing about that, he now has TWO tax deductions.

Vacation?  Maui or Kauai.  Hands down.  I did the weekend getaways when I was stationed at Pearl.  Awesome if you ever got a 3-day weekend, which was almost never.

California has a Vehicle registration fee calculator -- a 2008 vehicle costing $80K costs $7,196 to register.  Not counting the 9% sales tax (another $7,200).

https://mv.dmv.ca.gov/FeeCalculatorWeb/newVehicleForm.do

[NHSparky]

Hmmm...$31K for a new car.  No tax, $700 (prorated) registration.

Anyone here wonder why I left California RUNNING, not walking?