Hello from Cali, about to buy my first Schoolie

[zannorman]

Hi everyone,

Wow, it's so awesome to have found this community! I have been thinking about getting and living in a bus, on and off for a few years. I finally decided to pull the trigger.

I'm looking for a 5-7 window BlueBird from the 1985-1995 range. My thinking is A) I like bluebird style, B) the price of those smaller, older buses is affordable C) I want a small bus so I can park it in San Francisco when I want.

Really looking forwards to getting my bus. Currently looking as far as Nevada for the perfect one.

Well, that's it! Oh and I make math games, (part of why I am trying to save on rent money -- it's a startup -- supermathworld.com)

Anyway, talk at ya later.

Charlie

[Robin97396]

Welcome Charlie. Yes you'll find this site valuable during your build. You'll see a lot of buses that are for sale being brought to light and discussed on this site. Those of us that already have buses still drool over the occasional unicorn bus.

I can tell you've been doing your research. Are you doing a full build?

[zannorman]

Not a full build, not right away anyway. My step 1 is to get the bus and see how it feels. I don't think I need much -- desk, bed, hot plate, storage for clothes. Some drapes for the windows. One thing I will be looking into is electrical power, for example a long term DC battery I can charge with AC, or attaching an additional battery to the bus electrical system, so I can work in the bus.

[Robin97396]

That's a good way to start. I on the other hand kind of backed into my build doing the interior build first, but out of necessity. I'm not allowed to make this a motorhome, so it's a huge fishing van with a hotplate, cot and simple amenities. Mine is actually titled as a van.

You've likely checked out that "Nonaffiliated buses for sale - thread." That's where most of us post the magical unicorn buses we wish we could buy if we had enough parking space.

[Carytowncat]

Welcome, glad you are here.

I did a simple build too and just put my belongings in the bus and started sleeping in it. Chairs, rugs, snacks, bed. Pretty simple. After i felt it was right for me, i bought a Renogy 200w solar kit on ebay, and it has been sufficient for all my needs (tv, light, computer, radio, devices, etc. )

Good luck!

[Robin97396]

Zannorman; now I'm interested to know how cold your climate gets. I agree it's good to get to know your bus before you put hundreds of hours of labor into it.

Carytowncat; So you run 12 volt mostly?

[Carytowncat]

I have two Trojan t105 12v in parallel, with a 2000w inverter that powers the led tv 28w, led lights 9w, and then i ran right off the 12v to cig lighter cell chargers for my phone and tablet.

I also have a few led lights running right off the 12v, so no inverter running. I am amazed at how well it all performs, tonight i bet i watched 4 hrs of tv and played xbox for at least another two hrs, and didnt even dent the charge on the system.
It's super cold out so i been hanging inside roasting sweet taters on the fireplace

[Perfesser]

Sounds very nice! Well done, "Cat."