Risk it?

[Robin97396]

Buses are invisible. Yeah.

 

[PNW_Steve]

Congrats!!

Now the fun part starts

 

[Robin97396]

I forget, what was the fun part?

 

[JamieJackson]

Awesome job!

You have me rethinking my plans... I am going to Oklahoma this weekend to get my title, and had planned on coming back in the next few weeks to drive it home.

Now I think I will just drive it home on Sunday.

James

 

[Robin97396]

Drive it like it's stolen.

How far is that trip? Sounds doable and beats going back again.

 

[JamieJackson]

Drive it like it's stolen.

How far is that trip? Sounds doable and beats going back again.

18 hours.

I guess I am not really worry about the trip or the hours.. I have just never driven anything that big.

I am really thinking about just doing it. I will certainly keep you guys and gals posted.


I am glad the OP made it home without problems.. that is encouraging.

 

[jjhwick119]

18 hours.

I guess I am not really worry about the trip or the hours.. I have just never driven anything that big.

I am really thinking about just doing it. I will certainly keep you guys and gals posted.


I am glad the OP made it home without problems.. that is encouraging.

I'm in the same boat, just bought an 11 window ce bus so its fairly long, and ive never driven bigger than a single cab dodge, but I decided I'm just gonna do it and drive it the 500 miles back. I'm flying out Friday

 

[Robin97396]

It's always a good story when someone makes it home without trouble, but we talk about the ones that have trouble a lot more. We probably hear from people with trouble a lot more too.

So Jamie, are you going to be needing wifi services during this trip?

Here's the skoolie warranty. We fix things as long as YOU turn the wrenches. The advice is worth exactly what you paid for it. Money back guarantee.

 

[TrailLifeBill]

Just made 400 mile drive home from Alabama to Georgia with no tag. Passed multiple police - no issues. I did have bill of sale, old title, and proof of insurance.

 

[Dave in Tucson]

Just made 400 mile drive home from Alabama to Georgia with no tag. Passed multiple police - no issues. I did have bill of sale, old title, and proof of insurance.

You rock! And I'm still jealous!

 

[o1marc]

It's always a good story when someone makes it home without trouble, but we talk about the ones that have trouble a lot more. We probably hear from people with trouble a lot more too.

So Jamie, are you going to be needing wifi services during this trip?

Here's the skoolie warranty. We fix things as long as YOU turn the wrenches. The advice is worth exactly what you paid for it. Money back guarantee.

I bet those that had trouble and broke down still couldn't get a cop to pull over.

 

[JamieJackson]

It's always a good story when someone makes it home without trouble, but we talk about the ones that have trouble a lot more. We probably hear from people with trouble a lot more too.

I tend too agree. I've seen and heard some awesome stories from here and YouTube. It would certainly be one for the books.

So Jamie, are you going to be needing wifi services during this trip?

I'll have my cell phone and tablet and what tools i have. Not many, most of my tools are on my dad's farm.

Here's the skoolie warranty. We fix things as long as YOU turn the wrenches. The advice is worth exactly what you paid for it. Money back guarantee.

Sounds fair enough!!

 

[Santa-SKO]

Awesome job!

You have me rethinking my plans... I am going to Oklahoma this weekend to get my title, and had planned on coming back in the next few weeks to drive it home.

Now I think I will just drive it home on Sunday.

James

TLDR: Pay attention, drive carefully initially, slow down if you don't feel comfortable, check your mirrors.

You can ask my significant other at how I was leading up to the day we left and we didn't have plates for the bus.

The community here made it sound to me that I should be fine as long as I have the title, a bill of sale, and a honest story. This made me confident enough to move forward and make the trip and drive it back home with no plates.

Regarding the bus size...this was my FIRST TIME driving something this large. Granted I've driven my truck that was pulling a car trailer, but this just felt different and it is.

Our initial departure showed me that turning is very critical. Be aware of your surrounding and truly check the mirrors. As we left, I hit the sellers mailbox. D'oh! So we'll be sending them a post card with $100 in it this week.

After that incident, the first 15 minutes or so were when I felt driving this thing was going to make me learn very quickly. After that the entire drive home I felt like I mastered it.

I ended up driving through parking lots to grab food and coffee (no near by rest areas at the time) and also the best of all...I drove through NYC because I figured I was an oversized vehicle and took that detour route. I didn't want to risk having the the height of the bus hit a low bridge or something like that. This would put anyone up for a test driving in a city.

ALSO....test your heaters. We drove with no heat. It was cold. Even with gloves that I had to buy and some extra layers. I figured the heaters worked based on the sellers son word. The fans kick on, it blows air, but not hot air.

I turned on the "boost control" switch to the left of the driver seat and eventually went into the engine bay and noticed (what I assumed was) the heater valve. Also saw a plug that was disconnected that went into a "centrifugal pump" and still nothing. Still no luck. This was the only downside of the trip.

 

[Robin97396]

We drove with no heat. It was cold.

Santa, we weren't worried about you. You''ve got Christmas magic going for you.

I was wondering if you found the valves on the coolant lines near the engine block. I'm not trying to preach to the quire, but the valves are used to shut off the hot coolant from getting to the heaters during the summer.

Is your bus going to be red by any chance?

 

[Santa-SKO]

Santa, we weren't worried about you. You''ve got Christmas magic going for you.

I was wondering if you found the valves on the coolant lines near the engine block. I'm not trying to preach to the quire, but the valves are used to shut off the hot coolant from getting to the heaters during the summer.

Is your bus going to be red by any chance?

I found a valve on the driver rear side after one of our rest stops. That was when I figure that maybe the heater valve was turned off for the summer months. Hoping by turning it in the "open" position that we had heat and were in business.

Nope! So we just endured the cold haha

IF the misses lets me go with red then I would! We will go with a two tone of some sort

 

[cadillackid]

congrats on getting your new rig home!!! yeah i found that yellow busses are invisible on the highway... they are so commonplace that no one notices them.. they are everywhere.. esp if you end up driving during the daytime where they are all over.. or even in the evenings when sports trips would be going on.. I drove my (now red) bus for 2000 miles when it still had the school wording etc all over it.. no one ever bothered me...

Love your name... my red bus was the 'Santa C Express' on the way to the golden glow christmas collectors convention last year....
-Christopher

 

[cadillackid]

I found a valve on the driver rear side after one of our rest stops. That was when I figure that maybe the heater valve was turned off for the summer months. Hoping by turning it in the "open" position that we had heat and were in business.

Nope! So we just endured the cold haha

IF the misses lets me go with red then I would! We will go with a two tone of some sort

yeah red!!!!
!!!




-Christopher

 

[Robin97396]

That just begs for special Christmas lighting.

 

[Genghis-SKO]

My most important priority was to get insurance.

Once I had the insurance I drove from Alabama to Iowa with my daughter, picked up my bus and drove the bus back to Alabama with her following in the car. It took me a couple days and I put about 1000 miles on the bus on the way back.

I called the DMV before departing Alabama to get the bus and they said I had 20 days after buying the bus to get tags for it. So that was what I was planning on telling any police if I got pulled over.

As many have said, busses are invisible to most police. They mostly ignore them unless you are doing something really stupid.

Get Insurance and go get her.

Genghis sends.

z

 

[rhbcub]

Congrats Santa! No coal in the stocking!