Which bus should I get?

[Neill H.]

My local school district is getting rid of 3 buses this year:
- a full-size flat-front rear-engine with a bulletproof Cat C7 and no emissions paraphernalia
- a half-size (27 feet?) front-engine with a reliable Cummins and no DEF
- a Chevy short bus that runs on good old gasoline

All are Blue Bird bodies, all from circa 2008.

So, which one should I bid on? It would be my first (only?) skoolie.

Some considerations/questions:
1. I don't need to live in it, so I'll probably rent it out (Outdoorsy, unless there's a better way?) to recoup some costs.
2. With the regulatory direction that diesel seems to be headed, I'm guessing the gasser in the shorty will be the least obsolete option in a few years. But maybe Trump's EPA is a wild card here?
3. I'm assuming it's way easier and cheaper to work on (and find parts for) that Chevy engine, especially out there on the road?
4. Annual registration is cheaper the smaller (i.e. less originally expensive) the vehicle. Unless there's some sort of registration reset when it's converted to a non-school vehicle? I assume insurance is also less expensive in this regard, or does that depend on the upgrades I put in it?

Seems like the short bus makes the most economic sense. Personally, I am completely comfortable driving a 40-foot bus, but that's not ideal for renting to strangers. Other than the "you can fit a lot more stuff in it" factor, is there an undeniable reason I would be a fool to pass on the bigger buses?

 

[Nick87]

I would go with the mid size. I think it might give you the most options for renting it out to a wider range of people and what needs they might have. Unless you are going to rent it out as more of an Airbnb that's stationary, then I would go for the biggest one. One more thought I have is your time and financial budget for converting? The bigger you go the more time and money it will take.

 

[ewo1]

Insurance .... is tough enough to get as a private vehicle....

I would do the other half of the homework assignment and get some kind of feel for the cost of commercial rental unit insurance. Last thing you want to do is get sued for someone else's driving mistakes....

 

[AlphaHare]

It's not about the bus. It's about what you want to achieve by having the bus.

What is your intended use case and what percentage of your time will be spent doing that? You've only suggested an interest in renting it.

Easy to park? Full-time living for a family of four? Forest roads? Winter use? Full Lux or enough to get by? Are you up for the mechanical work or do you need either a dealership (cutaway vans) or a heavy diesel mechanic (full sized bus) ?Hot and cold running water? Indoor toilet?

Answer those and other questions and the kind of bus will make itself obvious. Then take your time - there a ton of busses out there - yours is out there too.

 

[AlphaHare]

BTW - Welcome to the Skoolie site!

 

[Neill H.]

I suppose I should have mentioned that the mid-size and full-size buses have air brakes. I have a CDL with air and school endorsements, but wouldn't anyone driving it need to have an air brake endorsement as well?

 

[Neill H.]

Insurance .... is tough enough to get as a private vehicle....

I would do the other half of the homework assignment and get some kind of feel for the cost of commercial rental unit insurance. Last thing you want to do is get sued for someone else's driving mistakes....

That definitely sounds like a legal headache, but from what I understand, if you use Outdoorsy or RV Share, they have insurance that covers the renters who would be driving your vehicle.

 

[nikitis]

I drive my without an air brake endorsement. Just be smart and actually look up how to use your braking system properly, and also how to check for issues, and what to expect when cranking as in build pressure and what pressure levels need to be etc, and how to do an air brake pump down test. If you understand these things well, you'll be fine.

I'd go mid size. 27 foot is perfect for parking in two spaces in parking lots, and also the right size for camp grounds. And gives you the most space.

 

[Slapdash]

Welcome to the asylum!

I can chime in here but only on the Chevy. I am just finishing up a mini-skoolie build on an '05 GMC Savanna 3500 chassis and can confirm parts are relatively easy to come by, provided there's no more supply chain issues. The one thing I absolutely could not find was the fuel injection crossover tube. Had to remove, clean up, and replace instead of buying new.

Mine is a 6.0 gas that runs fabulous, but needed a tune-up, fuel injector cleaning/replacing, fuel pump, etc. There's no return line so the injectors can suck up rusty goop.

Other than that it does run really well at 100k. I've heard these go for many more. Check weird places for rust though.

Personally, I would only rent if it was stationary in my backyard. I wouldn't want to have spent 2-3 years on a build to have some jackass wreck it on Day 1.

Either way, good luck!