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Old 04-22-2015, 07:47 AM   #1
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Hello! New to this and have some questions.

So I'm getting ready to graduate college with no debt (thanks to the Marines) and have always wanted to build my own home. Having it be small and mobile is a huge plus since I can never really stay in one place for too long.

The biggest concerns I've had are for those who live in theirs or who have traveled a lot, where do you park them? Do police pester you if you park in an otherwise normally legal parking area on say a street?

Do I need a CDL license to drive one?

What is the normal means of powering electronics without running the engine? Or if engine is required can I store that energy for awhile? How feasible are solar panels?

I understand gas mileage will be pretty awful but where can I look to get on the high end of some of the ranges I've read? (8-15mpg)

Where I live in New Hampshire there seems to be some nice "fleet maintained" buses available. Is there really a huge difference in buying newer versus something a few decades old as far as the engine is concerned? I have about $9,000 saved up but ideally I would like to have as tight a budget as possible in order to make it as homey as possible.

Oh also, how much would a new set of tires cost?

Here's a couple I've found

http://worcester.craigslist.org/bfs/4968566151.html

http://burlington.craigslist.org/cto/4989300237.html

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Old 04-22-2015, 08:01 AM   #2
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Here's a couple that I've found

2002 International school bus dt466 power, good runner! price reduced

2000 International School Bus71 Passenger
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Old 04-22-2015, 08:59 AM   #3
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I've given a few responses to this thread and they never showed up.
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Old 04-22-2015, 09:46 AM   #4
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welcome

i hope you find the bus thats right for you. as far as solar panels to keep your batteries charged, that would be yes. i have 2 on top of my bus right now. if you look through some of the build threads you can get an idea what is possible. i don't know about the parking on the street thing as my bus isn't finished yet. to give you an idea of price, i paid $1800 for mine at the Washington state surplus auction. you can pick states other than Washington. look and see what is in your area: Public Surplus: Government Surplus Auctions
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Old 04-22-2015, 10:01 AM   #5
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Six new tires will run you about 1800+/-
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Old 04-22-2015, 10:51 AM   #6
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Yeah the thread disappeared for a bit too. Don't know if that's normal or not
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Old 04-22-2015, 10:52 AM   #7
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when it was edited with hot links it went into moderated area, I approved it and it said 9 responses???
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Old 04-22-2015, 02:03 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by proconsul100 View Post
i hope you find the bus thats right for you. as far as solar panels to keep your batteries charged, that would be yes. i have 2 on top of my bus right now. if you look through some of the build threads you can get an idea what is possible. i don't know about the parking on the street thing as my bus isn't finished yet. to give you an idea of price, i paid $1800 for mine at the Washington state surplus auction. you can pick states other than Washington. look and see what is in your area: Public Surplus: Government Surplus Auctions
That looks like a great resource! How was the condition of yours? Did you have to put a lot of time/money into it to get it up to par with something that may be slightly more expensive from a site like craigslist?
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Old 04-23-2015, 12:00 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by taylor View Post
That looks like a great resource! How was the condition of yours? Did you have to put a lot of time/money into it to get it up to par with something that may be slightly more expensive from a site like craigslist?
condition was great, came with a recently replaced engine installed, no rust, and a full tank for diesel. as far as time i have only been able to work on it on weekends, but i have made progress. I haven't kept track of money spent, but i have been stuff from used RV`s and the re store. i figure i do a little at a time, plus its fun getting something and modifying it and making it work in the bus.
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Old 04-23-2015, 07:07 AM   #10
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keeping track of bus money is scary
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Old 04-23-2015, 10:13 AM   #11
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i agree, its best to just set some aside, use it, and not think about how much of it is gone.
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