What was a mistake or waste of $$$ on your van?

[Scalf77]

See link below

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p936.pdf

[WVvan]

Thanks Scalf77,

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p936.pdf

From Page 2 of the above.

"Qualified Home
For you to take a home mortgage interest deduction, your debt must be secured by a qualified home. This means your main home or your second home. A home includes a house, condominium, cooperative, mobile home, house trailer, boat or similar property that has sleeping, cooking, and toilet facilities."

[jage]

So what is the definition of facilities? Moreover I think you could argue that "cooking" these days could be culturally defined, in America, as driving to McDonalds.

[WVvan]

I was also wondering the same thing. Does a empty 5 pound spackle bucket and a roll of heavy duty trash bags count as toilet facilities?

[daveb]

I could be wrong on that but was lead to believe (when I started to applied for a loan) it was one way to go to be able and write the interest off. But there were so many hoops to jump through proving a van is an RV, I ended taking a second on my house to get the tax break. So I'll retract what I said and just say I thought that was an option that I never tested. Maybe someone who knows taxes could say for sure. But back on topic, just to get my insurance company to believe my van was truely an RV the microwave is one of a set of required items that makes my rig an RV. And Jage is probably right about the insurance companies...I still don't know what will happen if I'm totaled out, but according to GMAC, I've got a class B RV in part due to the microwave.

[Scalf77]

From Sportsmobile Website.
To be classed as a motorhome, the Sportsmobile must include four of the following:

(s) Stove or *microwave
(s) Refrigerator
(s) Fresh water supply, sink
(s) Propane or 110V system
* Porta Potti or marine toilet
* Heating or A/C (110V)

(s) Included in Standard Equipment Package
* Additional cost option

I also have the vehicle registered as a RV in my state, and the loan was a RV loan.

greg

[macmcintire]

Getting back to the original topic:

We bought our van used and are very happy with it the way it came. But, if I were to change things or could have designed it myself, here are the things I don't need:

1) Stove. We never cook inside the van. We carry a portable stove that fits perfectly under the bed in the van.

2) Air conditioning. Although we live in Las Vegas the air conditioning can only be used when we are plugged in to land power. Since we never camp in sites with electrical hookups, we've never used the air conditioning. But we have used the little white fan that so many others don't seem to like.

3) Manual lift for penthouse. Sure wish we had the power hoist. The wife cannot lift up the top alone.

4) Speaking of the top, we wish it was the color of the van instead of white. Whose idea was that?

5) The large solar panel is centered on the roof lengthwise. This makes it impossible to add a rack or basket. Again, whose idea was that? It could have been put on the roof up front and cross-wise, which would have left room for our two kayaks behind it.

6) Refrigerator. We used it once and it rattled so much at night we stopped using it. We carry a cooler instead; which takes up too much room in the van. I've read all of the information on this website about how to make the fridge quieter, but I am far too unskilled to attempt a project like that. But I'd be happy to pay someone to do it if I knew the fridge would be quiet enough to actually use.

That's about all. We really love our Sportsmobile. But I wonder whether Sportsmobile reads these logs in order to improve their product. If I was paying $100K for a new van I would expect it to be flawless and built to the highest quality standards. I wouldn't expect to have to upgrade anything to make it better.

[BroncoHauler]

Originally Posted by macmcintire

4) Speaking of the top, we wish it was the color of the van instead of white. Whose idea was that?

I've actually considering painting my top white to reduce the heat load. Not that your van's color is dark by any means, but my red paint does a good job of absorbing heat, no to mention all the windows I have sure don't help. On some really nasty days (plus 115), my factory Ford AC could not keep up with the heat.

A top painted a different color than the van does stand out though.


Herb

[joey2cool]

I'm thinking I should have requested an upgrade to Blue Sea Systems Automatic Charging Relay (ACR) Model 7622B. I got Model 7620B and it does not come with a manual control override knob which would be handy when working on the van and when you don't want to listen to the thing clicking - constant and frequent joining and separating of the house and van battery system when the voltage is very near the threshhold limits. Fortunately, this doesn't go on after bedding down for the night and Blue Sea Systems says you can tag out Model 7620B with a zip-tie (now I just have to figure out how to do it).

Also wish SMB would install LED lamps vice incandescent (indoors and patio). Some day I'll upgrade this as well.

[jage]

Joey, the separator works on a ground wire as part of the system, it should be pretty easy to interrupt this with as switch- I believe no ground, no separator action.