RV Expenses

[rmark]

'That 3-wheeler looks like a version that is sold in some countries, by the same Italian company I believe, to haul merchandise or passengers.'

My daughter said there were truckcycles all over Italy.

RV wise, I'm trying this
Viking RV - Folding Campers - Epic Campers&Series=Epic

We used to tent camp some, but my wifes MS makes that impractical. So I bought a used Viking tent trailer late last year with AC to keep her cooler and inside toilet so she won't have to walk at night. Plus my existing 4 cylinder S10 can tow it.

 

[Gone4Good]

Thanks Tesaje. I am so glad to hear that cats can adapt pretty easily to the RV lifestyle. There is hope for mine, I think, as all they do all day is look out the windows and sleep anyways...

Your Sprinter van is beautiful too!

We were pretty worried about how our cats (now just cat) would adapt to a nomadic lifestyle. But she's doing far better than we ever expected. She doesn't like moving day, but seems to settle in very quickly once we stop.

Of course all creatures are different, so it's impossible to tell how any one specific critter will react. But cats do seem to travel better than I thought they would.

Good luck.

 

[Joshua]

If cats can live in semi-trucks (and yes, I've seen it!) then I'm sure they can manage RVs.

For my taste, I may try one of those school bus conversions some year. They give you a heavy duty rig, so you can get in and out of most places that normal RVs might not be able to manage. Some of them are very pretty, too - you can't even tell they started life as old yellow kid-haulers.

I could definitely see myself and my wife cruising around the country for a while after I retire. We could rack some motorbikes on the back for local transportation, put our [-]burdens[/-] possessions in storage, and go on tour for a few years.

Josh

 

[audreyh1]

Here's the Mini Mate, advertised as a motorcycle-towable trailer.

I've seen these used in state parks. Looked like they worked great. Pretty cool!

Audrey

 

[audreyh1]

For my taste, I may try one of those school bus conversions some year. They give you a heavy duty rig, so you can get in and out of most places that normal RVs might not be able to manage. Some of them are very pretty, too - you can't even tell they started life as old yellow kid-haulers.

I'm not convinced that a regular size school bus is any smaller than our 37 foot DP. They don't look that maneuverable to me.

Audrey

 

[Joshua]

I'm not convinced that a regular size school bus is any smaller than our 37 foot DP. They don't look that maneuverable to me.

Well, some people get the short busses.

It's not so much the size as it is the construction. They are designed to go down rambling dirt roads, plow through snowbanks, and operate in rural areas. They have suspension systems on them that are very rugged. So, no, they may not be able to maneuver that much better than an average RV when it comes to things like squeezing into parking spaces, but they're more durable and better powered.

Besides, used busses are cheap, and I know I'd get a lot of satisfaction out of the project of building it. Once you get out the seats, you basically have a great big chunk of floor space that you can use to build whatever layout you want and install any kind of equipment that you feel you'll be likely to desire. If I want a full size bathtub instead of just a shower, or a compartment to store solar power generation equipment, or anything else I fancy, it'll be there from day one instead of requiring difficult remodeling.

Josh

 

[RonBoyd]

Once you get out the seats, you basically have a great big chunk of floor space that you can use to build whatever layout you want and install any kind of equipment that you feel you'll be likely to desire. If I want a full size bathtub instead of just a shower, or a compartment to store solar power generation equipment, or anything else I fancy, it'll be there from day one instead of requiring difficult remodeling.

You may want to look at the floor plans for Class B RVs, Class C's w/o Slides, and even boats and private jets to see efficient use of "all that floor space" before you start construction. You may find that, however much space you have, it will be insufficient to the "want" department -- a full size bathtub takes up an incredible amount of area.

And I agree with Audrey, even the shortest School Buses seem quite awkward to me.

 

[REWahoo]

...but they're more durable and better powered.

Josh, I don't want to dissuade you from what might be a great DIY project, but I believe your above statement to be inaccurate.

A school bus is essentially a big box of seats sitting atop a conventional truck chassis. Don't take my word for it - here's a Wikipedia quote:

Type C ("conventional") school buses have a GVWR of over 10,000 pounds, typically between 23,000 and 29,500 pounds. These are constructed from a bus body mounted to a cowled medium-duty truck chassis usually supplied from another manufacturer.

The construction of a chassis (engine, transmission, axles, frame, steering gear, etc.) for a truck, a school bus or a Class A is essentially the same - nothing significantly different about the engines, transmissions or any other chassis component. The only real difference is what sits atop the chassis.

One additional point regarding reliability - most used RV's have relatively low mileage as they spend a significant portion of their lives parked. Not so with a used bus. Those things are usually worked to death before being sold and have some serious wear and tear.

 

[brewer12345]

Josh, I don't want to dissuade you from what might be a great DIY project, but I believe your above statement to be inaccurate.

A school bus is essentially a big box of seats sitting atop a conventional truck chassis. Don't take my word for it - here's a Wikipedia quote:

The construction of a chassis (engine, transmission, axles, frame, steering gear, etc.) for a truck, a school bus or a Class A is essentially the same - nothing significantly different about the engines, transmissions or any other chassis component. The only real difference is what sits atop the chassis.

One additional point regarding reliability - most used RV's have relatively low mileage as they spend a significant portion of their lives parked. Not so with a used bus. Those things are usually worked to death before being sold and have some serious wear and tear.

Yeah, but think how many cheap laughs you would get from pulling up in front of the in-laws with the "short bus" and taking them off for a ride with the neighbors watching...

 

[travelover]

..........

One additional point regarding reliability - most used RV's have relatively low mileage as they spend a significant portion of their lives parked. Not so with a used bus. Those things are usually worked to death before being sold and have some serious wear and tear.

That said, anyone who has spent time in Central America has seen the thousands of old US school buses that form the basis of their transportation system. The old girls still have a lot of life in them and are infinitely repairable. In general, old RVs don't wear out, they rot out. Buses tend to be overbuilt to protect their passengers and are actually crash worthy as opposed to a conventional RV which disintegrates in an accident. I'm sure a bus would get worse fuel economy though, due to the added weight of the robust body.

 

[ls99]

I'm not convinced that a regular size school bus is any smaller than our 37 foot DP. They don't look that maneuverable to me.

Audrey

Around here most school buses are driven by houswives as part time. The seem preatty good at getting around the town square and narrow town roads.

Here is a sample. Not mine. In Maryland craigslist. Sure can't beat advertised price.

By the way if any part of this violates forum rules mods are welcome to delete all or any part of it. I did delete the posted phone number and reply to link.

RV Converted Full-Size Bus - $2200 (Cumberland, MD)

Date: 2010-08-08, 6:05PM EDT

1991 International Thomas Bus. 7.3 Diesel Engine, Allison Automatic Transmission. Current tags. Wired for electric. Everything inside goes with the bus: electric heaters, couch, TV, microwave, etc. New stereo/ CD player and speakers. Outside motion flood lights, both rear and side of bus. A rear deck with steps that you may back into so it is at door height is included (not pictured). Perfect for hunting, NASCAR, birthday parties, camping, and just about anything. Many new parts. There is a crack in one passenger side window, but it is still fully intact. Serious inquiries only please. Must sell. Call: Ray

 

[REWahoo]

$2,200? Looks like the scrap value would be at least that much.

Josh, you see this? Why build your own when someone else has already done it for you...

 

[nun]

I love that the bus has a real couch and armchair, and all the windows make it very open, but there'd be a lot of shades to pull down at night.

If I was going to do the RV thing it would definitely be a fuel efficient
Class B.

 

[travelover]

.............
If I was going to do the RV thing it would definitely be a fuel efficient
Class B.

You could put the $30,000 you saved toward gas. At 5 MPG that is 55,000 miles

 

[audreyh1]

$2,200? Looks like the scrap value would be at least that much.

Josh, you see this? Why build your own when someone else has already done it for you...

Josh really REALLY wants to make one himself....

 

[NW-Bound]

The ad said 7.3 diesel engine. No explicit mention that it actually runs.

Until recently, I had not bought used cars for 30 years. When shopping for a used car to use as toad, saw an ad that said "icy cold AC". My ass!

We took it for a test drive around one block and had to turn back immediately, because it was 110 outside, and perhaps 130 inside that car that had been parked in the sun. Perhaps all it neeed was Freon, but such blatant false description.

So much BS out there, and such a waste of time I don't see anyone but a retiree (or a semi-retiree ) can have time to shop for used cars like that.

 

[travelover]

The ad said 7.3 diesel engine. No explicit mention that it actually runs.

Until recently, I had not bought used cars for 30 years. When shopping for a used car to use as toad, saw an ad that said "icy cold AC". My ass!

We took it for a test drive around one block and had to turn back immediately, because it was 110 outside, and perhaps 130 inside that car that had been parked in the sun. Perhaps all it neeed was Freon, but such blatant false description.

So much BS out there, and such a waste of time I don't see anyone but a retiree (or a semi-retiree ) can have time to shop for used cars like that.

Yea, I be the couch is lumpy, too.

 

[NW-Bound]

After seeing the prices for good used Class B motor homes (30k +)...

I don't know when the Sprinter-based RVs were introduced to the market, but guess that it was within the last few years. Hence, the used ones on the market are still relatively new, and command fairly high prices. In addition, the good fuel mileage of the diesel engine appears to help them hold the values.

Just now, looking at rvtraderonline.com, I saw that the lowest asking price is $39K for a 2005 model with 57K miles. Next, there are only 6 within the price range of $40K to $50K. The next ranges are as follows.

43 in the range $50K-75K
76 - from $75K to $100K
61 - from $100K to $125K

They are not cheap!

For class Bs with a gas engine, there are many models older than 2005, hence at lower price ranges.

 

[Joshua]

Josh really REALLY wants to make one himself....

Yeah... but $2,200 would still not be a bad price. I'd probably be willing to pay that for one that ran decently and just had the seats removed! That's the biggest pain (among several) of these conversion jobs. With that already out of the way, I could get right to re-designing the interior, and it doesn't look like this one had any interior partitions built or much in the way of utilities installed, so I wouldn't really have to break anything down to get started.

If only I wasn't in Germany right now...

Later!

Josh

 

[Sarah in SC]

Joshua,
These really crazy (and I know crazy, believe me) folks we know that live way out in the country where you drive past six no trespassing signs that get more ominous the closer you get to the house, have various somewhat illegal firearms, and are possibly militia types, you get the idea--showed us their modified school bus when we went out to the compound for a birthday party.

This bus was fitted out for Nascar races and had 5 bunks, a fridge and small cookstove, a stand up shower, and a toilet inside. It had a rack on the back for water and generators, and on top was a full stem-to-stern deck and race-viewing platform upon which were mounted stripper poles and privacy screens for the dancers they apparently sometimes brought with them to the races to help defray costs. Charming. I think there was also a small plastic kids pool.

Despite such stellar features, I thought the retrofit was poorly done and would have rather put the money into an older RV that needed work, like our 1976 Airstream Argosy. But I've seen some fabulous band bus conversions at the music festivals.

I do think that when you return you will be able to find some dirt cheap partially completed conversions in which people just lose interest in the project.

 

[simple girl]

Joshua,
It had a rack on the back for water and generators, and on top was a full stem-to-stern deck and race-viewing platform upon which were mounted stripper poles and privacy screens for the dancers they apparently sometimes brought with them to the races to help defray costs. Charming.

This reminds me of my BIL's RV. He converted the back room to a dancing pole with couches around it. Yeah, he's a character.

 

[HFWR]

Until recently, I had not bought used cars for 30 years. When shopping for a used car to use as toad, saw an ad that said "icy cold AC". My ass!

I went to look at a used pickup several years ago, which was described as having a "straight" body. Straight from about two gallons of body filler...

And you could see the ground through the hole in the floorboard where a shifter had been installed.

I passed on that gem...

 

[travelover]

.........And you could see the ground through the hole in the floorboard where a shifter had been installed..................

It is nitpickers like you that give used car buyers a bad name.

 

[Sarah in SC]

simple girl, that is awesome! LOL! And here I thought having one in my kitchen was racy.

 

[RonBoyd]

And here I thought having one in my kitchen was racy.

Nah. Racy would be on the deck... on the 19th floor.