How much to invest in updates to an old coach?

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Isaac-1

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In your opinion, how much money is too much to invest in updating and outfitting an older motorhome?

By this I mean if someone were to go out and buy 5, 10, 15,  etc. year old coach at what point should one decide that they are throwing too much money at it to make improvements?    Is it reasonable to go out and invest in non-transferable upgrades, like suspension upgrades (Track bars, etc.),  custom windshield sunscreens, new nicer furniture, flat panel TV's, etc. in an otherwise good older coach?    How about all those transferable things that could in theory be moved to a different RV, ranging from TPMS, and GPS systems, to propane BBQ grills, fire pits, and the like.

I know all of these things are generally considered to be economic losses, and not investments in value.  I am just wondering at what point do you feel too much is too much, and does it depend on the price of the coach?
 
How much money can you afford to walk away from, up to and including the cost of the RV?  That's what you'll lose if you're ever in an accident that severely damages the RV. 
 
Personally I go into it with the attitude that it is a 100% write off and I will not see any money back from owning an RV, so that any money that I may get when and if I do sell it is a nice surprise.  I view cars much the same way.
 
It depends on how much money you have and how long you're going to be in the coach. If you really, truly are going to keep it 8-10 years, even if you don't get a dime back from your improvements you will have enjoyed them for a long time
 
It has to be a personal decision based on how long you think you'll keep the coach, how much the various changes mean to you, and the realization that you'll probably get little or nothing additional when it comes time to sell. I don't think there's a "draw the line here" point that works for everyone. Lou and Ike have it right.
 
Our coach is a 1994 that was in good condition, we have slowly upgraded a few things that we wanted to add, Shower head, new flat screen tv's and Blue Ray players in the bedroom and in front, added a newer rear view camera (old one was black & white). We don't use the RV more then about 6-8 times a year so non-full timers but we added what we wanted to add to upgrade and make it more comfortable for us.
 
Excellent advise above, so I will not repeat that.

I consider things like TPMS, GPS, BBQ grill, and fire pit personal property accessories that would be moved to any future campers.  Items like furniture or suspension upgrades become part of the RV.  The first list is an investment in CAMPING, and not an investment in the RV.
 
Isaac-1 said:
In your opinion, how much money is too much to invest in updating and outfitting an older motorhome?

By this I mean if someone were to go out and buy 5, 10, 15,  etc. year old coach at what point should one decide that they are throwing too much money at it to make improvements?    Is it reasonable to go out and invest in non-transferable upgrades, like suspension upgrades (Track bars, etc.),  custom windshield sunscreens, new nicer furniture, flat panel TV's, etc. in an otherwise good older coach?    How about all those transferable things that could in theory be moved to a different RV, ranging from TPMS, and GPS systems, to propane BBQ grills, fire pits, and the like.

I know all of these things are generally considered to be economic losses, and not investments in value.  I am just wondering at what point do you feel too much is too much, and does it depend on the price of the coach?
First you need to establish what your budget is. I think you would be money ahead with a 10-18 year old diesel. You get a better ride and drive right off without spending lots on suspension upgrades. Make shure it has air suspension as some earley diesels didn't. Look at this coach as an example.
https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/used-rvs-for-sale/diesel-motorhomes/2002-newmar-kountry-star_rv-39268
"things that could in theory be moved to a different RV, ranging from TPMS, and GPS systems, to propane BBQ grills, fire pits, and the like." Things like that are irrelevant as they arn't part of the coach. Those are more discretionary spending. You will always have routine maintenance things. Things were out or break down. You may need to replace tires at 7 years awnings allso age out and deteriorate with age.
The better quality, better constructed coaches will be the better deal.
Bill

 
If it were an older gas motorhome, I'd limit the amount of money I would spend on upgrades.  However if it was a high end diesel motorhome that fit our needs and we planned on using it for a few years, I'd spend the money.  Of course, that's based on how much money I have in the first place.  If spending $15-20,000 on upgrades meant I wouldn't be able to resume RVing if I had a major loss, I'd wouldn't do any upgrades.  But if I can afford to lose $15-20,000 and everything was right about the motorhome, I'd do it in a heartbeat. 
 
Lou nailed it.. How much can you afford to lose? I went with a 1995 23' class a gas. We have almost $18K in it now. But a minor traffic accident tomorrow could wipe out that $18K. Insurance value is currently $6500. I can live with that.
 
I have learned the hard way in my first month. Do as much work on your own that you can. RV shop I worked with had excessive charges that really ticked me off. I could have saved a few thousand right out of the gate.
 
We considered any money spent on  RV upgrades to be a total loss as far as financials are concerned.  You won't get a penny of it back in a resale (including a total loss accident), so all upgrade expenditures were justified solely on the basis of the comfort & convenience provided to us.  Time is part of evaluation, i.e. how much time we will get to enjoy it.  Therefore how long you expect to keep the RV and how frequently you use it are part of the equation.  Doesn't really make any difference how old it is if you are happy with it and have no plans to swap it for a newer one.
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
We considered any money spent on  RV upgrades to be a total loss as far as financials are concerned.  You won't get a penny of it back in a resale (including a total loss accident), so all upgrade expenditures were justified solely on the basis of the comfort & convenience provided to us.  Time is part of evaluation, i.e. how much time we will get to enjoy it.  Therefore how long you expect to keep the RV and how frequently you use it are part of the equation.  Doesn't really make any difference how old it is if you are happy with it and have no plans to swap it for a newer one.


:))
Couldn't say it better
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
We considered any money spent on  RV upgrades to be a total loss as far as financials are concerned.  You won't get a penny of it back in a resale (including a total loss accident), so all upgrade expenditures were justified solely on the basis of the comfort & convenience provided to us.  Time is part of evaluation, i.e. how much time we will get to enjoy it.  Therefore how long you expect to keep the RV and how frequently you use it are part of the equation.  Doesn't really make any difference how old it is if you are happy with it and have no plans to swap it for a newer one.

If you are a full-timer and live in it then the cost of the upgrades gets amortized over a much longer usage period.  Our MH spends its winters on our site in south TX.  When we eventually become too old to drive it we plan to continue to live in it along with the casita we also have on the property.  Some of our upgrades are already approaching 8 years old and will have returned full value over the lifetime of appliances, upholstery, flooring, etc.
 
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