Final accounting, 14 years with a Super C
It took a year of looking and deciding prior to buying our last and first rig. I wanted a turbo diesel commercial truck-based RV with a car behind and she wanted a one-bedroom condo with no shared areas in the floorplan. My intention was to work from it as I was not limited to working from from home as long as I had cell service and an internet air card for the computer. This was after all way back in ’06. I could call on customers if in their area and work from anywhere we happened to park, a cornfield in Kansas, in any wine country, a National Park or casino parking lot. From four makers using the Kodiak chassis we got the Jayco Seneca HD 34SS with so much storage both inside and out that we were never able to fill it all even when packing for four-week trips. Given what I know about it now after 14 years and 67,000 miles I would make the same decision. It never let us down and nothing on it malfunctioned resulting in any trip interruption. There was a good Chevy truck place near home and a competent RV repair business for all things home related for required preventive maintenance and inspection. This fun is never cheap but was always within budget. Here is how it worked out.
The fuel tank holds 80+ gallons and I spent them frivolously. My concern was not the mpg but the MPT (Miles per tank) or an easy 550 to 600 miles between stops. Total fuel used 7,883 gal. or 8.50 mpg towing at 60 mph in CA and 69 mph everywhere else. This kept me up with or slightly ahead of truckers making a living on the road and not being one of those people who insist on exercising their rights while getting in the way in the name of sightseeing. On the road I was a professional driver herding 54 feet of rid weighing a total of 23,900 lbs. Saw lots of high country in 17 western states from SoCal to Portland, OR, Iowa, Kansas City, Phoenix for a total of 60 different State, National and commercial RV parks plus a total of two nights not plugged in somewhere. The purchase price amortized over 482 nights spent in the rig comes to an average of $220 per nigh. Add to that the cost of site rentals ranging from $0 to $125 and I still see that as a better value sleeping in my own fully equipped condo rather than in a comparably priced hotel room. The real killer which I choose to ignore is the cost of around $42,000 which it took to store it in SoCal for 14 years. But then I am making more than that back at the sale this week. How many first-class flights and how many Caribbean cruises could my wife and I have taken? Not enough to make up for the RV experience. All done, out.
The fuel tank holds 80+ gallons and I spent them frivolously. My concern was not the mpg but the MPT (Miles per tank) or an easy 550 to 600 miles between stops. Total fuel used 7,883 gal. or 8.50 mpg towing at 60 mph in CA and 69 mph everywhere else. This kept me up with or slightly ahead of truckers making a living on the road and not being one of those people who insist on exercising their rights while getting in the way in the name of sightseeing. On the road I was a professional driver herding 54 feet of rid weighing a total of 23,900 lbs. Saw lots of high country in 17 western states from SoCal to Portland, OR, Iowa, Kansas City, Phoenix for a total of 60 different State, National and commercial RV parks plus a total of two nights not plugged in somewhere. The purchase price amortized over 482 nights spent in the rig comes to an average of $220 per nigh. Add to that the cost of site rentals ranging from $0 to $125 and I still see that as a better value sleeping in my own fully equipped condo rather than in a comparably priced hotel room. The real killer which I choose to ignore is the cost of around $42,000 which it took to store it in SoCal for 14 years. But then I am making more than that back at the sale this week. How many first-class flights and how many Caribbean cruises could my wife and I have taken? Not enough to make up for the RV experience. All done, out.
