Another noob....

[leeinmemphis]

Hey everyone,

I am in the process of starting to look for a skoolie. I am an avid motorcyclist and scooter rider along with camper. I'm looking to put a build together to haul the family to various parts of the country for vacations, motorcycle rally's(Sturgis SD is almost an annual trip for me) and shorter weekend campouts. After looking at older Class A motorhomes I think I've decided to go the route of the school bus. I still have a bit of saving $ up but will be posting shortly asking for help to locate the right bus for the right price.

 

[proconsul100]

welcome aboard, a school bus is a wise choice

 

[cowlitzcoach]

As you do your search you need to narrow down what your minimum spe'c will be and what you really do not want.

The two most important things that need to be checked out are the power package and does it have any rust.

Any sort of rust cancer is going to cost a ton to repair or convert so ithe rust doesn't continue to eat on good steel. No matter how nice everything else is, serious rust should be a real deal killer.

In regards to power packages you need to determine which power package will work the best for you. Within that narrowed search parameter you want to find the best one of the bunch. Any serious engine or transmission issues can end up costing a lot more than what the bus is worth. I once spent $11,000.00 to repair the transmission in a Thomas RE with a 3208T and Allison MT643R--that was a really bad business decision on my part.

It can be well worth your time and expense to find a good western bus. Many times the engines will have more HP and they almost never have any rust.

Let me know if I can help.

Good luck and happy trails.

 

[leeinmemphis]

cowlitzcoach you have a pm. Thanks.

 

[Roadrunner-SKO]

Welcome

Good choice on a bus over a motor home. School buses are built like tanks. The best advice I have is to read everything you can on here. You will learn a lot.
I have a large motorcycle too. I'm planning on having a "garage" in the back that will take up at least 10 feet of space. I will run the bike up a ramp into the bus. The rest of the space will be used for storage.
My bus is 38 feet long but right off the bat I'm down to 28 feet with the garage space lost. Lay out your interior on paper and see what size bus you really need.
I'm in PA. I looked at some buses in the Pittsburgh area and found nothing but rust buckets. I ended up getting one that came from OK and it is in much better shape with no rust. Rust is a deal breaker. The time and money you will spend would be prohibitive. Try to get a western or southern bus.
Figure out what you want/need before you start looking and be prepared to spend a lot of time and money. Welcome to our world.