Face it any project has a high burst of effort at the start.
Owning any bus is basically a multi-year commitment. So there sweat equity and out of the pocket expenditures.
Expenditures come in a few different area's:
1. Basic work on the bone's so the bus will travel where you want it too safely.
2. Added what you consider is must have livability features.
3. Fixed overhead like initial taxes, insurance, storage fees.
4. Your miscellaneous.
An acceptable response is that hey I didn't track it!
In my case:
First year
1. New Tires/safety inspections $6000
2. livability features for the next decade. Six to nine thousand, $6000 spent already.
3. Sales tax, initial licensing and insurance $3500
4. Misc tools/supplies $1200
Obviously if you desire to re-power the numbers can blowup on you...
We have every expenditure listed but not categorized or totalled. I'd guess we have 100 thou in the ole' girl over 40 years. It's been a labor of love, & now a retirement hobby. Tinker, tinker, tinker...
I think you're doing pretty good if you can build out the basic livability items for $9,000. Heck, I spent $9,000 just for a diesel generator, batteries, and inverter.
Quote from: belfert on November 21, 2019, 04:58:30 AM
I think you're doing pretty good if you can build out the basic livability items for $9,000. Heck, I spent $9,000 just for a diesel generator, batteries, and inverter.
Ah, but I started with a bus that was a motor home from the start and it already has a diesel generator. My $6000.00 is on a newer inverter, Tesla battery modules, solar panels and start of a hydronics system.
There are so many ways to go about this that estimating cost from someone else's project is always difficult.
I started with a bit less than $20K in the war chest and a year later following the bus purchase, gen, interior finish plywood and a few smaller items have somewhat over 10 left. With occasional supplements that should get me through the 5 year project and if I manage it well I hope to have funds left to put towards tires and batteries somewhere along the line. (Both presently still usable but for how long?) As it sits the bus is worth more than I have in it just as salvage so as I see it, so far I've made money on the deal. Pretty hard to say that. One of the keys is the idea that any time you get in a hurry it is doing to cost you. Which is OK if you are willing to pay.
Jim
I bought my transit bus for $4,000. After rebuilding everything in the engine compartment and turbocharging the engine, along with me doing the entire conversion myself, it is done about $100,000 later. Good Luck, TomC
Priced the big tires lately?
Goodyears 315/80R22.5
$7100 installed with a phone call and others taking care of it remotely.
Some busnuts can run smaller truck sizes, some busnuts need to think really hard about tire loading and just go with the big boys...
Happy coaching!
Buswarrior
Good reason to go with quality recaps on the rear, especially when few will experience tread wear down requiring replacement.
I spent $100,000 over 10 years converting my bus. I used good materials and the drivetrain is all rebuilt. I spent a long time designing the interior and wouldn't change a thing. GMC built the best buses and it is a dream to drive. It was designed tested in a wind tunnel and you can't tell if you're going 60mph or 80.
Geoff
There was a time long ago when the only way the average person could have a bus conversion was to DIY not now it makes no economical sense when you can buy Marathon Prevost low mileage like the one that sold on Ebay for $23,000 turn the key and drive off.I had a lot more than a 100k in my Eagle for sure lol I got tired of keeping track of the Ben's they left so fast
Nothing a few of these wouldn't cure. More like a stack.
I love hearing you high rollers cry about spending all your money. You go out there and pay someone to do something you could have learned to do yourself and then it's nothing but, "Poor Me, I had to spend my money!"
No, You didn't. You wanted to. There's a difference.
Tires: Here we go again. Who says you have to pay to have them mounted? Yet another thing you can do yourself. Maybe you just don't want to. Poor Me!
Jim
No one is high rolling Jim the simple truth a 125,000 mile conversion bus is a better investment that 1,000.000 mile wore out bus any day.People can do a bare conversion that fits their pocket book that is up to them on how much they spend. I see my share of people struggling with wore out buses every day at the shop and repairs and parts kill those people financially one been in my yard for over a year
Quote from: Jim Blackwood on November 24, 2019, 09:01:17 AM
I love hearing you high rollers cry about spending all your money. You go out there and pay someone to do something you could have learned to do yourself and then it's nothing but, "Poor Me, I had to spend my money!"
No, You didn't. You wanted to. There's a difference.
Tires: Here we go again. Who says you have to pay to have them mounted? Yet another thing you can do yourself. Maybe you just don't want to. Poor Me!
Jim
Jim... I hope you understand that not everyone has the physical ability to do things like mounting tires, or the desire to. Some don't have a shop capable of doing all that you do. Some have more interest in getting on the road quicker.
I've spent a lot of time doing what I want to do myself, and I have spent a lot of money paying the shop to do the rest. I know my limits and stick to them.
I don't hear people "crying" about spending money, just laying out the facts.
I paid lots more for my bus than others, but in the end I got a bus that was nearly new in many respects. And, it needed work and updates in other ways. It is what it is.
Quote from: Jim Blackwood on November 24, 2019, 09:01:17 AM
I love hearing you high rollers cry about spending all your money. You go out there and pay someone to do something you could have learned to do yourself and then it's nothing but, "Poor Me, I had to spend my money!"
No, You didn't. You wanted to. There's a difference.
Tires: Here we go again. Who says you have to pay to have them mounted? Yet another thing you can do yourself. Maybe you just don't want to. Poor Me!
Jim
The question was what is being spent.
There's a dream land on the internet as to what GOOD BUS tires cost today.
When the bus is 10 hours away, a drive-away service is involved, so there's no screwing with bad tires... you fix that with a phone call and a credit card. Cheaperr than any other solution.
If you have a whole list of medical issues, you pay someone.
Bad back? Pay.
DIY or pay, doesn't change the cost of raw materials. The big 315 tires that belong under a D model MCI are not $500 a piece anymore...
If real information prevents one dreamer from making a financial suicide decision to get into a bus conversion, job done?
Happy coaching!
Buswarrior
That's sort of the point though. It's only financial suicide if the new owner or prospective owner hasn't looked into the costs in advance. If they have and they've sorted it out what's the big deal? Careful shopping always pays. You don't have to assume that purchase has to be followed by engine rebuild. Why would it? With engines built for 1/2M miles or more if there's 100K left in the engine that could be enough depending on your usage. Or the engine could be relatively fresh. It isn't just luck. You can't stand there and say that a 20K war chest isn't enough. What you CAN say is that without more it is likely a bad move. That "more" comes in the form of education and ability. Anybody can do what I did, there's no magic formula. Starting out I knew nothing about busses except that I wanted one. So instead of just jumping in and buying the first rattletrap that I could afford to bring home like many do, I started asking questions. And I know I was almost a pest about it, but I learned first off, what bus to look for, and secondly, what issues to expect. Armed with that knowledge I was able to go out and search, ending up with what I'd consider a little better than average deal for an informed buyer. A deal that favored a conversion enthusiast, and one that fit my budget and situation. Specifically a '96 102DL3 with 135K on the engine, delivered to my door for under $7K. If that sounds low to you then you haven't been watching things like the Houston city bus auctions. Which means that at any time I could sell the engine for a good bit more than the bus cost me, making this a good investment from the top down.
Now I'll admit wrassling tires is not my idea of fun. And I'll have to enlist the aid of my truck owner brother when the time comes. If I couldn't do that it'd cost me more. But is there anything that says I have to change all of the tires at once? No. They can be spread out over several years. They are 7 years old and good for awhile yet. If Bandag demands <5 year old carcasses then they are good for 10 but the fronts get changed first. After that if one does happen to blow the spare goes on and we head for the barn. I really don't see where that means there is any need for tens of thousands of dollars.
From what I've seen bus nuts are imaginative and creative sorts. And there are innumerable ways to set up the house. You have several large expenses to deal with beyond tires and batteries, such as holding tanks, generator, and interior furnishings. But guess what? You can still buy a common refrigerator at the second hand store for $100. With an ice maker. I recently priced one.
So this is how I separate the high rollers out: What did you pay for your last refrigerator? $1200? More? Did you have it installed? Then you might be a high roller. How much did you pay for your generator? Is it the 12K water cooled diesel? You might be a high roller. Did you have the RV shop refresh the interior? Hire out your A/C work? Do you have over say 40-50K total in your rig? Well you just might be a high roller. I don't care what car you drive, where you stay, what food you eat, what your income is or what clothes you wear. We're talking about your RV here. Can't do it for less? I call BS. You darned sure can. Or at least spread it out to the point where it is manageable. Yes there are expenses and if you just follow the tried and true they are gonna cost you, just the same as going into the car dealer and paying MSRP. That doesn't mean that's the only way to get down the road and much less expensive options exist.
The real question is, do you want it bad enough to look into those other options, or would you rather just pay the freight and forget about it? If that's your approach then guess what? You just might be a high roller.
Jim
Quote from: Jim Blackwood on November 24, 2019, 09:01:17 AM
I love hearing you high rollers cry about spending all your money. You go out there and pay someone to do something you could have learned to do yourself and then it's nothing but, "Poor Me, I had to spend my money!"
No, You didn't. You wanted to. There's a difference.
Tires: Here we go again. Who says you have to pay to have them mounted? Yet another thing you can do yourself. Maybe you just don't want to. Poor Me!
Jim
you could use one of these inverters that share power with the pole or generator
https://www.amazon.com/Magnum-Energy-4000W-Hybrid-T-Sine/dp/B00JJ8WAWU
or you could use a bunch like this to try and do the same job
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Power-Bright-900-Watts-24-Volt-DC-to-110-Volt-AC-Power-Inverter-ML900-24/302542476
do your conversion your way
I chose to use the first one
dave
Well, I must confess that I am not a High Roller. Why, I have been to Las Vegas several times, and I never slipped a coin, or bill, or credit card into any machine. I am as cheap as can be, and I only use hired help when absolutely necessary. I always make use of what I have first, and then fabricate where possible. I like being creative and figuring out how to do things myself, but I always research the manuals, and check the postings on the forums for the knowledge of others. This forum has helped me save a lot of money, and has exposed me to tools, products, and tips that are not in the manuals. The collective knowledge that is here (and on BNO and Eagles Int'l, to be fair), is the pathway for someone to have a decent conversion without being a "High Roller". But, Cheapy's need those High Rollers, because they occasionally rip out perfectly good parts to put in new, and sell wonderful coaches for pennies on the dollar. ;)
Interestingly enough, my bus came with 10 or 12 of those 900W units in the second link. Yet another expense I don't have to worry about too much, should be more than enough. Maybe a bit more of a challenge to sort them out, but there's no hurry and they can be installed as needed. How many do you really need? I guess than depends on how you set things up. Probably the biggest challenge is going to be the AC system, as I doubt you can load share the inverters unless you are very good with the electronics. I'm probably not that good, but there's a chance one control board can run multiple output stages so who knows? It might require some creative thinking elsewhere. I'll worry about it when I get there. HOWEVER, surplus and used but good equipment is often available that is quite serviceable enough to do the job, and equipment from the industrial or other sectors can often be made to work with only a little extra effort. One example was the natural gas fired emergency power generator I was able to buy second hand very cheap and with very low hours. Nobody thinks about using them in an RV. I find it very impressive how the members of this community find creative remedies for common problems, and I agree that the high rollers are an important part of that, as they have the freedom to dream big without worrying too much about implementing those ideas. Then the rest of us get to come along and figure out how to do it on a budget.
Jim
I live in a bus that was converted by someone else and it has been a nightmare from the vary first day i drove it home. I thought of buying a custom built coach untill i had a closer look in the compartments and saw the poor craftmanship that you normaly dont see. I chose to build my own coach because if anything goes wrong i know i can take care of it. Being in the northern coast of British Columbia Canada the cost of everthing is higher and the shipping just makes a person cringe. My tires cost me 10 000 to replace( canadian ) . I new what i was in for before i started and i do all the work on my 99 in the street. To me its not the money, its the pleasure of the work that i put in it and the pride of the reliabilty and pleasure i get driving it. I have no set budget. When the wife and i get some spare cash we put it in our bus.
Thanks and good building
I agree buswarrior, our opinions are ment to help others in our community.
Double eagle, if everyone was as frugal as you in LV, those high rises wouldn't be built. Thank you for paying our taxes! lvmci...
Thanks everyone I have ramped my allowable expenditures upwards!!! ;D