Looking at a bus, Thoughts?

[Timkar]

Rydrman..This link is to an Eagle that I know is for sale in Vancouver if you're interested
I haven't seen it for a few years, but it was a pretty nice seated coach when I saw it.

http://www.911filmcars.com/bus_eagle.html#

I am in BC and traded an 89 MC9 with a rebuilt 6V92T for an old freightliner worth about $6K a couple of months ago,
also just had a friend haul an 87 MCI 102-A2 to the scrapper as he couldn't
find a buyer. They are out there, just got to keep looking.....

[Sam 4106]

We converted our first bus ourselves and bought our third bus already converted. If I were looking for another bus it would be an already converted one. It is a huge time and money commitment to convert a bus. And, unless you already have the tools and skills to do plumbing, carpentry, cabinetmaking, electrical, flooring and other jobs, you are better off buying an already converted bus. Like Andy, we have changed the interior to better meet our tastes, and have spent a lot to do it, but far less than starting from scratch. Buy the bus that has the drivetrain that you want, engine, transmission, differential ratio, power steering, and is in good mechanical condition. You can spend a lot just bringing a neglected bus up to good, safe running condition. That's my opinion based on my experience.

Good luck, Sam

[chessie4905]

   Sam, you have it correct. Unfortunately, almost everyone starting out goes for a low price on a shell, and then spends a small fortune bring it up to snuff, even before converting it. I think that is why we lose so many early enthusiasts.
   Buying one already done makes life simpler; you can use and enjoy it right away, don't have the hassle of changing the title to a motor home, don't have as much a hassle with insurance, less hassle having it sitting on your property with local authorities and neighbors in many cases, easier to sell than a partially converted shell in most cases, and possibly easier to borrow money on to purchase, if that is necessary. You'll still have plenty of work to keep you busy with normal chassis maintenance/repairs and changing parts of coach to better serve your lifestyle/desires.
   Prices on used conversions are still fantastic with today's fuel prices and older owners retiring from motor coaching, due to age, death or health issues.


 

[Ed Hackenbruch]

Just to give you an idea of some of the costs involved, 10 years ago when we bought our already converted bus we updated the furniture, got 6 new windows, added 2 solar panels, a new inverter, day/nite shades,  4 new tires, 2 tv's, and a rear view camera. By the time we got thru we had spent close to $17,000. Could have done it cheaper by buying second hand stuff, but we already had second hand stuff and wanted new.  Just really glad that the rest of the bus was done and in good shape and ready to go.....hate to think what it would have cost to build it all from scratch. Since you are young and want to build your own, go for it.  Just don't be surprised when you see how much money you spent doing it.!

[Ed Hackenbruch]

Even after we did the main stuff, i am still adding/changing stuff to the bus. Little things, but they still add up dollar wise.

[Boomer]

Sorry, Tekebird but that is not a Denver bus.  That is an ex-Holland America Grayline out of Seattle.  And it may have been also used in their division in Alaska, namely Skagway for a good bit of it's life.  If so, while in AK it only saw use 6 months per year.  Grayline Seattle/Alaska maintained their coaches extremely well as evidenced by the pictures.  That said, due diligence on the running gear is in order.  You could get the VIN and call Jerry in the Grayline shop in Seattle and get the low down on it.  Be careful with NW Bus Sales.  There would be way below average rust in that coach, I know their operation and how the buses were cared for. The little you saw in the bay latch points was surface rust, that's one of the places you look first.  No salt out here, like they use in the midwest and east.  Doubt you would find a 9 with better history, JMHO.

Mark in the NW

[boxcarOkie]

Thought I would check in and increase my nuisance value.  Have not commented in awhile.  (Still ignored by seven, five more and I will have an entire set, I dunno what the rest of ya are gonna do?)

So here I am, adjusting the nuts on my Rottweiler, and I cannot remember for the life of me, “was I twisting the right nut with the left hand, or turning the left nut with the right hand?” and then he turned around and he bit me!

Might have been the humidity, I dunno.

Which naturally led me to my thoughts on whether or not one should buy a bus in this day and age?  Which is okay, because it took my mind off the solar flare deal and the end of the world scenario people seem to be obsessed with these days.

With talk about the potential (though unlikely) event of a large solar flare directly hitting Earth, some high-tech engineering types are discussing the merits of using homemade Faraday cages to protect electronics and power-generating equipment and vehicle computers.  Can you imagine how big it would have to be to shield your bus, parked under the tree, next to the house, under the old Elm that has stood in that chosen spot for some many years?

We are talking ... B-I-G.

So if you are gonna buy a bus, make sure you have a suitable tree nearby.  Which is by far, the cheapest place, to store a bus.  Rather than a place in the garage with a large, galvanized steel container that's large enough to park a car in after the container has been lined with insulation and add a conductive layer around the car.

I'm thinking it would be more practical to just buy a spare car and maintain it, albeit one that does not have any electronic controls. I'm thinking a carbureted vehicle built before the '80s would do the trick. The question I have is:  “Would a car with a carburetor built prior to 1980 continue to run (assuming that it can run OK prior to this potential event) after Earth has been hit with a large solar flare, similar to the Carrington Event of 1859, which was strong enough to cause electrical shocks to telegraph operators? Also, what would be a suggested vehicle to keep for such an event?”  

My bus, locked down in the shop, should be safe.  It has very little in the way of electronic elements, it is thirty-one years old, kinda like my boxer shorts, and my last set of dentures. 

Old, well worn, reliable, but safe.

Well, we (most of the old geezers that stumble thru the halls of this board) all remember what chaos the world was cast into after the 1859 Carrington Event, don’t we?  Life, as we knew it, was extinguished. I mean, try finding a telegraph operator today! Where are they? You think it's a coincidence that you can't find a telegraph operator anymore?  But I digress, here is my “my thought on buying a bus?”  

Try this one.



And of course:  Does anybody really read these comments?

BCO
The real thang ... Except no substitutes.  

[luvrbus]

Yep Don then 7 or 800 miles down the road it starts over unless you have one one of the super buses that get 15 MPG you just hope no major problems accrue between fuel stops

[akroyaleagle]

Don,

Are you taking your meds?

Good to see you stirring again!

[boxcarOkie]

Yep Don then 7 or 800 miles down the road it starts over unless you have one one of the super buses that get 15 MPG you just hope no major problems accrue between fuel stops

Yeppers, so true Clifford.  Most of the time we observe a "half-tank" rule and fill up with 75-80 gallons.  We hold the norm 150 gallons and a 65 gallon reserve and the beast usually hits between 800-900 on the miles. 

14mpg!  7 in town and 7 on the road.

Hammer Down ...  Hammer Down ...

BCO-CTA

[boxcarOkie]

Don,

Are you taking your meds?

Good to see you stirring again!

Yes, I am not only taking my med’s, I am mixing them too! 

Yee-haw, hand me that ratchet Honey I am really feeling like Mr. Goodwrench today!  Now that I am on permanent outpatient status and the electric bill has been paid ... Everything is just ..... uh, rosy. 

Which means, life is good, and having no reason for complaint works well.  We could for instance, surely fill a room with people who did not make this far in life, with or without a bus. 

People will say things change, but that is a ruse, as things are much too often, about the same.  At other times, I find myself just getting by and doing my level best to hold my own in an ever changing world not of my making. 

Have found one interesting wrinkle tho, here lately I find myself checking the bathroom mirror early in the morning and that can be a sobering experience. I am standing there and I am wondering, “Why is Willard Scott staring back at me, it is not my birthday!”

Have to go .... Time for Dr. Phil.

BCO-CTA

[akroyaleagle]

Good to hear you are doing better!

I avoid mirrors. I don't like the art work in them.

I just ask Frankie "Did you shave your legs for this"?