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Old 02-26-2013, 10:14 PM   #1
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Re: Skoolie vs Prefab

I couldnt fined a motorhome that I liked , so thats why i built a skoolie, and a bus is way better built then a older motor home.
would you buy a bus allready converted, or would you do it your self?
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Old 02-27-2013, 12:15 AM   #2
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Re: Skoolie vs Prefab

I vote skoolie..
They're relatively inexpensive as used vehicles, extraordinarily safe as they are meant to transport children, and completely customizable. I've been in quite a few prefab rvs and they've always seemed pretty flimsy to me. Nice ones are very expensive and just aren't made of much. That and you can only do so much with prefab. Plan it out right and keep an eye out for good deals and you can build your bus however you like for relatively small cost- even as a full time home. That is one of the main reasons my fiancee and I are doing it - we want to live in a more eco friendly manner and still be able to travel and see the country without paying rent or a mortgage, at least until we figure out where we might want to live for a long time.
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Old 02-27-2013, 08:17 AM   #3
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Re: Skoolie vs Prefab

Depends on how much time you want to wait before taking your trip. Even the fastest converters who have all the time in the world to work on their bus take at least 6 months to convert it. More realistic time frame is a year or more. I've been working on mine for 3 years!
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Old 02-27-2013, 10:40 AM   #4
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Re: Skoolie vs Prefab

We have lived fulltime in a sticks-&-staples 1977 20 ft Class C (2006 - 2011 and we have lived fulltime in a WIP 40 ft skoolie conversion (2011 - currently). Skoolie hands down.

We gave our (now 26 yo) daughter the Class C to fulltime in. It doesn't move much. She plans on buying a partially or fully converted skoolie before leaving NM sometime in 2014-2015.
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Old 02-27-2013, 08:37 PM   #5
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Re: Skoolie vs Prefab

We lived in the Class C, Me, David, a lazy couch potato for a dog and a Little Fat Pita Cat from Fall 2006 until July 2009 when we left NC. In that time frame, it dropped to just David and me. When we came out west, there were three adults living in the Class C, me, David & 1/2 an adult (our daughter... 90 lbs tops and 4'10") We lived like that from 2009 until David & I moved into the bus in Dec 2011. Class C was 22 ft overall. That meant it was under 19 ft of floor space. Our daughter slept in the cabover bed. With 4 people, I would suggest a 40 ft bus. You will have between 30 & 35 ft floor space.
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Old 02-28-2013, 08:16 AM   #6
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Re: Skoolie vs Prefab

Flat nose makes better use of space relative to overall length of vehicle, but front engine flat noses are loud. Rear engine flat nose I would think would be highly desirable so long as you don't need to load things into the rear. Dog nose are plentiful and inexpensive, easy to work on the accessible engine, still a bit loud, but not as bad as front engine flat noses, and the dog nose buses look very "skoolie". The flat nose buses look more "motorhome-ish". I'm very happy with my mid-size dog nose bus, but if I ever get a 40 footer, I'll most likely be looking for a rear-engine flat nose.
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Old 02-28-2013, 10:34 AM   #7
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Re: Skoolie vs Prefab

I prefer the looks of the flat nosed front engine BlueBirds. I also like the pre 1985 BlueBird Wanderlodges. We like that we can use the rear emergency door to get large appliances in/out. We have loaded all the large stuff into the bus via the rear emergency door.
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Old 03-01-2013, 05:25 AM   #8
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Re: Skoolie vs Prefab

Ride the bus. Ride the bus with us.

There are plenty of converted buses for under 10K. Look at Craigslists and Ebay.

Buses are strong.
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Old 03-01-2013, 07:34 AM   #9
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Re: Skoolie vs Prefab

I can think of a lot of reasons to go with a Skoolie.

I've always figured out how to make/build things I wanted all of my life. Most of the time I've never been able to afford to just go out and buy the things I wanted. This is no different. I want a 40 ft pusher motorhome, I don't happen to have a spare $250,000 laying around. Mine perhaps won't be quite as fancy, but it will have everything they have, and in some cases even more. I won't have anywhere near that much money in it, and it's totally PAID for. And I guarantee it's stronger/safer than a S and S motorhome.
My motorhome doesn't look like every other one coming down the road, and the design and layout are what I want.
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Old 03-01-2013, 11:13 AM   #10
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Re: Skoolie vs Prefab

Quote:
Originally Posted by somewhereinusa
... My motorhome doesn't look like every other one coming down the road, and the design and layout are what I want.
I live...
in a sea...
of white, off-white and .....
beige.


DITTO on the floor plan!!! RV's are RECREATIONAL vehicles and set up for weekend trips. Our bus conversion is a RESIDENTIAL vehicle and set up for living in fulltime. AND IT'S NOT WHITE, OFF-WHITE OR BEIGE!!!!
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Old 03-01-2013, 05:10 PM   #11
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Re: Skoolie vs Prefab

Quote:
Originally Posted by wmkbailey
Quote:
DITTO on the floor plan!!! RV's are RECREATIONAL vehicles and set up for weekend trips. Our bus conversion is a RESIDENTIAL vehicle and set up for living in fulltime. AND IT'S NOT WHITE, OFF-WHITE OR BEIGE!!!!
Man is that a bad thing, because I was going to paint my bus Beige to blend in

Now I will have to re-think my color scheme.
Well that's the big thing. You can choose to have your bus any colour you want. If you want beige, then go for it. But to blend in you've got to be a light beige, not a dark beige or a medium beige. Sorta dirty sock beige. Not the black dirt dirty sock but the tan dirt dirty sock that's been washed a lot but the stain just doesn't ever quite go away. Just hope you can find your bus in the "Sea of White". It's called a CUSTOM conversion for a reason. So make it what YOU want. To really blend in you need to paint it beige and have a drunken painting party to get the graphics on it. That's what they tend to look like to me. Like they taped off the parts of the RV they didn't want painted. Opened up several cans of white, beige (slightly darker than body paint beige), an "accent" colour like black or red and a keg or two of beer. Then after everyone was partially sloshed but still standing, handed out 4" paint brushes.

You could always paint "The Dirty Sock" on the front... in a dark beige.... or in Dirty Sock Grey.




Can you tell I'm not a big fan of the abstract splashes they call graphics.
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Old 03-01-2013, 05:36 PM   #12
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Re: Skoolie vs Prefab

dont forget, when you get a bus you become a skoolie!! I read the other rv forums (I also see lorna on them) and I have learned lots from there to and theres lots of great people on them, but what ruffles my feathers is there replies, you must buy a honda generator,you must tow 4 down, you must only buy the best michelin tires, you must have atleast 2 guns with you ,money is never a issue. But here at the skoolie site you get good honest advice from a wide range of people the seem down to earth, I have a chinese generator that i will recomend to anyone (cant afford a honda), I might two on a dolly, heck I might even buy chinese tires (do the research) and theres not much talk about packing guns on this forum(lets stay away from that topic) It just nice to have a good bunch of skoolie people that are living in the real world, who can build with there own hands .

skoolie rules
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Old 03-01-2013, 08:51 PM   #13
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Re: Skoolie vs Prefab

Quote:
Originally Posted by gbstewart
... I also see lorna on them...


Quote:
Originally Posted by gbstewart
what ruffles my feathers is their replies, you must buy a honda generator,you must tow 4 down, you must only buy the best michelin tires, you must have at least 2 guns with you ,money is never a issue.
Money is always an issue with us. We're po and converting the bus isn't helping our cash on hand situation! Those RVers hate contractor generators. Guess we need to buy a contractor genny and park next to a few of them.

Quote:
Originally Posted by gbstewart
there's not much talk about packing guns on this forum(lets stay away from that topic)
Most foolish thing I have seen is the folks who post online to the whole world that they carry guns... along with detailed info on what they drive, where they are and all the toys they own.

For the benefit of the gov storm troopers who may be reading this... I do not have a gun!

Quote:
Originally Posted by gbstewart
skoolie rules
gbstewart
They most certainly do!

I also like how the RVers will tell anyone interested in buying a skoolie that they can't get them into any campgrounds. Needless to say, I always correct them on that one. Makes them mad too

They are way too hung up on being RV PC. Too many are against staying more than one night in a parking lot. Other don't think you should even spend one night in a parking lot because you OWE the campground your business. Needless to say I do have a few things to say about that as well!

Ticking the PC RVers off is fun.
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Old 06-26-2013, 08:10 PM   #14
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Re: Skoolie vs Prefab

Quote:
Originally Posted by lornaschinske
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbstewart
... I also see lorna on them...


Quote:
Originally Posted by gbstewart
there's not much talk about packing guns on this forum(lets stay away from that topic)
Most foolish thing I have seen is the folks who post online to the whole world that they carry guns... along with detailed info on what they drive, where they are and all the toys they own.

For the benefit of the gov storm troopers who may be reading this... I do not have a gun!
I was going to make a comment about Secret Service, the NSA, etc., reading this site...um, never mind.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lornaschinske
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbstewart
skoolie rules
gbstewart
They most certainly do!

I also like how the RVers will tell anyone interested in buying a skoolie that they can't get them into any campgrounds. Needless to say, I always correct them on that one. Makes them mad too

They are way too hung up on being RV PC. Too many are against staying more than one night in a parking lot. Other don't think you should even spend one night in a parking lot because you OWE the campground your business. Needless to say I do have a few things to say about that as well!

Ticking the PC RVers off is fun.
Now those "PC" killjoy RVers would have a fit at this un-blue Blue Bird being anywhere near them! You can't get an S&S that looks like this. (Photographed this on my way home from work. I rather like it.)

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Old 06-27-2013, 10:57 AM   #15
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Re: Skoolie vs Prefab

Remember back in the 70's when having a custom airbrushed mural on your Chevy van meant you were cool?
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