How things change

[Ron in BC]

9 of the 15 new posts today were about looking for or selling an Escape.

I remember when the appearance of an ad for an Escape for sale would precipitate speculation on how many minutes or hours until it was posted as sold.

How times have changed.

Ron

 

[brroberts]

Yep went from mods to marketplace.

 

[Perry Butler]

Remove kliw's nine posts today within 20 minutes to sell his camper and it's not so bad.

Enjoy,

Perry

 

[salmo7000]

I’m also seeing a bunch of folks looking to buy a used one?? I still think it’s a seller’s market, but that could sure change if more decide to sell.

 

[GinoandLinda]

I think the Escape market normalized unlike the stickie market which is in free-fall. Fiberglass trailers are always going to have a dedicated market which helps buffer the resale value from dips in the industry. Honestly, once we got our grubby little hands on our 5.0, I never went back to look at the used models on the Escape site nor the ones listed on the forum.

 

[Donna D.]

Remove kliw's nine posts today within 20 minutes to sell his camper and it's not so bad.

Enjoy,

Perry

I moved most to the archives, the OPs had abandoned the EscapeForum months ago. It's due to kliw's posts, those were noticed and moved.

 

[BravoDeltaRomeo]

Does the price increase over the last 5y have anything to do with slow sales or why people are selling?

Our first hybrid was 5y old and we bought it for $12k Canadian.

Our 2021 Escape 19 build sheet price was $45k Canadian, shipped after taxes. We paid about $35k Canadian used, locally.

To build the same trailer today, as close as possible to that 2019 offering, is around $70k Canadian.

People went trailer crazy during Covid and now either can't afford the payments or have decided camping isn't for them.

Our plan was to drive the hybrid into the ground and we did. It could no longer be repaired. We were moments away from signing on a new Winnebago Micro-Minii, new, twice, when the Escape popped up on a local sales site.

 

[Ron in BC]

To build the same trailer today, as close as possible to that 2019 offering, is around $70k Canadian.

People went trailer crazy during Covid and now either can't afford the payments or have decided camping isn't for them.

I kind of gasp when I see what folks are asking and what my trailer would cost now.

I think that the majority reason there's a lot of fairly new trailers coming up for sale is more the "discovered camping isn't for them." In the "old days" folks were more likely to have worked their way up the camping ladder. Tents, tent trailer etc. It was pretty obvious during the recent boom times that a lot of folks buying were completely new to any form of camping. Sometimes reality doesn't match the dream.

Ron

 

[BravoDeltaRomeo]

I kind of gasp when I see what folks are asking and what my trailer would cost now.

I think that the majority reason there's a lot of fairly new trailers coming up for sale is more the "discovered camping isn't for them." In the "old days" folks were more likely to have worked their way up the camping ladder. Tents, tent trailer etc. It was pretty obvious during the recent boom times that a lot of folks buying were completely new to any form of camping. Sometimes reality doesn't match the dream.

Ron

I completely agree. I was happy with what we paid for ours but we couldn't justify $70k+ for a new one.

Having grown up with parents who took us camping in a basic tent trailer, no amenities. I transitioned to a tent in my teens and would head to Minneapolis with my brother to go mountain biking along lake superior, camp on Laker Superior and end up in MN for some twins games and biking.

Got married, had kids and purchased a used escape for cash. We camped the heck out of it and had close to 15y of memories put I to it with the kids.

We now have the Escape 19, for my wife, dog and myself. The kids came with us again this year. One tents on site and one on the fold down dinette. It's how we spend summer holidays and I have no regrets camping and hope to do it for many more years.

 

[hugh]

I kind of gasp when I see what folks are asking and what my trailer would cost now.

I think that the majority reason there's a lot of fairly new trailers coming up for sale is more the "discovered camping isn't for them." In the "old days" folks were more likely to have worked their way up the camping ladder. Tents, tent trailer etc. It was pretty obvious during the recent boom times that a lot of folks buying were completely new to any form of camping. Sometimes reality doesn't match the dream.

Ron

Very true. We tent camped for many years before buying the 21C. We were fairly certain we'd love the upgrade to a trailer, but also knew it was impossible to be certain until we tried it.


Now we've been "trying it" for two years, I would say you would have to pry our 21C out of my cold, dead hands. (well, the keys anyway)


Hugh

 

[Donna D.]

I'm seeing far too many for sale threads, not just here, but on Facebook, FiberglassRV and the CasitaForum, where the seller states they're selling due to health reasons. THAT makes me sad. Do not delay pleasure....

 

[escape artist]

I'm seeing far too many for sale threads, not just here, but on Facebook, FiberglassRV and the CasitaForum, where the seller states they're selling due to health reasons. THAT makes me sad. Do not delay pleasure....

Hi: Donna D... I'm in the down hill race to the finish line for that same reason. I'm so glad we've had since 2008 to enjoy escaping. :whistling: Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

 

[Donna D.]

Hi: Donna D... I'm in the down hill race to the finish line for that same reason. I'm so glad we've had since 2008 to enjoy escaping. :whistling: Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

While I'm years behind you in Escape trailer ownership, I did have my Scamp since 2002. I'm now where I'm planning one big trip a year. Months, not weeks and not days. Although there's plenty of those too. Life is fleeting and I'm not waiting any longer to see and do....

 

[BoomerStu]

Demographics

Unfortunately the demographic that anxiously awaited their new Escape 4-5 years ago is now 4-5 years older. Health plays a big role in that most people that purchased were retirees that are now 4-5 years older, and some are in ill-health and others are just not using the campers. Hence the glut of used campers.

 

[emers382]

I was 63 when I retired the second time and bought our first Escape (thanks to Alf) in May 2014 and headed south the next winter. Unfortunately recent health issues for us both have left traveling into US more and more expensive not only for health insurance but also the price of everything with the last few years of inflation and our considerably lower dollar. We are limited now to maximum 23 day trips into the US. Having family there means a lot of shorter trips now often without the trailer.

That being said we enjoyed a five week trip to the Maritimes last summer and a wonderful six week trip to BC this May-June and will continue to enjoy the trailer as long as our health allows.

 

[Mike G]

In conversation with a fellow pickleballer the other day, I learned that the woman and her husband had recently sold their motorhome because the husband got hit in the eye with a pickleball and it ruined his eyesight. Too late they learned the importance of safety glasses. Her husband has been going through depression because he can no longer pursue his dreams of RVing. She did say that they were discussing whether she could perhaps drive a smaller rig, such as a class C or a tug-trailer combo. I showed her pics of my Escape, of course.

 

[Ron in BC]

most people that purchased were retirees that are now 4-5 years older, and some are in ill-health and others are just not using the campers. Hence the glut of used campers.

Don't totally agree with that. There's been many hard core owners who have had health issues but kept on trucking.

My view is that the glut of trailers for sale is still that a lot of folks in Covid times bought into the dream, without having been any kind of RV owner or camper previously and found that there's a difference between the dream and reality.

Ron

 

[Donna D.]

Unfortunately the demographic that anxiously awaited their new Escape 4-5 years ago is now 4-5 years older. Health plays a big role in that most people that purchased were retirees that are now 4-5 years older, and some are in ill-health and others are just not using the campers. Hence the glut of used campers.

Don't totally agree with that. There's been many hard core owners who have had health issues but kept on trucking.

My view is that the glut of trailers for sale is still that a lot of folks in Covid times bought into the dream, without having been any kind of RV owner or camper previously and found that there's a difference between the dream and reality.

Ron

I don't think this is an either/or, but both of you can be right.

 

[OneCentHillman]

We are among the recent surge of Escape sellers.
Sold our E19 to purchase a 23. Mainly because 1) we're becoming snowbirds and a 19 with 2 dogs and 2 adults gets rather small after a couple of months, and 2) we wanted larger tanks so we can boon-dock for longer periods of time. I'd have been fine with a 21C, but DH said if we were getting another, it might as well be a 23.
As for timing, we needed to sell the 19 and get our 23 order placed in time for us to have it for our annual Quartzsite gathering w/ family/friends in January.
If we'd had enough room on the property, I'd like to have kept the 19. It's a great camper for shorter trips.
With the 19 already gone and waiting for the 23 to be built, I feel kind of lost without an Escape to escape to. ;-)

 

[OneCentHillman]

Life is fleeting and I'm not waiting any longer to see and do....

Absolutely! This is our traveling time of life and we intend to maximize it for as long as we can. ;-)