Yesterday I gathered all the receipts I could find for my 1989 Dodge Class B and put them in a spreadsheet. I am so glad I did. It confirmed what I thought in my head. Besides showing the next buyer what they are buying and why he/she will feel reasonably comfortable going on long trips without major problems, I can show why my 1989 has low mileage having just turned over plus under 10k after that. Next to every repair I listed the odometer readings and you can really see the periods I was laid up and unable to drive.
So, on my 1989 Dodge that I paid $10k for I have had it for 10 years and have put $11k (minimum because that's the only receipts I could find) in paying mechanical labor and parts. In addition to that the remodel materials have not been counted for which include things like $25/yard for the flooring/doghouse material, insulation roll, 2 cans of primer and 4 of paint and 2 years of painting the high top, the cost of a steam cleaner and the work to clean the inside of as many germs, smells and grit as possible and more. The curtain material, screen door material, storm shield material. Materials to reseal the outside rubber around all the windows. The TIME to do all this stuff. The ROOM to do all this stuff. If you rent an apartment you can't do what I did in your parking space.
I am going to do a blog of the repairs because I found it interesting to consider that yes, there are vans out there that may sell for $3k and others $10k and up but there can be a world of difference in what one buys. I thought I was buying one that was "put together") but on the way home from Oregon to California we spent the first night at a reststop waiting for AAA to find us in the morning so we could get it fixed and get home. We then spent YEARS getting it reliable. Old is old, things need to be replaced and when one sees the list of repairs, parts and prices you can see what you could get yourself in for. We spent so much because we planned on using this for our initial get out of dodge vehicle but later realized we simply needed larger for living in with 2 adults and 2 50-lb dogs. If there was one of me and one dog I would take this and forget the trailer idea. No divorces pending, we're going to change to truck/trailer.
I know we lose initially when we drive a trailer off the lot but we are not planning on selling for a very long time and will get all of our money's useage out of it. But I'll know it wasn't overloaded with gear, I'll know the tanks have been kept clear and fresh, I'll know there were no leaks hidden that sat there long enough for mold to rear it's ugly head - not yet noticable but hiding in wait. That's because we plan on keeping it. We've always purchased used before and have no problems with it but we are trying to not get stuck on the road when we are "out of our comfort zone" as far as resources, mechanics we know, places we can stay while waiting for repairs, etc. That said, there is NO guarantee that new is better - many used trailers have had bugs fixed better than the factory would do. It's a roll of the dice.
