Price of a Bluebird

[pattypape]

Ryan,

I agree somewhat, but you are just getting started.
Once we decided we have a keeper,
In addition to your costs, over about a 4 year period:
we changed out, the frig, tires, batteries, inverter, charger,
radiator rebuild, lots of hoses, fluids, filters, light bulbs,
fixtures, gages, wheel seals, wiring, cables, and a high number of
miscellaneous parts & hardware. There's more: TV, redue all the
maintenance, change some valves, switches, control knobs, tools etc.
That is all I can quickly think of , but there is probably more.
Once you are bonded, Ya want the Ole Bird to be near NEW.

Bill 88 FC Michigan


--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Ryan Wright"
wrote:
>
> On 1/23/08, Ryan Wright wrote:
> >
> > I haven't owned my coach a year yet, but I have a comprehensive
> > spreadsheet listing all costs involved. So if anyone wants info,
I can
> > get it, just let me know.
>
> I had enough off-list interest in this that I decided to post some
> statistics here:
>
> I bought my '86 PT-40 in April 2007. Since that time, the coach has
> been driven 3,446 miles and the genset has been run 138 hours.
> Expenses are as follows:
>
> Fuel: $2,800
>
> Preventative maintenance: $375 - This is for oil changes on both the
> 8V92 and Yanmar genset, as well as new filters, including fuel
> filters, all around, and some extra oil & spare filters.
>
> Repairs: $2,850 - About $1,500 was for transmission service and
> another $600 to replace the alternator & belts. Most of the costs on
> those repairs went to labor. The rest of the repairs were all minor
> parts expenditures with no labor costs involved (I fixed it myself
> with the help of the list - thanks guys for giving me free repair
> advice and saving me thousands more on labor!). Note that I bought a
> very clean, well cared for coach, so the "$10,000+ for initial
fixes"
> figure that some have thrown around has not applied to me.
>
> Misc: $6,200 - These are the various odds and ends we bought to
> "stock" the coach. It includes $1,200 in air fair to fly my family
to
> Texas and things like pots & pans, dishes, kitchen supplies, linens
&
> bedding, tools to stock the tool chest, etc. I wanted the coach to
> have it's own set of "everything", like a second home, so we didn't
> have to waste time "loading up" housing type supplies every time we
> went somewhere. Most of these are frivolous expenses; about $4,000
of
> it is in a computer/entertainment system.
>
> I expect to continue spending $2,000 - $5,000 a year on maintenance
> and repairs, plus fuel & licensing costs, figuring most of the labor
> will be my own with only the occasional outsourced job. I am finicky
> about maintenance and will spend top dollar on parts to keep the
coach
> in perfect condition and repair even trivial cosmetic blemishes.
> Someone who is less finicky may be able to get away with spending
> less.
>
> Hope this helps those who were interested in understanding some
first
> year ownership costs. Of course these will be different for every
> person and every coach.
>
> -Ryan
> '86 PT-40 8V92
>