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Finally happened lol. A bus for sale 25 miles from me
youre going to start seeing more bus conversions for sale. many original owners are selling now due to age and health. And the big demand for something to travel in.
That belongs to a friends of ours Herb and Julie, well taken care of ,Herb makes hay hauling and handling equipment ,Mason he has a Eagle in the shop too model 10 that belonged to George Strait that was wrecked is why he owns a Prevost
Quote from: chessie4905 on July 09, 2021, 02:59:34 PM
youre going to start seeing more bus conversions for sale. many original owners are selling now due to age and health. And the big demand for something to travel in.
I agree with this but this has been going on for some time. What has not appeared is the second wave and new generation of busnuts to carry on.
Even when there is such a massive demand for recreational vehicles, it just seems to have mostly passed us over. We've had the discussion here before but it just seems there aren't the right elements in place to drive it.
For example, DIYers are still around but 99% of stuff gets bought because people don't the free time to fiddle around, don't have the interest, and don't have the skills.
The OG crowd were old school - WWII, depression, etc. Grew up working on stuff and used to it. DIY engrained in to be frugal, save money, etc.
Maybe Gary can weigh in as he is most affected and focused on understanding the market today of bus conversions.
I'm seeing more and more younger people looking for and buying coach conversions, at least more than just a few years ago.
Not as many new people here, but on BGM there are at least a few new bus nuts every month searching for buses, buying buses, and getting into the hobby.
I've talked personally to at least a few of these newer owners, in the 30s and 40s, intending to keep their new buses for a long time.
We'll see if this becomes a second wave.
Quote from: luvrbus on July 12, 2021, 06:27:10 AM
That belongs to a friends of ours Herb and Julie, well taken care of ,Herb makes hay hauling and handling equipment ,Mason he has a Eagle in the shop too model 10 that belonged to George Strait that was wrecked is why he owns a Prevost
Wow.. I need to get over there and meet him lol. Besler (their company) is very popular around here (of course )
Most people just don't have the skills. More than ever before. But there are still a few that do. The problem is that it requires such a wide range. Everything from truck mechanic to carpenter to electrician to cabinet maker to AC technician and more besides. Not many people have ever had that skill set, and then they also have to have a strong desire to travel and a disdain for airports and hotels. Kinda cuts down the pool size. On top of that, the willingness to defer gratification is in ever shorter supply. So I predict we will continue to pick up a few but the growth rate may drop. Aside from that nothing much has changed except the technology. You can still buy a good reliable platform for much less than the cost of a new travel trailer and that will continue to be attractive. Mostly people just don't realize what is available though. A good, running, weathertight rig for $5K that beats a tent any day? I'm a little surprised we don't see more used exactly that way.
Jim
Yep younger people rush to buy then in 6 months they are broke down and the bus is sold for parts the dream quickly changed to nightmare's I see it every day
Quote from: luvrbus on July 12, 2021, 10:25:30 AM
Yep younger pepole rush to buy then in 6 months they are broke down and the bus is sold for parts the dream quickly changed to a nitemare I see it every day
But this part has been the same since the early days decades ago. There always have been those that bit off more than they could chew, and there will continue to be.
This doesn't change the fact that more are expressing interest than a few years ago. Of course they won't all stay the course, but at least more are starting out.
If you look at other platforms - there is a decent DIY activity for those converting vans and skool buses. It just seems we poor bus nuts are bypassed for some reason.
Is it the idea of driving something 40' or 45' feet long? Yes, there are 35'er but more are longer.
Is the stronger cultural link to the yellow school bus a factor?
Yes, we do have new entrants but it is a trickle compared to the craziness going on in the other DIY converter community.
I suspect, having not researched it, there are more sprinter type vans converted than class A and diesel pushers. I'll also assume folks interested in a converted OTR bus are more likely pusher folks than van types. So the total number of those interested is pretty small to start with.
We also forget that we are a unique group of folks like Jim points out. Even amongst us here, there are very few having requisite skills to do it all, everything to setting a rack to running house wiring to wood working and plumbing and and and. Plus the time and interest to DIY it. Plus the lifestyle to deal with breakdowns and delayed trips; not having to hustle and worry about getting back home to work and school and the daily grind.
Everything else is going crazy up in prices. I watch the collectible car market and it is just insane. Yet, we sit here and hardly a peep, squeak, or a gavel banging out the announcement of a bus sold!
Not complaining in any way, just seems so odd like we don't exist beyond the
102" world within which we live.
People seem to snap up the older bus conversions made from new shells,the tour buses and highway coaches were taken out of service because revenue wouldn't cover the cost of maintaince so they put it out to pasture.
I get calls all the time wanting me to inspect a old bus it doesn't happen with me I am not going to tell anyone to buy a bus with 2 million miles on it,to many problems can popup.If you buy one you need to know how to work on it, because people are waiting on a sucker to take their cash
96"x 35' x 11'-4" here and enjoying it 42 years 3 months weather other buses sell or don't for less or more. I know one thing is for sure, the modified/converted 1966 VW Kombi Van I sold back in 73 to purchase a class C POS - the 66 would probably be worth at least 5 times what our current bus could bring. Do I fret over that, heck no. We grew & so did the conversion we have. Our motto - never throw in the towel & keep on keeping on... :^
Quote from: dtcerrato on July 12, 2021, 04:33:40 PM
96"x 35' x 11'-4" here and enjoying it 42 years 3 months weather other buses sell or don't for less or more. I know one thing is for sure, the modified/converted 1966 VW Kombi Van I sold back in 73 to purchase a class C POS - the 66 would probably be worth at least 5 times what our current bus could bring. Do I fret over that, heck no. We grew & so did the conversion we have. Our motto - never throw in the towel & keep on keeping on... :^
Some new owners are lacking the funds to complete the journey so the towel gets tossed
Fuel costs and affordable insurance, if available at all Are the biggest killers to this hobby. Plus the income level anymore put these out of reach for most. Most decent paying jobs have gone to China, Mexico, or elsewhere to support having a bus conversion.
Plus the electronic issues with the newer models, or lack of mechanics to repair the old 2 cycle coaches.
Doesnt help how many campgrounds have age of vehicle restrictions.
I see a lot of young people buying MCI Ds and other models, and building conversions on Facebook bus pages. They don't frequent old fashioned bulletin boards like this one.
Did the young couple that bought the bus in Tucson and drove 5 hours to Flagstaff before the engine blew find help yet JC she was looking last I heard
The idea of rebuilding a diesel engine is intimidating if you haven't either done it or seen it done. So that's a hurdle to get over somehow. My preference was to avoid it entirely by finding something that would not need to be rebuilt for a long time. Maybe longer than I would ever drive it. That's a pretty good challenge but possible, even within a budget. Not that I couldn't or am afraid of it, but added to the rest of the build it makes the whole prospect too long and expensive. So that was step one. Getting the wife on board was the next near impossibility but she's beginning to come around as the interior begins to take shape. Concepts of cost is another big deal. Doesn't really help to continually say deep pockets are a requirement I think, and not strictly true anyway. Yes there will be big expenses, notably when tires and batteries come due for example and those have to be planned for, but for $20K total it's possible to compete with a travel trailer I'd say. If you can do your own work.As for the mileage, stopping by the RV sales office and looking at a conversion van we were told it "would probably get about 8 miles a gallon". Wouldn't a DL3 compare favorably to that? Just asking as I have yet to drive mine off the property. I used to own a 4x4 that got 11mpg, so how much worse is 8?
We tend to hear the choice is between 2 strokes and integrated electronic controls but it really isn't. There is a sweet spot in between those with the '90's DL where you have the good series 60, the B500, and a minimum of electronics. Those are going out of service, the prices are right and the market is depressed. A good time to buy all in all as it won't last forever. I got my '96 for about $6500 delivered from Connecticut to KY and consider it a real bargain as it had a fresh engine. If I had to bail I could sell the engine for what I have in the entire rig so far. That makes a good platform to build from. It was not perfect of course but perfection is the enemy of good enough.
Jim
60 series are good engines they last a long time compared to the older 2 stroke engine.parts are cheaper for the 60 series now compared to a 8v92. Lol with the masks and CV-19 getting parts from a DD for the 8v92 you get on a waiting list or buy the offshore crap ,I still haven't gotten over the sticker shock for 2 camshafts for a 8v92 from DD
Opening the engine has always been project failure for a busnut, financially and effort wise.
Planning on doing an engine in the project borders on insanity.
Please pay your server now, no tabs allowed...
Happy coaching!
Buswarrior
BW so true that is what I get,they come in crates with parts missing
And big cardboard Boxes As i remember.... :)
Quote from: Dave5Cs on July 13, 2021, 01:35:36 PM
And big cardboard Boxes As i remember.... :)
That was a first Dave :^
I do see more activity on FB but still a sliver of the overall chat in the RV/van conversion world. Some activity better than none.
Quote from: windtrader on July 13, 2021, 02:44:06 PM
I do see more activity on FB but still a sliver of the overall chat in the RV/van conversion world. Some activity better than none.
99% of the buyers for buses on F/B are making the bus a home not for RVing or causal use
Quote from: luvrbus on July 13, 2021, 05:12:52 PM
99% of the buyers for buses on F/B are making the bus a home not for RVing or causal use
Very interesting. so it's more the tiny house fad that is looking at converting. I wonder how many old school busnuts trying to sell their bus have considered directing the sale of their bus conversion to this crowd? Surely, seems like a lot more potential there to find a buyer