[77newell]

Over the 10 years of owning the 77 Newell I averaged somewhere between 2500-3000 per year for everything. That includes tires, batteries and airbags, plus lube changes and an amazing list of other stuff due to the previous owner not being able to keep up with maintenance. I did virtually all the labor myself except for the in-frame on the 6v92 which was 5,000 and is included in my figures.

The 93 coach hasn't been my responsibility for long enough to know but its systems are far more complex than the 77 and I expect to spend maybe fifty percent more. Thankfully this coach, compliments of Forest, was in hugely better shape when I bought it.

My coaches have been well maintained and very reliable (well, only once I got caught up with the 77's issues). If I had to spend 10 grand a year on maintenance plus depreciation (50% of my initial purchase price over the 10 year - and this appears to be typical) I couldn't justify the expense versus other ways of traveling. I prefer the motorhome greatly but there are limits to what I can justify. This is just me, others have different perspectives that work very well for them.

The important thing is to recognize the degree of ongoing cash flow required to support the particular coach you are interested in and be comfortable with that considering the use you will make of it. I met a guy that had $50 depreciation for every mile he had driven his coach. There is no way I could make myself do that, but he was so pleased with the experience he was in the process of buying a new coach and doing it all over again. It's all a matter of be realistic and comfortable with the realities.