RV novice-point me in the right direction

[In-control]

Gosh - Getting a bus is easy! If we did this I would go with a small one.

Bus Sales New Used, School Buses Commercial Church Bus Airport Shuttles Limo Buses Wheelchair Vans all on Sale!

 

[REWahoo]

Gosh - Getting a bus is easy! If we did this I would go with a small one.

Ask Sarah in SC about short bus conversions. She's an expert!

 

[NW-Bound]

A problem I see with a bus is that the heat gain or loss through the windows will be tremendous. I had to cut some reflectix foil to fit into the few windows of my RV to block the heat gain/loss, as they are not dual-pane. The difference is noticeable.

 

[samclem]

A problem I see with a bus is that the heat gain or loss through the windows will be tremendous. I had to cut some reflectix foil to fit into the few windows of my RV to block the heat gain/loss, as they are not dual-pane. The difference is noticeable.

And every one of those windows rattles in their tracks as you go down the road, it is not a quiet ride. My parents bought a bus that had been converted into a motorhome and we used it to tour a lot of the US. It was fun, but not trouble-free. And it was noisy. Maybe it would be possible to seal most of the windows shut to reduce the noise and heat loss/gain due to air movement around the panes.

 

[aja8888]

You know you can remove some of the windows and close the opening up, especially if t you are going to repaint the outside.

 

[NW-Bound]

A bus conversion is a LOT of work! I know I would not be able to finish it to the point of being able to talk my wife to travel in it.

Buying a nice and clean used motorhome, jumping on, and driving off is more to my liking. There will still be plenty of work to maintain it, so it's not like you will be running out of things to do.

 

[samclem]

You know you can remove some of the windows and close the opening up, especially if t you are going to repaint the outside.

Yes, it can be done. But the glass is already there, weatherproof, immune to UV, etc. Replacing 30-40 windows is going to be a lot of cutting, fitting, drilling, sealing, etc. And some expense, too. I'd probably caulk them in place, paint the inside of ones that would be covered by cabinets, etc, then insulate (consider fire-rated spray insulation for good R-value and noise suppression)

 

[NW-Bound]

I found this this morning was thinking of this post so I thought of sharing. Converting a school Bus!!!! Check out what this amazing family did. And its inexpensive.

Simply b Photos » The Big Blue Bus Tour

Enjoy!

I scanned through this Web site. They did not go far enough with the conversion, to add at least a toilet and shower, and in fact have no running water even for the kitchen. This has been done by other people who convert buses and cargo trailers using RV components.

 

[NW-Bound]

Gosh - Getting a bus is easy! If we did this I would go with a small one.

Bus Sales New Used, School Buses Commercial Church Bus Airport Shuttles Limo Buses Wheelchair Vans all on Sale!

Good old school buses are indeed surprisingly cheap! And they should last a lot longer than the commercial RVs made with fiberglass. Oh, only if I were younger and had more energy. I can see how it could be a fun project.

 

[travelover]

Good old school buses are indeed surprisingly cheap! And they should last a lot longer than the commercial RVs made with fiberglass. Oh, only if I were younger and had more energy. I can see how it could be a fun project.

Old school buses never die, they just go to Central America where they provide inter village transportation.

 

[ls99]

Don't forget to add in the cost of removing bedbugs from your home after you have stayed in that $200 a night hotel room.

Or a NY city subway ride.

 

[Dakotah]

Retirement trip reminds us of the joys of RVing

Having recently returned from two weeks in a Class C Winnebago in Alaska DW and I were reminded of the joys of RVing. We talked to many fellow travelers in Sprinter based class Bs like the Roadtrek, Pleasure Way, and Leisure Travel conversions who loved the great gas milage and ease of parking that the small RV allows. Other travelers could not imagine anything less than a 42' Diesel pusher with bath and 1/2 and onboard W/D.
As others have previously mentioned this is a very personal decision that no-one else can make for you. Living for an extended length of time in a straight Class B is certainly possible but would take some compromises form both you and your spouse.
We have been shopping around since our return and have made a few observations. The market for Class Bs is relatively tight with waiting lists for some models and high resale for used units. That would suggest that you could use one for a few years and get much of your money back in resale if you chose to move up or find you do not enjoy RVing as much as you thought.
Many dealers have huge markdowns on Class A RVs with discounts of 20-30% off of list prices common for units that have been on the lot a while.
Very nice used Diesel pushers are available for around 100K.
Class C homes can also be had for significantly less than MSP and there are tons of nice units available from sites such as RV Trader.
The drawback on larger Cs and most of the As is the poor milage and the difficulty of parking in some Nat'l/state park sites.
It seems to me that purchase of a nice used unit might be the best compromise since the downside would be limited if you buy it right and have to take a bit of a beating when you get out.
happy Camping

 

[Teacher Terry]

WE bought a Class C moho that is 27 ft. It is fine for a few weeks of traveling but I would not want to travel for a year in it. We have 4 dogs & one is big so it is the only way we can include them. Gas mileage sucks. WE are the 3rd owner and it is 21 years old with 44,000 miles. The other owners took most of the depreciation. 7 years ago we paid $14,000 and recently had a offer for 10,000. We decided to keep it after acquiring my son's big dog. We have stayed in motels with our 3 little dogs but no one wants a big one. As far as private owners renting it out I looked into this but my insurance co said they would not pay if we did that so we would have to find more expensive insurance that allows you to rent it. Our friends were willing to put insurance on it & pay it but that is not allowed where we live. Only the owner can insure it.

 

[nvestysly]

...As far as private owners renting it out I looked into this but my insurance co said they would not pay if we did that so we would have to find more expensive insurance that allows you to rent it. Our friends were willing to put insurance on it & pay it but that is not allowed where we live. Only the owner can insure it.

DW and I have a class B that we are considering loaning to a relative (sister-in-law). We thought we might dance around the legal speak by simply allowing her to borrow the van. She plans to give us a nice cash gift to say thank you. It's my understanding that if somebody uses the van with my permission the insurance coverage remains effective. Seems legal to me. We will avoid using any word associated with rental or in any way make it a business deal. We loan them the camper... they give us a cash gift.

 

[ArkTinkerer]

Trailers are cheaper both tax and insurance wise. Taxes might not mean as much if you really only keep it a year. Here the license for a trailer is lifetime. Also you can get better return on the sale of the tow vehicle or you can keep it if you sell the trailer. Parts for the tow vehicle are generally easier to obtain. One motor and transmission to maintain.

Bad side is you don't have a backup vehicle.

Smaller trailer means you can do boondocking without a campground and really get away from it all. Go to the campgrounds only during the week for an overnight stay to empty tanks, reload water, and charge batteries.

We have an older Hi-Lo but there are similar products from other manufacturers now.

ArkTinkerer