Building vs. Buying (Re: Savings)

[jerry101jlh]

If its something you want to do, you can learn, plenty on here ready to help. Granted some may lack the needed skills, but that's where patience comes into play. Anything I've ever built has not come without a mistake or two (lack of patience here), but all in all a learning experience.

[crttaz]

If you can't change the oil in your car/TV, you have no business building a camper.

Now I will admit I do have a shop change my oil when I'm pressed for time, it only takes them 10 minutes. Mind you I drive 70k-80k miles a year as a courier.

While waiting for the oil to drain out of the oil pan I check tire pressures for example.

Simple PM on your car falls into line with caring for your camper.

[Jim Edgerly]

There is a difference between "can't" and "don't". I could change the oil in my car if I wanted to...I choose not to. However, I do choose to build my own camper.

[ajricher]

I have to respectfully disagreeon auto maintenance being used as a gating factor about building/rebuilding a TTT.

Now, as a disclaimer up front, i am nuts - i do all my own home and auto maintenance, as well as rebuilding antique cars as a hobby (the camper is towed by an antique, of course... )

I find the two to be very different skill sets - rebuilding my TTT from a gutted wreck used mostly woodworking/electrical/sheet metal, and other than the axle repplacement wasn't really a mechanical process.

if one were working with a bought-in chassis there's really not all that much mechanical involved that a typical homeowner doesn't do in maintaining a home.

Definitely not the same skill set in my opinion...

Alan