Overwhelmed in Colorado

[Bill Carson]

Newbie here. I want a skoolie badly. I like the romantic notion of escaping the rat race and living on my own terms.



This is all overwhelming, isn't it?



I've watched a bunch of youtube videos and love how each person can customize their skoolie to meet their needs and express themselves.


If I'm realistic, I've got to recognize that I'm good at starting projects but bad at finishing them. Having a million decisions to make won't help.


I look forward to learning from the accumulated wisdom of this forum.


Thanks.

[dbsoundman]

Originally Posted by Bill Carson

Newbie here. I want a skoolie badly. I like the romantic notion of escaping the rat race and living on my own terms.



This is all overwhelming, isn't it?



I've watched a bunch of youtube videos and love how each person can customize their skoolie to meet their needs and express themselves.


If I'm realistic, I've got to recognize that I'm good at starting projects but bad at finishing them. Having a million decisions to make won't help.


I look forward to learning from the accumulated wisdom of this forum.


Thanks.

It is a romantic notion that quickly turns into reality when you have a big 40' bus that you have to find a place to park, put fuel in, and maintain. I had toyed with the idea of getting a skoolie since around 2015 when I was trying to convince my wife that we could use a bus to transport our belongings from CO back to OH, then convert the bus after that. After one close call (one night away from buying a bus) in 2019, I finally got one in 2021.

I'm not sure I would have been ready for one in 2019, and I'm not sure I'm ready for one now, but it's here, and I'm doing it. Little bit little, bolt by bolt, penny by penny.

I think once you have one in your possession and you have some financial stake in it (especially if you have to pay for parking, yikes!), you'll have some motivation to either do it, or quit.

Have a vision of what you want, but do not get caught up in the instagram pictures! Those are not reality. Having a grand vision is great, but knowing what you need in order to make the bus do what you need to get by with it is key. My bus has a bench seat with seat belts, onboard DC power with AGM batteries, two bunk beds, a diesel heater, and a vent fan right now. Next big project for me is putting in the mini split, but that will take me a long time as I have limited time to work on this thing and my budget was eaten up by the reality of mechanical repairs and fuel. Nevertheless, I can hop in my bus and take it anywhere I want to go right now, and it will remain a fun "work in progress" not indefinitely, but for the foreseeable future, and I have to be OK with that.

So figure out your absolute bare bones must haves and go for it! June and July are good months for buying buses.

[Rucker]

Originally Posted by dbsoundman

It is a romantic notion that quickly turns into reality when you have a big 40' bus that you have to find a place to park, put fuel in, and maintain. I had toyed with the idea of getting a skoolie since around 2015 when I was trying to convince my wife that we could use a bus to transport our belongings from CO back to OH, then convert the bus after that. After one close call (one night away from buying a bus) in 2019, I finally got one in 2021.

I'm not sure I would have been ready for one in 2019, and I'm not sure I'm ready for one now, but it's here, and I'm doing it. Little bit little, bolt by bolt, penny by penny.

I think once you have one in your possession and you have some financial stake in it (especially if you have to pay for parking, yikes!), you'll have some motivation to either do it, or quit.

Have a vision of what you want, but do not get caught up in the instagram pictures! Those are not reality. Having a grand vision is great, but knowing what you need in order to make the bus do what you need to get by with it is key. My bus has a bench seat with seat belts, onboard DC power with AGM batteries, two bunk beds, a diesel heater, and a vent fan right now. Next big project for me is putting in the mini split, but that will take me a long time as I have limited time to work on this thing and my budget was eaten up by the reality of mechanical repairs and fuel. Nevertheless, I can hop in my bus and take it anywhere I want to go right now, and it will remain a fun "work in progress" not indefinitely, but for the foreseeable future, and I have to be OK with that.

So figure out your absolute bare bones must haves and go for it! June and July are good months for buying buses.

Second all that.

Beyond acquisition cost, you can then do everything else-learn skills, convert the bus, fail and fail again, then, eventually succeed--as your time, energy, resources and patience permit. However this is only true IF you can store the bus cheaply or free. Otherwise, it may feel like the countdown timer on Lost, which, like in the TV series, may screw with your brain.

[Rwnielsen]

I can't seem to walk from one end to the other without getting sidetracked. I've yet to see light at the end of the tunnel...so far

[DeMac]

Originally Posted by Bill Carson

Newbie here. I want a skoolie badly. I like the romantic notion of escaping the rat race and living on my own terms.



This is all overwhelming, isn't it?



I've watched a bunch of youtube videos and love how each person can customize their skoolie to meet their needs and express themselves.


If I'm realistic, I've got to recognize that I'm good at starting projects but bad at finishing them. Having a million decisions to make won't help.


I look forward to learning from the accumulated wisdom of this forum.


Thanks.

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Depends on the fantasies about which you romanticize. Just the end goal or the fun of creating? Lots of builders day-dream of the little details: disassembling, cleaning, reassemble, fabricate.... better than new. It's the engineering, building, manufacturing and making new that we enjoy.

Some already have an RV or they're on their third one, looking for the next upgrade.

There are many things which can be done at home before you even start looking for a bus to convert. Just setting up an secure build site and amenities can be an ordeal. When you do get a bus, you'll thank yourself, for all you've done, before you had even started.

Check out this thread for a few projects you could complete, while you shop for your conversion.
https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f6/new-intro-38865.html

[Dbacks2k4]

Youtube and instrgram are extremely misleading. Having converted school buses to party buses for 5 years I can attest to a few of the things average people don't know about commercial vehicles even though I'm very early in my conversion

Its really easy to buy a bad bus
Conversion takes longer and is way more expensive than you'd think.
Diesel mechanics are expensive
Towing a 28000lb vehicle when (not if) you break down is even more expensive
Cost of living doesn't go away just because you don't have a rent or mortgage payment anymore
Skoolies are not like rv's with great resale value if you change your mind after a few years.
If your existing career doesn't support remote work (and you're not independently wealthy or have a significant trust fund) don't think making money on the road is going to be easy. It takes a long time to hit 10k subscribers on YouTube to monetize your channel and even so Google can change the terms of your payouts at any time for no reason

If you have adhd like me (start projects without finishing is one of my symptoms) then take extra care before embarking on such an adventure... This thread is a good start

[Bill Carson]

Originally Posted by Dbacks2k4

Youtube and instrgram are extremely misleading. Having converted school buses to party buses for 5 years I can attest to a few of the things average people don't know about commercial vehicles even though I'm very early in my conversion

Its really easy to buy a bad bus
Conversion takes longer and is way more expensive than you'd think.
Diesel mechanics are expensive
Towing a 28000lb vehicle when (not if) you break down is even more expensive Skoolies are not like rv's with great resale value if you change your mind after a few years.

Thanks for all of that. Fortunately, I've been able to see how much work it is in some of the videos like the 'Transcend Existence' channel where it took the guy over 3 years to get his bus completed enough for travel.

I was always under the assumption that RV's are very rapidly depreciating assets and that many people get upside down by financing them on these long-term loans (akin to mortgages) with minimal monthly payments.

Cost of living doesn't go away just because you don't have a rent or mortgage payment anymore.

I get it, but the choice for traditional housing is between paying at least $2,000 or $2,500 per month for rent or buying a modest home for a cool half million and paying a bank for the next thirty years. As housing continues to become more unaffordable, which is inevitable at this point, we're going to see more and more people living in their cars on BLM land in Arizona. Best to get ahead of the inevitable.

If your existing career doesn't support remote work (and you're not independently wealthy or have a significant trust fund) don't think making money on the road is going to be easy. It takes a long time to hit 10k subscribers on YouTube to monetize your channel and even so Google can change the terms of your payouts at any time for no reason.

Although I envy those creators and influencers who have been able to monetize social media to pay for their lifestyles, I have absolutely no interest in doing that.

If you have adhd like me (start projects without finishing is one of my symptoms) then take extra care before embarking on such an adventure... This thread is a good start

Ding Ding Ding.

[Bill Carson]

When I was a kid I loved to play with Legos, using my imagination to create all sorts of things. I love the problem-solving aspect of home improvement projects or car repairs. But what I think I find most daunting about converting a bus is the interconnectedness of the unfamiliar systems---especially electrical, plumbing, and heating.



I feel comfortable hunting for a good platform and doing some mechanical or maintenance work. I'm no cabinetmaker or woodworker, but I could do the physical build if I can take it one step at a time. But I've got a lot to learn about the electrical and plumbing work. It seems like if you don't do that part right the first time, it can be really hard to go back and fix it later.

[DeMac]

Originally Posted by Bill Carson

Thanks for all of that. Fortunately, I've been able to see how much work it is in some of the videos like the 'Transcend Existence' channel where it took the guy over 3 years to get his bus completed enough for travel.

I was always under the assumption that RV's are very rapidly depreciating assets and that many people get upside down by financing them on these long-term loans (akin to mortgages) with minimal monthly payments.

I get it, but the choice for traditional housing is between paying at least $2,000 or $2,500 per month for rent or buying a modest home for a cool half million and paying a bank for the next thirty years. As housing continues to become more unaffordable, which is inevitable at this point, we're going to see more and more people living in their cars on BLM land in Arizona. Best to get ahead of the inevitable.

‐---------------------
Recreational items (boats, vacations, alcohol/weed, RVs, off road toys, etc) ought not be financed. Use savings.

If you want to get ahead, purchace a swatch of land & live there. $5k/acre around here.

Frederick Douglass celebrated Real Estate Ownership in several speeches, in 1891, instructing one Maryland audience, “We must acquire property, and we must leave something. Every dollar laid up is one dollar ahead.”

Landownership hasn't changed much since then. Your rights & freedoms begin on YOUR land, not so, as a guest in a public park.

[BarnYardCamp]

I second the opinion of having a cheap or better yet, free place to park/work on your bus. All of us have at some point felt overwhelmed by our projects. Sometimes, it helps to be able to simply walk away for a while. There have been days when I spent maybe 15 minutes working on my bus and other days where I spent all day. Then there are days when life gets in the way and even though I want to, I can't work on the bus. So, If the bus was running up monthly expenses with or without progress that would absolutely weigh on my mind and would absolutely have a negative impact on me.
These conversions seem to always take more time than we anticipate. I was hoping to have mine completed for this summer. It's looking like that was a bit optimistic. I bought my bus fall of 2019, It wasn't until August 2020 that I was able to drive my bus home. So, I'm coming up on 2 years working on this thing. Even though I like what I've accomplished, I'm only about 60 - 70% done. It's looking like this will be a three year project. I'm glad I haven't been paying to park all that time.
So, figure out what you hope to do with your bus, then figure out how long it will take you to do the work, then, double the time you allotted and maybe triple the budget.
Oh yeah, the original plans that you drew up...those will have to be adjusted multiple times.
I hope that I'm not discouraging you, that's not my intent. But you should go into this project with your eyes wide open.
Good luck....getting a good solid bus will be the first step to success.

[Johnthebusboy]

We got our bus in 1999. Still isn't finished. It is a yaught with wheels.....something you keep throwing money at.
But I like working on mechanical things. Not very good with wood.
So: Find a service manual for your bus.
Get a good tool box and fill it.
Get some more tools. (The 3/4 inch socket set paid for itself the first time I used it. The 3/4 inch torque actually .)
Get some jacks and timbers.
Get to know your local salvage yards. If they like you they might send you to someone who can help you.

This goes on forever. Got an injector that isn't firing. Later.