How Do YOU Make Decisions About Major RV Purchases?

[Noah]

There's been a lot of discussion lately about "Which is the best EFIS", or "Which is the best Engine Monitor" - and while I've followed these threads closely since these are things I need to buy soon, these are subjective questions, and generally result in somewhat subjective but well-intentioned responses explaining why one builder selected what (s)he did.

With the mesmerizing array of product possibilities in the marketplace now (especially for avionics), and the high cost for many of these items, it would really hurt to make the wrong decision and have to change something out later on. In other words, these are complex decisions with significant consequences for me and I think for most homebuilders.

So my question is, how do YOU make decisions about major purchases for your RV?

Being an engineer and analytical thinker, I tend to make spreadsheets of all salient features and benefits of all competing products. Then I make lists of the pros and cons of each, taking into account things like time in business, reputation in the marketplace, value, warrantee, etc, and then I weight each of these depending on how important it is to me. Finally, I score each product on a 1-10 scale for each of the weighted items. This all computes out to a score for each competing product. For those who might not be familar, this is called a Pugh Matrix or Decision Chart. I have made several life-changing decisions with this method, like whether to change jobs and move 1800 miles away, etc.(I know, I know, where's the spontaneity ).

All of this is a HUGE effort, and takes LOTS of time to research. I know there must be others out there that make complex decisions in similar fashion, and I think it would make sense for us to share resources and pool our efforts.

My specific problem at hand now is whether to keep the EI MVP-50 engine monitor that came with my substantially complete RV-7A or whether to abandon it in favor of something else. It came with all probes and was a very good value (read: I got it cheap ). SO, does anybody else have a recent spreadsheet or matrix with engine monitor information they'd be willing to share?

Highest Regards,

Noah Forden
RV-7A Finishing
Saunderstown, RI

[Mel]

Noah,
I like your analytical thinking. One thing you mention, but I don't think you emphasized enough is "what these features mean to me!" A good example is my Garmin 296. Actually I liked my old GPS-195 better, but I wanted "obstacles". These were not available on the 195. All the additional features are actually a negative to me. They just add clutter and make the unit not as user friendly. I'm willing to put up with the "extra features" to get obstacles, but it was a difficult decision.

[Mike S]

Originally Posted by Mel

All the additional features are actually a negative to me. They just add clutter and make the unit not as user friendly.

Mel--------a loud AMEN to that.

It seems that way too many things in the modern electron-a-fried world fall into this trap. Take cell phones for example.

The way techies think is way different than the way a lot of users think, specially if the user is a half century or more old.

Probably a generation gap thing........................

[Coinneach]

Originally Posted by Noah

This all computes out to a score for each competing product. For those who might not be familar, this is called a Pugh Matrix or Decision Chart. I have made several life-changing decisions with this method, like whether to change jobs and move 1800 miles away, etc.(I know, I know, where's the spontaneity ).

Noah,

I do exactly the same thing. My choices aren't always correct, but at least there's logic behind them.

[Mel]

Originally Posted by Mike S

Mel--------a loud AMEN to that.

It seems that way too many things in the modern electron-a-fried world fall into this trap. Take cell phones for example.

The way techies think is way different than the way a lot of users think, specially if the user is a half century or more old.

Probably a generation gap thing........................

Speaking of cell phones...You've hit on another of my pet peeves. Can anyone tell me where to get a cell phone that is just a phone? And one that will ring instead of playing an irritating song?

[Ironflight]

As an engineer myself, I pretty much do the same things - matrix the available units and then list their attributes. Actually, I make a list of all my requirements first, and then add columns for things over and above those requirements. The more I am planning on spending, the more formal the process might get, but a lot of times, I just do it in my head.

The bottom line for me is to decide what I want the widget to do, and then find all those that will do that and down-select from there. I don't look for stuff that does a lot more than I need! (I realized while looking at all the new EFIS Synthetic Vision stuff at OSH that I am probably never going to fly a single engine airplane into conditions where I really need Synthetic Vision to complete the flight....cool, yes, but necessary? Not for my flying!).

Hey, until you spend the money, the time you spend on the selection process is free!

Paul

[John Clark]

Originally Posted by Mel

Speaking of cell phones...You've hit on another of my pet peeves. Can anyone tell me where to get a cell phone that is just a phone? And one that will ring instead of playing an irritating song?

http://www.jitterbug.com/

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

[TSwezey]

I got all my answers at Sun-n-fun. Besides the initial choice of the -10 everything was picked out from three different trips to Sun-N-Fun. Oshkosh would work also. At either of these two places you can meet the vendors and other RV pilots and discuss and see all the different options.

[L.Adamson]

Originally Posted by Mel

Noah,
I like your analytical thinking. One thing you mention, but I don't think you emphasized enough is "what these features mean to me!" A good example is my Garmin 296. Actually I liked my old GPS-195 better, but I wanted "obstacles". These were not available on the 195. All the additional features are actually a negative to me. They just add clutter and make the unit not as user friendly. I'm willing to put up with the "extra features" to get obstacles, but it was a difficult decision.

I'm a mountain terrain junkie, and advocate of improved technology to help prevent flight into terrain accidents....

I had (still have) the Garmin 195 too, but really prefer the terrain/obstacles & "color" of my 296. And I hear that the 496 has improved screen resolution over the 296.

Keeping in mind that terrain and terrain warnings are not usually used for VFR; we seem to have many flight into terrain accidents around here, somewhere in the transition from an IFR flight plan to VFR (to land at an untowered airport), or just sudden unintentional IMC situations (whiteouts, darkness, clouds & darkness).....with a mountain in the path.

Or as in one situation a few years ago; of not checking the sectional to notice a 10,000'+ mountain while flying along at 8500' msl before activating an inflight IFR flight plan. This being an IFR instruction flight of course, on a moonless night. Happily, the two pilots hit a ridge line at tree top level, and survived, thanks to working cell phones, and the cushioning of deep snow.

And as mentioned in the previous paragraph, as a visual backup, the terrain features of a 296/296/496 are perfect for IFR flights, not to mention satellite uplinked weather on the 396/496!

L.Adamson

[Rivethead]

I cut all the pictures I can find out of my flying magazines, tape them to a special wall in the living room and throw a handfull of darts at them (blind fold of course). After that I look at what I've hit and base my choice on affordabilty and looks. Werks fer me everytime. NR.