Finally Pulled the trigger, I have no idea what i got myself into!

slowstepper · 04-21-2021, 06:16 PM

Good day everyone. I have been "pseudomonitoring" the schoolie site for probaly 5 or 6 years, looking at various busses that popped up - hemming and hawing - looking toward retirement - travelling the USA & Mexico & Canada fishing and wasting time!
so I got up this morning, and for whatever reason, what I considered to be a great bus at a great price popped up at the GSA auction. I only had an hour, didn't have time for much research, but I figured it was worth the gamble. so I went for it.
And I ended up with a 2007 International CE - 28 passenger with the wheel chair lift. but the paint looks great, no indication of rust - and it only has 37,000 miles on it. I figured if all else fails i could sell the cummins for that much in a part out. I paid 5300 for it - I may have gotten hosed, I may have gotten a good deal - I have no idea.
So now, i have to go to Maryland to pick it up - bring it back to california, not sure how to do that, I'm wondering if i may be better off just registerfing it in South Dakota, to makec renewal by mail and easy no matter where I am, plus it may be easier getting the registration into private.

any feedback? good bad , I accept criticism and derision with a laugh and a smile - 6 brothers built that into me!

and what next, how do i get that thing to california - legally, and registered as private?

thanks
Slowstepper
Auberry Ca

Drew Bru · 04-21-2021, 06:35 PM

Congrats! I assume at least one person here will chime in and $h!t all over your decision, but it ain't gonna be me. We went the South Dakota route, but we chose that for domicile reasons (full time nomadic). LOTS of people register in Vermont and it can all be done by mail. There's a whole long VT registration thread spelling out how to do it. I have no idea about the California regulations and rules, but from what I gather it ain't easy. Internationals have notoriously bad instrument clusters and they get swapped out so the mileage is probably low. Price doesn't see out of line to me but that's about what we paid for ours. I'd recommend trying to get the registration and insurance squared away before you drive it home. As far as the driving goes, that's a long haul and it goes much slower than in a car but it'll be a trip for the memory book!

NavyVet · 04-21-2021, 06:45 PM

Awesome. Glad you made the leap. Take your time. Make it fun, even of you pull your hair out. Ha ha.
Ask questions. People here will help.
But just like Drew Bru said, there's always someone that will try and poop on the parade.
I will not.
Look forward to seeing you out there. Somewhere.
Good luck

s2mikon · 04-21-2021, 06:55 PM

Now you are going to find out why people leave CA.

slowstepper · 04-21-2021, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s2mikon

Now you are going to find out why people leave CA.

I've lived here since the early 1980s, and I love it. i have been able to find simple workarounds for the registration issues, ran a land rover defender military vehicle imported from england here for years, registered 2 stroke motorcycles, use SD so bikes and SXS can be used on roads in states where its legal, travel enough to make SD a valid option.

I'm happy to see people shitting on California, i tell people all the time - quit bitching and move! simple solution of you don't like it here! better for all of us wanting to stay here.

Rucker · 04-21-2021, 08:01 PM

As others mentioned, there are a couple of threads on the forum that go into detail on registration and insurance. I don't have experience with it.

I also live in California and love it here. My bus is a Cali native.

o1marc · 04-21-2021, 09:07 PM

General consensus is you have to go out of your way to drive like an idiot to be noticed in a school bus. As long as you have a fresh BOS, a signed title, and PROPER INSURANCE, the chances of getting stopped is slim, and if you do and have all the paper work and "I'm just passing through your state officer" , you'll like not have an issue. Get in it and drive it home. Familiarize yourself with it on the open road where you're not making a bunch of tight turns with no experience. You'll be a pro by the time you get home.

RolesvilleMarina · 04-22-2021, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowstepper

I've lived here since the early 1980s, and I love it. i have been able to find simple workarounds for the registration issues,

I'm happy to see people shitting on California, i tell people all the time - quit bitching and move! simple solution of you don't like it here! better for all of us wanting to stay here.

I heard that in Cali there is a program designed to pay monetary rewards for snitching on people doing workarounds?

I don't remember what it was called, saw in a random article. You're quite obviously not the only one "working-around" and the article was making a note of that. so if you reside in cali, and have cars with out of state plates like vermont or dakota/wyoming (going off my head) then I being your neighbor can call the hotline and turn you in for cash

anyway i seem to remember this, wondering if I am remembering right

but I wouldn't put it past them... they are evolving to get that revenue as well. currently the new mandate for diesel engines has commercial businesses crying. They are required to get new trucks, new engines, or expensive DPR conversions I hear is coming.

and as to your last part although I am not shitting on it

you are right, people are moving, in droves. the amount of them in NC in the last year has been staggering

s2mikon · 04-22-2021, 09:23 AM

Here is the program: https://www.chp.ca.gov/PressReleases...S-PROGRAM.aspx
I didn’t see rewards listed. But I did see that they have “senior volunteers” helping them. Lovely. A bunch of nosy old farts looking to cause problems. The CARB California Air Resources Board also has a similar program too. Damn NAZI’s.

ol trunt · 04-22-2021, 11:25 AM

California is indeed a beautiful state--although it does have its flaws. I've lived in Ca for over 70 years and I truly am awed by what I see. I am further awed by the large proportion of the population who demand their entitlements and the scofflaws who use "work arounds" to achieve their ends rather than following the rules that are meant for everyone else. Prove yourself to be a real Californian by making your new skoolie into a CARB and registration etc compliant work of art.
Jack

s2mikon · 04-22-2021, 11:35 AM

Thanks Jack. I was born and raised there and I agree with you it is a state with nice weather and and places to see. It is not fair or ethical to do "work arounds" when the rest of the population has to jump through the hoops. Have you ever thought about being a "senior volunteer" Jack?

ol trunt · 04-22-2021, 12:03 PM

s2mikon, lmao. I did my stint as a LEO so now it's someone else's turn.
Jack

s2mikon · 04-22-2021, 12:49 PM

Thank you for your service sir. I have a cousin that retired out from the CHP and now lives in AZ. What agency were you with?

slowstepper · 04-22-2021, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ol trunt

California is indeed a beautiful state--although it does have its flaws. I've lived in Ca for over 70 years and I truly am awed by what I see. I am further awed by the large proportion of the population who demand their entitlements and the scofflaws who use "work arounds" to achieve their ends rather than following the rules that are meant for everyone else. Prove yourself to be a real Californian by making your new skoolie into a CARB and registration etc compliant work of art.
Jack

My workarounds " were pretty legit. The landrover was in both my brothers and my name - to keep the wifes from selling it if one of us croaked. He lived in Michigan, so it was titled as a michigan historic vehicle. It spend summers in Michigan and winters in California. It had to be titled in one or the other.

My side by side is licensed in South Dakota because I use it all over Baja, the Western US, Michigan etc. every state has different requirements as to whether it could be used legally on roads. California did not present any option for that, but to make it legal in the allowing states, I had to register it some where. each states different requirements still need to be followed - Turn signals, eye protection, horn, lighted license plates , reflectors, etc. I have all those things - but to make it so I can legally ride the secondary roads - i had to have it licensed.

The schoolie will be traveling all over North America. even when I am home, often it will be parked in a storage lot near an airport somewhere in the USA, or Canada or Mexico. Given that, the option to register and stay current by mail is essential.

Not really the scofflaw you wanted to catch, but hey - keep after it! I'm sure you'll find someone to verbally beat down who actually cares!

ol trunt · 04-22-2021, 02:40 PM

I rest my case
Jack

s2mikon · 04-22-2021, 03:28 PM

You had the right to remain silent, but…

Oscar1 · 04-22-2021, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s2mikon

You had the right to remain silent, but…

Lol good one

DAVEHOLMAN · 04-23-2021, 12:27 AM

Ask me again in 10 days, when I go to the DMV, but I am not sure what the big deal is about CA. Granted, when I ran a traveling sales crew, all our vehicles were registered in IA, so we could renew by mail, but that's just because we literally worked in 48 states, and never knew where we might be at renewal time.

Anyway, I just bought a 2007 school bus in Nevada, and basically I have 20 days to paint it, remove the STOP signs, and put in 3 things that make it a living quarters instead of a commercial bus. In 10 days I've gotten the seats out, the floor down and the paint done. So I have 10 more days to rough in a toilet and shower and slap a mattress in the back. Once re-titled as an RV, I'll take the rest of the summer to get it all the way I want it.

But in 40+ years dealing with the Ca DMV, I've never had a real problem talking them around to my way of thinking...one of the advantages to an over-regulated state is the enforcers don't really know the rules, either...

s2mikon · 04-23-2021, 08:34 AM

So you are following the rules. Thank you for setting a good example. 20 days is not much time but it looks like you are on task.

Pep415 · 04-28-2021, 04:19 PM

I recently had to go through that process. I had to go 5o the DMV and they inspected the bus to make sure I had a toilet, place to sleep, and a place to cook. My bus was at the beginning of the build so I just removed the seats and threw in a mattress, camping stove, and my compost toilet. They approved it but they said it was missing a sticker so I had to go get it inspected by the CHP and then go back to the DMV. It took a few weeks to get an appointment at the CHP and once I got there the CHP officer told me everything looked good and gave me an approval to move forward with the process. People at the DMV had no idea what they where doing but I always kept a positive attitude and big smile and they finally gave me all my paperwork. I finally registered it as an RV and got RV insurance. It is possible to do it you just have to be patient and be nice to the people at the DMV.

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