Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 11-12-2014, 08:57 AM   #1
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Wink Roll your own

It took me lots of tries to get on this site, but after many attempts I finally broke in!
I'm Charlie. I used to own a 1985(or 6) Ford/Thomas. It was a gas/auto and had 12 rows of seats. It had 85k on it when I got it in 2002 or 03. It was actually a freebie that a large construction company in Orlando just freely gave to me. They don't like the liability of selling their old transport buses so they just gave them away back in those days. Hell ten years ago folks would give away buses just to get rid of them and make room.

I lived in an apartment in downtown Leesburg Fl, and due to the city riding my ass, I was forced to get rid of it just after getting the seats out.

Flash forward ten years or so, and I still wanted a bus. Badly. So I started working odd jobs and saving the money. Now that I own my own home and property, I can have as many buses as I please!

After months of bidding on buses on several sites, and laughing at the quality and prices of Craigslist buses, I started to get frustrated. On some buses it seemed impossible to win. No matter how much I bid, no matter how much I tried sniping. The prices seemed to be going up every day on these beasts.

My frustration is now over and I am the new owner of a sweet 1992 Ward Senator with the dt466 and allison 643. 78 passenger but will be setting up for two to live in and to sleep up to 6. The conversion will start almost immediately and we will be doing it on a limited budget but with plenty of building and fabrication experience. I even have access to steel and metals for free or cheap if I give the heads up long enough in advance.

Hoping to head west next spring or summer and hit the west coast.

Here is the auction I won-http://www.govdeals.com/photos/2492/2492_338_1.JPG

EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2014, 08:58 AM   #2
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

Now the fun part- Driving up to Kentucky and gettin her home!
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2014, 08:59 AM   #3
Mini-Skoolie
 
mtunderwood's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Winter Park, FL
Posts: 48
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: TC2000
Engine: 5.9L Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

Glad to hear it buddy!
__________________
-Mikey
Website - https://suziebluebus.com
Build Thread - https://www.skoolie.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=468143
mtunderwood is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2014, 11:31 AM   #4
Bus Geek
 
bansil's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MNT CITY TN
Posts: 5,158
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

well where is trip report with pictures?
__________________
Our build La Tortuga
Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
George S. Patton
bansil is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2014, 12:11 PM   #5
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

Will be going to retrieve her monday or tuesday. 720 miles each way. We will likely leave monday at 1am and drive straight on to ky. Will take care of paperwork and pickup, spend the night somewhere and drive straight home the next day.
Hoping I can convince someone at the tag office in Ky to give the special temp tag. They don't seem to have temporary tags in ky so if worse comes to worse I will just bring it home with the BOS, title, and ins policy.
Should be an adventure. Hopefully it isn't geared and/or governed to 55 or less
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2014, 01:31 PM   #6
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 262
Year: 2003
Coachwork: International
Chassis: Amtran
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 71
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

Good Luck! watching for updates
__________________
"This is my ship...the Nebuchadnezzar, it's a hovercraft."
~Morpheus
The Nebuchadnezzar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2014, 04:09 PM   #7
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!



My payment finally went through, and I am now calling all my "friends" to see who wants to take a quickie road trip to KY.
Many more pics to come.
I'm excited about the storage down below. Maybe its has the higher "field trip" gearing.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2014, 04:12 PM   #8
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2014, 04:15 PM   #9
Mini-Skoolie
 
mtunderwood's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Winter Park, FL
Posts: 48
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: TC2000
Engine: 5.9L Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

Damn man I would absolutely go with you but I bruised my coccyx really bad on Halloween and can't really sit down for that long. I think a 700+ mile road trip is out of the question for me I noticed all those storage bins underneath... lucky!
__________________
-Mikey
Website - https://suziebluebus.com
Build Thread - https://www.skoolie.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=468143
mtunderwood is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2014, 06:41 PM   #10
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

Quote:
Originally Posted by mtunderwood
Damn man I would absolutely go with you but I bruised my coccyx really bad on Halloween and can't really sit down for that long. I think a 700+ mile road trip is out of the question for me I noticed all those storage bins underneath... lucky!
Hey thanks anyhow, I've got a couple friends who say they are gonnae ride along and drive my car back. If even one of them comes through, I'll be fine. Flying and greyhound are out, apparently this is in the boonies. I'd imagine the seats in my Subaru XV would be torturous for your injury. God the seats in my car are aweful.
This may be a good time to borrow mom's avalon.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2014, 06:43 PM   #11
Bus Crazy
 
browncrown's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bakersfield, California
Posts: 1,013
Year: 1976
Coachwork: Crown
Chassis: Supercoach
Engine: Detroit 6-71 Mid-Ship Mounted
Rated Cap: 79 at Birth
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

Great platform to build on Glad you got another bus!
__________________
BC
My Conversion Thread: https://www.skoolie.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3065
browncrown is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2014, 07:57 PM   #12
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Middle Tennessee
Posts: 264
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

Bet it has rear air ride...
__________________
Daddy, can we go on a trip again??
'85 Thomas SafTLiner RE
3208 NA CAT MT643
boojiewoojie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2014, 09:00 PM   #13
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

Quote:
Originally Posted by boojiewoojie
Bet it has rear air ride...
I think it may.
Coincidentally- the Thomas I used to have was originally from a Kentucky school board, as well.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2014, 07:53 AM   #14
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Virginia
Posts: 548
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB
Will be going to retrieve her monday or tuesday. 720 miles each way. We will likely leave monday at 1am and drive straight on to ky. Will take care of paperwork and pickup, spend the night somewhere and drive straight home the next day.
Hoping I can convince someone at the tag office in Ky to give the special temp tag. They don't seem to have temporary tags in ky so if worse comes to worse I will just bring it home with the BOS, title, and ins policy.
Should be an adventure. Hopefully it isn't geared and/or governed to 55 or less

Does you local DMV offer transport tags for buying out of state vehicles and bringing them back home? I know Virginia has them. Cheap and easy to get and exactly the situation it was created for.
dgorila1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2014, 08:01 AM   #15
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

Quote:
Originally Posted by dgorila1
Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB
Will be going to retrieve her monday or tuesday. 720 miles each way. We will likely leave monday at 1am and drive straight on to ky. Will take care of paperwork and pickup, spend the night somewhere and drive straight home the next day.
Hoping I can convince someone at the tag office in Ky to give the special temp tag. They don't seem to have temporary tags in ky so if worse comes to worse I will just bring it home with the BOS, title, and ins policy.
Should be an adventure. Hopefully it isn't geared and/or governed to 55 or less

Does you local DMV offer transport tags for buying out of state vehicles and bringing them back home? I know Virginia has them. Cheap and easy to get and exactly the situation it was created for.
I'm going to check again, but as far as I know they don't. I won't have the title or BOS till I go to Ky and FL needs those to issue any temp tags. They would give me one if I were an out of state resident. A few months ago they wouldn't even hook me up with a temp/travel tag for a small trailer I bought. I ended up having to haul the trailer home with it hanging out of the bed of my GMC. Still trying to iron out the details and plans to get this Ward home. The fun has begun!

Anyone near Ky or northern TN have any experience with any of this?

BTW- since "westward" is taken, I'm thinking this bus could be the "Psych Ward"... IDK, my fiance may have other ideas...
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2014, 08:51 AM   #16
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

The clerk's office in Todd County sure were rude. I called the Motor Vehicle Div in Frankfort and will be picking up my travel tag monday afternoon.

And now I *almost* have insurance. Waiting to hear back from an agent. I never even got close to insuring my old Thomas. Once this policy is in place, all I have to do is drive out to the boonies in Ky and pick it up, which will require a 200 mile trip across ky to get the temp tag as they only give them out at the state dmv office.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-14-2014, 12:23 PM   #17
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

Thanks to Mr Underwood and his friends, I now have INSURANCE!!!
In my life this is akin to landing on the moon, I tried so many times with my Thomas to find insurance. This is great. I'm celebrating all weekend starting now.
Off to buy some gluten free beer and unwind till this epic road trip sunday.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2014, 06:17 PM   #18
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 36
Year: 1951
Coachwork: Wayne/ IHC
Chassis: L-163 International
Engine: SD240 / 4 sp.
Rated Cap: 39
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

Great bus! Congratulations. Be warned, just because you own your home and property doesn't mean the town or county won't give you grief about anything they don't approve of. Like a bus in your driveway or backyard. They are passing these anti property rights laws all over the Country. Fight them!
Tbart is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2014, 06:55 PM   #19
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tbart
Great bus! Congratulations. Be warned, just because you own your home and property doesn't mean the town or county won't give you grief about anything they don't approve of. Like a bus in your driveway or backyard. They are passing these anti property rights laws all over the Country. Fight them!
You're right about those laws, I detest them.
Thanks, but we have a nice 40 acre pasture zoned agricultural with power, water, barns, cows, the works!!!
Plus an acre downtown that I'm free to do whatever...
Plus as long as its tagged and legal I'm allowed to have it here in my residential yard in the city.
Good lookin out, though, man. I've thought as far ahead on everything as I could this time around.
I even have a place to park for a while in Colorado!
What I'm NOT happy about is the snow, rain, and sleet expected in tennesee and especially Kentucky early this coming week!
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2014, 09:50 PM   #20
Bus Nut
 
Hank's P-O-S's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: MB
Posts: 279
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Tomas
Chassis: International
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 54
Re: Finally Bought Another Bus!

Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tbart
Great bus! Congratulations. Be warned, just because you own your home and property doesn't mean the town or county won't give you grief about anything they don't approve of. Like a bus in your driveway or backyard. They are passing these anti property rights laws all over the Country. Fight them!
You're right about those laws, I detest them.
Thanks, but we have a nice 40 acre pasture zoned agricultural with power, water, barns, cows, the works!!!
Plus an acre downtown that I'm free to do whatever...
Plus as long as its tagged and legal I'm allowed to have it here in my residential yard in the city.
Good lookin out, though, man. I've thought as far ahead on everything as I could this time around.
I even have a place to park for a while in Colorado!
What I'm NOT happy about is the snow, rain, and sleet expected in tennesee and especially Kentucky early this coming week!
I'm just happy my land has trees. It is zoned a some sort of agricultural land, but I'm pretty sure that I've broken the zoning. I have too many uninsured trailers and vehicles and one unregistered trailer.
I can't keep the bus In the city ever, over 9k lbs and you can only park on a street for 1 hour.
__________________
"...Baler twine tie downs goin' down the road
On two bald tires and an oversize load..."
Hank's P-O-S is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Big Mac I bought for $500!!!!! M1031 Short-Bus Conversion Projects 110 09-23-2017 02:05 PM
Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?! hello_im_alex Conversion General Discussions 18 04-07-2012 07:41 AM
Just bought a bus!!!!! swinada Skoolie Conversion Projects 4 05-11-2009 07:45 AM
Bought a bus! Abbott Conversion General Discussions 0 07-07-2008 08:18 PM
i bought a bus...now what? abbs681 Everything Else | General Skoolie Discussions 4 07-20-2004 02:01 AM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:47 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.