In this blog we will cover the latest RV and travel data news. February 2025 RV production numbers are out, and we’ll cover the latest travel data so you can better gauge if it’s time to buy, sell or hold an RV. Later in the news, we’ll discuss the latest of what I am seeing as a possible indicator of a buying opportunity this spring. I’m John Marucci; let’s get started with the news.
RVIA Numbers
On March 25th, 2025, the RVIA posted the latest RV wholesale shipment data for February 2025. Production increased slightly compared to the prior year, with 32,871 total RVs shipped in February, up 1,847 or 5.95% from February 2024. February 2025 beat 2023 and 2024 February shipments but was below all other recent years, including 2016. Travel trailer shipments increased slightly year-over-year, with 22,532 units shipped in February 2025 vs. 21,246 a year ago (a 6.05% increase).
Unfortunately, the bad news continued for motorhome shipments. Motorhome shipments, which include Class A, B & C motorhomes, witnessed its lowest February since before 2016, with only 3,229 units shipped, down 811 or 20.1% from February 2024.
RV Trader Numbers
RVs for sale on RVTrader.com have decreased slightly since last month, with 140,735 new RVs for sale as of March 26th, 2025. This is down from 142,121, or 1,386 units from a month ago, and up 19,465 from a year ago.
Used units have decreased slightly in the past month, with 67,730 used RVs for sale as of March 26th. This is down by only 160 units vs. about a month ago and up by 10,141 or up 17.6% compared to a year ago. This continued record level of used RVs for sale is evidence of the shedding of pandemic trailers by recent RV buyers.
Model Year Charts
Our model year chart shows new model volumes for 2022 through 2025 since May of 2023. As dealers unload the older units, 2022 models, as indicated by the blue line, have decreased from 39,100 to 984 units, down by 82 since last month. The orange line shows 2023 models going from 93,797 to 3,204 since late June 2023, down by 671 since last month.
Meanwhile, the red line shows 2024 models going from 8,238 in late June 2023, ramping up last spring, and now at 25,014, down about 5,700 units since last month. It seems evident that a huge clearance of 2024 units is underway as 2026 models are set to hit dealer lots in about 8 weeks. 2025 units, as shown by the teal line, have ramped up and are now leveling off. There are currently 110,435 2025 units for sale, increasing by about 4,500 in the past month. We’ll discuss what I see as a general buying opportunity a bit later on.
New RVs – Weeks on Market
Looking at the model year data by the number of weeks on market, we see that 2025s (teal line) is ramping up quicker than 2024s (red line) at the same number of weeks on market. Also, the 2024s are falling off faster than the 2023s (orange line). The 2024 model year looks like a historically low production run that ended last summer. It sure appears the industry is betting that 2025 models will sell more swiftly than 2024s. We have also welcomed 2026 models into the chart data this past month.
As a reminder, many but not all dealers advertise on RVTrader.com to sell inventory. It remains an excellent proxy for overall dealer inventory. You can follow my account on X at @JohnMarucci to receive weekly updates on this data.
High-End Market – Colonial Airstream
For the high-end market, inventory levels for Colonial Airstream in Millstone Township, New Jersey, the nation’s 2nd largest Airstream dealer, still show a glut of in-stock units.
As of March 26th, Colonial had 128 new units on the lot for sale, with 11 spoken for. This is down from 134 and 13 spoken for about a month ago. Interestingly, Colonial continued to decrease its order book over the past month, which now stands at only 21 units (vs. 40 in late January and 47 in late November).
This time last year, Colonial had 55 units in their order book (more than double the current level), with 10 of these units held on order from customers. This indicates that Colonial has put the brakes on new orders as their lot is full of 2025 models. 2026 models should be arriving in 8 weeks or so, so with nearly 120 high-end 2025 model Airstreams on their lot, they seem to be signaling a problem with unloading these existing units.
BLS RV Manufacturing Labor Stats
This time of year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics revises past manufacturing employment data for the past year or so. This month was no exception, and they revised data going back to April 2023. This brought down employment levels considerably over the past two years. For Elkhart County, Indiana, the December 2024 manufacturing employment level was revised down to 60,300, now below 2015 levels. The BLS is forecasting manufacturing employment to decline slightly in January 2025.
While not a good indicator of industry growth, the number likely is negatively correlated to average line tenure, meaning as employment levels go down over time, the existing workforce grows more tenured and experienced, which should mean better quality on a very manual labor-intensive product.
AAA
Gas prices have increased slightly in the past month. According to AAA, the current average nationwide price as of March 26th was $3.15 per gallon for regular unleaded, up 1.6 cents from a month ago and down about 38 cents from a year ago. An RV trip of 3,000 miles at 10 mpg would cost $945 now vs. $1060 a year ago, a 10.8% decrease. Diesel prices have decreased in the past month and currently sit at $3.606 per gallon, down 7.5 cents from a month ago and down 44.4 cents from a year ago. A similar 3,000-mile trip getting 12 mpg would cost $902 now vs. $1,013 a year ago, an 11% decrease.
Is it Time to Buy?
One of the things mentioned at the opening was that the data we present is intended to help you know if it is time to buy, sell, or hold an RV. There is a convergence of factors that are making me take another look at buying a new RV. First, from studying the data, especially the Airstream inventory data, it seems like high-end dealers are in a predicament where they placed a large bet on selling 2025 units. Yet, due to sticker-shock pricing, high interest rates, the buyer hasn’t appeared.
Next, 2026 models are about to hit dealer lots. This should start in mid-to-late May, meaning instantly, all new 2025s, which sit in abundance on lots, are now a model year old. So, what happens when you have way too many of an item that is now taking a large depreciation hit? The discounts increase, and the real price decreases. I think we will start seeing this even before the 2026 models show up.
The counter to any pick-up in sales is pricing. If you are like me, and the last time you purchased an RV was pre- or early pandemic, it is a shock to the system to see current RV pricing. I clearly remember talking to an Airstream dealer pre-pandemic (I think it was 2018) and asking about a 25 ft. Airstream. The list price was in the mid-$80k range, and the discount price was $68k, about a 20% discount. What is the same price on a 2025 model? The list price is now $123k! If we apply the same discount, the real price would be $98k! So the actual price has risen about $30k or 44% in seven years!
I pulled a query for the overall U.S. inflation rate and also for new automobiles for the same period:
The general US cumulative inflation rate from April 2018 to February 2025 is approximately 23.9%. The cumulative inflation rate for new vehicles from April 2018 to February 2025 is about 21.9%. So, it isn’t an illusion that some RV prices have gone up to extremely high levels, even versus the general inflation rate.
What if you can get a 30% discount on this new Airstream? It would take the $123k list price down to $86k. Compared to our 2018 discounted price, it would mean the price has increased by 26.6%, much closer to the general inflation rate of 23.9% over the same period. So, versus inflation, the Airstream is much more palatable at the 30% discount. It is still very expensive at $86k, but not all that relatively more expensive than in 2018. A 30% (or greater) discount level off sticker price may be doable given the huge 2025 model year inventory levels.
The general conclusion is that these units becoming a “buy” depends on how desperate dealers are to sell and discount on the overstocked 2025 models as 2026 models arrive. If the discount is great enough, they become a deal—something to consider as we head into the spring.
That should do it. All the best in your camping adventures!
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