Trip costs?
Even for those who try to do the North in a few weeks or a month there are some fixed costs. Transportation costs won't vary much. The big part is getting there & coming back. Those with time don't ad...
Forum Discussion
Grit dog wrote:Veebyes wrote:
Vehicle service is a biggie. Preventative maintenance is the best way to go but it can still add up to as much as fuel. Gave my truck a thorough going over last month before going into storage. New bushings, tranny oil & filter change, diff oil change & seal replacement, bunch of other parts worn that one might expect on an 11 year old near 200,000 mile truck, but it drives like new now. No rattles. No clunks.
Might need new batteries when the key gets turned again next spring but other than that it is ready to do another 15,000 mile trip to Alaska.
But that’s not a trip cost per se any more than it is to drive your vehicle anywhere else.
I could say the last trip to the grocery store cost me $700in trip cost because I replaced the unit bearings and u joints on the truck the day before I went to the store.
Then again, I don’t save up a bunch of repairs or maint to complete for right before a big trip. Generally take care of stuff as it’s needed.
In my mind vehicle maintenance is amortised over an annual basis. My truck is not a daily driver. It sits, November to April each winter, in storage. It gets treated more like I maintained my boats. Preventative maintenance. Before starting a big trip where a garage is not in every little town & there are not many towns to begin with, I want everything in top shape.
Almost 200,000 miles & except for once taking on bad fuel the truck has never let us down. The vast majority of those miles have been towing miles.
