[77newell]

There are three factors effecting costs in the year following purchase: fixing things the previous owner was willing to defer, normal interval servicing that just comes naturally due, and changes you wish to make due to personal interests and values. The first category you have to search for and question the owner about, and to a certain degree depend on the forthrightness of the previous owner. The second category can be determined by age stamps on tires, maintenance records and the like. To some degree you are dependant on the oreviois owner for important information. The third category is all up to you, and you get to choose the timing. I have found it useful to break costs down this way so as to minimize surprises and to structure the investigation of prospective coaches.

Hey, I'm an unrecovered engineer, what can I say. I just like to reduce the thinking process into bite size pieces, that better fit my limited brain.