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| An "Investment"? - I think so.... | Login now/Join our community |
 12/12 |
Over the past 6 years of Barth ownership, I haven't paid much attention to costs. Usually, I just take the receipts and toss them in a shoebox. (sometimes I'll also wince a little before I toss them in  Recently, with time on my hands, I actually reviewed the shoebox and did a little bean counting to get an idea of what all this fun was costing me.....I included: 1. fuel & oil 2. insurance & ERS 3. Expendables (tires/belts/hoses/filters, etc) 4. off-season storage 5. outside vendor repairs & maint. 6. campground & activity fees, incl. tolls 7. chassis upgrades - considered have-to-have 8. tags & reg. fees Not included: 1. Depreciation - at 31 years, it's a flat line. 2. Lost ROI if initial purchase funds were elsewhere (based on past year, not an issue  3. coach upgrades - considered nice-to-have 4. personal labor - gotta remember, it's a hobby! 5. food & goodies - gotta eat anyway Bottom Line, after six years: 1. I spent 88.7 cents for every mile driven. 2. On a per-day-used basis it came to $116.44 for transportation, lodging & entertainment for two adults & sometimes two grandkids....... Conclusions: Certainly more expensive than a tent or trailerable RV, but certinly less expensive than an SUV, motels & restaurants. Add to that the ambiance, fun, memories & comfort of tooling around in a Class-A and I'd have to consider my Barth a real "investment" after all  Anybody else ever tried to figure the "true-cost" of their Barth? (I mean, besides Nick?  | ||
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11/12 |
Very well done, Mr. Schiek. Your accountant would be proud of you. Nick | |||
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 1/12 |
Lee: I keep the mathamatics simple (kiss system). I reviewed the children's inheritance fund and came to the conclusion that a shoe box wasn't necessary............. Former owner of "THE TOY" 1988 Barth Regal SE 33' Tag 1992 Barth Breakaway 32' 2005 Coachmen Mirada 32' DS | |||
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| 2/16 Captain Doom  |
I have less than 2.5X the price of my first house in my Barth... Rusty  "StaRV II"'94 28' Breakaway: MilSpec AMG 6.5L TD 230HP Nelson and Chester, not-spoiled Golden Retrievers Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case the idea is quite staggering. - Arthur C. Clarke It was a woman who drove me to drink, and I've been searching thirty years to find her and thank her - W. C. Fields | |||
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| 12/12 |
Geeze, from that perspective, my Barth is a real bargain.....cost me less than a third of my first house, AND it has more floor space to boot!
Want to see the kids' eyes pop-out Carl?...Casually mention that you're thinking about a reverse-mortgage on the homestead! | |||
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