After reading Bill in NY's comments about "if all you can afford is a 10k coach, you CANT afford a 10k coach" I realize he is spot on.

Perfect observation; I kinda wish I had read it 4 years ago, I might not have bought my motorhome. The Barth I bought was about 5k more than I wanted to spend, but it was the only coach I looked at that didn't make me feel creepy when I walked inside it. Most of the 10k class A's were a terrifying mix of dark wood, purple upholstery, high mileage, plastic flimsy exteriors and weird, weird interior design. Coupled with dirty bathrooms (hey, d'ya think that SCRUBBING the shower and toilet MIGHT be a good idea when selling??) The Barth at 5k more was a veritable bargain, but then I broke the cardinal rule about maxing yourself out on toy purchases, and spread myself too thin on a depreciable asset.

I think I have thought about selling my Barth a couple of times. I actually posted it for sale once, but withdrew it a month later. The "sell bug" usually comes when gas goes up a few cents or when I trip over the shoreline crossing my driveway. Also, when I think about the list of jobs awaiting me, or the specter of mechanical breakdown that would ruin a trip (what did that "Blue Collar comedy" guy say? "RV stands for RUINS VACATIONS"...ha ha ha.

Anyway. So my Barth requires upkeep. So does my house..and my house seems to be deteriorating faster than my Barth.

Today I opened the door of the Barth. (I use it as place for keeping presents for Christmas and birthdays.) The smell that hit me was that of carpet, wood paneling and the odd vinyl that they used on the ceiling. Isn't it odd how evocative smell is?

The smell took me right back to my last pleasant vacation with my family. Like walking into a friends home that you haven't visited in a year or so, or the smell of something cooking on the stove hits you like "BAM". And there you are, instant time travel.

So I have decided that I am going to pour even MORE labor and love into my motorhome..not to mention money. Yes, I suppose I have been bit by the bug...hard. My kids (the original motorhead kids) have absolutely nixed any idea of selling it. Even after telling them of fanciful ideas of FLYING to Disney world, where the trip only takes 2.5 hours...they don't care. I suppose neither do I. Motorhomes are not investments, as it has been so astutely pointed out here.

I have given up tallying the cost anymore. I will do some overtime shifts and buy the gas. I won't worry about how upside down I am anymore.

I will labor on it, and sell my Harley to make the insurance cost and repair parts feasible. My kids will stop inside while I am working on it, and as they have in the past. They will keep me company while I do plumbing, electrical and cabinet making. We will play the radio and talk about upcoming trips. The will snack at the table while I lay on the carpet, tool in hand. My wife will come out and shake her head, wondering what the attraction with boys and tools is.

I cannot afford any of this, but I have decided that the economic costs are outweighed by the richness of the experience. I have watched my childhood home be sold off to be parceled into megamansions. I have sold my old Jaguar that was my dad's to afford my children and my mortgage. I have sold off most of my gun collection to keep my kids out of daycare when they were little. Maybe I feel like I need to keep something now. Toe the line and meanwhile draw a line in the sand. Figured out that some toys are as impermanent we are, but that the joy they bring is an energy that does not die.

So I will paint my Barth, replace the calipers and maybe do that header setup that I want, so I don't worry about being that slowpoke on the 4% grade ahead of a line of pissed off drivers.

I lay in my bed last night, and my boys on either side. We read books, and talked about vacation. We are planning vacations to the mountains and back to frontier town in MD. They are excited by the prospect, so am I. I blew off Disney *again* since the house needs a new roof. Kids didn't complain even once. That made me proud. Made me energized to do that work, get the Barth ready for something more local. More local, less expensive but not less fun.

So while I think that on the one hand, I cannot afford the Barth, I have concluded on the other hand I cannot afford to sell it either.

The Barth is a our home and it is a home that travels. It carries us off and returns us to our permanent home carrying the memories of good times, and the good times are now ingrained in the Barth, like the smell of a pot of homemade applesauce or a loaf of fresh baked bread. The Bart is now an essential ingredient, not a cost effective one, to be sure; but indispensable.

There is scenery yet to be seen out that Barth windshield and adventures to chase. What is the cost of not seeing it, nor being able to share with my kids the pleasure of our togetherness while doing it?

Incalculable.

I learned that again yesterday just opening the door. The smell took me back, and that was it. How much does time travel cost? How much would you pay to smell that friend's house again, or walk through your childhood kitchen, with dinner just coming off the stove?

Incalculable..incalculable....

Windsor, you nailed it. That's what it's all about.

Amen! May the road be clear and all your journeys pleasant.

Hey Dave, Maybe you could start an annual literary award. With all of the elloquent postings I've read over the short time I have been a member I can't tell you how many times I have commented on them to my wife. In this case I'm going to print it off and give it to her. She really needs to understand what the real value of a Barth is and maybe she'll get on board and support me in keeping one of these beautiful creations. I have convinced her to go to California with me to pick up my latest purchase (it helped that we have a daughtrer that lives out ther) Now's my chance to implant some of Windsor's finely dexcribed memories into her so she just won't let me sell it in the Fall. If only just this one trip could come off with nary a single occurance of anyting needing mechanical attention I could possibly pull it off. Does anyone else still believe in miracles? If you so chose, I nominate Windsor for the "Most inspiring literary drama by a Barth investor" (Who says investments are to make money? Unfortunately that hasn't been the majority of my experience with investments. At least with a Barth you have something beautiful to show for your investment even if you can't hang it on your wall or fit it in your safe deposit box, or even your garage for that matter!)

Doug I absolutely agree. The "if all you can afford is a $10K coach" is actually my quote, but that doesn't matter. I am going to start a new topic called something like "Barth words to live by" or something like that, I am open to suggestions. We will collect those elloquent works and at the end of every month we will have a poll and the most helpful, intelligent, funny, uplift or whatever statement will win that person a Barth mug/baseball hat/ or such.

Sound like a good idea??

OH and Windsor, how eloquent you are in sharing what I think we all have to admit.

Deb and I have been having our down time with the Barthmobile... The last couple time we had it out we have had some problems, alternator belt, and then the brakes pulling. We have told you all about being ripped of with the $2,000 brake job, having to sue, won and the the guy who lost came in our yard and punctured 4 tires, there s $1200.00. We sued him for that and won, the he appealed and we lost. So I am ashamed to say that other than a few trips with in 50 miles of here the Barth has sat for two years. I exercise it regularly but I know I will have to spend a few hundred dollars before we go out on another extended trip. But come this spring and summer you will find me sitting out there and watching TV or reading.. I have cable piped out there. Or on Sunday afternoon I will be found taking a nap.. I don't know why it is so comfortable out there, when we have a whole house here... guess I can just pretend I am somewhere else..

Windsor, i had to reread the last 25% of your post as i found myself at the end of it realizing i had left for the trip we took our kids on in the 5er in 1988, then the sorrow of seeing it sit as we could no longer afford to take trips due to selfmade business committments, of my daughter outside it barginning with an old farmer over the price of a spinner knob at the flea market we were working, (she was 10). of our 5,000 mile trip to the northwest in the Barth where i was able to show my youngest son (21 at the time) where i was stationed in the air force then on to Westport, Wa. and salmon fishing out in the ocean, and then the plans the kids, now (28-26-24) have made for us and the barth for this summer to head towards Dave's country to fish. I guess i just can't wait to get going. Had Big Bertha out today, she took a trip into town for a new airtank for the brakes.
UPSIDEDOWN!!! i'm so upside down in Bertha that someone, someday will get a heck-of-a bargin when she goes if i count the money. But you can't count the money and throw away the rest. the money comes and goes, those memories will last a lifetime. May you and yours have MANY more. Thanks for the refresher corse.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bowers:
Doug I absolutely agree. The "if all you can afford is a $10K coach" is actually my quote

Ok, I admit it. I plagiarized. I feel so ashamed.

I should have said something like... To quote a highly regarded member in our community "If all you can afford is a $10,000 coach then you can't afford a $10,000 coach"

The quote has been repeated several times and just makes so much sense. It's a way to try and justify the expense of a toy "before you buy it". Now, after you own it, all bets are off. You're hooked!

After I read what Windsor Dalrymple had written it makes me feel shameful for not having an upside down coach. Nah, just pulling your leg.

I think you should just send him the mug/baseball hat/or such now and get it over with. I can't seem to find anything more touching or true anywhere on the web in any language.

That is quite a inspiring story with a lot of memories that will last forever. The kids will probably pass on to their family. Great reading! Hey Doug , congradulations on getting your wife to go. I leave for L.A. 6:30 Thursday by myself. The owner said he had the fridge filled with bottled water and frozen dinners in the freezer,full tank of fuel.PRAY for a good trip to PA.

Guys, thanks for the kind words.

Writing about the Bath is not difficult, it has been a pleasure to own and has paid dividends that I never would have believed.

Dave, I don't require anything except this wonderful place that the free exchange of ideas, help and tech tips. I am very thankful that you had the foresight to create this place, and that you have given of yourself so freely to maintain it.

I learn something just about everytime I come here and read. Between the professional and 'shadetree' mechanics, handymen, airplane restorers and boatsmen, I feel that this place acts as a fundamental aspect of keeping these coaches alive. Without such input and experience, I think a lot of us would not be in the position of being able to maintain these vintage (now) coaches at all. I don't find it to be too much of a coincidence that such handy people all seem to own the same type of coach, do you? Maybe the qualities of these handbuilt coaches attracts only people who can see past the glitz and galmour of slideouts and washer/dryers in the basement to want something of intrinsic value and quality.

If I have enriched this place at all, then it is in small measure a payback for all it has done for me.

Thank you Dave, and thank you all.

Doug, your question "Who says investments are to make money?" lifted my spirits and gave me pause to reflect on all the blessings around me that have nothing to do with finances. Without a doubt, for me, investments that have nothing to do with money are the most rewarding.

"Who says investments are to make money?"......

The guy that bought Microsoft in 1981 would probably say that....the guy that bought Enron in 1999 would probably differ.......

But you're absolutely right....In my case, my Barth has been a great "investment", including all the additional "investing" I've done in upgrades & maintenance.

The weekend trips with the kids and now the day trips with the grandkids have given me & my bride an absolute fortune in good times & memories, and I've never looked back or regretted the dollars it took to make it all happen.

It's been said that GOOD financial planning is when you pass away on the same day that you write the last check in your checkbook....and it bounces......So as long as there's family around to keep producing on-the-road memories, I'll keep "investing" in my Barth...........

I have seen bumper stickers on motor homes that say, "We're Spending Our Kids' Inheritance".

When I fall off the perch, I just hope that my kids will enjoy my stuff as much as I did.

Windsor, et al,

I am so enamoured with my Barth that I convinced one of my best friends to buy one. Recently another good friend who originally helped me drive home my Barth when originally purchased in 2003, decided he wants an RV. He may also buy a Barth. My passion is infectious.

I think Barths were embued with mystical powers and only an enlightened few can see the true value. As mechanical devices they are remarkable. They are time travelers where special things happen to those inside while on the journey.

Thinking about them is often as good as using them. For me this is very true, as I cannot use mine nearly as often as I wish. Like Dave, my wife and I often simply go out to sit and drink a glass of wine and talk. Our conversations are always richer and more congenial than if we were back in the house. This is where the mystical part comes in. What happens to us when we climb the stairs and enter our ship of dreams. What ever it is I like it.

We can fret and argue over cost of repairs and upgrades in the house, but in the Barth we plan and scheme our getaways.

Windsor you have touched a nerve; a good nerve. I have spent a lot of money on things that have provide far less enjoyment and can think of few things in my life that my wife and I more in-sync with.

Now, I have also begun traveling with my daughter, her husband and our new grandson. They to have been touched by the mystical force and look forward to hitting the road again this year.

Kinda brings a new meaning to trippin'.

noticed you are in Lancaster-- we live in Ephrata and just got a 1989 31 ft unit in Dec.

have you found a good place to get work done in the area? inspections, minor mech work etc? I was referred to a station repair place up in Adamstown -- have not been there yet. plan on getting inspection and plates the end of next month.

thanks
dave