Do Young People Ever Drive RV's?

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Along with auto, motorcycle and boat mechanics, our database includes many RV or Recreational Vehicle mechanics. RV's are perfect for cross country trips and vacations to campgrounds. Some people even live in them in parts of the country. But who are these RV junkies and are any of them under the age of 60? We decided to do a little digging to find out.

The first thing I did was take a look around my neighborhood to see if I could spot any RV's. I live in a predominantly middle-class city in the Northeast. On my street I only spotted one RV and one tow-able camper. So far so bad.

Next, I got in touch with a company called Campers Inn, which sells all kinds of RV's; from tow-able trailers to complete motor-homes. The young lady I spoke to was nice enough to answer my questions and said that generally, RV's that are drivable (meaning that they're not just campers being towed by a truck) are purchased by an older crowd. She said that families in their 30's and 40's tend to buy tow-able campers, for road trips and weekend getaways. She did, however, say that there was a very small percentage, maybe about 3% of customers who were young and buying an RV for a road trip. However, these customers always bought used, probably a good idea.

I also looked up some interesting statistics from the RVIA (Recreational Vehicle Industry Association) which showed some of the following industry trends: -The typical RVer was 48 years old in 2011, one year younger than the 49 years recorded in 2005 and 2001. -Median income of RVers: $62,000 -RV owners aged 35-to-54 posted the largest gains in ownership rates, rising to 11.2% in 2011 from 9.0% in 2005. Ownership also edged higher among those aged 55 or older, rising to 9.3% from 8.6% in 2005. -Among those under age 35, ownership rates were flat - 4.9% in 2011 vs. 5.0% in 2005.

As you can see, the typical RV owner is not quite as old as I had suspected, but not a spring chicken either. Young people do drive RV's, but not very often which is strange considering living in an RV is still probably better than living in your parent's basement.