Thor Forums

[FW28z]

The RV industry today reminds me of the auto industry in the '70s. Things will continue the way they are until a manufacturer starts building a better product (which might mean Made in China these days), then the domestic builders will either improve or go out of business.

But the North West Indiana RV/Mobile Home industry have been building shoddy stuff for 50 years. So nothing really new there.

There is a unique difference though between the RV and auto industries...the RV industry, like the Boat industry makes leisure goods which makes them susceptible to a bad economy.

The Boat industry has been going through a shakeup recently - since the economy downturn in '08. Many brands have gone out of business, and some have moved their operations to Mexico. While that does not mean the result is necessarily better boats, it's more or less the natural evolution of the industry.

Boats are typically more expensive than RVs, so it happened there first... whether or not it happens in the RV industry is yet to be seen.

So, if the RV industry follows the Boating industry, get ready for made in China or made in Mexico RVs.