Newb Aussie - what bus to buy ?

[samaustralia]

Hello all!

I am Australian, my partner is British and we are planning on moving to the States/Canada over the next couple years to do a major Skoolie trip. We both like the outdoor and intend to do some hiking/water sports etc. I’ve been reading on here for ages and putting some information together but I thought I’d ask for some guidance. We don’t get Ford or Chev vans here in AUS let alone school bus cutaways so it’s really difficult trying to imagine how much space we need/find dimensions for all the different models and manufacturers.
The big questions that need answering or confirming for my piece of mind:

Chev or Ford?
Ford 7.3, Chev otherwise

SRW or DRW?
I am leaning towards DRW for more traction and stability. I’ve never driven in snow – we don’t really get it here in Australia.

Length?
I’m leaning towards a 5 window over 4. There are two of us and this is a long-term living/travelling plan. How hard are the 5 widows to park in regular spaces? Worse than an F350 (we have them here)? Ie if we had to pop down to the shops is it a mission and do we need to park a street away?

Internal Height?
The 4 window looks shorter than the 5 window buses but I’m completely eye balling that because I haven’t found dimensions. I’m 6ft if that helps.

Rust. Cold.
Like I said we don’t have snow so I’m unaware as to how much the conditions beat up the vehicles. Which states should I avoid buying buses from? I’ve seen the exact same bus on paper for 2k or 6k in other states numerous times. I can only assume this is to do with the rust etc.

Thanks for all the help in advance guys!

Cheers

[BennysTire]

Definitely a dually. SRW are usually a hard find anyways (at least in my neck of the woods)
My 7.3 never treated me bad. Then again neither did my Chevy 350 gasser. 7.3 WAAY better fuel economy. I never really calculated MPG on either but I drove them equal distances and spent $60/day in the gas Chevy and $35/day in the Ford 7.3
I'm 6' tall and fit fine (2" to spare) in Bluebird MicroBirds. The Collins, Thomas, USBus all too short for me.
I'd say bigger the better. 5 windows (at least!) They're quite maneuverable, I can park all the same places I park my Chevy Suburban. The van nose makes all the difference. Like driving the Isuzu cabovers that are all over 'Stralia
A buddy of mine's parents came here from down under. Ended up buying a ranch in Texas. Apparently Texas is to Australia as Florida is to New Englanders I'm told...

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[BennysTire]

Oh, and I can only speak for where I buy busses... NOT NEW HAMPSHIRE! There will be no bus left when you chip off the rust!

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