Vermont to ????

[weboughtabus]

Well, be sure to hit me up if you make it up this way.
Its been less than 24 hours and I already feel (cautiously) more informed. What kind fo budget were you working with for the purchase and to make your rig livable?

Sure will! We wanted to spend no more than $5,000 on the bus and ideally no more than $5,000 for our build-out. We gut a really solid bus in our price range with almost zero rust and low mileage. We've just started the demo and we're keeping an eye on Craigslist and a community message board for good deals for anything we can reuse in the bus. My biggest concerns for our budget revolve around the electrical system and the HVAC.

 

[Ravendancer]

Hey Casper,

We are local and have a shorty bus in process. If ya want to take a look let us know. It might give you a better idea of what ya want for a bus.

 

[Sleddgracer]

Sure will! We wanted to spend no more than $5,000 on the bus and ideally no more than $5,000 for our build-out. We gut a really solid bus in our price range with almost zero rust and low mileage. We've just started the demo and we're keeping an eye on Craigslist and a community message board for good deals for anything we can reuse in the bus. My biggest concerns for our budget revolve around the electrical system and the HVAC.

there are a lot of junked RVs and campers around, often for free that still have all the appliances, tanks, etc, etc that you will need in your conversion

 

[knightindullarmor]

Alison 545 is the transmission to avoid. I'm new too, but have figured that one out, lol. GVWR is a huge factor depending on your home state. In Maryland, where I live, if you have a MD drivers license, you cannot drive anything (even an RV) with over 26,000lbs GVWR without a special endorsement and taking additional driving tests or obtaining a CDL. 3/4 length busses (28-32 feet) newer than 1999 usually are over 26klbs and most full length busses over 34 feet are over that 26klbs limit if newer than 1995 or so.



I have also ruled out flatnose busses. Front impact VS any fullsize light truck or larger - you want a dognose if the driver wants to survive without lasting injury. Rear engine (RE) busses are the worst for driver safety but quietest. Dognose (busses with hood) are safest for driver and 2nd quietest - which is why I am looking for this style. Also, if you think about towing at all - then most folks avoid the rear engine models as they don't offer as good cooling as the front engine models.



I have also ruled out squared-coach mini's - they are built more like Winnebago's than busses. Round-coach mini's or round-coach medium truck busses are not 50% safer but more like 500% safer if T-boned or rollover.



(about 15 years of mixed fulltime towtruck driving, parttime towtruck driving, and volunteer EMS has led me to these conclusions. I have seen a Honda sitting on the queen bed of a traditional motorhome and seen larger vehicles bounce off the side of school busses.)