TCO: why we deciced not to get a Sportsmobile (yet :-)

[Accrete]

: ) a ramble as I read through some older threads on a day off... and Happy New year to any who pass this way!

Chris, I like your thinking on the why of your OP. My wife and I do similar ponderings/crunching with all our bigger (and I, sometimes even little**) purchases.

Our decision to get something different than a SMB was based on a couple things;
1) We need 2 vehicles (one for me, one for her) that double as a daily driver to/from our workplace (~10 miles round trip).
2) One should be classified as an adventure rig for our spontaneous one-week-out-of-four adventures in our native PNW.

Since SMB would not custom build around our desired platform of an AWD van, rather than a 4x4 van, we knew we'd have to go DIY/Custom. AWD vehicles of some sort have been in our driveway for nearly 20 years. For us the safety of AWD on our soggy Oregon Coast roads has brought peace of mind. And as others have shared, we've never been in a situation that 4x4 would have taken us any further than we felt we needed to be. And that is coming from an ex FJ40, TACO guy.
So we went with a local builder (Van Specialties). We also shopped new rigs and were able to pick up a year end deal on the then-new 2010 Chevy AWD cargo van at zero% x 60months. We paid cash for each of the 3 major upfits with VS (the most recent is in the works, aluminess front/rear bumpers/boxes).

We do full time in a large RV (43ft toy hauler) currently parked at an RV/Golf Resort on the Oregon Coast. Our lifestyle is living large (and happy) in a small home-on-wheels, letting someone else mow the lawn : )
The vehicles we drive are paid off and have minimal overhead with an easily sustained fun lifestyle.

All that said, to say... we crunch the numbers too !
A PS note **on "Little purchases". Since my wife and I live in an RV full time we have a general rule of; "Something new in, after something old goes out". With limited room in our "Home", and also limited GVWR on the 1500 van conversion, I calculate the _cost_ (room, weight, etc) of nearly any addition to our setup. Just something I've learned to do after selling the _farm_ and moving into a more simpler lifestyle.


YMMV,
Thom

 

[wanderweg]

Interesting thread and it made me think a lot. I have a CCV pop top but had to go through much the same reasoning. I did it DIY mostly and given the current market and my costs, I could at this very moment make a profit from selling it. Why, because of demand. The trend for thirty somethings who have the income is turning back to the road. It's a truly American ideal and one that's been passed down now for multiple generations. Glad to see it still alive.
The answer to the equation for me is to use the s#%^ out of our van. Mine is my families only car. It serves every purpose. Well. That's how I justified the expense at least. To each their own.

 

[Steve_382]

Another thing to think about. If you don't go too crazy on the build, you can use it as a second vehicle. I am retired, so I don't need a vehicle to drive to work, but the RB50 SMB is fine for driving around town to the store, etc. So, I can eliminate the insurance, registration, part of the fuel, etc. Makes it a little less expensive. We probably camp in it 70 to 100 days per year, but if you are still working, that isn't likely.

Also, to be realistic, you need to compare the SMB cost to other options to get where you want to go. Unless you go the tent routine, any motorhome or even trailer has costs too. Good luck either way.

 

[CHAINSAW7VENT]

In reply to early posts about total cost of ownership math. How much do you get to use and enjoy what you spend your $$ on?
I don't have a SMB but I do have vans. (15 seat, 12 seat 6.0 diesel wishing for Ujoint help CCV top, and minivan)
Since July 2016 my family has finally had dad at home and on the road for three weeks (Cali to PA, DC, Detroit, and other places in between 7,000mi &#128539
And SacTown and San Fran two weeks ago, d two mini vacations in between. The time is precious. We enjoyed the time. The previous years had very little vacation relaxation time
The last two plus years had me working 1800-2000+ hours of OT. For the system. Which takes away from your family.
Tent hotel poptop diesel pusher whatever. Go enjoy your families. And see the country/world and wonder at its beauty.

 

[Hanes]

Interesting old thread to peruse over coffee this morning. I've enjoyed reading it. One additonal observation that I offer after crunching similar cost/benefit analysis for clients of my financial planning practice.

It's always far easier to quantify the cost of a purchase than the value derived from the purchase. But without explicitly considering the value received, the cost of almost any significant purchase can seem unattractive. No better example than kids - who can justify the incredible cost of raising and educating a child from a purely financial standpoint? And yet few of us would seriously think about exchanging our kid(s) for a larger bank account.

Not everything that can be counted matters, and not everything that matters can be counted.

Happy trails, my adventurous friends! Carpe diem!

 

[Keyne]

I agree with Hanes regarding value... My Dad is an engineer so as a kid everything was analyzed and rationalized so we were never one of those families to have an RV, boat, or second home... always rationalized as a bad investment. However, I did get to use my friend's families boats, RV's and second homes and I remember those experiences more than many weekends at home with my rational family...

Now in my 40's I have similar discussions regarding an RV purchase (Sprinter based RV - ordering this January YAY) and the old rationale comes up... in my opinion, for the average family, unless you use an RV as a primary residence there is really no rational reason to own one of these... However as Hanes mentions it is easy to quantify the cost but not the value.

The times my wife and I (no kids) have rented an RV have been amazing... so much so that we decided to stop renting and buy an RV. Its a decision for us that makes sense as a mobile 2nd home, cabin, etc. to use on weekends 3 seasons out of the year. The joy of planning and enjoying the weekend trips is something we can't really quantify but have brought us closer together with hobbies we enjoy together (fly fishing, hiking, road trips, enjoying the outdoors)... it is cliche but life is indeed too short and people die or get sick sooner than they want... we plan to take advantage of the days now instead of waiting another 20 years for me to retire. It might be a bad move, but its "our" move. I hope to have a life filled with fun, reasonably priced (no debt) irrational decisions...