ownership costs - 1989 to 1991 vintage Bluebird Wanderlodge

[Jeff Miller]

Six tires and '90, sounds like an SP.

The maintenance sounds a little high, but there are high and low
years during coach ownership. All tires age together, the correct
Michelins will run around $500/ea., the refrigerator might need
replacing by now so it is around $1400 plus installation (or more), a
tune-up could be due depending on mileage, will include valve
adjustment and possibly "running the rack" which on the tightly
packed Cat 3208 in that rig is a lot of labor, ... the fuel filter
replacement item would have sent me through the roof for $25 worth of
filters and the 10minutes it would take a blind one-armed man to
replace.

The list implies to me that the owner(s) knew little or nothing about
its care and maintenance and would take it in when it broke, pay what
it cost. It will need a thorough once-over to determine what the
first-year ownership will cost, I'll guess my normal $10,000 on this
one, could be substantially more or possibly even less.

Normal maintenance I'd expect for a rig such as this in good
condition would be closer to $3,000 including tires and normal
maintenance with an occasional problem. If you touch nothing yourself
and trust all of your work/maintenance to shops you meet on the way,
$6,000 is likely low and a mechanically-inclined individual who isn't
afraid to dig in and troubleshoot should spend less.

- Jeff Miller
http://www.wanderlodge.net
http://www.millercoachworks.com




--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "braemaroh"
wrote:
>
> could I get some feedback on the annual maintenance and repair costs
> for a bluebird about 15 years old?
>
> I looked at a 15 year old unit, very good condition, average miles.
> The annual bills were a shock. They averaged 3,000 to handle routine
> maintenance. Items needing repair ran four times what I would
expect.
> $200 oil changes, $1,800 tuneups were common. Replacing AC units or
> inop refrigerator ran $1,500 to 2,000. Tires ran 1,800 for four,
with
> two more to go! troubleshooting a rough running engine socked the
> owner for $2,000 and resulted in the replacement of two fuel
filters.
> This ritual repeated itself the following year. If the motorhome
was a
> gift, it looks like it would still cost $500 per month to keep it
> running. Isn't this a little high? After paying for it, and the
> additional $500 to keep it on the road, you still have not bought
> insurance, or paid for the wear and tear or the campsite for the
> night, or storage in the off season.
>
> How about extended warranties? The owner plunked down almost $4,000
> for two years of warranty, and did not have a single claim. Are
these
> warranties worth the price?
>
> Any accountants out there owning a vintage bird?
>
> I would love to hear from everyone!
>
> Frank