Sick of city life. Need advice picking out a bus.

[peteg59]

6.0 Ford diesel = No
6.0 GM gas = Yes

[Rock-N-Ruth]

Originally Posted by o1marc

Never had a seller tell me he was offering a bad deal.

LOL. I can hear the conversation now: " I'm asking 12,000. I know that's a terrible deal but give me that much anyways."

[Rock-N-Ruth]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

I work remotely in the tech field and i carry 2 or 3 services.. always AT&T and verizon both and sometimes I try out Tmobile (no contract so I can canel when I want)...



I do also have a house so I have wired internet for doing intensive things like downloading server programs, multi-gig updates to the OS on my computers ,etc..



its amazing how much data you will use if you are on celllular only vs also connecting to wifi sometimes for various items.. OS updates are gigabytes-long in many cases.. both to your computers and your portable devices like phones,. tablets, GPSs, etc...



plan accordingly to be able to access public WiFi when you are going to need major downloads

I know Ruth and I are not the only ones out here who are poor as dirt. There is an internet option for those of us who are poor financially that is better data capacity wise then anything you can find for hundreds of bucks a month. The one drawback is that it's on the Sprint network. PCS for people out of st. Paul Minnesota offers a hotspot with truly unlimited data for as little as $11 a month for low income individuals. We generally stream about 200 gigs of TV every month. There are no data caps. I made a special enclosure on the end of a long piece of PVC to get my hotspot up in the air so I can get a decent signal out in the middle of nowhere. it works like a charm.
I don't know how it is now because the last time I did extensive traveling on a Sprint network was in 2009. And there were long stretches of Interstate 80 in the West with no service. So far we have been all over New Mexico, West Texas, Arizona, Nevada, and a bit of Southern California with the hotspot and have good coverage. So, Sprint may have gotten better. Who knows how it will turn now that T-Mobile owns them.

[Rock-N-Ruth]

Originally Posted by chadercheese

Just being curious, but why does it seem like so many people are trying to talk me out of the idea of the Skoolie life? I have been on Reddit too and getting similar responses.

For getting stuck somewhere, I'm not really too worried. I have a room at my dad's house that I am always welcomed to if the going gets a little rough.

I honestly just want to go on an adventure/ challenge for a year.
I have met a lot of people that did the Skoolie life for a bit and it always seemed really appealing to me.

I would love to travel around the world and go backpacking for a bit, but with this Covid situation going on I feel a lot safer keeping it in the states. ( Mainly because I would be flying a lot and staying at hostels)

This is just my opinion. It's not a hard studied characteristic. What I believe is that a lot of people get involved in the skoolie life without taking the time to really learn what kind of a drastic change in lifestyle it is. My wife and I started this years and years ago out of necessity. Our very first school bus what is a last-ditch we are broke and have no place to live situation. However, when the kids were all grown and gone, we decided to do some RV in, and though there were many adjustments to living in a moving vehicle, we found that it was the lifestyle that we desired. A skoolie is a great platform to build your idea of what you need for a house that you can drive around. Bruce and I are full-timers with a completely self-contained boondocking home. It's not fancy, but we produce all our own electricity, we have a place to cook, a king size bed, a huge television, a place to poop, lots of food storage. We are in heaven. Don't let folks who got disappointed scare you away. There are things that you can do to just get an idea of what you will need to be comfortable and your skoolie.
If your dad's got a garage you can set up a simulated skoolie in the garage. Tape off an area on the floor that would be your floor space in your mini bus. Then fit the things that you think you need into it. Anytime you want to know how the hillbillies make do send me a PM and ask any question you like about how we handle any specific need of living in the bus, and I'll be happy to share.
You sound like you are in the right frame of mind to start a new adventure, don't let don't let apprehensions prevent you from giving it a try.
One last good piece of advice: don't be afraid to take your time selecting that skooly. It's a good idea to buy from places rust is not an issue. Arizona New Mexico and Nevada are great options. Check out Public Surplus auctions. Com. We got our current most wonderful full-sized pusher for under $2,000 from the Gilbert School System in the Phoenix Arizona area.

[demoman]

depending on your desired comfort level you might be able to do a cheap conversion for a few thousand dollars. this would look like camping but inside a vehicle. a mattress, porta potty, chairs, propane camp stove, some led lights and you have a place to stay. it would allow you to get quickly started traveling to see if you enjoy it and also see what your needs are so when you do a full conversion you will know whats important to you. this also has the advantage of making sure the bus you buy is reliable and powerful enough for the traveling you will do. many people have bought a bus home and started the conversion without much road testing and a year or more later when they get on the road they experience expensive repair bills without the resources to pay them. this idea probably works better with single people than with a family and kids.

[Caplansail]

Welcome! I’m 6 months into bus hunting, with the patient help of folks here.

A few ideas: Just pre-pandemic I drove from NYC to Atlanta, rented a campervan (Escapecampervans) for a week and went to the KnowHOWexpofl, a weekend skoolie/van/etc gathering. I toured every vehicle, took photos and notes, and asked a million questions. I loved traveling solo, the campground stops, Skoolie community, cooking on the camp stove, sleeping in the van, and the slower driving off highways. I did not like no bathroom, not being able to stand up, and only having one small living space.

Given the pandemic, I would suggest “touring” YouTube and Instagram for skoolie and van lifers.

I also have been reading threads here, and taking notes because I have no mechanical skills. I have a working chart of Yes/No engines and transmissions, and notes on mileage, tires, and random pearls of wisdom. This has helped in narrowing down my bus search.

Craigslist (there is probably a better way to search nationally than city by city, like I do) often has buses and vans that folks started to convert and are bailing out on for various reasons. My budget for an unconverted midsize Schoolbus is $4-5,000, just as an example.

Good luck!
Barbara

[chadercheese]

I really appreciate all the great advice from everyone.... But it turns out I am not going to make a Skoolie right now. My carpenter buddy just got engaged and is really busy at work. My dad talked me into finding something that is already built. I ended up picking up a 1997 Roadtrek class B rv. I found a good deal from a local elderly couple. It may not be a Skoolie but I am happy to know I will be making it on the road in a couple months. In the meantime I am going through the mechanical stuff to make sure everything will run smoothly. Thanks again everyone!

[Drew Bru]

Congrats, we see a lot of vans like that in our travels and they seem to be pretty nimble rigs...should let you get you off the beaten path but also allow you to stealth camp when necessary.

[Booyah45828]

That's probably for the best. Try out the life first. If it's for you, then you can buy a bus, do the conversion at your pace, and then sell the van for what you have in it.

I always cringe when I see people jump in feet first, and then have a few weeks to a month deadline for the conversion because they have to be out of their current place by then.

Much better to take your time, get to know things, and not be rushed.

[BeNimble]

Good decision and thanks for the follow up! Get out there and be Nimble.

[JamesKS]

Originally Posted by Caplansail

Welcome! I’m 6 months into bus hunting, with the patient help of folks here.

A few ideas: Just pre-pandemic I drove from NYC to Atlanta, rented a campervan (Escapecampervans) for a week and went to the KnowHOWexpofl, a weekend skoolie/van/etc gathering. I toured every vehicle, took photos and notes, and asked a million questions. I loved traveling solo, the campground stops, Skoolie community, cooking on the camp stove, sleeping in the van, and the slower driving off highways. I did not like no bathroom, not being able to stand up, and only having one small living space.

Given the pandemic, I would suggest “touring” YouTube and Instagram for skoolie and van lifers.

I also have been reading threads here, and taking notes because I have no mechanical skills. I have a working chart of Yes/No engines and transmissions, and notes on mileage, tires, and random pearls of wisdom. This has helped in narrowing down my bus search.

Craigslist (there is probably a better way to search nationally than city by city, like I do) often has buses and vans that folks started to convert and are bailing out on for various reasons. My budget for an unconverted midsize Schoolbus is $4-5,000, just as an example.

Good luck!
Barbara

Searchtempest.com is a great way to search multiple cities in a region at the same time. Check it out and let me know if you need help.