WHAT ARE WE DOING??? (Florida)

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by JojoBrisk

Check out the guy we bought our 1990 Bluebird from. He has plenty of busses.
Used School Buses For Sale - Better Buses @ Better Prices - We deliver school buses nation wide

They have some nice looking buses on their website. If you see something you like, let me know and I will find you one just like it for half price and I will deliver it.....


$18k for a 1999 Bluebird? WTF are they smoking??

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by PNW_Steve

They have some nice looking buses on their website. If you see something you like, let me know and I will find you one just like it for half price and I will deliver it.....


$18k for a 1999 Bluebird? WTF are they smoking??

A man of my own thinking!

[danielramirez546]

Originally Posted by cowlitzcoach

I admire your confidence and excitement.

Can it be done as you are planning? Absolutely!

Will it be done as you are planning? Absolutely not!

You will find life happens a lot as you go down this road. Unexpected road blocks, detours, and speed bumps will happen. Plan for them so you won't get disheartened, disillusioned, and despondent.

There are a lot of buses for sale out there. Try not limit your search to your end of the country. Through a really wide net out there to find the bus you really want. Going out west to find a bus with tinted glass, white roof, big HP, and luggage compartments will pay off in the long run. So what if it costs you $2K to go out and drive it back to FL. If the total cost is about what you budgeted it is well worth the effort.

I assume you will be trying to do most of the work yourself using the most affordable materials as possible. Spending more for some stuff at the front end will save huge in the out years. Taking the time to pull down the ceiling panels and insulation so you can put better insulation and thermal breaks to keep it cooler in the hot months and warmer in the cool months is one of those do it right the first time sort of projects.

Be creative about finding sources for your materials. You would be amazed at what you can find for sale for cheap or for free in CL listings.

And since you are obviously going to be close to other family members, utilize them as you tear things apart and put things back together.

One thing I suggest to all new convertors is once the seats are out and before you start the conversion, throw some air mattresses in with the Coleman stove and cooler and take the bus out for some long weekends. Lay your floor plan out with painter's tape and cardboard walls. You will be able to determine what will work and what won't work with our design.

This time of the year there are usually RV shows. Go to one or more and tour through all of the different sizes and types of RV's. There are only so many ways in which you can package a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room when you have a space that is less than 300 sq ft.

Don't be shy about asking questions, particularly if you find a bus you want. You may think it is the best thing out on the road and it might actually be a great bus. But several of us on here can take one look at the spe'c's and the price and tell you whether it is a pick or a pass. The last thing any of us on here would like to see is for you to spend your $$$ only to have it turn into a disaster for you.

Good luck and keep us posted as to your progress.

Thanks for ALL your suggestions. We're planning on doing almost all those things! There's a tiny house exhibit and RV show next month and we're planning on attending to get ideas and fine tune our bus layout.

[danielramirez546]

Originally Posted by M1031A1

Y'all may want to seriously consider the Gillig! Most people here hate Cat engines, but I love them. They can get a bit pricy IF you don't know what you're doing. But with patience, a willingness to learn and turn wrenches, you can save some serious $$$$ with a Cat engine. I have a 3208 engine in my build and LOVE it! Lots of torque, NO glow plugs (VERY important to me), and a ruggedly built engine. I'm a huge fan of diesel pushers for many reasons. The noise, the heat (especially in the summer), working on the engine, et.al. My suggestion is to look at the type of bus you believe will fit your needs best here on the site with those people that have already built their conversion, or are on the middle of doing so. That should give you a ballpark idea of purchase price (roughly), and cost to convert and estimate the needed timeline to complete your project. Now, IF you're looking to do a conversion like Tango...... He's on the extreme of conversions. His build is WILD!!!! Definitely not for the faint-of-heart. However, I suspect you guys are not looking to do something quite so "unique".

Best of fortunes!

M

If it was up to me we'd be getting that Gillig, or at least a Crown! Unfortunately $5k and in California is a bit too much for us. We're a little crazy, but not Tango crazy. Lol.

[danielramirez546]

Originally Posted by JojoBrisk

HOW FREAKING AWESOME IS THAT???
My wife and I recently purchased a 32ft Bluebird TC 2000 That we've been working on for the past few weeks. Also we live in St. Pete, so we're just over the bridge from you guys. This has been the most the most fun I've ever had in my life.
Are you planning on having someone do the work for you, or do you plan on doing it all yourself?

We live in St. Pete too actually! And your bus for $3500 from there was an incredible bargain!!!! Those dealers are always expensive. We went to one last week in Tampa and were unpleasantly surprised. We did get to meet two other potential skoolie couples!

[cadillackid]

yeeaaay more St Pete!!

need a mini skoolie get together lol
-Christopher

[danielramirez546]

Originally Posted by roach711

How you use your bus also influences what you buy. If you'll be traveling a lot you want a good engine, tranny and highway gearing. If you'll be parked on one site most of the time with a move once in a long while then just about any bus that can get out of it's own way will work.

If you'll be full-timing it's best to spend more time (and money, unfortunately) on the stuff that will be difficult to do over like flooring and insulation.

When you're done with the beastie will you have a place to legally park long term with electricity/water/sewer?

I guess we're not too concerned with where we're going to park it after its done since it's a ways down the road. We're hoping my wife is done with school by then so we could possibly take a couple months off and travel and I can hopefully finish school. I've seen some campgrounds locally that will take a skoolie so that's our backup plan.

[danielramirez546]

Originally Posted by Trevlakin

Hey there! my name is Trevor. Just recently married (3-5-17) to my wife Leyla and we were curious how your search was going? We're batting around the idea of living the "Skoolie" life lol. We're in the Central Florida area. We like the look of the Blue Bird 1990 with the CAT3208 the other person posted earlier. I've researched a little and the cat3208 engine/dt466 seems to pair well with the Allison transmission. I'm a very "want my stuff as bulletproof as possible" type of guy so that's what we'd be looking for.


Just thought I'd reach out because we also have 2 dogs......and a bunny, lol. Thought it was too coincidental to not message. Good luck on your search!

Ha! That's crazy! Don't know how we're gonna fit all these animals in a skoolie. We definitely need a 40 footer.

And our search is going ok. It sucks cause we've got a lot going on in our lives right now so we're not able to fully dedicate ourselves to buying a skoolie. After we're fully moved out of our apartment (April 30th) we can give this our full attention. I'm hoping to come across a good one before then though! My wife (and partially I) are fearful of buying one on an auction in a different state. Not too excited about driving it all the way to Florida, only to have it die on the way there. Problem is all the good deals are out of state!

[danielramirez546]

Originally Posted by dredman

Very bold!

I am excited for you both

Thanks!!! We're excited too. The only way to really make this happen is to jump in headfirst!!!

"Go big, or go home."

[danielramirez546]

Originally Posted by Dog Rescuer

I just picked up a nice bus from the Tampa Bus Market. I tried the auction (there will be about 20 Hillsborough Buses in April) - but decided on going with the Tampa Bus Market. If you go - tell him Roger recommended them!

We actually went there last week and saw some pretty good buses! The one we decided on was $6850 though. More than we want to spend. Based off of what I've researched, $3k-$4k is more reasonable for us.

[Juicifer]

Hey. Just read through your thread and wondering if you found and purchased a bus?

[JojoBrisk]

Yeah. 1990 bluebird tc2000. I've posted pocs5

[danielramirez546]

Originally Posted by Juicifer

Hey. Just read through your thread and wondering if you found and purchased a bus?

We’ve gone and looked at some, but nothing we were confident in. We recently found one in Florida we liked, but a couple things came up and funds are low again. If nothing crazy happens by the end of the year, we should have a bus by about Christmas time. Finally!!!

Finding a bus is taking a LOT longer than we had hoped.

[Tango]

Finding a bus is easy. Finding the right bus takes more time.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Tango

Finding a bus is easy. Finding the right bus takes more time.

Aint that the truth?!

[cadillackid]

findinfg the right bus at the right price and the right time is even harder
-Christopher

[danielramirez546]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

findinfg the right bus at the right price and the right time is even harder
-Christopher

Couldn't have said it better myself!

[danielramirez546]

Originally Posted by JojoBrisk

Yeah. 1990 bluebird tc2000. I've posted pocs5

What area of St. Pete are you in? We live by Disston Plaza on 38th ave and 49th st for the time being. Once we actually get the bus we'll be moving by Gulfport and South Pasadena.