Need advice on a prebuilt skoolie

[Johnnysunshine]

Hi y'all,
I'm seriously considering purchasing this skoolie: https://thevancamper.com/post/3432/four-season-off-grid-adventure-basecamp-for-sale?ci=11
I've been looking at skoolies for around a year and this seems to be the best prebuilt short bus at a reasonable price that I have found.



I'm a huge Chuck Cassidy fan so the fact that it was built by Chrome Yellow Corp is a big plus for me as I know the conversion is quality. It is the perfect size for me and I love all the features. I highly doubt I would ever be able to build anything nearly this nice for that price.



However, I am still apprehensive as I've never bought a bus before and I want to do my due diligence and make sure that I am making the right choice. Here are my concerns:


I know that the 7.3 engine is supposed to be a desirable engine, but 200,000 miles seems like a lot, at least for someone like me who has only owned gas vehicles. I already paid a local mechanic to go over it and he said the engine was in good condition and the bus was rust free. Is the mileage something I should be worried about, or can the 7.3 last a lot longer?


What is the MPG of this kind of bus? I know busses aren't known for their fuel economy, but how bad should I be expecting it to be?


The only known issue with the bus is the thermostatic regulator/hot water heater. How hard are they to work on? I can live without hot water for the summer, but it would be nice to have for the winter.


Thank you so much for your advice! :Thanx:

 

[Albatross]

The 7.3L is a pretty stout engine, and 200K miles is usually something like less than 50% of the life of most diesel engines. Generally, the worst ones will die around 350K, and it is not at all uncommon for well-cared for diesels to hit a million miles. But I am also the kind of guy that won't flinch at buying a gasser @200K if the price is right and the engine looks cared for. I've been able to push gas engines into the mid 300K's.


As far as fuel economy goes, you're looking at 5-13 mpg, with your typical probably being something like 8-11 mpg. In a 7.3L, you might be a little bit higher than that, but the wind resistance of the chassis is largely what determines that.


The thermo-regulator is usually a fairly easy part to replace, if you're kind of handy, maybe an hour, depending on how difficult it is to access.

 

[La Camioneta]

It's definitely priced well below the sum of its parts.

Even if you had to pay to have a reman motor and trans installed you'd be ahead time and money wise from a scratch-built one.

 

[Johnnysunshine]

Thank you so much for your replies. It seems like a really good deal.


One more question. If I buy this bus, it will drain most of my savings and leave me with about a 4k safety net. Is that enough for emergency repairs or would I be incredibly foolish? I am not the most mechanically inclined so any repairs beyond a basic oil change I would most likely have to pay to have done. Thanks again!

 

[shortbus4x4]

Thank you so much for your replies. It seems like a really good deal.


One more question. If I buy this bus, it will drain most of my savings and leave me with about a 4k safety net. Is that enough for emergency repairs or would I be incredibly foolish? I am not the most mechanically inclined so any repairs beyond a basic oil change I would most likely have to pay to have done. Thanks again!

Engine or transmission replacement, no. Most anything else, most likely. Preventative maintenance is cheap compared to component replacement. Also breaking down on the road is expensive, schedule your repairs and maintenance so your regular mechanic can do them.

And Chuck does nice well done builds that seem to hold up. I just watched one of his videos this morning and will be rewatching some when I start my build.

 

[musigenesis]

$4K is not much of a safety net for this kind of vehicle, particularly so if you're not able to repair things yourself. I am similarly mechanically disinclined and I also have to send my bus to a shop to have repairs done. I've owned my bus for five years now and have spent about $16K for repairs - none of which included an engine or transmission replacement. You might get lucky and have a single repair incident cost you less than $4K, but over time you're almost certain to go over that amount. These are expensive, industrial vehicles and owning one is a lot more like owning a boat than owning a Volkswagen from the '70s.

The single biggest myth of the skoolie world is that this is a cheap lifestyle.

 

[ewo1]

$4K is not much of a safety net for this kind of vehicle, particularly so if you're not able to repair things yourself. I am similarly mechanically disinclined and I also have to send my bus to a shop to have repairs done. I've owned my bus for five years now and have spent about $16K for repairs - none of which included an engine or transmission replacement. You might get lucky and have a single repair incident cost you less than $4K, but over time you're almost certain to go over that amount. These are expensive, industrial vehicles and owning one is a lot more like owning a boat than owning a Volkswagen from the '70s.

The single biggest myth of the skoolie world is that this is a cheap lifestyle.

To add to this, when you breakdown, AND YOU WILL, the funds to make the repairs better be available especially if take it to a shop. You can easily expect to see a repair bill for a breakdown while travelling, can easily exceed a thousand bucks or more...in a heartbeat.

So if you don't have the financial resources you better be ready to commit on how to learn to fix it yourself.

Musigenisis explanation of spending $16k in repairs, this is reality, you will spend lot's of money over time.

Quality steer tires alone will cost you $500 bucks a piece...and a Brake job ?

I spent just over $1500 bucks on 4 brake drums and pads, parts only, and I did the labor myself. I was quoted almost 3 grand in south Florida for a brake job on a bus!

Do yourself a big favor and create yourself a spreadsheet, budgeting funds on what you think the cost would be to build a bus. You will be surprised!

Like he said, "The single biggest myth of the skoolie world is that this is a cheap lifestyle."

 

[nocoasty]

Charlie (chuck) is an awesome human and he and the guys at CYC definitely did great work.

I personally think this bus is an absolute steal of a deal. Only thing I'd change from the jump would be the AGM batteries included in the solar system. I can't get behind AGM for anything that isn't under the hood of my car, but that's just my opinion and if they're working great-ish for the time being then it's really a non-issue for the short term.

I think you'd be getting a fantastic platform in the 7.3 for many years to come, but as many have mentioned, things pop up and maintenance and repair is something you have to anticipate and be prepared for when and if traveling.

That said, I may have missed if you're planning to take off and travel immediately. If not, you have time to build that safety net back up and you also have time to do some routine maintenance that may have been missed or delayed. I'd also delve into fully understanding the components (solar, electric, plumbing) in the bus, how to diagnose issues and remedy issues with them.

Do yourself a big favor and create yourself a spreadsheet, budgeting funds on what you think the cost would be to build a bus. You will be surprised!

How do I double like this statement. This is a sound recommendation.

I haven't pulled the absolute cost figures on what my current skoolie project has cost me, but I'd assume I'm approaching $35,000-$40,000 right now and I've still got a good amount of things to purchase and projects (like the bathroom) to tackle.

And not that it matters in any way, but if I wasn't months into my current build, and was considering buying a bus, and I saw that particular bus at that price... I'd be going to check it out, test drive it, inspect it as best as I could, testing ALL of the systems in it, and then making an offer.

 

[Johnnysunshine]

Thank you so much for your reply's, they really helped me with my decision making. I ended up buying the bus! I realized I probably wouldn't be able to afford repairs with my current safety net, so I negotiated the price down and boy am I glad I did. Right off the bat, it needed a new break caliper, the wheel bearing needed packed, and the turn signals were only working sporadically. I ended up spending over 1k already in repairs.


That being said, I think I have a fantastic bus that should hopefully last me a long time.

 

[Diverdude0075]

Looks like a great buy, congrats! I love the 7.3 diesel and have two buses and a pickup with that engine. Keep up on oil changes and repairs and the engine will last your lifetime. You can learn a lot about that engine if you join ford truck enthusiasts forum, and look for the 7.3 engine group. Lots of knowledgeable folks there. For other bus related stuff and also engine stuff, stay tuned in here!