Hello from a future Nomad currently in Dallas

[Phyllis in Dallas]

Hey Y'all

Thanks for letting me join your forum. I hope to benefit from your experience.

I am going to be thorough at the the risk of being wordy.

I am 54 years old and will sell my home when my kid graduates from high school in three years. I own my home outright. I plan on becoming a nomad at that time.

I have a 99 4Runner with close to 200K miles in good condition. I had been planning on buying a cargo trailer to convert, but now I am thinking it looks a bit claustrophobic (I think possibly because of windows as much as size). This seemed rational since I have a reliable vehicle, and am wary about buying an RV because of condition and quality issues.

I love the idea of having my home and vehicle in one piece. I also love all the windows a shuttle bus has. What scares me is the unknowns of buying one. What issues does the engine have the owner won't disclose? What if I pull out the floor and all the wood is rotted?

Also, many of these buses are diesel, and honestly, I am nervous about buying one.

Since I will be selling my house, I will have a few bucks to spend, but I will also need to live on that money for a few years until I can claim my retirement.

What really scares me is spending 10g on a bus, and it becoming a money pit.

Also, for more background, and I am generally handy, but not in all areas. I have done light electrical, wallboard patching, painting.

Here is a link to a bus I have not looked at, but seems like a good buy for price compared to mileage. https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/d/cedar-hill-2003-starcraft-chevrolet/6834229262.html

I apologize for the length of this post. I guess I am just asking for general opinions. In no way am I asking for someone to make this kind of decision for me.

 

[dan-fox]

Read, read, and read some more. Virtually every idea you've ever had about buses has already been debated here. Sometimes more than once.

You are correct that it's entirely possible to buy a bus that becomes a nightmare. You can minimize the chances of that with a pre-purchase inspection if at all possible. Also, many time if you buy a school bus you can get the service records for it.

A lot of folks here think that the sort of parking-lot shuttle you pointed to in the craigslist ad is a problematic choice. Maybe you get a level floor, and that's a good thing. For the most part the walls and ceiling are made of fiberglass, and that makes it hard to fasten walls, roof material, and appliances firmly. Also, it may not have a drivetrain suited for interstate travel if it was originally specified to make repeated runs of a mile or so from the airport to the parking lot and back.

A lot to consider, a lot to learn. Welcome to the madness! Keep reading and keep asking questions. Nobody will jump on you for being uninformed.

 

[Phyllis in Dallas]

It sounds like you are telling me I should read more here, since likely my questions have been answered before, and I will do more reading.
I appreciate your response, and "schooling" me in a gentle way.

 

[Native-SKO]

Hey Y'all

Here is a link to a bus I have not looked at, but seems like a good buy for price compared to mileage. https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/d/cedar-hill-2003-starcraft-chevrolet/6834229262.html

You may want to start your reading with this Skoolie.net thread:


http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f9/school-bus-vs-shuttle-bus-26207.html


Pay special attention to CadillackKid's post concerning the type of vehicle shown in the link you provided.


Good luck in your search, neighbor! (Hurst, TX)

 

[Native-SKO]

Hey Y'all

Here is a link to a bus I have not looked at, but seems like a good buy for price compared to mileage. https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/d/cedar-hill-2003-starcraft-chevrolet/6834229262.html

You may want to start your reading with this Skoolie.net thread:


http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f9/school-bus-vs-shuttle-bus-26207.html


Pay special attention to CadillacKid's post concerning the type of vehicle shown in the link you provided.


Good luck in your search, neighbor! (Hurst, TX)

 

[Phyllis in Dallas]

Hey neighbor! Thanks for the link. Gives me something to think about.

 

[Phyllis in Dallas]

Looks like you have a big big bus lol. Are you using it for camping or living in it, if I may ask? (You may regret showing how close you live to me )

 

[Native-SKO]

Looks like you have a big big bus lol. Are you using it for camping or living in it, if I may ask? (You may regret showing how close you live to me )

First we are going to use it for moving then finish off the conversion as an RV. It is not a REALLY big bus ... 38 feet with 29 feet behind the stair well for conversion use.

 

[Phyllis in Dallas]

You are going to use the bus to move from one house to another? Guess that means you plan on using it for part-time RV-ing.

I said big because your profile says the bus seats 71 people. I am looking for something small just for me, like a 12 or 16 passenger, so any full size bus seems big to me.

So you have started the conversion but not done yet?

 

[Native-SKO]

You are going to use the bus to move from one house to another? Guess that means you plan on using it for part-time RV-ing.

I said big because your profile says the bus seats 71 people. I am looking for something small just for me, like a 12 or 16 passenger, so any full size bus seems big to me.

So you have started the conversion but not done yet?

Yes, gutted and started building just enough to use it as a moving van.

 

[cadillackid]

phyllis - really before the bus.. I would think about reaearching just how you plan to nomad.. where will you park>? how long will you be "off-grid" or away from the ability to dump and fill any tanks you may have.. how to shower, do laundry, budget in the cost of fuel, any campground stays you might incur.. maintenance...



saved $$ for a contingency plan.. ie bus breaks and is at a shop for 3 days and you cant live in it while its being repaired...



will you buy remote land someplace to park the majority of the time? or are you relyiong on rest areas, wal marts.. BLM land, national parks, etc..



I can imagine the first year or two being easy because there is so much you havent seen... you want to travel constantly .. but at some point do you get tired, what will you do for health insurance if you should become ill, or get hurt hiking or working on the bus..



will you be maintaining any income or living only off of savings,..


things like that also help to determine the type of bus you may be looking for... for instance if you plan to be off-grid for long periods of time you may want a bus wit ha nice solid roof for mounting solar panels.. or a bus big enough you can carry enough fresh water to last for a good while.. fuel $$$ is a concern.. busses get 8-15 MPG on average on the road..



I say get your ideal plan down as to how you envision your life. and then its easier to determine the bus you need / want to help you realize that vision...



for me my first bus was to be a Mobile DEV LAB for hardware / software development.. I knew I needed a tall ceiling.. and a bright environment.. as well as my artist-brain that likes fresh air.. plus the ability to drive in 4 season weather.. so I chose a mid-length full-size-chassis with tall untinted windows.. a wheelchair door near the front that I could open up for extra light and fresh air.. Tall suspension and I put on aggressive tread drive-tires so it could ride in the snow.. I chose one without the $$$ of factory A/C because I knew I wanted my own custom A/C..



my second bus was sort of an accident, however it fit the "dream" of having a school bus as my daily driver... short it enough it turns sharper than a pickup truck... a common diesel engine that went into millions of trucks.. this one with factory A/C, cruise, tilt, and air seat for driveability..



first was to say " yeah if i had a daily driver bus id want .... XYZ"
-Christopher

 

[roach711]

For the most part the walls and ceiling are made of fiberglass, and that makes it hard to fasten walls, roof material, and appliances firmly. Also, it may not have a drivetrain suited for interstate travel if it was originally specified to make repeated runs of a mile or so from the airport to the parking lot and back.

Our Eldorado fiberglass body holds a screw better than thin steel does. I have to drill a big enough pilot hole to avoid twisting off the screw head and the cabinets I fastened to the body 6 years ago are still rock solid.

The transmissions you're likely to get with a Ford or Chevy based shuttle are adequate (Ford 4R100) to pretty good (the Chevy) and you get highway gearing in the bargain. The newer Ford 5R100 trans is quite good though the 6.0L diesel it's commonly attached to sucks.

Parts and service is much easier to find on the Fords and Chevys too. It's nice to be able to pull into any Ford dealership and get repairs done on our bus.

The Starcraft bodies have a bad reputation. I hear that Startrans bodies are better though I've never seen one myself. The Eldorado fiberglass bodies are quite sturdy. We could hold a party on the roof of ours. The rest I have no info on.

There are definitely trade offs between school buses and the shuttles but we're quite happy with our shuttle.

 

[dan-fox]

Our Eldorado fiberglass body holds a screw better than thin steel does. I have to drill a big enough pilot hole to avoid twisting off the screw head and the cabinets I fastened to the body 6 years ago are still rock solid.

I thought those things were one layer thick? As in, if you put a screw into the interior of an exterior wall you have threads sticking outside.

 

[roach711]

The Eldorados have a two layer fiberglass body with some sort of corrugated stuff in between. The walls and ceiling are really solid.