Drivers Log Book

[bluevost]

Hey POGers,

Janet and I got home from POG III yesterday. What a great trip we had. Just 3 days short of 8 weeks. We logged 7498 miles. We visited family, and friends. We made new friends along the way. We visited forts and battlefields vital to the birth of our country. We visited forts and battlefields vital to the unity of our country. We learned how the Ancestral Puebloans ( Anasazi is no longer PC) lived and survived in the 4 corners area. We had a baby grandaughter born May 25th. Aurora Kenzie Zittrer, 7.7lbs. Huge feet!!
We made wedding plans with our daughter Cheri, in Glenwood Springs, CO. What a trip!!

Anyway, some months ago, an esteemed senior POG member, Harry Hoppe (Win42) quirked that these buses are made to go a million miles, and it'll cost a million dollars to get there. There is some wisdom there. Check this out:

Total miles -- 7500
Total fuel purchased -- 1230 gallons
Total generator hours -- 101 @ .8 gph -- 80 gallons
Fuel used by engine -- 1150 gallons

MPG right at 6.52 (sometimes we drive over 62.5)

Total fuel cost $3370.00
Fuel cost per mile $.45

And then we add:

Incident 1 -- drivers dash air conditioning compressor takes a dump -- remove and replace at Prevost Jacksonville, FL $1120.00 -- at least we had a place to plug in overnight at n/c

Incident 2 -- air bag failure -- r & r air bag on drive axle, passenger side -- cost includes 1 1/2 hour road service call, 2 air bags, overnight freight charges from Knoxville to Charlotte, NC, and 4 hours shop time ea. for 2 guys -- $1065.00

Incident 2 1/2 -- did not notice it at the time of air bag failure, but a side window broke up on the curved part -- Prevost part #790425 is $290.71 and about 3 hours shop time -- lets call it $600.00

Incident 3 -- r & r oil pressure sensor in Knoxville, TN -- $205.00

Incident 4 -- zip dee window awning got away from me, rolled itself up in a big hurry and, you guessed it, broke another window, up on the curved part -- see incident 2 1/2

These incidents, as uncommon as they might be, add another $.48 to each mile. That added to the $.45 for fuel, gives me $.93 per mile driven. Not quite $1.00, but close.

It's good to be home,

Ken

[Danss]

Amen Brother!

[dalej]

Ken, that's funny but really not.....I agree with Mr H 100 percent no 90 percent of the time, and I think his wisdom is right on.

[win42]

Gentlemen please let me clear up the million dollar remark. It was not my original I have to give that to Jon. He made the statement on a POG thread.
" they tell you they'll go a million miles, but they don't tell you it'll take a million dollars to get them there "
Ken & Janet I'm sorry you had an expensive trip, but it sounds like you had a great time. Remember to deduct the house expenses you didn't have to pay while you were gone.
Shirley and I are joining friends for a three week vacation in Portugal, Spain and Morroco next week. Your trip was very inexpensive in comparison. So cheer up. Were in the wind down part of our life and intend to enjoy the fruits of a lot of hard work. You all think of doing the same.

[dalej]

Harry, you and Mrs H have a super great time on your trip........oh, can we borrow the 2000 while your gone?

[win42]

Dale: Sure you can borrow the 2000 if you can find it. We haven't seen it since we parked it in inside storage in Nevada. I was hoping you would come out and help me finish up the Royale when we get back. You and Jan are welcome any time.

[BrianE]

Harry & Shirley,

Have a great trip. We'll all miss your wisdom.

Brian & Beverly

[bluevost]

Harry,

You and Shirley have a great time on your trip. Travel safe. Bluevost leaves July 26 for the Canadian Rockies. You'll get back just in time. Why don't you and Shirley join us and we can wind down together!! 6 rigs going: 2 buses, 2 fivers, a trailer, and a motorhome. Plenty of room for ya.

And thanks for clearing up the million mile-million dollar statement. Jon is certainly an esteemed senior member also.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Actually our cost of operation on a per mile basis is more if we do not use the bus often and less if we run it often.

When I doodled around with costs because we used our 87 almost exclusively for business doing trade shows and seminars we found that the cost of almost everything on a per mile basis was reasonably predictable. And those items that are age limited, also have a predictable cost so we can put fuel, oil changes and lube jobs, and any other mileage limited cost like transmission oil and filter service in that column. How much you spend for those things is determined by how fast you drive, what you establish as your maintenance schedule and and whether you do the work yourself or have it done for you.

There are age related items that cost money whether you use the coach or not. They include insurance, tires, batteries, air bags, brake chambers, etc. The same way to calculate cost applies because it depends on whether you do your own work or how much you pay.

I think that the current increase in fuel costs is likely to change the numbers so saying it costs a buck a mile may no longer be true, and it is definitely not true if we add in depreciation and lost earnings on the invested capital. There are some things we do not want to know.

[win42]

If you haven't been casket shopping you probably don't know they don't come with storage areas for money. Even if they did Roger and Jon would take the cash and leave a check.