Hey everyone-
Lots of awesome information on this forum and we've been reading like crazy!
Looking for a shorty skoolie for bike/surf/adventure trips- not as a full time thing. We spent three weeks living out of rented ford pleasureway pop-top camper last summer and absolutely loved it (we just needed a little more space for our gear intensive sports (bikes/ surfboards/ kayaks, etc). Looking for a short-bus to make into camper/gear hauler for fun trips.
I found this one at an auto dealership for $3,500. It's a '90 Bluebird with Chevy 5.7 liter engine. 91K miles and government agency owned. I don't know anything else about it.
Any opinions on a "wonder bread" bus like this?
Pros-
- Because it's at an auto dealer, they do all the DMV paperwork and registration for you, and is pretty much guaranteed to have a clear title (which is a big issue in California).
- Already painted white (I think we have to repaint it non-school bus yellow in California)
- No school bus lighting to remove
- Big cargo cage area means two less rows of seats to remove
Cons-
- Cost?
- ????
- GVW on a wonder bread bus?
- Reliability on this type chassis?
Would you experienced skoolies be comfortable driving something like this from the SF Bay Area to Oregon/Idaho/Colorado for 3-14 day trips? Reliability is important since we both have non-flexible jobs that we need to get back to. Have solid carpentry/electrical/plumbing skills for a conversion, but not so much on the vehicle mechanical end of things.
Debating something like this, or a newer (mid 90's-2000) used cutaway type short bus. (Or even a shuttle bus type vehicle).
Any and all opinions are welcome. We are excited about joining the club!
Thanks in advance.