Don't Fence Me In
March 1, 2005
Bob winchell’s new vacation home has it all: a home theater with a 60-inch
projection screen, a wireless Crestron home automation system with remote
touchscreen controls, satellite TV and Internet connections, and a full
complement of top-of-the-line appliances by Jenn-Air and Bosch.
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Custom coaches such as this one from Country Coach, top, do not lack space.
Above, an opulent interior from Marathon Coach. (Click image to enlarge)It also has one big advantage that Winchell’s other vacation home—an oceanfront condominium on Amelia Island, Fla.—does not. He can take it with him wherever he goes. Winchell, 60, a retired executive from Marietta, Ga., is the proud owner of a 45-foot Prevost Conversion by Country Coach, a recreational vehicle whose sales price averages $1.35 million. He is an example of a new breed of RV enthusiast that is wealthier and more youthful than the previous generation of RV fans.
“We are definitely getting a younger, more affluent customer now,” says Carol Taylor Clay, a spokeswoman for Country Coach. “Since 9/11, people want to have the freedom to go where they want, when they want. And this way, they’re always in their own beds.” Country Coach sells vehicles at prices ranging from $235,000 to about $1.4 million, Taylor Clay says. Nearly 60 percent of the vehicles the firm sells each year cost more than $500,000. An increasing number of affluent customers are choosing to purchase RVs rather than condominiums or other vacation homes.
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