on average, how much $ for yearly maintenance

[peppster66]

Hi , just wondering what everyone else is averaging on yearly repairs and maintenance, I was just going through some of my maintainence and repair bills for this year, for my 1997 roadtrek 190, I understand that its older, and when I bought it,I got a really good deal, and I knew it was a fixer upper, so far this year I replaced the shocks, the tires,waste valve for grey water tank, catalytic convertor, pick up coil, plugs wires and cap and rotor, 2 front stabalizer bar links, and then alot of smaller interior fixes of latches and missing screws,, roughly Ive spent just under $2000.00, just on maintenace and repairs, and I know alot of these repairs will last for several years before they need to be looked at again, but even I was surprised at how much I spent this year on my roadtrek,,, oh well, its wtill worth every penny, to me,,,,,,

[mkguitar]

when you buy new, you start at "zero".

overtime everything wears and sometimes wears out.

at that age, expect to see problems with rubber hose stuff, like emission on the motor.

I have now had our 2006 PW for a little more than a year and 10,000 miles.

bought a spare tire, the old one was original. $170
battery - remaining costco warranty $40
coach battery $70

3 oil changes- self: $50

K&N air filter $45

and a bunch of gas, that's it

into next year other stuff will wear, but that's ok

I bought a new car 2 years ago- I have not spent a cent on it but for gas- 2 years of oil and filter changes, and it hasn;t needed anything else- and it has a warranty

I have old Cadillacs- they always need something...It seems like a constant twiddle to keep them running well, same for some of my older motorcycles- one of which is 63 years old...always something


Mike

[BobB]

As they say "Your mileage may vary". Mileage and age are the determining factors.

Amount for 1-2 years old / 10k miles will be different than 16 years old/112k miles (my VW EVC). With your 1997 RT 190, I think we are in the same league, maintenance-wise.

There is a point with age when one starts to do preventative maintenance, such as replacing those original belts and hoses, before they go on you, or fixing that small leak now rather than later (ever see a leak that got better with time?) Just about to deal with the CEL indicator for misfires (has gone off too many times now) New wires, plugs and coil.

But I budget for this type of maintenance every year. Love the camper and, still, it's less than cost of new.

[Scottbaldassari]

Originally Posted by peppster66

...for my 1997 roadtrek 190,..... roughly Ive spent just under $2000.00, just on maintenance and repairs,

I got a 97 Dodge Van Conversion (probably the same vehicle you have, but without the additional HOUSE on top ). My maintenance costs were over $1,000.00 just to keep the truck running and in good shape, so I'd say that's a pretty good deal; 1,000 for the truck, 1,000 for the house.

[Scottbaldassari]

On the other hand,just like mkguitar above, I have a 2 year old subaru, bought new, that has costed me absolutely nothing in maintenance... So, Pay up front, pay with payments, or pay as you go along. Anyway you look at it, you're gonna pay.

There's no telling where that point of diminishing return is for each individual vehicle, but I'd say your getting close. Seems to me a C class lasts about 10-15 years, a B class 20-25, but it all depends on how high tec you want to be, and how well its cared for of course. I still see quite a few 1980's roadtreks still in use in Arkansas... (ofcourse, were a little "differnt" down here)

There are several blogs that track their actual costs year after year if you want specific examples.. (mostly full-timers though, so like as said above, "your mileage will vary")

[wincrasher]

Sadly, few people spend on what we used to call in the "old days" preventative maintenance.

Earlier this year I took a car into the dealership to get the oil changed. This car has mostly been sitting around, but it was about a year since the last oil change. The manual says change it every 5000 miles or 1 year. I actually had to argue with the service guy to do the work! He was adamant that if the computer indicator on the dash didn't say to change it, you don't.

Generally I follow the manual on service intervals. I do flushes every 3 years. I do belts and hoses at 4 years, engine battery at 3 and tires at 6 years if not enough mileage. Rotations at every other oil change. I keep garaged and not out in extremes of weather. That's what I do and I've never had breakdowns. I also always start with new. Too much anxiety about how something was cared for before I got it is just not worth the few bucks saved. IMNSHO.