can you buy a bus with a credit card?

[ziemy65]

So random question, been thinking of different ways to get my bus sooner than later, I came across a possible idea. I have never had a credit card and never planned on getting one, but seeing as how every time we get a plan going to help save everything falls apart and doesnt assist in savings. SO I started thinking ok if I cant get enough money any time soon to pay cash upfront do you think its possible to use a credit card to purchase a used bus. Obviously this limits my area of looking ex: car lots, some auctions although few that ive found so far, and ebay. Any thoughts? Ive never dealt with credit cards since other than banks screwing you and making money off of you by putting yourself in debt I see no point to them. But this looks to be my only current possibilty of realistically getting my bus and getting out of.rent in FLORIDA.

[EastCoastCB]

I bought mine on my Discover card and got 85 cash back bonus.
But you have to pay it off before the interest kicks in.
Credit cards are dangerous and they really suck but sometimes they are handy.

[somewhereinusa]

What makes you think this would work? You have already said that you have trouble with a plan to put away money. What are you going to do if you now have credit card debt and said plan goes south? You would now have a debt that's hard to pay off. If you don't pay it off and go with some sort of monthly payment the interest will eat you up.
The places you mentioned that would take credit cards will, in all likelihood, charge more for a comparable bus that you could get somewhere else.
You sound young, do you have a place to park the bus, work on it and live on it rent free? How are you going to pay for all of the many, many things needed to convert a bus? I would think you would need a minimum of $2000 to buy things AFTER buying the bus, just to make something you could live in.
Living rent free sounds good, but "Ain't nothin' free"!!!

[ziemy65]

ah you misunderstood me when i said money is a problem. I can save like nobody's business but when you live in central florida and every business owner is trying to not pay on their employees insurance that they get a fee for if you hit 30 hours a week whether you have that health insurance or not thanks to that whole thing they passed last year saying everyone needs insurance. Even though I do not have insurance and have no care to take it, my job cut everyones hours by half I've been getting 18 hours a week and hardly scraping by to pay bills at all. I have $1800 put away for the bus so far. But now its impossible to save because I literally make enough to pay the bills and that's that. I've been searching for another job but so far nothings gone through unfortunately. I did have a sure fire place to park it but that fell out because my mother "of whoms house I was going to park it" decided that me and my other half can not move in with her UNLESS WE GET MARRIED because she doesn't want god looking down on an "Unmarried" couple sleeping in the same room.. Now on a side note we where going to move in back in with her to help her out on bills and also it would cut our rent to less than half and I could easily save again even on my shitty hours i'm receiving. But thanks to my younger sister who is all why can't my boyfriend spend the night this whole "marriage" thing came up(mind you me and Aj have been together 8 years this july, my sister has been with this guy 1 month). Now to elaborate I am very responsible and Not THAT young; I am young at 26 yrs old but I am no moron I do not make irresponsible decisions unless of course you live in a box and think following your dreams is a bad decision then of course i make horrible decisions. I do not have credit cards for just no reason, I go without most "necessity's" specifically because money means nothing to me other than the fact we are forced to use it. I have no debt other than a student loan i'm almost done paying off and that was forced upon me BY my mother when i still lived with her years ago. Anywho beyond all that I'm going to look into the lot my friend has his bus parked at which is a whopping $50 a month! incredibly reasonable and I could manage that even with renting as long as not one extra penny is spent. :icon_e_smile: i was just curious about the credit card thing because if I keep waiting for everything to just be ABSOLUTELY SURE ITS SAFE then well I will just continue waiting till i die here along with everyone that moves here literally to die. Also luckily my dad has a shed full of tools he left behind when he moved out of state, and my friend has stocked up on multiple tools as well, so alot of that I can borrow thanksfully!

[ziemy65]

how long did you have roughly to pay it back before the interest set in? I know its different per person and credit rating and all that jazz, but just trying to get rough ideas

[EastCoastCB]

I paid mine off in one lump payment. Well most of it. A few weeks later.
But if you've got 1800 bucks you're getting there. Do it credit free. If anything use a card to build it out.
I mean, I only paid 2100 for my bus and its a pretty darn good bus.

[Dragonpop]

In most states after a seven year co-habitation it automatically becomes a common law marriage. You might check regulations in your state but it looks like you are already married and don't get roped into thinking you need a license from the state to be married. In the prior Century all it took was two signatures on a Parish register or in a Bible. On the credit card you could probably qualify for one of those zero interest items for six months which could give you enough time to get it paid off if everything falls into place. I would look into a credit union account which doesn't
extract every ounce of interest you can afford. Our last bank was paying a whopping 1% interest on our savings account and charging a $10.00 a month maintenance fee on our checking account, gotta love Chase. Our credit union pays 4% with no fees and gives a debit card that is also a Visa Card. Stay away from AMEX predators. Hope this gives you some ideas, it's all going to come down to timing and preparation i.e. "Good Luck" is when proper preparation meets the right opportunity. If you want
it bad enough you will make it happen if it's not that important there is always an excuse.

[EastCoastCB]

no common law marriages here.

There is no way to initiate a new common law marriage in Florida. However, because common law marriage in Florida was legal until 1968, common law marriages taking place before that year are still recognized by Florida state law. Also, several states still recognize common law marriages for couples who meet certain requirements, and if you were common law married in one of these states, you retain your married status upon moving to the state of Florida. Generally, the laws governing whether you are able to be married or not are determined by the state where your marriage took place, even if the state you move to has different laws. If you had a common law marriage in Florida prior to 1968, other states will recognize this common law marriage from Florida as valid.

But I think the mother sounds like she would probably want a "real" wedding.
If you need to get married, though, I CAN help with that! I'm a licensed minister and can legally marry you in Fl.
I'd only charge you one six pack of gluten free beer.

[ziemy65]

lol ,yes east coast is right Florida doesn't make anything easy, common law does not count as far as now a days is concerned. I am not going to get married simply because that's what my mother wants. although that is hilarious and I feel like getting you some gluten free beer just for the sake of it! my friend is also able to do weddings and offered similar. But i have no intention of getting married atleast not officially and not in florida. We shall see what happens, I am not going to worry about it everything happens for a reason and this mainly reminded me what it was like living at home before i moved out LOL parents always trying to shove they're opinions onto you. It comes down to the fact mainly that it would be a wedding for her not for us and that's not cool nor is it what a wedding is supposed to symbolize. I did say however, Ok mom if I get my bus we can do it in the doorway. and she responded WELL thats not gonna be before you move in here is it? I said probably not and she was like well that doesn't work then. LoL

[Seroflorus]

Before going the Credit Card route, you may investigate an unsecured personal loan through your bank or credit union...cheaper rates, no security if your credit is good (so its irrelevant what you plan to purchase) and your clock is not speeding toward a cliff of introductory interest rate period expiration.

[ziemy65]

thanks everyone for the pointers I will be looking into all of this. I did not know about the unsecured personal loans I will have to inquire about them! thanks!

[superdave]

citi fi is down there, they will work with you

[bansil]

First off:
I don't want to come off as nasty

You are 26 and have been with someone for 8 years so high school sweetie, that's cool

You went to school/college/tech school etc for several years and since you couldn't pay with cash, you owe student loans, and almost paid off, that's good...cheers

With this degree you can only find employment that allows 18 hours a week, I know that I couldn't live on that in Florida or even here(yes I realize he cut your hours, why not get a 2nd or 3rd job?) Just asking because if my employer said that I would be gone, and I would do whatever to get by and grow strong again

So why not move to another state, and start over? You are young, not tied down and no need to stay

You should be an asset to your employer, if not move on

What do you do...OR can you do...what is major in?

I would grab a suitcase or duffel bag...grab your cash (better bet would be to live on nothing no beer etc for those 4 weeks)
And then in those next 4 weeks sell everything you don't need and leave....period...walk away

Life is too precious to waste away......

First step is save, second step sell everything...move to a none tourist low tax area and reboot.

Be very frugal, no $150 hotel rooms and no fast food or restaurants

I know I seem harsh, I mean good

Home is where your heart is...a house is just a....place to lay your head

You need food and water, then shelter and remember to always smile and want to move forward

If I am out of line let me know


P.s. do you even paragraph yo'

Read a book.....peter Jenkins "a walk across america" use it to kick start an adventure in your soul ;) ...... No peoti ....... Or wild 'sh rooms ;)

[nat_ster]

I think your entire idea is a train wreck.

I agree 100% with bansil.

Your not ready for a bus in any way shape or form.

You need a real budget. Not phony back money. Min $5000 to start, and $5000 more to finish.

Buses are hated in most places. You will end up with big fines, and lose your bus due to $$$.

Having a place to park is key. If you don't own land, know the law, have money, or live in the woods where no one cares, than you will end up losing your bus.

Conversions take years. Where you going to park it for that long?

Again, conversions take years. Are you willing to spend every free moment working on it for the next two years?

For the record, I live in a shed in the forest. 16 feet of a bus body, insulated on the exterior, and made to look like a garden shed.
No toilet, shower, or power. Just a coal stove, and a bed.
I don't need anything more, because if I have time for TV, games, ect, I should be working on my bus, or making money.

Nat

[The-Breeze]

I think a vast majority of people here didn't put the cost of a bus on a credit card. They either saved or have saved and bought what they could afford. Our bus is bought & paid for and work is done, when we have the money to go and buy the next thing we plan to work on. We have salted away a good bit of money...but that's to help in the event of an emergency.

You said you are barely making ends meet on an 18 hour work week. Have you calculated what your additional monthly expense will be? Those credit card offers that come in the mail are made to look like the deal of the century. "No interest if paid in full in 6 months". If you owe even a penny 6 months & 1 day then all the "free interest" months will get tacked on to the balance due. Also, have you looked and calculated how much you will be paying for interest if you should have to go that route?

If you have to go to Moms to save money, why can't one of you sleep in the house and the other sleep on the floor of the bus. Use your imaginations to figure out how & where you might hook up when the urge strikes.

I agree with the idea of selling off what assets you may have to come up with the cash up front. Not only that, you need money to get tags & insurance and a little money in the mattress to cover things that can and will go wrong. Have you looked into what the cost is of just one bus tire? Or the cost of paint? You do know that most states will not allow you to drive a school bus yellow bus. Or the cost of having a tow truck pull you to the nearest garage. Just because your bus is your home, you can't just camp out in it at the garage or side of the road till you can find a quick job to cover the cost of repairs when you break down.

I'm not saying think of the worst that can happen and hope that it don't.....but it's a fools trip that thinks nothing will ever go wrong. You mentioned that you have access to tools you can use to convert your bus....what tools do you have to take down the road with you? Or do you think you won't need any?

I'm so sorry if what we are saying may upset you but I think we may all be thinking along the lines that you may be acting a little immature with your way of thinking.

No one here wishes you any bad thoughts....But rather want to do what we can to help you achieve a "happy ending".

From all you have said I would find a way to make it work staying at Momma's if that's the cheapest rout , work your little a$$ off getting the bus ready, a little money put away and drive away with a smile on your faces.

[ziemy65]

well thanks for the responses and I understand what you are all saying but I am by no means UNAWARE of the possible outcomes, the expenses, the many many issues that can happen and most likely will happen. I have been selling everything I own for some time how do you think I came up with the $1800? not on my pay alone that is for sure, I didn't just fall into wow I wanna live on a bus, I've been researching and turning my life into simple living as much as is possible over the past 4 years. I make all of my own products EX: shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, laundry detergent etc. I do not have cable or other nonsense. I do not drink or party I am as frugal as you can come. The problem is that I live in Central Florida which is basically Mini New York now a days which includes the price of living. Unfortunately for me I was born here and am trapped here until I get my home on wheels done. I have been waiting and watching and trying to save and find better jobs it comes down simply to IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA everything is corrupt and backwards and there are not Better jobs unless you go and get into More Debt with More Student Loans. Either way I would have packed up and left the state long ago if the funding had truly been there and not just going to be all wasted by trying to get by off of the side of the road in my car. I appreciate every ones insight and I am aware of many negatives, I was just trying to see if anyone had done this and what the possible outcomes where. Once again like i said earlier. I never had a credit card for very specific reasons. I am very aware of how corruption works I live in Florida where no law is any thing close to "good" or beneficial to anyone and I am aware of the laws here involving buses. I am sure there are a ton of which I do not know about because they seemingly make a new one every day, but that is part of the learning process.

[ziemy65]

I will look into citi fi there is one very near me, thanks!

[EastCoastCB]

Yep, I can vouch for the employment situation in Central Fl. Its tough.

[bansil]

just be aware 10k of credit card debt at 24% interest will not even be a fun payment that will likely take 20 years to pay off, and that is if you can get one

(I say 24% based on if you have one late payment...you are in trouble)

good luck

I just hate to see someone bury themselves...

here is something to think about
How Long Does It Take to Pay Off $10,000 of Credit Card Debt? | Credit.com

[taskswap]

My big worry would be maintenance/repairs. Even in a dream world where you pinch pennies and don't buy $3000 solar setups, you're going to need to put SOME money and work into the bus. A single tire or brake swap could wipe you out if you're stretching just to get the bus itself. Even little things like sandpaper, wire wheels, and rust-converter add up super fast.