Hi all,
After ~5 years of lurking and dreaming, I took the plunge and bought a bus... I'd like to introduce you all to 'Magic', my affectionately named 1977 Crown! Her instagram is @the_bus_named_magic and I'll be updating that, as well as this thread, as I do the conversion and then take her out for future adventures.
As Crowns usually are, she was over in CA. My friend and I flew there 2 weeks ago, got a 3-day crash course in how to drive a 10-speed stick shift, and then headed out to cover over 3,200 miles back home in under a week - literally from sea to shining sea....
I purchased her from Al Jennings, who I would be remiss to not say was
incredible to work with and is one of the most honest people I've ever met - thank goodness, as I took a big gamble buying a bus I had never seen in person. The purchase process was seamless and I loved getting to know him.
And I have to give a
HUGE shout out and much appreciation to Crown_Guy! I reached out to him on this site with just a hope that someone with Crown knowledge might be willing to give a total stranger a little help with figuring out if the bus I was looking at was truly worth it. He spent hours on the phone walking me through all the things I should consider and then a few days later drove to where the bus was and checked it out in person for me! When we got to CA, he then taught me and my friend how to drive the bus during the 3 days we were there and has continued to help us out and answer questions via text and call as we learned through trial by fire on our way back home. My sincerest gratitude!
First up is solidifying a place for me to do the actual conversion, as she's currently sitting in a friend's driveway... but hoping to have that sorted out in a week or so and then will be back with updates. Excited to
officially be a part of this community now!