Cost of ownership

[gcyeaw]

James,
I am beginning to see your point. There are some pretty solid
looking Birds for sale with price tags higher than where I am
aiming, but if they are as well maintained as they appear, I might
be much better off than going for a lower cost unit. Another factor
is the location of the bus. Most I have seen on the market are
pretty far away and driving them back to New Jersey might not be
feasible unless they are in good shape.

I also can see that the return on investment is basically the
enjoyment I get out of it and not what I will get for it when it is
time to sell.

Gardner

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "orbitalsolutions"
wrote:
>
> Hello, Gardner.
>
> The biggest factor in the cost of ownership of a 25 year old, or
> older 'Bird, lies in the condition of the bus that you buy.
>
> Remember we are talking about older buses here and no two are the
> same. You will find "project buses" on the market that may need
> everything replaced on them from the motor and electronics to the
> fridge and carpet ect. However, from time to time, a very nice
> highly updated example will be offered for sale that will need
next
> to nothing.
>
> Obviously the cost of ownership will be much higher on a "project
> bus" than on a Cheery example with newer motor and everything else
> in the bus having been already updated and in good working order.
>
> I guess my point is to buy your bus wisely! The project bus at a
> rock bottom price that needs everying replaced will not be your
best
> value. Rather, find a bus that has had on-going care by folks who
> were enthusiastic owners.
>
> Take my bus for example ... the motor is about 4 years old with
> 15,000 miles on it. At the time the motor was replaced so were
all
> pumps, fan assembly even the main started motor. All belts and
> hoses are two years old. Trojan batteries less than a year old.
> Twin 55 amp Iota charges less than a year old. Xantrex pure sine-
> wave inverter less than a year old. High deffenition Direct TV
> system less than a yera old. 27" Samsung LCD TV less than a year
> old. Refridgerator about 4 years old. AC units about 3 years
old.
> Roof deck rebedded, refastened and painted less than a year ago.
> Polished Aluminum wheels that you can comb your hair in. New
carpet
> about 2 years ago. I could go on and on, but you get my point.
>
> If I were to sell my bus tomorrow I could get around 25 to 27
> thousand.
>
> Now think about that "project bus" that has been sitting behind a
> barn for 8 years before someone pulled it out, polished it up and
> hung a for sale sign on it. These are two very different pictures
> arn't they? Certainly you would experience a very different cost
of
> ownewship betweeen the above examples. Now you may be able to buy
> the project bus for 16 thousand bucks, but get ready to spend that
> much again, and more, to make it into a good looking reliable
runner.
>
> So shop wisely, and buy the best bus you can find in your price
> range.
>
> Good Luck.
>
>
> James
> 78FC33SB "Old School"
> Orange Lake, FL (Mid-Eightys, total over cast and raining)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "gcyeaw" wrote:
> >
> > I have asked other questions on this forum and I do appreciate
> the
> > responses I have received. I have been building a spreadsheet to
> try
> > to estimate the real cost of owning a vintage Bluebird. I love
the
> > look and would enjoy repairing/restoring the systems at my
leisure
> > prior to retirement.
> > The price range I am looking at is under $30,000 for a 1984
or
> > older FC 33 TO 35. Given that price range I would expect to have
> > lots of small things to fix. Also given the age, I would expect
> > higher incidence of failure in in basic engine/transmit
> ion/chassis
> > systems over say, a 10 year time span..
> >
> > Would it be reasonable to estimate $700/year for routine
> > maintenance and $1000/year for unplanned maintenance averaged
over
> a
> > ten year time span? (assuming I don't need an engine rebuild)
> >
> > I am really trying to determine the value as the clock ticks
on
> > 20 to 25 year old coaches. They may be well built, but so was I
40
> > years ago!
> >
> > Gardner
> >
>