08-03-2009, 12:40 PM
LeeAn "Investment"? - I think so....
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?
"StaRV II"