Hello from Charleston, WV

[Roberta's Man]

I think he was attempting to point out a simpler way to achieve your goals. You don't seem to want to work on a bus, and it would be somewhat expensive to have the work done for you. Anything is possible if you set your mind to it.

I'm curious to know if you've looked at any of the recent listings of already converted buses that have been listed here lately?

Yes, I've seen some that look interesting, but I'm not in a position to buy just yet; and most of the interesting ones are too far away.

 

[Robin97396]

Actually they're everywhere. It's just a matter of timing and finding one near you that you like. It doesn't take that long to find something you like.

 

[1olfart]

TIME TO TAKE A BREAK!
1st, tell us where you're located. Class Bs shouldn't be that difficult to find, but a decent Cut-a-way conversion isn't either. You may have to travel a bit, to get one, but they ARE out there. The Cut A way isn't much different than a full size van, save for the loading door. WalMart fluid and tire changes, and your on your way. Most all other things can be handled by a good mechanic. You'll need one for anything you drive. (except your bike)
2nd, The bed CAN BE a no brainer. Put a box spring and a mattress on top of a few sturdy boxes, and bingo. You have a bed with storage under it.
3rd, Home Depot and Lowe's have great starter "Drop Boxes"(buckets) to handle your 'stool' needs (both for in closet use, AND for an extra place to sit at dinner) The closet is just an added value option for you.
4th, a portable , or semi installed cooktop, along with another smaller bucket or can, would easily fit into a 2nd hand store desk, or dresser. Add a portable water tank and hand pump, and SHAZAM...you have your a starter model skoolie. Your wish list is complete, and Motel 6 is a thing of the past.

Don't over think this stuff. These are supposed to be fun.

Happy New Years!

 

[Roberta's Man]

Actually they're everywhere. It's just a matter of timing and finding one near you that you like. It doesn't take that long to find something you like.

The ones I saw that were of interest were way out west. There was one not too far away, but the person admitted that it wasn't able to be driven as it was, so there would be the matter of getting it here to be brought up to roadworthyness.

Of course, I know that these matters are subject to constant change, and I will monitor the situation until I'm ready to seriously look.

That being said, what would be a reasonable price for something resembling what I am looking for?

 

[Roberta's Man]

TIME TO TAKE A BREAK!
1st, tell us where you're located. Class Bs shouldn't be that difficult to find, but a decent Cut-a-way conversion isn't either. You may have to travel a bit, to get one, but they ARE out there. The Cut A way isn't much different than a full size van, save for the loading door. WalMart fluid and tire changes, and your on your way. Most all other things can be handled by a good mechanic. You'll need one for anything you drive. (except your bike)
2nd, The bed CAN BE a no brainer. Put a box spring and a mattress on top of a few sturdy boxes, and bingo. You have a bed with storage under it.
3rd, Home Depot and Lowe's have great starter "Drop Boxes"(buckets) to handle your 'stool' needs (both for in closet use, AND for an extra place to sit at dinner) The closet is just an added value option for you.
4th, a portable , or semi installed cooktop, along with another smaller bucket or can, would easily fit into a 2nd hand store desk, or dresser. Add a portable water tank and hand pump, and SHAZAM...you have your a starter model skoolie. Your wish list is complete, and Motel 6 is a thing of the past.

Don't over think this stuff. These are supposed to be fun.

Happy New Years!

As the headline of this thread shows, I am in CHARLESTON, WV. And I've asked at all the RV dealerships within a decent commuting distance of here and they all say 'we don't do class B's.' Class A and Class C only; and even the smallest Class C's come with all sorts of bells and whistles like flat-screen TVs, entertainment systems, full size refrigerators, convection ovens, four burner stoves---none of which I need.

Yes, Class B's show up on Craigslist, but we all know that Craigslist is a haven for scammers, thieves, and other assorted low-life types. My house is a duplex--I live in one unit, rent the other out, which pretty much covers the mortgage--and when I advertised on Craigslist you wouldn't believe what slithered out from under the rocks. There may be some perfectly respectable people selling on Craigslist, but in my experience they are a minority.

The sanitation setup you suggest is not suitable. 'Going' in a bucket? I would be traveling for work, and would therefore have to be able to present myself in a professional manner---which includes not smelling like cr@p; I would insist on proper bathing and waste disposal facilities at the very least.

 

[Robin97396]

That's kind of funny. All of us are trying to put bells and whistles in our buses.

They're right, one of the cutaway buses about fits what you're talking about. I haven't been watching prices on those for a while but they were running about $6k for a nice one. You toss out the seats and there won't be any bells and whistles to deal with.

You said you wanted facilities too. It's possible to put a RV type shower and stool in a cutaway. Others have done that in small buses.

We know you're not ready to buy. We're working on improving the mental image of what you need.

 

[Twigg-SKO]

The sanitation setup you suggest is not suitable. 'Going' in a bucket? I would be traveling for work, and would therefore have to be able to present myself in a professional manner---which includes not smelling like cr@p; I would insist on proper bathing and waste disposal facilities at the very least.

This shows your ignorance of the subject.

I suggest you do a little more reading before commenting like this.

Many thousands of people, very nice people who do not smell, have coughed up over $900 for a Nature's Head dry toilet ... You think they did that because they like smelling like crap?

If you want the same facilities as an apartment, rent one.

 

[EastCoastCB]

As hard as it is to get anyone to work on a bus, if you aren't handy AND have reserves of $$ for emergency tows and repairs forget a bus.
Even if you buy one already converted- who will work on it? Only diesel shops. Who are busy and expensive.
An RV is a lot easier to have someone else work on.

Plus- most of the buses you're going to find "converted" are gonna be on CL. And we know how you feel about CL.

 

[cadillackid]

here is a different take... you **CAN** hire the conversion done.. in parts..

for one you can likely do the demo yourself.. remove the seats, flooring, and the like.. if you buy a bus that has factory A/C in it(YES school busses were made with factory A/C) you will find yourself with a better insulated ceiling and wont necessarily need to gut down the whole interior beyone the seats and floors..

now you have a gutted bus.. you can easily hire out the exterior painting.. I did on both of mine... just like you do with a car... they can fix rust, sand, prep paint, remove school lights etc... pay a shop a few grand and done..

now your gutted bus.. you have already determined what you want as far as an acceptable layout.. so its time to build it.. you can hire out individuals on sites like offer-up, TAKL, craigslist, etc.. perhaps even a fellow skoolie member in tyour area might be willing to do some work for you on the difficult stuff that you cant do..

ie plumbing, 120 volt electrical, welding, etc... you can source many parts the same way.. online or if you have an RV junkyard nearby (i didnt catch where you are from) then you can snipe all kinds of goodies..

im with you on a compost / bucket toilet.. I know people that have them successfully but it doesnt work for me.. RV toilets have their own set of issues.. moist RVers will tell of their blank tank blues.. but there are mitigation methods you can use to alleviate..

a bus vs a pre-made RV.. for one a pre-made RV will depreciate Extremely fast... I mean extremely.. which means a couple of things.. if you want a new one, it loses its value crazily.. BUT if you want a just a few year old used one you can get a good deal.. (maybe not so much at camping-world) but in general you can talk the price way down on gently used RV's. class C are the easiest to come by.. (and the easiest to get parts for because the mechanicals are essentially a heavy duty Van)..
lots of people get excited, buy an RV then decide its too much work to maintain, doesnt cost a huge amount less than hotels, etc..

building your own - you learn lots of useable and valuable skills that not only help you maintain your new RV, but are also great skills for maintaining your House too!. just like learning to work on my own cars years ago I now am using alot of those skills to work on and upgrade my busses..

not to mention you get to design and layout your own setup that is best for you for your work, lifestyle and budget.. and again you can sub out alot of the hard work. but save some $$ and time by doing parts yourself.. yanking the seats and floors, painting and insulating your floors and new plywood down you can do yourself.. and remember it doesnt have to be perfect... you are building it for yourself, not other people..

there are all kinds of builds on this forum. from daily-driver busses to full-out roof-raised glamping rigs and everything in-between..

-Christopher

 

[Twigg-SKO]

Post title says "Charleston, WV".

I don't know if there are any decent graveyards close.

I don't even know if there are any close to me, something I should probably find out soon.

 

[cadillackid]

theres a bunch in elkhart indiana.. still a solid 7 hours from charleston i think.. charleston used to be a majot freight hub when the coal industry was going strong.. seems like there would be some good fab-guys that might be outta work and can do this kind of thing... I only drive through charleston, havent spent much time actually hanging out there except a few times at Moxies coffee.. LOL..

-Christopher

 

[Roberta's Man]

Post title says "Charleston, WV".

I don't know if there are any decent graveyards close.

I don't even know if there are any close to me, something I should probably find out soon.

I know of a couple of graveyards I go past quite often.

To those who suggested a 'cutaway'---is that a short bus, like what school systems use for the 'special' kids?

 

[EastCoastCB]

Is a van chassis with a small bus body.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutaway_van_chassis

 

[Roberta's Man]

Is a van chassis with a small bus body.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutaway_van_chassis

Like an ambulance? I would think that a lot of the electronics an ambulance uses o the medical equipment could be repurposed for conversion to an RV.

 

[jordan76]

Like an ambulance? I would think that a lot of the electronics an ambulance uses o the medical equipment could be repurposed for conversion to an RV.

At the bottom of the page there is info about van cutaway buses / minibuses. Same front, different box behind it. A lot of short school buses and shutte buses are van cutaways. There are some people on this forum who have converted ambulances to RVs as well.

Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk

 

[Twigg-SKO]

Like an ambulance? I would think that a lot of the electronics an ambulance uses o the medical equipment could be repurposed for conversion to an RV.

Proprietary equipment, and things that can be re-purposed are often removed prior to sale, but not always.

Bookmobiles often come with a diesel generator, better insulation and AC

Bloodmobiles are even better equipped, maybe with 2 generators and automatic self-leveling.

Police Command Centers are all unique. You also get a lot of spare weldmesh with prison buses

Each of them is unique. They can command a premium and are probably worth inspecting. You often won't know what you are getting, and the condition can vary.

 

[Roberta's Man]

Thanks everyone. You've given me stuff to think about.