BCM Community

Meanwhile, during our electronic internet bonding process, the question of "Why we own a bus was presented.  Why it is that we bought a bus to begin with, what ownership of one of these monsters entails, and discussing at length how it is that we found ourselves at this particular junction of time in our lives.  And last, why some folks often believe everything they read on bus boards and the Internet." 

YOUR NAME was again mentioned, I suppose some eye-ball rolling and ocassional snickering, but it was not a video call, it was Email, so I dunno.

When the bus-owner on the left coast asked me these impotent questions, of course, the only answer I could present was: I-don?t-know-why-I-did-it-dot.com. (which I now understand is a common affliction of bus owners)  You might have noticed some of it here ... Often there are no logical answers to simple questions.

In my case it dredged up some fond memories of my head-first plunge into the bus world almost thirteen years ago.  Isn't strange how time just kind of sneaks up on you ... It seems as if it was only yesterday.


Banker:  Well, I see by your paperwork that you have started to think about purchasing a bus in the near future. I've reviewed your credit score, gone over your account balances, and I have spoken with some of our loan officers. Frankly, I seem to be running into a bit of a problem and I was wondering if you could perhaps help me out?

You: What exactly is the problem?

Banker: Mechanically speaking it appears that you are qualified to do nothing and of course are irretrievably stupid, you could quite uh, well, very well be out of your mind.

You: That seems kind of harsh.  But to answer your first question?  I put together a swing set from Sears once (We needed one to do an outa-frame engine swap on a 55 Chevy).  I am sitting there wondering: "What is the big deal?  Its just a fifty-year old bus for cryin? out loud.  I mean, how hard could any of this be?

Banker: I'm sorry. I suppose your entire life, your parents have told you that you're smart and capable?  Your friends admire you for your ability to take on monumental impossible tasks and still somehow survive.  It says here that at the age of ten, you wrapped a towel around your neck and jumped off the roof of your fathers' house emulating Superman?

You: Of course they have.  Yeah I did that, wanted you to know that I am not afraid to try new things or adventure in my life.  For instance, buying a bus is a new thing and certainly it could qualify as an adventure, don?t you think so?

Banker: Well they're full of it. I have never encountered anyone so ill-equipped to enter the bus community in all my years of being a banker and a recently released part time RV Salesman.  Have you been staying in an area that might have lead in the drinking water?  Even Superman would not be this d-u-m-b.

You: You're exaggerating, I can't be that hopeless.'

Banker: Am I? When I asked you why it was that you wanted a bus, you never came up with a correct answer, you answered correctly only 15% of the time.  A few of them, you just sat there with that deer in the headlight look and shrugged your shoulders.

You: One out three isn't that bad.

Banker:  Exactly my point. You also seem to have exaggerated the "appearance factor" over the maint. issues two to one, in your description of the used coach you hope to purchase.

You: No I didn't.

Banker: Let's see what it was that you wrote? Here it is: "Really nice looking stainless and the wheels are really, really shiny, and my wife would be a looker in that smoking hot Big Bad Mama with painted swirls on the side."

You: I don't remember writing that.

Banker: You have terrible memory skills.

You: That's not fair.

Banker:  And a delusional perception of worthiness.

You:  But?

Banker: Moving on to maint. issues, you could not find a brake caliper if you had a map.  Buses, especially OLDER BUSES require parts, lots of parts, have you considered this? 

I kinda represent that comment...

I wonder if that electric motor in the picture still works....where is that? I could use that for my hvac when boondocking.

Cliff Notes Version,,,,,Don't buy a bus! ;D

Quote from: muldoonman on September 10, 2018, 02:18:54 PM
Cliff Notes Version,,,,,Don't buy a bus! ;D

Buying a bus is ok you just need deep pockets with a lot of old Ben's in the deep pockets  8)

Trouble is...

Those it is aimed at, don't get it, that it is aimed at them...

Law of the jungle and Natural selection WILL be invoked...

Thanks for this!

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

Cliff Notes Version,,,,,Don't buy a bus! ;D

From time to time the people who built my shop, ask to bring a prosective customer by and allow him to look at it.  Which is okay with me, because they also slip me some freshly pressed Benjamin's for the service.

So the appointed day came.  We waltzed thru it all and then I asked him what was he going to do with the building?  He pointed at my old hoopie and replied, "we are shopping around for a bus and I am going to store it in there."

Whoa!  Mama stop the turnip wagon right c'here.  And a little voice came to me from deep inside and said:  "Don't do it.  You cannot save him, once bitten, they all go down."  And I said,"Yeah, yeah, but we might be able to save him?  All the time knowing he would just be another helpless cause wandering the by-ways of North America searching a thrifty mechanic and even cheaper source of parts."

But I knew I had to try.

I then gave him (with measured care and compassion mind you) the standard unadulurated non-edited eighteen minute version of why a guy should NOT BY A BUS.  Last I heard, he went thru on the deal and the building is now up.  I also understand it has wood floors and basketball goals at each end.

Smart Man.

CesteLeVive

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Quote from: chessie4905 on September 10, 2018, 10:16:22 AM
I wonder if that electric motor in the picture still works....where is that? I could use that for my hvac when boondocking.

I believe it is the easternly part of Clifford's backyard, right near the corner.  He once gave a real good direct path to a locking door do-hickey Iggle thing-a-mah-bob.  Nowadays I hear he is selling right outside of his house like my Uncle Frank used to after he stepped on a garden rake and ended up dressing in women's clothing from then on.

But that another story all together.

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Do you folks know how many nights you could spend in a penthouse in Las Vegas for what it costs to own a bus?

Quote from: Jon on September 11, 2018, 03:49:09 AMDo you folks know how many nights you could spend in a penthouse in Las Vegas for what it costs to own a bus? 

    Rank Order???
1)   Being boiled to death in bad beer?
2)   Owning a bus?
3)   Spending a night in a Las Vegas penthouse?

    I'll go for the beer.  ;)

Quote from: Jon on September 11, 2018, 03:49:09 AM
Do you folks know how many nights you could spend in a penthouse in Las Vegas for what it costs to own a bus?

Hey Jon,, Don't know how many times my lovely wife has enlightened me on this one fact.

Quote from: Jon on September 11, 2018, 03:49:09 AM
Do you folks know how many nights you could spend in a penthouse in Las Vegas for what it costs to own a bus?

Hi everyone. I am happy to say I am finally BACK. No really...BACK!  I also smell a huge tidal wave of thread drift is heading this way.  After a very long hiatus and intermittent posting, I am finally back to blogging. I have also decided to get back to my central purpose - talking about all things intense, gifted, and creative relating to modern day huge more than likely worn-out used RV ownership.

Those of you who have been around for a while know that I am dedicated to helping gifted individuals understand and appreciate their unique intensities. I write books and articles on the topic, frequently speak to groups of parents, educators, parole officers and kids about random  topics, and work to help gifted individuals embrace all that they are.

Now for the good news, I will be posting 1-3 times a week on subjects related to giftedness that I find interesting. Additionally, I have decided to comb the web for interesting articles that I think will benefit gifted children, adults, as well as educators and parents. I hope that you join me as I revive this part of my feckless hopeless uninteresting life. And bring your friends. I've missed our wonderful conversations and am excited to get back to that.

As I prepare new posts, I have a question for you - "What KIND or TYPE of beer and does my estimate have to include room service?" 

(You see am crazy about BLT's and Baby Ruth candy bars)

Thanks everyone!

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Quote from: muldoonman on September 11, 2018, 05:33:01 AM
Hey Jon,, Don't know how many times my lovely wife has enlightened me on this one fact.

Yep there is a guy that just bought a 89 Marathon Prevost with a DDEC engine that has been sitting in a park for 10 years he says it needs batteries  :o :o :o :o is he in for a surprise 

Some folks refer to them as their Mistress.

Example:  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1930445686998526&set=gm.1819829031405684&type=3&theater

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I bet I had 10 people ask me how many nights I could spend in a luxurious suite in LV within a week after buying our first bus. Here are some other questions I was sick of getting after the first month:

Did you win the lottery? no, moron. I actually earned the money to buy it. That always end the conversation.

Do you have a band on board? no, you won't recognize the name, but i invented Tampax. Nobody has a response to that.

How much did it cost? several million. That usually ends the conversation

How many does it sleep? two.  More silence.

(This guy's my hero!)

So... If I buy a $800 schoolie then I'll be good with my $10K bankroll for all the repairs, upgrades and such, right? I mean it's sort of like a fractional thing, I get that.

Jim

BCO.  I really like the way your epistles seem to bring out the best in all of us--both fans and detractors.  Keep up the good work!  Jack

Jim, you are right about the fractional thing except that the statements heard from the admiring public go something like this: "Do you guys have any idea how many nights you could have stayed in a ground floor room at the Motel 6 in Bakersfield for the price of that thing?"
Jack

I don't think I could handle Bakersfield for very long... well maybe in January or February, but it's really too dry for my constitution. My skin cracks and my nose bleeds and it just gets kinda miserable after awhile. So I'd have to pack up and head towards the coast or the east where it's more humid.

You know, I love those multi-million dollar bus conversions. I've been fortunate enough to have been given the grand tour in one or two. All the comforts of home, lots and lots of shiny stuff! My Racoon Brothers would fall all over themselves inside one of those. But me? I'll never own one of those. I pray to God to let me win the lottery but he keeps telling me I have to buy a ticket first. How does that make sense? I'm already squeezing every dime until it squeaks, I'm gonna start lighting cigars with hundred dollar bills next? It's just not me.

There's a spectrum, I can see that. The $800 skoolie is a tent on wheels with a hard top. If you can be comfortable living in a tent (or better yet, saplings and visqueen) then it puts you solidly in the lap of luxury, with lots of room to grow your domestic bliss. Believe me, I had one. I know this. And best of all, if a major expense comes your way, another cheap skoolie is only a phone call away. Transfer the goods, throw the seats in the old one, and get it to the recyclers for a nice handful of good green cash. Cheapest way you can possibly go and still live in comfort.

Of course many of us have wives. That complicates things.
Live in a Skoolie? Oh no.
What to do, what to do.
Get rid of the wife? What would the kids say? Besides, she's a good little money maker, and has a few other uses besides. You do tend to get sorta attached after a while.
OK, got to move up the spectrum some. Problem with an S&S is that they just aren't durable. I'm sorta thinkin' Dixie Cup here. You spend very much time in an older one and you soon realize that it's really not much more than luck and wishful thinking holding it all together and at some point the big bad wolf is gonna blow your house down. Do I wanta be 75 when that happens? I don't think so. Not even a good intermediate step really because they keep on losing value until there just isn't anything left. (A Bakersfield Motel isn't even a great value if you're full timing it there.)

So now we enter the wired (weird?) wonderful world of metal buses. But no skoolies apparently. Too bad really, because those are a true bargain. And if you've never experienced the joys of gravity plumbing and a solar shower you just really have never lived life to the fullest. Even better if you can collect your own rainfall and keep up.

But wives seem to tend to be such domestic critters. Somehow or other, odd looking appendages to the rig don't seem to appeal. Not sure exactly how that happened but it's very clear that form DOES NOT follow function. OK, ok, no awning expandable rain gathering hardware on the roof and there has to be a pump and a water heater, I get it, it's a small concession, one of many, and then many more, one after the other until the entire scheme becomes massively unworkable unless you just happen to be a multimillionaire or have just won the lottery...(PLEASE God? Please? Just a little one?)

Humpf.
OK then. DL3 anyone? $3,000! I've got 3 big ones right here in hand! Just need a '94 with under 300K and no rust or damage, half tread or better and batteries that will last out the year. I'll pay you to bring it to me.

...please God?

Jim

around $199,200
The median home price in the U.S. is $200,000 ? here's what that will get you across the country. If you want to buy a house this year, you may well be paying around $199,200, the median price for a home in the U.S., according to Zillow.

I don't know why everyone seems to think everyone with a store bought Prevost conversion is a millionaire. No doubt most driving them have done OK, but really rich people seem to have other interests than bus ownership.

But a person can get a very nice professionally converted Prevost, likely with 100,000 miles or less for less than the cost of the average home. In other words the fairly average man on the street that has saved a little and decided to get into a Commercial Bus Conversion is likely able to do it for not much different cost than the average home in the US or a typical new sticks and staples.  With that coach he has one that will not disassemble itself in an accident which is a real big deal for most bus conversion owners.

Oh Lord, won't you give me a Conversion Bus,
Just throw in the Lottery, there won't be no fuss...
It's easy for you Lord, what's there to discuss?
So Lord, won't you give me a Conversion Bus?

(Thanks Janice)

Jim

Costs to own a bus?  What costs? :D  Do you mean the $10,000 I spent this week at Wrico in Eugene, OR buying and installing a new 12.5K generator and having my Series 60 injectors replaced and not only that, next week I have to have my Allison 740 adjusted because the mechanic said it is shifting at the incorrect RPMs.   Like they say, you can't take it with you.   ;D

Quote from: Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM on September 13, 2018, 07:08:52 PM
Costs to own a bus?  What costs? :D  Do you mean the $10,000 I spent this week at Wrico in Eugene, OR buying and installing a new 12.5K generator and having my Series 60 injectors replaced and not only that, next week I have to have my Allison 740 adjusted because the mechanic said it is shifting at the incorrect RPMs.   Like they say, you can't take it with you.   ;D

Nope you can't take it with but you sure as hell are not going anywhere without it (money that is) Damn Gary you should have bought another bus you are close to 30k in the last couple of months

(This guy's my hero!)

So... If I buy a $800 schoolie then I'll be good with my $10K bankroll for all the repairs, upgrades and such, right? I mean it's sort of like a fractional thing, I get that.

Jim

Freight-Liner is now charging $450 for a diagnosis, then comes cost of parts and actual repair of the offending item (Often in thousands of dollars, ask Gary Hatt) shop supplies (that they keep), tire shops in Oklahoma are charging $30 to just break down a tire and dispose of it.  $450 to just put on the hook, some tows over $1,000.00

Money ...Money ...Money ...Money ... Money ... First yo' money and then your clothes
that is the way it often goes.

$800 indeed.

Everyone knows the PRICE and what it costs.
But few know the true VALUE in the end.

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Jack you crack me up!  Hey Dave, Lee, and a few others, got a new phone and I have lost your numbers.  Send me your contact info to LDSRR91@GMAIL.COM