Price of a Bluebird

[Ryan Wright]

Pete,

> 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.

Oh. Well then I've definitely hit it. ;-) The good in this, though, is
that actual needed repairs have been fairly inexpensive. If one did
not have major financial resources and were content to enjoy the coach
as-is, it would still be doable.

Bill,

> Once you are bonded, Ya want the Ole Bird to be near NEW.

I'm right there with you; I always overspend on maintenance and
repairs, replacing parts that are working fine but appear worn just to
save the trouble of an on-road failure. In my case, the previous owner
already replaced most of the items you mentioned within the past few
years. Fridge is new, battery chargers are new, tires are '04 (except
the tag, which are '99 and are getting replaced this year), batteries
are new, etc. So a lot of the bigger ticket items have been done. That
doesn't mean they won't need to be done again, but for now I don't
have to worry about them. Everything else (light bulbs, switches, etc)
is nickel and dime stuff (adjusted for inflation, that means $100
here, $100 there ;-) ).

-Ryan
'86 PT-40 8V92

[Joe]

Thanks,

I am one of those asking what the cost of ownership is. New to the RV
scene but quick to recognise quality, I'd love to own a BB.
I did go to LA last week and look at and drove the 1967 that was
advertised. The steering wheel had about 3" of play and I had a hard
time keeping it in between the lane markers. Scared me away.......
I find I prefer the older style with wood cabinets.
The 1970 pusher interests me, but I'm too new to make a fair offer.

Is it fair to assume I could own a BB if I planned on $1 per mile to
cover fuel and yearly maintenance costs. Would that be reasonable? Or
should it be more?
I'd do my own routine maintenance.
Upgrades and convenience items become a separate category.


Joe3

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Ryan Wright"
wrote:

> 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
>

[Gregory OConnor]

Joe, there are too many costs that are calculated by date/time to
give a permile cost value. Tires and every other system seem to be
on an accelerated repair/replace schedule once you buy a rig.

I think the 67 and other vintage birds would only be affordable if
you have the ability to do major repairs yourself. Suspension and
steering in vintage rigs that work perfect are poor and unsafe when
you compare them with the radial tuned setups of today. twelve grand
for the 67 is 15 grand too much if you have to farm out the work.

The 80's fc class may be a place to find a rig that has 50 grand
worth of actual upgrade and condition at 1/2 that cost on the
market.

GregoryO'Connor
94ptRomolandCa

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Joe" wrote:
>
> Thanks,
>
> I am one of those asking what the cost of ownership is. New to the
RV
> scene but quick to recognise quality, I'd love to own a BB.
> I did go to LA last week and look at and drove the 1967 that was
> advertised. The steering wheel had about 3" of play and I had a
hard
> time keeping it in between the lane markers. Scared me away.......
> I find I prefer the older style with wood cabinets.
> The 1970 pusher interests me, but I'm too new to make a fair
offer.
>
> Is it fair to assume I could own a BB if I planned on $1 per mile
to
> cover fuel and yearly maintenance costs. Would that be reasonable?
Or
> should it be more?
> I'd do my own routine maintenance.
> Upgrades and convenience items become a separate category.
>
>
> Joe3
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Ryan Wright"
> wrote:
>
> > 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
> >
>

[Ryan Wright]

On Jan 29, 2008 8:43 AM, Gregory OConnor wrote:
>
> Joe, there are too many costs that are calculated by date/time to
> give a permile cost value. Tires and every other system seem to be
> on an accelerated repair/replace schedule once you buy a rig.

Greg is right. Even when the coach is sitting there idle, you have
recurring costs to keep it maintained, unless you just let it rot but
then, why own one at all?

FYI, I've spent $1.63 per mile for fuel + maintenance. If you budgeted
$2 per mile you'd probably be fine. $1 per mile may not be enough,
especially as fuel costs continue to rise.

> The 80's fc class may be a place to find a rig that has 50 grand
> worth of actual upgrade and condition at 1/2 that cost on the
> market.

Agreed; if you can scrape together thirty grand or so, you should be
able to pick up a real nice FC. Personally, I'd avoid sixties and
seventies era coaches. I had a '66 Dodge Travco. It was a nice, well
built rig, but the technology was old. My 40 foot PT-40 is infinitely
easier and less tiring to drive than that 28 foot Travco.

-Ryan

[brad barton]

Joe,

I agree with many of the posters that a well-maintained mid-80's coach can be a goodvalue.The Cat 3208 and Detroit6V and 8V engines are still reliable and easy for most truck shops to work on. If there's been no rust orwrecks or leaks,you'll avoid a lot of headaches. A Blue Bird is fairly complex for the first-timer- lots of switches, valves and controls spread throughout the coach.A really thorough orientation by an experience BB salesman and/ortechnician will save you a lot offrustration.If you're not in ahurry, the 3208 is very satisfactory. But the 8V92 gives you a lot more performance.

Brad Barton 00LXiDFW
bbartonwx@...

---

To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
From: jsrnfl@...
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:22:08 +0000
Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: Price of a Bluebird

Thanks,

I am one of those asking what the cost of ownership is. New to the RV
scene but quick to recognise quality, I'd love to own a BB.
I did go to LA last week and look at and drove the 1967 that was
advertised. The steering wheel had about 3" of play and I had a hard
time keeping it in between the lane markers. Scared me away.......
I find I prefer the older style with wood cabinets.
The 1970 pusher interests me, but I'm too new to make a fair offer.

Is it fair to assume I could own a BB if I planned on $1 per mile to
cover fuel and yearly maintenance costs. Would that be reasonable? Or
should it be more?
I'd do my own routine maintenance.
Upgrades and convenience items become a separate category.

Joe3

--- In "WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com", "Ryan Wright"
...> wrote:

> 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
>

---

Need to know the score, the latest news, or you need your Hotmail®-get your "fix". Check it out.

[bubblerboy64]

I think it is very important to try to make a good estimation of how
you will be using your BB before you decide year and type (meaning FC
or PT). I own an older FC and it works well for me but I can tell
you that I would not pick the FC if I was living in it for weeks at a
time or if I was going to drive it for extremely long trips. Not to
say that the FC is not perfectly capable of doing both but the newer
coaches I feel would be much more comfortable to use in that manor.
The FC might be like comparing a small car to a larger one. I would
rather drive from Pa to Texas in a Lincoln or Caddy but the VW would
certainly get you there. I can't speak from experience about the
PT's but they appear to be much more complex then the FC's. Being
larger and less fuel efficient they are nearly out of my reach. I do
agree with the statement that a mid 80's PT can likely be had for a
reasonable number considering what you are getting for the money but
I also think that the FC certainly is to be considered especially if
it fits the use to which you intend it. I could afford to move up to
a PT if the cost of purchase was all that was in the mix. Considering
that the fuel costs would likely double makes it a no go for me.
Repairs and maint. are difficult to factor but my suspicion is that
that the PT would be more expensive on the average. Yes, I know they
must be much nicer in many respects but I think to worn a person off
and older FC is not being completely realistic either. Most of my
use is under 250 miles round trip and usually one or two nights at a
time. I don't need any thing more at this time. I would also suggest
that if a fellow can find a "good" FC it is an excellent place to
start the journey. Really depends on the depth of your wallet and
your needs. That being said if you need a PT then buy one because
you likely will not be happy with less.
John Heckman
central Pa
1973 FC
>
> Joe,
> I agree with many of the posters that a well-maintained mid-80's
coach can be a good value. The Cat 3208 and Detroit 6V and 8V
engines are still reliable and easy for most truck shops to work on.
If there's been no rust or wrecks or leaks, you'll avoid a lot of
headaches. A Blue Bird is fairly complex for the first-timer- lots
of switches, valves and controls spread throughout the coach. A
really thorough orientation by an experience BB salesman and/or
technician will save you a lot of frustration. If you're not in a
hurry, the 3208 is very satisfactory. But the 8V92 gives you a lot
more performance. Brad Barton 00LXiDFWbbartonwx@...
>
>
> To: WanderlodgeForum@...: jsrnfl@...: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:22:08
+0000Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: Price of a Bluebird
>
>
>
>
> Thanks, I am one of those asking what the cost of ownership is. New
to the RV scene but quick to recognise quality, I'd love to own a
BB.I did go to LA last week and look at and drove the 1967 that was
advertised. The steering wheel had about 3" of play and I had a hard
time keeping it in between the lane markers. Scared me away.......I
find I prefer the older style with wood cabinets. The 1970 pusher
interests me, but I'm too new to make a fair offer. Is it fair to
assume I could own a BB if I planned on $1 per mile to cover fuel and
yearly maintenance costs. Would that be reasonable? Or should it be
more? I'd do my own routine maintenance. Upgrades and convenience
items become a separate category.Joe3--- In
WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Ryan Wright"
wrote:> 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>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Need to know the score, the latest news, or you need your Hotmail®-
get your "fix".
> http://www.msnmobilefix.com/Default.aspx
>

[Gardner Yeaw]

I think that my experience is in line with other forum members as
far as cost of ownership. First of all I paid a little under $14,000
for a 1978 FC 33. The Blue Box had maintenance records that went way
back. The things that were done consisted of maintenance and
upgrades right up until I bought it. The upgrades were a clear
indication that the owner believed the coach was worth it and had no
reason to suspect it would have a catistrophic engine or trans
failure in the forseeable future.

So now it was my turn to continue the restoration of the systems
and appearence of the coach. I have spent perhaps $7,000 so far, but
that includes tools and other things not directly related to fixes.
I bought a high speed buffer and the not-so-cheap foam pads to clean
up the exterior, various wrenches, sockets, and a bunch of other
tools, because I like tools. I had some work done by a truck shop in
the beginning to check the brakes and other things just to be safe.
I rebuilt the ice maker, replaced the microwave, replaced many
switches and lights, ballasts, vinyl trim, rubber trim inserts, etc.
etc. The power steering pump failed along with the pulley, that was
about $700 with me doing the work. Gas springs, compartment lock
sets, high hats and chrome lug nut covers, new power amp for the
sound system, new lights for the HWH leveling system, rebuild the
HWH valve assembly, replace the dump valve cores, and the list goes
on and on.

Why do I spend the money and do the repairs? Because at 30+ years
old it is still a great coach. It has everything you need and has a
very functional design. I will never get the money out of it, but I
will get a lot of enjoyment from its use. I also have a lot of fun
working on it, it is a rewarding hobby.

When I buy a car I drive it till it drops and then look for
another used one. The great thing about a Bluebird is that if you
take care of it, it won't drop.

Gardner
78FC33
--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, erniecarpet@... wrote:
>
>
> 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.
> http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?
NCID=aolcmp00300000002489
>