Ed and Joyce Bowler said they were just browsing at Reines RV Center in Manassas on a recent Saturday morning, pondering a replacement for the travel trailer they hooked onto the back of their red Ford pickup for camping trips. Four hours later, the couple from Haymarket signed the buyer's order to purchase a bus-size motor home that will cost them $159,000.
"We decided we want to move up," said Ed Bowler, 41, a heating and air conditioning maintenance worker for the Fairfax County schools. "We were looking for something that we could use actually going down the road as we're traveling."
The interior of their new 39-foot-long Fleetwood Discovery has dark wood finish, a cream-colored faux leather sofa, a skylight over the bath, a three-burner range top, a four-door refrigerator and a home entertainment system with a 27-inch TV screen.
Not every recreational vehicle buyer chooses such an elaborate home on wheels, but manufacturers and dealers report strong sales for RVs of all types.
National sales of recreational vehicles -- including "towables" that are pulled by a truck or sport-utility vehicle as well as costlier motor homes -- jumped 14.9 percent, to 137,060, in the first five months of this year compared with the same period last year, according to the Fairfax-based Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association.
Industry representatives say the strong RV sales stem from low interest rates, the growing list of design features and gadgets offered on new models and their $50 million "Go RVing" marketing campaign to attract baby boomers and young families.
They say buyers aren't deterred by the high price of fuel for a motor home that gets 7 to 10 miles per gallon, although more are choosing vehicles powered by diesel fuel.
Despite the image of an elderly retiree at the wheel of an RV, today's typical RV owner is 49 years old and married, with a yearly household income of $56,000, according to a University of Michigan study commissioned by the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association.
Kelly Shanholtzer, president of Beckleys Camping Center in Thurmont, said sales of Winnebago motor homes are up because of the aging baby-boom generation. He said young couples, 30 to 45 years old, who want to spend more quality time with their kids tend to buy less costly travel trailers.
"Camping used to be roughing it," he said. "But now it's taking your home away from home. They want their stereo. They want their DVD. They want all the conveniences of home."
