Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

01-20-2008, 12:34

Bill & Howard
I Didn't use any moisture barrier under my wood floor. I don't
have the wood in the living room of the coach & I haven't heard
any more noise in the driving area. If I was doing it again I think I
would bring the wood right up to the seats & then put carpet in the
driving area. I think it would be hard to use the wood under the
drivers feet.
Bill I didn't use wood on the steps because of the fill for the
jack's I use the carpet & it looks good but you have to protect it
form the outside elements. If I could get the commercial rubber treads
like Ernie gets I might try them when this gets bad & my other carpet
is still good. Maybe the next time I'll put a walkway of granite down
the middle of the living room & carpet on each side. I like to keep
improving things.
Bill someone gave me another fix for my fridge today. If it works
I will post it.
Don Spithaler
89 SP 36'
Butler, PA

20, 2008 5:59 PM, pattypape wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Don,
>
> did you cover the steps??
>
> Bill 88 FC Michigan
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Donald Spithaler"
>
> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Howard
> > I know I'm not Ernie or Leroy but I have been working with wood
> all
> > my life. In my 89 SP I put down Bruce 3/8 th inch prefinished when I
> > got my coach. I noticed after a year i cold see the wear from a
> little
> > moisture & general usage. We were particular with it too. I glued it
> > down. Two years I put 3/4" X 5-1/8 " with aluminum oxide finish on
> it
> > in my house. I got rid of all my carpet. I liked it so well I put it
> > in my coach. I used a screw called a trim screw. They took a #1
> > square head bit. I predrilled the toung & then screwed it down. It
> > isn't as fast as gluing but not near as messy & if you want to take
> it
> > up all you have to do is unscrew it. When I took up the Bruce floor
> it
> > came up in splinters other wise good for fire wood. We have had it
> > down for two years & it looks like new.
> >
> > Don Spithaler
> > 89 SP 36
> > Butler, PA ------ In Zephyrhills, FL
> > n On Jan 19, 2008 11:17 AM, Howard O. Truitt wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Ernie and Leroy,
> > > Will a floating floor work OK in a bird.
> > > 3/4 inch thick engineered overall, 1/4 inch top layer aluminum
> oxide finish.
> > > Howard T., Sowega, 86 PT40
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: erniecarpet@...
> > > To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> > > Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 6:53 PM
> > > Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] Price of a Bluebird
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Leroy-- I wonder if any of them need flooring?
> > >
> > > Ernie Ekberg
> > > 83PT40
> > > Weatherford, Tx
> > > I could use some work
> > > Leroy-- I wonder if any of them need flooring?
> > >
> > > Ernie Ekberg
> > > 83PT40
> > > Weatherford, Tx
> > > I could use some work
> > >
> > >
> > > ________________________________
> > > Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new
> year.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ________________________________
> > >
> > >
> > > No virus found in this incoming message.
> > > Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> > > Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.19.2/1224 - Release Date:
> 1/14/2008
> > > 5:39 PM
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>
>

01-20-2008, 13:27

Exactly what I did. 1/4 inch cork underlayment, glued to the plywood sub floor - no vapor barrier. (Actually, there's a steel "vapor barrier" under the plywood anyway.)

Then, in my case, bamboo wood tongue and groove boards glued to the underlayment. The floor is quite solid without any extra noise when walking on it. The underlayment adds sound and insulation to the flooring.

With the tongue and groove, the underlayment was optional -- but it also made the surface more uniform as well as adding the insulation and sound deadening.

Pete Masterson

'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42

El Sobrante CA

"aeonix1@mac.com"

On Jan 20, 2008, at 12:21 PM, Howard O. Truitt wrote:

Donald and All,

I am removing all carpet from the house and rplacing it with wood. I have concrete floors. I plan on putting down a vapor barrier and a layer of cork and floating the floor over that. That should muffle the sound of the floated floor. I'm planning on ordering enough wood and corkÂ to do the Coach also. That should insulate andÂ deaden the road sounds in the coach. Since the coach has plywood underlayment I did not think it advisable to put down a moisture barrier between the floor layersÂ in theÂ coach.

Howard Truitt, Sowega, 86 PT40

Â

01-23-2008, 12:21

On Jan 19, 2008 6:41 AM, brad barton <bbartonwx@...> wrote:
>
> An interesting thread to start for guys that have enough spare time to
> figure it up would be..."How much has your coach cost you per mile?"

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.

> You could certainly stay in nice hotels along the way for a lot less.
> It's the lifestyle.

I'm in agreement here - of course this depends on the length of your
trip in both distance and time. Shorter distance trips with longer
time spent at one location, you can get off a lot cheaper with a coach
- if you ignore the initial cost of purchase. ;-) I just figured my
coach was going to cost me tens of thousands of dollars more than
staying in hotels would. It's worth it to have my own kitchen, bed,
and bathroom with me everywhere I go.

For me, though, there is a secondary element to owning a coach that
makes it well worth the additional expense: It is the perfect
emergency-situation vehicle. We recently had a power outage on a cold,
winter night. When the house began cooling down, we retreated to the
coach, fired up the generator and watched a movie in warmth and
comfort. As a large chunk of the city was out, including all street
lights, I turned on the spotlights and flooded our street with light
throughout the entire night to deter any potential opportunistic
thieves. The neighbors appreciated it as well.

The security of having this resource available to my family is worth
all of the money I've put into it; the vacations are just a bonus.
Most people are not prepared for emergencies - who actually has the
recommended amounts of water and food stocked for their family? Well,
because of this coach, now I do. At any given time I've got a hundred
plus gallons of fresh water, 300 gallons of diesel, and a pantry full
of canned food. We can easily outlast any localized or regional
emergency in comfort. In a more major, widespread emergency, we have
enough fuel, food and water on board to travel halfway across the
country, certainly far enough to get to a place where we could restock
supplies. If we had to, we could live in the coach as long as we
needed.

I'm not paranoid but I am self reliant; I don't like the idea of being
helpless, relying on outside help to survive. We've always been more
prepared than most but having a big coach makes it easy. In my
opinion, you can't put a price on that kind of security.

-Ryan
'86 PT-40 8V92

01-23-2008, 13:19

How much has my coach cost me per mile?
I don't know because I do not keep track of it. I do know it is substantially, way substantially less than the 30' Warlock Offshore I once owned. It's name was "Big Trouble". Last time I checked it was running around Newport Beach.
Problem is, there aren't any bikini's around now. They have been outlawed.

Leroy Eckert
1990 WB-40 Smoke N Mirrors
Dahlonega, GA
Royale Conversion

Ryan Wright wrote:

On Jan 19, 2008 6:41 AM, brad barton <"bbartonwx%40hotmail.com"> wrote:
>
> An interesting thread to start for guys that have enough spare time to
> figure it up would be..."How much has your coach cost you per mile?"

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.

> You could certainly stay in nice hotels along the way for a lot less.
> It's the lifestyle.

I'm in agreement here - of course this depends on the length of your
trip in both distance and time. Shorter distance trips with longer
time spent at one location, you can get off a lot cheaper with a coach
- if you ignore the initial cost of purchase. ;-) I just figured my
coach was going to cost me tens of thousands of dollars more than
staying in hotels would. It's worth it to have my own kitchen, bed,
and
bathroom with me everywhere I go.

For me, though, there is a secondary element to owning a coach that
makes it well worth the additional expense: It is the perfect
emergency-situation vehicle. We recently had a power outage on a cold,
winter night. When the house began cooling down, we retreated to the
coach, fired up the generator and watched a movie in warmth and
comfort. As a large chunk of the city was out, including all street
lights, I turned on the spotlights and flooded our street with light
throughout the entire night to deter any potential opportunistic
thieves. The neighbors appreciated it as well.

The security of having this resource available to my family is worth
all of the money I've put into it; the vacations are just a bonus.
Most people are not prepared for emergencies - who actually has the
recommended amounts of water and food stocked for their family? Well,
because of this coach, now I
do. At any given time I've got a hundred
plus gallons of fresh water, 300 gallons of diesel, and a pantry full
of canned food. We can easily outlast any localized or regional
emergency in comfort. In a more major, widespread emergency, we have
enough fuel, food and water on board to travel halfway across the
country, certainly far enough to get to a place where we could restock
supplies. If we had to, we could live in the coach as long as we
needed.

I'm not paranoid but I am self reliant; I don't like the idea of being
helpless, relying on outside help to survive. We've always been more
prepared than most but having a big coach makes it easy. In my
opinion, you can't put a price on that kind of security.

-Ryan
'86 PT-40 8V92

Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.

01-27-2008, 07:24

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

01-27-2008, 07:53

Ryan,

That sounds pretty good... and is comparable with my expenses. The
"ten thousand" figure for repairs also includes "upgrades" (such as
the entertainment system you got -- or the bamboo floor I put in) as
it's inevitable that there will be things you just want to change.

Pete Masterson
'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42
El Sobrante CA
aeonix1@...

On Jan 27, 2008, at 12:24 PM, 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
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

01-27-2008, 10:01

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
>

01-27-2008, 15:36

Bill,
As you know I am new to my BB, it is my ownership of the last year and it is up to what I want in a coach, as I have been looking for a BB for a long time... As you know I have been accused of being tent boy and among others... My BB came with a vast supply of parts that the PO had left with the BB that I have been the benefactor of, which I am very grateful for... The PO owner had changed the oil to synthetic and trans oil also... I have been lucky to get a BB in such good shape, as it was "his Baby" The only thing I had to change were the tires and Batts.. other than that I have only done the basic maintenance... The PO also left me with 5 gallons of Delvac 100 Synthetic oil which he was using in the CAT... Also he included about 15 filters for oil and fuel... Which I am grateful
for... Unfortunately, it was due to his death that I acquired this BB... Which I am saddened by, but we have to move on... I am very happy that I have not had to spend alot of money on upgrades, as the PO took care of it it all before I took ownership of it...

Sea Ya
Larry
NYC
84 35FCSB

----- Original Message ----
From: pattypape
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2008
5:01:43 PM
Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: Price of a Bluebird

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%40yahoogroups.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/entertainm ent 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

>

Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. [url=http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51733/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR...o8Wcj9tAcJ ] Try it now.[/url]

01-28-2008, 03:54

My experience is very similar as well. Rather interesting that
several of us who purchased last year had so similar results. I paid
$18,500 for my coach and I have added about $10,000 to that with
$3700 in wheels and tires. Of the rest most of it was improvements
with only perhaps another $1000 in routine service. I was told to
expect this and I am also expecting to add about another $5000 to the
total in the next year. I am particularly happy that the PO was
completely honest with me and I have found not one problem which I
was not made aware of. These things are not inexpensive but they are
not cheap. In other words the money seems to be well spent. I am
very pleased with the performance of the bus and if I had any
complaints it would be that the FC is a little noisy due to the front
engine. I am "working" on that and I feel that I can get it to a
level that will be more then tolerable for my use. So I have about
95% of what my heart desires and that my friends is a pretty good
buying experience. I on occasion get to thinking about up grading to
a newer PT but when I consider the increased costs it doesn't make
much sense for me. I have more then enough room and to add the extra
length weight and increased fuel costs just doesn't add up to move me
in that direction. So I am going to keep working along on the
ole '73 and enjoying the trip as well as the destinations.

John Heckman
central Pa
1973 FC
>
> Bill,
> As you know I am new to my BB, it is my ownership of the last year
and it is up to what I want in a coach, as I have been looking for a
BB for a long time... As you know I have been accused of being tent
boy and among others... My BB came with a vast supply of parts that
the PO had left with the BB that I have been the benefactor of, which
I am very grateful for... The PO owner had changed the oil to
synthetic and trans oil also... I have been lucky to get a BB in such
good shape, as it was "his Baby" The only thing I had to change were
the tires and Batts.. other than that I have only done the basic
maintenance... The PO also left me with 5 gallons of Delvac 100
Synthetic oil which he was using in the CAT... Also he included about
15 filters for oil and fuel... Which I am grateful for...
Unfortunately, it was due to his death that I acquired this BB...
Which I am saddened by, but we have to move on... I am very happy
that I have not had to spend alot
> of money on upgrades, as the PO took care of it it all before I
took ownership of it...
>
> Sea Ya
> Larry
> NYC
> 84 35FCSB
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: pattypape
> To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2008 5:01:43 PM
> Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: Price of a Bluebird
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 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/entertainm ent 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
>
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 
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______________________________________________________________________
______________
> Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page.
> http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs
>

01-28-2008, 06:29

In a message dated 1/28/2008 3:56:52 P.M. Central Standard Time, ryanpwright@... writes:

nickel and dime stuff (adjusted for inflation, that means $100
here, $100 there ;-)

The bird is kinda like my old sailing craft-- just a catch all for those 100 dollar bills.

Ernie Ekberg
83PT40
Weatherford, Tx

-----Montana bound

Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year.