January’s RV Shipments are in, and the RV industry had its best January on record. One would think that’s a good thing; and it is for the RV industry, but what is the impact to new buyers?

Folks that bought RVs in 2017 remember that was also a boom year. As a result quality took a back seat to production numbers. In January the shipments are up 40% over January of 2020. That should concern anyone thinking of buying a new unit.

There are only three things that can change production throughput:

  1. Time (skip steps/work faster or longer to decrease shop to dealer time)
  2. Money (add production lines to increase manufacturing output).
  3. Add more people to the production line (to speed up each step).

My guess is #1 above is the “go to” plan in the RV industry. I hope this isn’t the case but everyday I read more and more posts of people having serious issues with their brand new units. Problems range from plumbing and electrical issues to roof membranes that had not been glued down. Unfortunately in most of these cases there isn’t just one thing wrong with the unit, there’s a list of issues.

There was a time when competition really had an impact on this industry but I don’t see that being the case anymore.

Should you be concerned to buy a new unit? The answer is Yes! This type of increase in production is a cause for concern. However, that being said you really ought to be concerned regardless. In my opinion quality has been going downhill for quite a while. I wouldn’t consider buying a new unit without an independent inspection.

One thing that mystifies me with January’s numbers is that we keep hearing that the RV industry is being hampered by COVID related supply chain issues. Really? How is that possible if you just jumped 40% over last January’s numbers? I must be missing something.

Don’t get me wrong, I want the RV industry to do well. However, I don’t want their success to be at the expense of families that buy an inferior product. These units are not cheap; buyers expect to get a travel trailer that is not thrown together in haste. Buying a camper and then having it in the shop during camping season does nothing for that family. Long term it doesn’t help the RV industries reputation either.

It’s a sad state of affairs when a manufacturer is fine having new travel trailers with blatant issues fixed at dealerships after the sale. It’s what we used to call a “leave it for third shift” mentality. In other words “let someone else fix our mess”.

Please, if you are considering a new travel trailer get an independent inspection. The cost is more than reasonable for the service they provide. It may be the only way to insure you are not buying a project!