Quote:
Originally Posted by gilliannash
Hey there,
I've been considering doing a conversion for a few years and every once in a while I'll look around for a bus to purchase. I've finally decided this year to go for it and have started scouring the internet again for a bus.
Am I crazy or have prices gone up a lot in the past year or so? Is that because of increased demand? I know used cars are unusually pricey right now could this be the same issue? I feel like even a couple years ago it wasn't that hard to find a bus for less than a few thousand, now so many that I'm seeing are like 10k. Also, it's such slim pickings! It feels like there are so few busses out there.
|
Ruth and I have seen a trend in 3rd party bus prices that is driven by the social media/creator/influencer movement. A lot of folks think that they can become a Youtube mogul just by buying a bus and editing a bunch of videos.
We realize there is a market for skoolie and van life content, just as there is a market for Rock bands, and movie stars. The scamdemic (I don't call it such because I don't believe in illness, but that is for another discussion), has created a situation where an artificially elevated surge in skoolies is a result. It is like a goldrush. Many will rush, few will prosper.
We met a huge number of people at the 2022 Skoolie Palooza who had just bought a bus, van, or box truck. We were flabbergasted at what they had paid. Because they bought from Facebook, Craigslist, AAA bus sales, or some other third party.
The best way to purchase a bus for a good price is to buy direct from an organization such as a school or church, or one of the vetted public auctions like
http://publicsurplus.com
Our experience: Pre pandemic purchase of an 1998 International Rear Engine , American Transit bus with less than 150,000 miles on it, from the Gilbert School system in Phoenix, Arizona was, at the time significantly cheaper at $1880.00 than we were seeing from all other third party markets.
Fast forward to this past July. Our most recent bus, same model, a couple of years younger, about the same miles, we purchased from the same District, through Public Surplus Auction, for $1450.00
If we had purchased from a bus sales place in Phoenix, the seller probably would have acquired the bus from the same school district for much less than the ten to twelve thousand that they are asking for it.
Ruth and I are skoolies from before there was such a term. Our first live in bus was purchased for $400.00 in 1989. We moved in the day we bought it, sleeping on the floor as we did our first build in the Sleepy Hole city park in Portsmouth, Va. The reason I tell you this is to give some background to how long we have been paying attention to bus prices.
We do it for entertainment. At least e few times a month we go look at the auctions and window shop. At this level bus prices are stable.
Getting a good deal requires, patience and legwork. You need to set a goal, search out auctions in "Rust Free Zones", contact sellers, vist\it seller sites and inspect items if possible. Set your bid ceiling and don't exceed it. If you get out bid at your ceiling, wait for the next auction.
Don't let auction fever push you out of your budget.
The Current third party market is driven by the nomad/Youtube/vanlife social media goldrush. It is artificially inflated and will eventually collapse when reality sets in. As in the gold rush of the 1800s, many will rush, few will prosper.
There are different motivations to become a skoolie:
Some do it because they find that a commercial bus is a better platform in terms of ruggedness for a DIY RV. Heck, Blue Bird started doing it on a commercial basis the year after I was born. My opinion is the WanderLodge is the best built RV ever.
Some do it because they like the idea of building their own RV or tiny home and find that a bus is a good place to start.
Some do it out of desperation to find shelter they can afford. That's how we got started back in the 80s. We eventually just decided That we love small living and even more mobile living and it became a way of life.
Some, and this is why the third party market is so inflated, are driven by a surge in a new income stream, social media advertising, that seems like an All You Gotta Do get rich quick scheme. We call it the skoolie rush. I have represented it in an overly simplistic manner. But the crux is that a flood of social media hype in a nomad movement, that has been exacerbated by a couple of years of various quarantine requirements, has inflated the popularity of an idea that has been around since the sixties and Dead Heads.
With that being said, Once you buy your bus, as others have mentioned the cost of building materials is also very inflated. Perhaps it will come down. Perhaps eighty dollars a sheet for 3/4" plywood is the new normal. I hope not. We are not yet done with our current build and already started on another.
I guess a few people make it work. I don't think this couple did.
Linear Mode
