New to campers and surprised by the high prices. How come a camper is half the cost of a car?

[MM4Overland]

It's funny you think campers are over priced but not Tacomas. My Tacoma I bought new in 2002 was $19,500. That truck is $40,000 today. So I guess $40k is the new $20k. Campers and Tacomas aren't going to go back to previous prices. If it does I'm buying more rental properties not a slide in camper.

Here is a highly recommended reading

$20,000 in 2002 → 2025 | Inflation Calculator

The 2.47% inflation rate means $20,000 in 2002 is equivalent to $35,074.26 today. This inflation calculator uses the official US consumer price index published by the Department of Labor.

www.in2013dollars.com

Do the same for campers that were 20K just a few years back (like 4-5 as someone mentioned here)

 

[MM4Overland]

If (the over-financialized sector of) the economy crashes, volume produced of these physical products may plummet

quality may suffer, top shelf unavailable

but does not mean prices overall will decline much.

The long term trend for 50 years now is the decline of disposable income / purchasing power of those working for a living.

The increasing share of the top few percent rentier class continues to skyrocket, more and more all the income and wealth concentrating at the top.

There is zero evidence of that trend doing anything but accelerating more and more every year.

The saving grace for ordinary people has been so many goods prices staying cheap due to their being made overseas, or otherwise produced using very cheap exploited labor.

Which is less true for manufactured goods using the labor of US citizens.

I hope you realize that the trend is not sustainable and if the middle class can't spend money the rich can stick their money in their arses as the economy and everything will be stuck

 

[MM4Overland]

This thread is 99% opinion. What goes up will most surely come down.
Be patient.. another crash is coming, the Fed's are wringing their hands now.
This is NOT my opinion.

Yeap it is
My opinion is that this is not sustainable and the inflated praces are supported just by the inflation and the context.
The context will change that is for sure
As far as the inflation goes that will be soon become an issues and the central banks will have to either let it continue (one of the viable ways to make the government debts look smaller) or if they act on it interest rates will increase and the prices will have to retreat
A camperaquisition right now is a bad decision if you don't have money sitting around (Who does???)

 

[john61ct]

I hope you realize that the trend is not sustainable and if the middle class can't spend money the rich can stick their money in their arses as the economy and everything will be stuck

There won't be much middle class left, already shrunk enormously in the last few decades.

If we don't turn it around through extreme and fundamental changes, maybe guillotines will work

but I doubt it.

 

[DirtWhiskey]

I think it's sorta cute that you expect anything, ever, to be less expensive. As in for ever.

 

[rruff]

I hope you realize that the trend is not sustainable and if the middle class can't spend money the rich can stick their money in their arses as the economy and everything will be stuck

I've been thinking that for 40 years... but it never happens. Median income has been nearly flat in that time, but consumption keeps rising. This is how I believe that problem has been masked:

Huge escalation of fiscal and private debt= constant "stimulus". Very low interest rates.
Many more women in the workforce; more earners per household.
Asset inflation... mostly RE and stocks. Enough of the middle class "benefit" from this to keep consumption boosted.


It mostly sucks for young people who aren't getting help from their parents.

 

[rruff]

I think it's sorta cute that you expect anything, ever, to be less expensive. As in for ever.

In real terms most things go down in price. Pretty much anything that benefits from improved productivity gets cheaper.

 

[tacollie]

Wage stagnation has been an issue for people at and below the median income level. People above that have seen their wages increase at a higher rate. Pop up campers aren't targeted to households making $65k. They are target to households making $150-200k a year. It's smart to do because those people aren't affected as bad by recessions and are typically more stable financially. That's why you aren't going to see a significant drop in new camper prices. When the market does slow down for those companies the poorly ran ones will go out of business. The properly run ones will fill the void and continue to sell "overpriced campers". On the bright side milk and 2x4s will be cheaper.

 

[rruff]

Wage stagnation has been an issue for people at and below the median income level. People above that have seen their wages increase at a higher rate.

The high-middle class have seen a substantial increase, this is true. And like you said, this has greatly effected what gets made/sold. But even they are not benefiting nearly as much from productivity gains as people did in the early 30s-late 70s period. You need to get around the 99.9%ile rank to be in a demographic that is beating per capita GDP.

 

[NatersXJ6]

The drift of this thread is amazing. We’ve gone from the original question “how is it possible that a car can cost $40k and a camper is $20k?”… to a general discussion of economics. Throughout, I’ve wondered how serious the topic can really be, as the overall tone seems to be “I want to whine that things are expensive while ignoring the very real and influential reasons”…

The key to remember is that in America we can change class. That usually requires a lot of work. Owning a camper doesn’t generally shout to the world “I’m ready to work really hard!”

 

[MM4Overland]

The drift of this thread is amazing. We’ve gone from the original question “how is it possible that a car can cost $40k and a camper is $20k?”… to a general discussion of economics. Throughout, I’ve wondered how serious the topic can really be, as the overall tone seems to be “I want to whine that things are expensive while ignoring the very real and influential reasons”…

The key to remember is that in America we can change class. That usually requires a lot of work. Owning a camper doesn’t generally shout to the world “I’m ready to work really hard!”

oh ...thanks for the lucidity
please enlighten us ...what are the very real and influential reasons

PS: who says I want to change class ?
I don;t that is the very point here I do not want to waste my money and slide to the ...lower class , bottom class ? What do you call it ? Here is where you realize that 'middle class' should be removed from the vocabulary and you start a social revolution because by contrast it is discriminatory and leads toward a cast like system (well there you can't move but that is another story)

 

[tacollie]

Owning a camper doesn’t generally shout to the world “I’m ready to work really hard!”

We own a camper because we are willing to work hard. Our friends with campers also work hard. None of us have big TVs. One thing I agree with @MM4Overland is people watch to much TV.

 

[tacollie]

But even they are not benefiting nearly as much from productivity gains as people did in the early 30s-late 70s period

That period was a fluke in American history that this country took for granted. The US was able to have 50% of the manufacturing in the world at the right time. That was never going to last. I would argue that must people in the middle class have higher standard of living today than the middle class in the 60s even though their overall wealth is decreasing. But what do I know? I'm just a paint huffing college drop out just trying to enjoy life?

 

[calicamper]

It's funny you think campers are over priced but not Tacomas. My Tacoma I bought new in 2002 was $19,500. That truck is $40,000 today. So I guess $40k is the new $20k. Campers and Tacomas aren't going to go back to previous prices. If it does I'm buying more rental properties not a slide in camper.

Yep waiting for the COVID RE madness to drop then its another rental?. Rentals are also great ways to balance inflation.

 

[NatersXJ6]

We own a camper because we are willing to work hard. Our friends with campers also work hard. None of us have big TVs. One thing I agree with @MM4Overland is people watch to much TV.

Your point is taken, and perhaps I should clarify. There is a distinction between “I have worked really hard and now I desire to slow down”, or “I work really hard and like to spend my limited leisure time in the outdoors” and the one I perceive more often “I DESERVE every nice thing everyone else has…”

In fairness, I should probably go edit or delete that particular post, but once quoted, it lives on!