Business
Posted
on Sat, Jul. 05, 2008 10:15 PM
RV
owners justify staying on the road
By
ALAN GOFORTH
Special
to The Star
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ | The Star
|
|
Soaring
fuel prices don’t have to keep you at home this summer when you can take your
home with you.
That
sums up the attitude of recreational vehicle owners such as Virg
and Vickie Paulson of
“We
don’t see that the price of fuel will have any substantial impact on how much
we travel in our motor home,” said Virg, whose
Winnebago averages between eight and 10 miles per gallon.
“We
really do believe that the other savings more than make up for the cost of
fuel. We want to be able to sleep in our own bed every night, and we like being
able to pull off at a convenient spot when we’re hungry and not even having to
open the door. It really is a convenience thing.”
David
and Irene Korotev of
“I
like traveling in an RV, because you know who slept in your bed before you,”
David said. “We eat in the RV for breakfast and lunch, and then go out for
dinner.
“High
gas prices are a concern, but you just have to bite the bullet.”
Record
fuel prices aren’t the only barriers facing RV owners in the summer travel
season. Consumers also are feeling the pinch of a soft economy and tight
credit.
But
instead of storing their RVs on the driveway until times get better, many
owners are finding ways to continue going mobile.
Strategies
for reducing costs include taking shorter trips and staying longer, purchasing
smaller motor homes, renting instead of buying, and even working part time at
campgrounds to offset rental fees for parking space.
As
long as owners continue to travel, dealers such as Mike Miller of Olathe Ford RV Center remain upbeat.
“When
you look at the industry in general, you hear about a lot of dealers going out
of business,” he said. “We are seeing some effect from higher gas prices, no
doubt, but when we compare last year’s sales to this year’s, we actually are
ahead of schedule.”
Lots of reasons to go
The
reasons for owning and operating an RV in today’s economy are as varied as the
owners. The Paulsons consider their RV a reward for
years of living frugally.
“Throughout
our 40-year working careers, we were not the kind of people who took big,
expensive annual vacations,” Virg said. “If we did go
on vacation, we usually went to see relatives.
“Some
dealers are having a tough time, and a coach that cost $300,000 last year may
cost $200,000 this year. You can buy a lot of gas for $100,000.”
Just
as many investors like to purchase stocks when the market is down, Daryl and
Shari Pitts of Olathe think the best time to buy an RV is when others are
selling. They recently purchased a 34-foot motor home through an online auction
of repossessed vehicles. The new RV got just under 10
miles per gallon when Daryl picked it up in
“Everyone
thinks we are crazy, but now is the time to buy gas guzzlers,” he said. “I
think we are at the peak of our gas panic, although not prices, and there are
real deals to be had out there.”
The
Pittses plan to put their new RV to good use this
summer, beginning with an East Coast swing to visit their daughters.
“We
also plan to go to
The
more an owner uses an RV, the easier it is to justify the expense, he said.