Trip cancelled - going to sell bus

[roadrunnertex]

Well
All I can say is walk away from the old bus and put on the back burner for awile so to speak.
I think all bus owners have suffered from burn out while we were working on our project.
Keep after it don't sell it and you will be on the road one day soon.
jlv

[Busted Knuckle]

Brian, I am at a loss of words here! I agree all above! I really think since you all ready know and admit yer gonna take a huge loss on it if ya sell it, that deep down you really don't wanta do it! Now I personally agree with H3Jim ! Get it basically useable, and USE it go camping get away from everything for a few days and develope a new bond with the bus! If you try you might find it's fun to get out once in a while in it, and not just use it once a year as planned. Heck get out and use it tailgating at a PACKERS or Bears game, or whatever. Heck I really hate to see ya take a huge loss on it, but if you insist could you reverse what you've done to it and make it charter ready again for me? LOL! Just kidd'n ! It would make a good start on a "Limo or Party Bus" Just think about broading yer perspective of the use of the bus, and take it out and use it as is once or twice before dumping it! BK 

[HighTechRedneck]

Brian, I may be too new to my bus hobby to be to the burn out stage, but I have seen many other burn outs in life.  I would start something, set a goal and put all of my focus and energy into it (business projects, hobby projects, home and even relationships/marriages).  This often times brought me success and the rewards that go with it.  However it also brought me total and complete burnout and in some cases failure.  Over time I learned that "all things in moderation" applies well to how we apply ourselves to the things we choose to do.

So my advice to you is similar to what others have said.  Take some time away.  Afterwards, consider things carefully.  Was this outing the only reason you were doing the bus conversion?  Was this investment a casual decsion?  Do you really want to lose the money and time you have put into it?  Would you still enjoy it when it is done?  If you limit your time spent on it to no more than 3-5 hours per week, would you be able to enjoy the other aspects of your life too?

If you are only one day away from having it functional, then give it 3 hours each weekend for the 3-4 weeks.  From there on, limit your time spent on it to just a portion of your free time.  That way you will enjoy it more, your quality of life will improve and you will ultimately have the bus conversion you dreamed of.

Whatever you choose to do, I wish you the best.

[FloridaCliff]

I way underestimated what it would take in terms of time to get a working bus.  I would have never started on this if I knew I wouldn't have a usable bus to leave on Sept 27th.
If I just had one more day, the bus would be ready, but I don't have another day.  I can't take any more time off work as I have training Monday and Tuesday
Brian Elfert


Brian,

Maybe I am just too simplistic....Just leave ONE DAY later than you planned.....Take your first vacation day and make that the "If only I had one more day, day" and make it usable.

But, since your friends are already going and your not.....Scrub your planned vacation days and reschedule to take a trip to one of the rallies coming up....

Where when you are in the company of other Crazy Busnuts you will appear to be Normal again 

Rallies are very inspirational and the break until the next rally will give you a little cooling off period before you give up on the project.

And the brotherhood of busnuts said: "AMEN" 

Cliff

[Dallas]

Brian,

There have been a lot of good suggestions here.

Whatever you do, make sure that you will be happy with the long term decision.

Remember the thrill when that big diesel fired up behind you and you took it out and headed for home?

How about the cool feeling of going down the road and sitting up above most everyone else and just whispering along?

What about the plans and dreams and goals you set for yourself? Sure, they may not have panned out exactly the way you would like, but you have proven to yourself that you are capable of building something that will bring you a lot of joy for years to come.

Maybe Cliff, (Florida Cracker), has a point... reschedule some vacation time and drop down to one of the rallies, Christy and Larry's in Carthage, Mo., Bryces Tn. Bus Bash in Union City, Tn. or even Cat and my little get together in Timmonsville, SC.

You may learn stuff that will make your converting easier and for sure you are going to have loads of fun!

(Oh, and if you really want to take a loss on the shell, I'll be glad to take it off your hands for the nominal sum of, say, $50?) 
What a tax write off that would be!

In closing, even though I don't know you personally, I have you pictured in my mind as a person that is driven to succeed and is goal oriented. I just can't see you as a person who will give up this easily.

30

[Ncbob]

Brian, I've waited and have given careful consideration to my thoughts about your situation.  While I feel for you in your despair I have to admit honestly that you have no one to blame but yourself.

Now, I'm by no stretch of the imagination, flaming you. You became a new Member of this Board in April, the same month in which I  went and took delivery of my bus.  In that relatively short period of time you have become a Hero Member of this Board.

I spend a lot of time both on the Board and in the Chat Room...and some of my friends here have brought their concerns about my being burned out on my project to my attention...and they were right...I was approaching burnout.

It strikes me that you have not been a good manager of your time.  Valuable time which could have been spent on your work was spent here on the board attaining your Hero Status...which it seems was more important than the work at hand.  My comments may sound cruel and heartless, but they're certainly not meant to be that way.  Anyone who know me here knows that I'm a pretty congeniel person and try to have a good relationship with all.

If you want to have a "Pity Party", go off by yourself and have one, friend.  You've bared your problems to all who will listen and are asking for sympathy, which in my mind, you don't deserve.

Channel your energies into constructive work or sell your bus...but in either event...get a life or straighten out the one you currently have.

Whichever you choose to do, I wish you all the best.

cordially,

NCbob

[gumpy]

NCbob,

I gotta say that was probably uncalled for. I suspect all you have to go by in basing your opinion are the posts on this board. Not really a fair judgement, in my opinion.

I've followed Brian's conversion from before he bought the bus. I've personally seen what he's accomplished in this short time, and I have to say I'm pretty impressed with how it's turning out. I've read his posts on the boards, and a good number of them are seeking advice and information.

That being said, I've always considered his plans overly ambitious. I didn't agree with his choice of a shell, or the reasons he had to making that choice, but it was his to make, not mine. He's made other decisions I would not have done myself, and I still don't understand his refusal to take the bus in it's current state, but I respect his decisions and admire his efforts. At least he made the decisions and moved on. I know people (myself included) who will stew on a problem for weeks or months without making a decision, and then when they do, it may turn out to be the wrong one (myself included a number of times).

Bus conversison is an individual hobby, with group suspport, but in the end, it's the individual part that matters.

craig

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Craig,

I'll also have to comment here,

Brian may have only been too aggressive in his goals. And came up short. But, Myself and many others here have invested some time in helping Brian and

We are somehow left feeling a little empty. The last thing we want to hear from Brian is what he has just told us.....Saaaad....

My opinion is what ever road he takes, He should not feel the way he does period. He will come away with tons of knowledeg.

Nick Badame

[belfert]

Maybe I am just too simplistic....Just leave ONE DAY later than you planned.....Take your first vacation day and make that the "If only I had one more day, day" and make it usable.
But, since your friends are already going and your not.....Scrub your planned vacation days and reschedule to take a trip to one of the rallies coming up....

There is no way the others going would agree to this and I wouldn't want to either.  The event pretty much starts Thursday evening and leaving a day later means we would get there Friday evening.  Too late for this idea now since the bus didn't get worked on today really.

I was going to take 28 hours of unpaid time to go on this trip so I can't really go to any rallies as I would prefer to save that money.  Besides, the bus is not driveable.  The entrance door is still broke.  The page in the electrical diagram book for the door is missing and I am sure it was never there.  I need to call MCI Monday.

To go to a rally would require finishing the plumbing and I really need to spend time getting my yard ready for winter instead of working on the bus.  I planned to dive into the yard the moment I got back from my trip.

Brian Elfert

[tekebird]

First, I wanted to say it is indeed sad when someone loses sight of their dreams.\\

That being said, and with no intention of flaming Brian but to educate others:

 Brian Recieved alot of advice and comments from some knowledgable people prior to making his coach choice.  Despite the simplicity and long history of the DD 2 stroke brian was dead set against owning one.....

I personally advised him against the Dina.....for alot of reasons that were justified prior to his latest decison to sell.

Of the buses I have personally sold I have talked more people out of buying because they were not properly informed on what is involved in bus ownership let alone Doing a conversion.

Most people are better served by buying a sicks and staples and calling it good.

Then there are those who either have the wherewithall to do a conversion, or aare looking for a "hobby"

To all future bus owner prospects.

1. Buses are expensive, to own, to operate, to fix.

2. Your conversion cost will be dictated by how nic3e a conversion you want.  There are people that are quite happy with a very bare bones, non craftsman type conversion.  I have seen happy folks in schoolies with a little portable honda generator.....all the way through they guy who has a 750k professional conversion

3.Busaes are expensive to own operate and fix

4.unless you are retired, or at least are a good manager of time....a converion takes time

5.When you do chose you bus buy one after considering all information available to you.

6. Buying a bus without knowing how it was maintained is a gamble, Yes you can get a good deal, but do you want to risk a shop bill in excess of a thousand dollars

7. Buying a bus not made in the US is a huge gamble......the support/infrastructure is not there.

8. The used bus market at the time of this posting is a buyers market.....keep that in mind......

9. There are reputable used bus dealers out there, and then not so reputable ones.  Stay away from the latter......and heed the warnings of others.

10. Have the bus inspected  by a reputable shop that knows buses......the DD shop might know your engine but not your bus.

11. Always be there when they inspect your coach.

12. Aleways drive your coach prior to buying it.

13. overall c ondition of the coach is a hint at how it was maintained......someone who doesn't have the wipers adjusted properly......a 5 minute job....likely wasn't to concerned with other things

14. Tires........the owner who buys good tires likely was not tight about spending on other items......hankook vs michilin type of thing

15. I could go on and on........most people on this and other boards are helpfull and knowledgable.......heed their advice and it will save you $$$$ and Heartache

[belfert]

First, I wanted to say it is indeed sad when someone loses sight of their dreams.\\

That being said, and with no intention of flaming Brian but to educate others:

 Brian Recieved alot of advice and comments from some knowledgable people prior to making his coach choice.  Despite the simplicity and long history of the DD 2 stroke brian was dead set against owning one.....

I personally advised him against the Dina.....for alot of reasons that were justified prior to his latest decison to sell.

The real issue here is not having the bus ready for my trip.  It would have been pretty much the same with any brand.  Something else critical besides the door might have broken on another bus.  The only issue I have with my Dina now is the I would much rather have a hinged entrance door, but I knew that up front.

I WAY underestimated the amount of time required to get a basic bus with electric and plumbing ready to go.  I had already pared back on anything not absolutely essential.  No kitchen at all for this trip.

Everything was coming together to make a very good trip this year.  Diesel prices are way down so the trip won't be as expensive.  I could wait another year and go next year, but with my rotten luck, diesel prices would be $6 a gallon and we couldn't go once again with another year down the drain working on a unused bus.

Even in today's market, I don't think anyone could find a rust free bus with Series 60/B500 for less than what I paid unless maybe another Dina.  MCIs with this config are still sky high expensive.

Brian Elfert

[Buffalo SpaceShip]

Hey Brian:

Sorry to hear about the bus and the trip! Bummer.

Sounds like you've made up you mind on the bus, so I won't try to talk you out of it. For your usage pattern, you might consider throwing all of the expensive stuff you're stripping out of the bus and putting it into a decent TT or 5-th wheel that you can modify to suit your needs. A trailer won't have the expensive upkeep of a bus. Insurance should be less, too. And they don't "need to be towed" the way a bus really "needs to be driven". Just a thought.

I'd say for two trips a year, your bus would be pretty expensive in terms of $ per mile. We try to use ours about six weeks a year and at least once a month to justify having it around. Even then, it's a pretty expensive hobby in terms of $ per mile. We do love it, though.

And don't beat yourself up. We've all made unrealistic expectations and over-commited to projects and passions. You've been working like a dog on the bus and winding yourself up in knots over this one trip. Crazy as it sounds, enjoy not working on the bus and not going on the trip. Your stress level, blood pressure, and sanity will all thank you.

There will be other trips... maybe even other busses... either way, you gave it a shot. Here's an idea... go out and sit in your bus. And do nothing. Enjoy that.

Peace,
Brian B.
aka Dr. Feelbetter

[belfert]

I had a travel trailer and a Ford F-350 dually.  The trips we went on were so long that I finally sold the truck and trailer because nobody likes being jammed into a crew cab truck for hours and hours on end.

The whole bus thing came about because we wanted something that we could move around in during long trips and not be jammed in together.  Obviously, this didn't pan out.  I wouldn't go back to a truck and travel trailer.

Brian Elfert

[n4rsn]

If you are gonna build a conversion, ya gotta have patiance.!!!! 
I started my bus 10 years ago.    I used my bus the first time about 4 years ago, and that was just to go steel tenting.    I have waited 10 years to get to go on a trip, across country, and now I have been hurt, and probably will never get to do as I have planed, but, I will not stop, and if I don't live long enough to get to use it the way I want, I will give it to my son, and let him live out my dream.
Get your bus running, and use it.   It don't have to look like a 750K conversion. If you wait for it to be good enough, It probably never will, and you will never use it.
Get that door shut, duct tape it shut. Get some flashlites, for inside lites, and a 5 gallon bucket, and git-ur-done.  (just jokin about the 5 gallon bucket).
DON'T WAIT.
Just my 2 Cents
Steve

[Ace]

Ok I'm in a motel room and on my laptop. To make it quick and to the point...

I second what NCbob said!

If some of these guys that are TRYING to convert a bus into a motorhome of sorts whether it be a steel tent or luxurious coach, how about spending MORE time on the project than on the COMPUTER! DUH...

One can always tell how much time another spends on thier project from the time they spend talking about it HERE!

It doesn't go to say your not welcome here but if your on here spreading words of pity, then obviouxsly your time is not being spent on the bus!

Whatever you do, quick making excuses and JUST DO IT!

Either finish the bus to where you CAN use it or cut the grass. The house will be there when you return.

Also if your worried about fuel prices down the road, then your probably making a good decision on bailing out now!

Ace