Total cost per mile vs mpg

[wadeswink]

i suggest we should worry about the total cost per mile in our RVs not mpg. We spend extra money buying small diesels because of mpg. i have neighbor with a Winnebago 25' class A, whos total cost per mile is over $1/ mile, Where mine in a 27' Coachmen class C is under .75 cents/ mile. His is higher initial cost, insurance, taxes, and maintenance. 'and did i say the local Ford dealer does my maintenance, vs who knows on this unusal diesel. maybe an even better criteria would be access to reasonable maintenance.

[GCSuper]

Originally Posted by wadeswink

i suggest we should worry about the total cost per mile in our RVs not mpg. We spend extra money buying small diesels because of mpg. i have neighbor with a Winnebago 25' class A, whos total cost per mile is over $1/ mile, Where mine in a 27' Coachmen class C is under .75 cents/ mile. His is higher initial cost, insurance, taxes, and maintenance. 'and did i say the local Ford dealer does my maintenance, vs who knows on this unusal diesel. maybe an even better criteria would be access to reasonable maintenance.

If I was worried about the total cost of RVing I would probably just give it up. 😀

[Elwood58]

I would suggest we not worry about cost at all. This hobby will never make sense economically for most.

[saddlesore]

A smart person informed me many years ago.."If You are having to ask what the RV costs or how much the upkeep costs, You cannot afford it".

[US1]

Originally Posted by Elwood58

I would suggest we not worry about cost at all. This hobby will never make sense economically for most.

100% agree. My passion is boats. Ours is too bIg to haul without permits and a towing service, so it’s kept in a slip yr round. IN weather means it sits unused for 6 months/yr. With the 1mpg economy, slip fees, etc, the RV useage is cheap.
Between the boat and RV, I can’t afford to know what the expenses are.

[Vibeman]

I do not “worry” about the cost of RV’ing. Not at all. There are probably folks on here that could plunk down big bucks for a top of the line setup then walk away from it a couple of months later without much thought. That’s not me either, I know I can afford what I have because I did the research ahead of time on ALL aspects of my choices and did not let emotion dictate my choices. That research included numbers on fuel economy, cost per mile, cost per year, taxes, fees, depreciation,etc. I think your “cost per mile” is a good and useful number to know, even if you don’t “worry” about costs. Spending money you don’t need to is wasteful to me and I don’t like waste.

[Gary RVRoamer]

It appears that everyone who has posted so far agrees that focusing on mpg is futile. I suspect we could also agree that spending big bucks to get a modest improvement in mpg is rarely cost-effective. The remaining question is whether total cost per mile is any more useful.





Wadeswink didn't say what he would include in "total cost per mile", but he mentions initial cost. How do you figure that in when the total miles is a variable? Over how many miles do you amortize that extra cost?

[SeeTheUSA]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...kpvSZ18xq5WIeZ

[BigSkyBob]

Originally Posted by Vibeman

I do not “worry” about the cost of RV’ing. Not at all. There are probably folks on here that could plunk down big bucks for a top of the line setup then walk away from it a couple of months later without much thought. That’s not me either, I know I can afford what I have because I did the research ahead of time on ALL aspects of my choices and did not let emotion dictate my choices. That research included numbers on fuel economy, cost per mile, cost per year, taxes, fees, depreciation,etc. I think your “cost per mile” is a good and useful number to know, even if you don’t “worry” about costs. Spending money you don’t need to is wasteful to me and I don’t like waste.

This is my situation as well.

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by wadeswink

i suggest we should worry about the total cost per mile in our RVs not mpg.

We spend extra money buying small diesels because of mpg.

I have neighbor with a Winnebago 25' class A, whose total cost per mile is over $1/ mile,

Where mine in a 27' Coachmen class C is under .75 cents/ mile.

His is higher initial cost, insurance, taxes, and maintenance. 'and did i say the local Ford dealer does my maintenance, vs who knows on this unusal diesel. maybe an even better criteria would be access to reasonable maintenance.

One more way to look t it is total cost per day of Use.

Think about that, as , IMHO that's the real COST.

The longer you keep it the Better the results become - makes it just easy to divide what ever you decide the bottom line is, just gets better everyday on the road

All the rest is just BS.

JMHO,

Added note - You could also look at the Smiles per Mile - Might also be a good measure.

[Arch Hoagland]

We need a "Pleasure Per Mile" figure to add into the formula.

My pleasure per mile is $10.

[doc]

I guess if I was as bothered as the OP appears to be, I would sell all my RVing things and sit at home dropping pennies in a piggy bank. My kids and grandkids would love it when I leave.
Like so many other things that are expensive, it is a hobby and it can be expensive depending on how involved one gets. When we were both healthy and younger, it was not so much because of the nights and the road/away from home factored into equation. Throw in a hosting job and it got better.
If I figured nights away and mileage these day . . . . I would be deep in the hole on value, but still ahead on fun and sightseeing - even it is is for only a week or so these days

[Dennis123]

If you are that concerned about the cost. Sell or don't buy a mh

[MSHappyCampers]

Waay too much figuring for my old brain! I'll drive it 'till I can't afford it, then I'll sell it and remember all the good times!