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Old 12-18-2017, 08:22 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Fearing

Hi, I guess i just can't bring myself to get over the fear of buying a bus. every vehicle I've ever bought it took nearly a year to trust it. I have a car now and I mean its good, never done me wrong, but i am scared of it 2 yrs later, So I am parinoid YES! however I guess i let the fear hold me back, but I see old buses on here and older cars running on the roads everyday, and think well.. there still running! lol,

I wish I could have some inspiration for getting over the fear, b/c buses are so new to me, but,, my main question is this...

I've seen alot of buses local I loved and in my price range, but they all seem have at least or over 200,000 miles. These buses don't have service records available. The buses look pretty nice,,, they offer test drives,,, but the high miles! ,,,Is this something that I should stay away from (no to offend anyone) but I mean I just think oh god id be setting myself up for breakdowns or whatever else , just seems like an extra scare! or has many of you bought buses with this high of miles and everythings fine whats anyones thoughts? THANK YOU!!!

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Old 12-18-2017, 08:30 PM   #2
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If they have certain diesel engines(i dont know them all, others here could list them) they can go 500,000+ miles. Many of these beasts share components with big rigs and such. Designed for MANY miles if well kept.
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Old 12-18-2017, 08:32 PM   #3
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200k is alright. 200k with 15k hours starts to get iffy. I had one with 209 and 16k hours and its still on the road running, I sold it this year.
My 92 ward has a quarter million miles, and the new owner just drove it to TX from FL.
Buses are probably MORE reliable than any used car.
My latest bus has a major coolant leak that just sprung up. its gonna take me a lot of time and/or money to fix, but these things can happen with anything.
What's your purpose for a bus?
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Old 12-18-2017, 08:38 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mdbutler79 View Post
Hi, I guess i just can't bring myself to get over the fear of buying a bus. every vehicle I've ever bought it took nearly a year to trust it. I have a car now and I mean its good, never done me wrong, but i am scared of it 2 yrs later, So I am parinoid YES! however I guess i let the fear hold me back, but I see old buses on here and older cars running on the roads everyday, and think well.. there still running! lol,

I wish I could have some inspiration for getting over the fear, b/c buses are so new to me, but,, my main question is this...

I've seen alot of buses local I loved and in my price range, but they all seem have at least or over 200,000 miles. These buses don't have service records available. The buses look pretty nice,,, they offer test drives,,, but the high miles! ,,,Is this something that I should stay away from (no to offend anyone) but I mean I just think oh god id be setting myself up for breakdowns or whatever else , just seems like an extra scare! or has many of you bought buses with this high of miles and everythings fine whats anyones thoughts? THANK YOU!!!
Try a car maintenance course at your local community college.

They are reasonably priced, and understanding how something works, and how to fix it, takes much of the "fear of the unknown" out of the ownership equation.
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Old 12-18-2017, 09:21 PM   #5
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If you have this much trepidation about buying a bus, how are you ever going to relax enough to enjoy it if you do?

Life's a crapshoot anyway.....roll them bones and have some fun. It took me two years to decide I really wanted a bus, but once I was in, I was ALL in. Having to search another two years for my dream bus never shook my desire for it.


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Old 12-18-2017, 09:44 PM   #6
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You get your bus and you learn a lot about how to take care of it. It's also good to have a towing insurance like Good Sam so if you break down you get towed to the nearest service center and get it fixed. Inconvenient? Possibly. Still worth it judging by the fun quotient.
We all have a fear of breaking down to one degree or another. Now we have cell phones and sat phones and GPS. It's not like we're out there alone. Take the precautions that you can and then jump.

Life is like business. No risk, no reward.
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Old 12-18-2017, 09:47 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mdbutler79 View Post
Hi, I guess i just can't bring myself to get over the fear of buying a bus. every vehicle I've ever bought it took nearly a year to trust it. I have a car now and I mean its good, never done me wrong, but i am scared of it 2 yrs later, So I am parinoid YES! however I guess i let the fear hold me back, but I see old buses on here and older cars running on the roads everyday, and think well.. there still running! lol,



I wish I could have some inspiration for getting over the fear, b/c buses are so new to me, but,, my main question is this...



I've seen alot of buses local I loved and in my price range, but they all seem have at least or over 200,000 miles. These buses don't have service records available. The buses look pretty nice,,, they offer test drives,,, but the high miles! ,,,Is this something that I should stay away from (no to offend anyone) but I mean I just think oh god id be setting myself up for breakdowns or whatever else , just seems like an extra scare! or has many of you bought buses with this high of miles and everythings fine whats anyones thoughts? THANK YOU!!!






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Old 12-18-2017, 09:49 PM   #8
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No risk, no reward. You already feel the need. You may have certain mechanical issues to work out if you buy a bus, but unlike cars these are designed to be rebuilt. If it breaks, fix it. It may be expensive, but that's just the cost of doing business.
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Old 12-19-2017, 05:30 AM   #9
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“Fear isn’t only a guide to keep us safe; it’s also a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life … the great stories go to those who don’t give in to fear.” ― Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life

You can EXPECT issues and "unplanned events" with any bus/motorhome. The trick is to make them part of the experience/adventure. As far as mileage goes, you get what you get. If you can afford a "new" bus, buy it. Otherwise, make the best choice/selection you can with the information you have and then go have an adventure.
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Old 12-19-2017, 05:48 AM   #10
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A new bus would be a bigger nightmare than an old worn out one.
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Old 12-19-2017, 10:21 AM   #11
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I bought a bus.. 1100 miles from home.. yeah I feared it break down on me.. what would i do? then it did.. 450 miles into my trip. it broke.. I learned alot about my bus during that 3 day downtime... learned alot about how the commercial-vehicle world works.. my bus got fixed and i took it home.. no longer have i feared the bus since.. I drive both my busses everywhere .. do thingsd break? yep they do... but now i realize i can fix or get them fixed..

the first brand new car I bought solely because i feared breaking down in the old (but dependable) car... yeah my new one died when it was 5 months old.. (now i drive new cars just bewcause i like the techie gadgets.. when i drive my car... i drive my skoolie around way more than my car)..
-Christopher
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Old 12-19-2017, 11:31 AM   #12
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Even my now broken bus got home before it decided to break.
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Old 12-19-2017, 11:43 AM   #13
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In my years I have owned over 25 different cars and trucks. I have never been left on the side of road I have lost crap tons of money but never been broken down. You need to do a good inspection of the thing your buying. And the end of the day with a good inspection you still just have to take a chance. No risk no gain or reward.

Besides what is your main fear, being left on the side of the road, get a Good Sams road side package. Or not having money to fix the problems that arise? I have found a monkey can change parts and if your building your home you should be able to change parts. What cost is the experience to tell you what part to change.

Stop being scared, but a roadside package find the bus and get a good socket set, with will anything can be done.
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Old 12-19-2017, 03:34 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigskypc50 View Post

Stop being scared, but a roadside package find the bus and get a good socket set, with will anything can be done.
... and a torque multiplier, if ya wanna take off a bus wheel

Didn't even know those things existed a few months ago. Highest torque I had ever come across was 200 ftlb.
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Old 12-19-2017, 06:35 PM   #15
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Jesse James became a VERY successful car builder because he couldn't afford to pay a mechanic to fix his vehicles. I'm the same way, I can't afford to pay someone to do my mechanical work, so I do it myself. I can't tell you how many times something went wrong, tore the parts down, figured out what went wrong, got new parts, and put everything back together - at ten to twenty times the time it would take a "professional" mechanic. However, the next time it was a breeze! I've swapped out about 15 fuel injection distributor pumps on these diesel engines. The first time it took me an entire day just to get the old one off. Now, with a spare ready to go it takes me about five hours from turning off the engine to firing it up and driving home. It all comes down to the willingness to get dirty and learn how something works. So the real question is this: how willing are YOU to learn something new and beneficial to your living standard? If you're a life-long learner, then this is the opportunity you've been looking for. If not, then are you interested in learning something new? Only YOU can answer that question. We can only provide examples from our life experiences that may or may not help you in determining if this is something you want to try or not.

In the end you need to make a decision......

And not making a decision is making a decision...... (Getty Lee said something like that in a song...)

Just my two cents....

M
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