Monday, January 30, 2012

Lots of nice rigs at the Mid-America RV Show in Bartle Hall

In the relentless pursuit to cover all things vehicular, we made a stop at the 2012 Mid-America RV Show in Kansas City’s Bartle Hall. And although there was not even one ’69 Camaro in the place, it was still interesting to see all the latest in luxury-level camping.

As someone who never really was all that interested in this stuff, I was surprised at how nice some of these modern motor homes and trailers were. Many of them were clearly nicer than my house (although storing a model car collection may be a challenge), and they had the price tags to match.

The thought of driving a big ol’ lumbering rig down the road just never really appealed to me. I know it’s supposed to make you free, but it seems like if you wanted to pull off the highway and do something impulsive, you might have trouble maneuvering and parking. Plus, the storage, maintenance, and insurance on these things have to be killers.

But when you look at some of these, you can see why certain people are willing to deal with these issues. Some of them have multiple bed rooms, living rooms with big screens and fireplaces, king-sized beds, modern kitchens, and much more.

Such lavish mobile luxury doesn’t come cheap, though. There are trailers that approach $100,000, and that doesn’t include the HD 3500 Silverado diesel that you’d need to drag it around. Self-motivated bus-type coaches can range from $200,000 to infinity. And forget about recouping your money when you get tired of it in a few years, depreciation can be mind-blowing.

I actually thought the moderately sized Airstreams were pretty cool. I could see getting one of those, adding some vintage wheels, and dragging it to car shows and races behind my little ’63 Chevy pickup. Of course, I have enough trouble keeping the black paint on my daily driver polished up; I can’t imagine trying to maintain a perfect finish on a stainless steel trailer.

They also had some retro-styled teardrop trailers that might work, although they don’t have many accoutrements. They’d probably be a more realistic match for my little 230-c.i. six, though.

I know this isn’t the normal “car” event that you’re used to looking at pictures of on here. But for a change, you might think it’s fun to see how nice these RV’s are. Check out the slideshow below to get an idea why that dude up there clogging the fast lane is going to stay in nicer digs than you are once you all get to your final destination.


3 comments:

  1. This event looks packed from displays up to visitor accommodations. It would've been sweet to have attended.

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  2. Wow. These are amazing cars. I wish I was there too. I bet the garage where these rides are located are very much secured. Who wouldn't want to have one of those? security shutters perth

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  3. It is nice to have a mobile home when you are always on the go but it is much better to invest first on a house and lot so you have a stable property and you have a place to go home after a long ride. Conveyancing Cherrybrook

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