Gas Pains Don’t Stop C.O. RVs From Rollin’
Summer is just around the corner, and high gas prices or not, many Central Oregonians are dusting off their RVs, while others are looking to buy.
“During the winter time, (sales) slowed down a little bit,” Travis Tuma of Beaver Coaches said Friday. “But now that we are getting into spring, it seems that things are picking up.”
With high gas prices plaguing much of the High Desert (and other parts of the country), many shoppers at the Central Oregon RV show at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond say mileage could be a deciding factor on what kind of RV they buy.
“Gas prices are something to consider these days,” said Donae Kelly. “We are looking for something that is family-friendly, and fits in our price point.”
Despite the pain at the pump, a national survey shows nearly two-thirds of RV owners plan to use their motor homes more this spring and summer, while nearly a third said the will travel the same amount as last year.
“I love a road trip,” said one woman at the RV show, “I would be doing some traveling. That’s why I’m looking at the camper vans.”
With the price of fuel soaring over the last few months, motor home manufacturers have taken notice.
“Road trek motor homes are an alternative to a van,” said Rick Breeden of Big Country RV, “Basically, it’s a dual-purpose rig — you can camp in it or drive it to work.”
According to PKF Consulting, many people will be hitting the road because it’s still cheaper to RV than it is to fly somewhere and stay in a hotel.
“Gas prices are up a little bit, people are still going RVing,” said Breeden, “if you think about it, people have saved all their life to live their dream. And with baby boomers, where they’re at and all the people maturing at the same time, they are not going to let a couple hundred dollars hold them back — they’re going to go live their dream.”
