Annual Maintenance / Repair Cost

[Ryan Wright]

Dave,

As others have no doubt informed you, it really depends on the coach
you buy. My '86 was exceptionally well maintained by a gentleman who
had money and took care of it. If you buy a coach from a guy who could
barely afford it in the first place, there's going to be a lot of
deferred maintenance to catch up on. Some folks just don't or can't
afford to fix things when they break, so they just do without that
system or limp along on half-baked repairs. This is not the type of
coach you want.

So, assuming you get a nice coach that has zero problems and needs
"nothing" (they all need "something"), and assuming nothing major
craps out on you, I'd budget $5,000 per year for maintenance - plus
fuel. If you only spend two grand on maintenance one year, drop the
other three into a savings account - you'll need it eventually.

I've had my coach one & a half years now. I've spent $413 in oil &
filter changes (supplies only, labor was my own) but I've spent just
over $5,000 in repairs. Most of that five grand went to fix three real
problems - a minor transmission tweak, a new alternator and a new air
compressor. The rest were minor things, $100 here, $50 there,
replacing worn out household type items - some worn weatherstripping,
light bulbs, a new water pump and the like. As best as I can tell the
alternator and air compressor were original on my coach so after 20
years, it was time for them to fail. No big deal, but you do need to
budget for this sort of thing.

Again, I bought a very nice coach with no deferred maintenance. The
things that have broken have done so after I bought it. If you buy
something that hasn't been cared for, you'll need to spend a lot more
the first year. You could have tires, air bags, rubber seals on valves
& lines, suspension components, and all sorts of other stuff needing
immediate replacement if you buy the wrong coach. That could be a
$20,000 bill real quick, so spend a bit more up front and get a nice
coach and you should, theoretically, be rewarded with repairs under
$5k each year.

How much work you can do for yourself makes a big difference. I don't
know enough to do the heavy mechanical work, but I have replaced
engines in cars so I'm not completely inept, either. I could have
saved at least a grand on labor had I replaced my own alternator & air
compressor but I didn't feel like doing that work and I had the money
to pay someone else. I could have also spent another three grand on
labor if I hadn't fixed all of the little stuff myself. If you're
handy around the house you'll save a bunch of money doing light repair
work on the house parts of the coach.

Of course, you also have to think about what you'd do if your engine
pooped out and you were stuck with a $25,000 repair bill. That doesn't
happen often but it does, unfortunately, happen. I, personally, don't
have a plan for that beyond crying, drinking heavily, and then dipping
into my long term savings against my better judgment.

-Ryan
'86 PT-40 8V92

On Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 6:21 PM, Dave Mayo wrote:
> In reading these type forums one would get the impression that a
> motorhome is constantly broken and being repaired. That is the nature
> of this type forum to discuss mechanical issues.
>
> I'm interested in getting an idea of the ballpark annual cost for non-
> routine repair for a mid 1990's Wanderlodge. I am also interested in
> a ballpark cost of annual routine maintenance.
>
> In planning a budget should one plan on $3,000 per year; $5,000 per
> year; $10,000 or more.
>
> Outside of the cost of purchase, depreciation, etc. how rich does
> one's blood need to be to afford the maintenance on a Bluebird.
> I understand that this will vary based upon the age of the coach and
> its condition. I'm just doing research to understand what is required
> to be able to own and maintain a Bluebird.
>
> Also, would the maintenance and repair cost between a Bluebird and a
> Prevost be similar or would one expect the Prevost to be higher.
>
> I appreciate your input as your knowledge is great.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Dave