Ha, best answer yet:ernaehrung004:

Lot of good info, I think one of the other keys is that the banks being "loose" in the past have left more boats on the market than ever before. everyone is waiting for bottom. Being in a business tied to the auto industry I have seen business off by about 50% but I am still making it. I think most consumers are saving, but like GL, i will go out and enjoy it. It will come around, it always does...just takes time.

GLH,

With all due respect, I'm reasonably sure the recession were currently in is not a media invention. As for the "gloom and doom," I completely understand where you're coming from, but right now the news simply isn't good. Just read this thread.

Someone mentioned the "looseness" of the banks getting us into this mess in the first place. Without question, the collapse of the sub-prime loan market (and that was as loose as it gets) played a major role in our current economic state.

I'm not gloom and doom. I know we'll come out of this. But it's going to take a lot of work and some time.

All I mean is with those pinheads saying the sky is falling enough to blow our eardrums out, people don't spend for fear of whatever... and that messes up business everywhere. Unless you have a funeral parlor or five!

TOASTY...Thats a cool little boat.

GLH,

I with you there, my friend. The media has fueled the "fear to spend" fire, and that's played a big part in getting us where we are.

Amen Brutha! :drink:

I like it! We ran around in something similar all last winter in Ft Myers. Easy to take care of.....get back to the dock, hit it with a garden hose and walk away!

I don't think you can blame this economy on the media...

My personal portfolio is down about 40% this past year
Unemployment is at record levels
National Liquidators is repossessing 4 to 5 boats per day in S. Florida

Things will eventually improve, but I do believe there will be a fundamental change in the economy going forward. The days of easy credit, sky high credit card limits, and over inflated home equity loans are gone......as it should be. There will be less discretionary spending in the future. This will have a permanent impact on the boating industry for years to come.

I posted this a few days ago in another thread, but I think it speaks volumes here as well... This is my personal opinion, but it seems to be shared by many more:

Guess I am seeing the opportunity... If all the people are going under, it is time to take the best people and aspects of each business, bring them together and build the "best of the best". It doesn't matter what business it is, opportunities are everywhere...

Sometimes a "cleansing" makes everything that much stronger when it rebounds.

As soon as people start looking at the positives, see the opportunities, take the risk of moving forward and stop listening to all the "poor me" BS that is all around them, we will start to rebound and never look back...

That's my plan, and I'm sticking to it!!!!!!

Tony Robbins, try and keep up with my attitude!