After many talks with you guys here on list and many bus owners who are not on this list,I have decided I just can't afford to buy a bus conversion at this time.I'm finding more and more just how expensive it can be to own one.I have enjoyed talking to all of you and have learned a great deal. You are some of the nicest people around and very helpful.Thank-You for all you have done.
And by the way The Golden Eagle is now down to $39,000.and I know they will take $20,000.I really would like some one here to get her.I understand what is wrong with her is very fixable and not to much of a big deal.Not a lot of rust and engine looks real good.This is a tour bus though and not a coach.I'll stick around the rest of the night if anyone wants to say goodbye. Peabody
You should consider going to a bus rally b4 you give up. Even if that is your best decision, you'd have fun at the Arcadia party over New Year's.
Warm, fun, inexpensive, informative, warm, lively, fattening, warm, etc.. Did i mention warm? can you tell i'm from Ohio, the key state in national elections because we have no chads to hang?
really, i do understand the reluctance, but we are a fun group if you can get to Jack's party in Arcadia.
good luck! sorry to see you go, if you do. :( :( :(
Don't leave. You can still chime in from time to time. It seems like we are losing lots of contributors lately. I tune in daily just to see what's going on with everyone.
David
just because your not buying a bus rite now, from what ive read in your posts you are a CERTIFIED bus nut, stay around and learn ,so when your ready you will know what to look for and who you can call, fwiw, ken
:) ;) :D ;D >:( :( :o 8) ??? ::) :P :-[ :-X :-\ :-* :'( from all of us here please don't go,PLEEEZZZ!
And I even got rid of the bugs see?
Thank-You for getting rid of that bug wanted to squish it every time I saw it ;D :o ::) :P
And you betcha I'm definitely a certified bus nut,and if it is okay I'd love to stick around. Peabody
YAaaaaaahooooooooooo. 8)
Better to wait and see how it goes than to buy a bus and be stuck with it. Your opportunities to buy a bus may vastly improve in the near future.
Owning a bus (and any other large motorized plaything) is expensive. I dinked around with buying a bus for 10 years....and finally did. No regrets at all...not even while changing a blown tire two weeks ago. ;)
As for costs, the longer you keep the bus, the better the overall costs appear. If I'd bought a motorhome with half the amenities and size of my MC9, depreciation would have been more than the cost of the bus and conversion.
Stay connected to the board and see where your dreams go. And, as has been suggested, Jack's Arcadia bus rally is a great way to spend some winter days! I love bus rallys! ;D Be careful though, you may come away with a new 40' toy!
You don't have to own a bus to enjoy a rally. If you cannot make Arcadia, there are a good many smaller bus rallys around the country. You'll find bus conversion owners a friendly lot...and always waiting to show and talk buses!
Best, JR
qaurzite AZ,Early Jan 09 :o
I would encourage you not to make a sudden decision. Hang out here and keep asking questions to learn all that you can learn. It took me a year to find my bus. There are others here that have shopped longer than that.
There can be no argument that expensive things can go wrong with a bus conversion. That is why it is adviseable to shop very carefully and get a professional opinion of it before buying. But on the flip side of that coin, when the vital systems are in good condition, they will outlast you.
On the other hand if you get a 35-40' 5th wheel and a 350/3500 class pickup to pull it. Even a heavy duty unit like those model pickups will be taken to their limit if you put on the miles like it sounds like you want to. Every part of the drive train will age faster than normal. And you'll want to read the warranty very carefully to make sure it would be covered. And, unless the the trailer itself is "full time" rated, it may not endure either.
"Stick and staple" motorhomes are often an even worse gamble than the pickup/trailer. They are often severely underpowered for their weight resulting in very short lifespans for drivetrain components. It's not uncommon to see people getting engine overhauls at less than 50,000 miles with them.
So again, I encourage you to hang in there, shop carefully. Your busnut friends here are always willing to go look at a bus in their area to tell you if it is worth your expense of getting a closer look. From what you have told us, you have the time to be a very choosy shopper. Use that time well and find yourself a bus conversion that will hold up well for all your adventures.
But if you choose to go another direction anyway, I wish you well and maybe one day will see you at a campground somewhere.
Peabody
Hang in there,This is a family(some a little strange ::),and we all know who they are),hang around and and drive a virtual bus conversion ;), until the right one finds you.
You are always welcome.
Dwayne
You CAN'T QUIT!!!
You haven't been at it long enough!! ;D
We got our bus immediately after we started looking...... it only took about 3 years.
Hang around, you'll find something you like!
TOM
Peabody,
I kicked tires for about ten years before I found the right one, and I haven't regretted the decision to buy it for a minute. You just hang around with the rest of us nuts; there's nuthin' we can't rationalize!! LOL
Dennis
Peabody,
Don't give up on your dream. ;)
Hang around and have some fun with us and learn more as you go. ;D
The timing might not be right now, maybe that will change.
Hope to see you still asking questions and poking around,
Paul
Maybe look at buying something not converted and do some 'steel tenting' as you work on it. That is what most of us here are doing. There is enough experience and good helpful people on this forum that I think just about anyone can build a bus. I hope so or I am in trouble!
Either way, stay around. You don't have to own a bus to be here. You just have to love buses.
OK,OK,OK,I give up I'll stick around, love it here and really didn't want to leave.Plus I have to admit I do love them Eagles but I saw a Setra (spelling?)on-line that would make one awesome conversion.Shoot,wish I could afford the champagne that goes with my appetite,lol.Peabody
Quote from: Peabody on October 13, 2008, 08:44:15 PM
.... I saw a Setra (spelling?)on-line that would make one awesome conversion.Shoot,wish I could afford the champagne that goes with my appetite,lol.Peabody
You aren't alone there. Busted Knuckle is also a big Setra fan. And right about now I imagine he is wishing he could afford the champagne to go with that appetite as well. ;D
(In case you missed the story behind that about BK, http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=9824.0 (http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=9824.0)).
I haven't been able to follow your quest for a bus so I might be covering old ground. I didn't, and still don't, have the money to bus the way I envision I want to. But, I still found a way by buying a GM. I cannot think of an easier bus to start with and they are some of the least expensive buses out there. Where GMs ever on the radar? The 4104s are everywhere. Anyways, good luck, and you will only be wiser if you stay and continue to learn.
Peabody I hope what I told you about the bus didn't change your mind. You have an open invitation to come down to Kelso and see mine. It might get you revved up again and in the mood to own one. The Rickreal get together is the last part of June, you should try to make it. You can't ask for a friendlier group
of people to talk to about conversions. If you see me going down the highway you can't miss me, I'm that goofy looking guy with a grin from ear to ear. BUR
Don't worry , not just your opinion that swayed me,heck I have been told scarier stories,lol.The fact is we may have lost part of our retirement income due to this economy (the biggest part) we have to wait and see what happens. ::) Peabody
I did see that about BK.roflmao, talk about open mouth insert foot. Peabody
Quote from: Peabody on October 14, 2008, 05:22:41 AM
Don't worry , not just your opinion that swayed me,heck I have been told scarier stories,lol.The fact is we may have lost part of our retirement income due to this economy (the biggest part) we have to wait and see what happens. ::) Peabody
Well, hang in there. This economy is scary and uncertain. But when the stock market tanked in 1999, the advice for most (excluding those that actually had stock in the dot.com's) was to hold on to it. The worst time to sell is right after the drop. Then you take the loss with no chance of getting it back and somebody else benefits from the rebound. Unless there is probability that the company will fold, hang on to the deflated stock and wait for it to recover. It was good advice then, let's hope it is now.
Quote from: Peabody on October 13, 2008, 08:44:15 PM
OK,OK,OK,I give up I'll stick around, love it here and really didn't want to leave.Plus I have to admit I do love them Eagles but I saw a Setra (spelling?)on-line that would make one awesome conversion.Shoot,wish I could afford the champagne that goes with my appetite,lol.Peabody
YOU GO GIRL!
and yes you spelled it correctly!
Now just so happens I know where a Setra is that probably could be bought very reasonably! (last heard about sitting in a storage lot in Seattle? or near there, lost in the repo shuffle!) Get a hold of Mark, and ask him if he has tracked down his old one yet? It's got a 60 Series in it and Mark knows it inside and out! It would be a good start for you.
Also haven't heard from him in a while but "HarLee" here on the board lives in Sequim, WA and is converting a Setra! Also there is Paul Hastings in Belle Plain, MN & Wayne Stanford in MI converting Setra's ! Paul is doing an awesome job on building a slide out on his (I saw it personally last month!). And Wayne just sent me some pics of his upgrades recently too! Wow I tell ya when a person starts converting a Setra they get inspired to do some awesome stuff! I can't wait till I get a chance to start on one of mine!
Quote from: Songman
Maybe look at buying something not converted and do some 'steel tenting' as you work on it. That is what most of us here are doing. There is enough experience and good helpful people on this forum that I think just about anyone can build a bus. I hope so or I am in trouble!
Either way, stay around. You don't have to own a bus to be here. You just have to love buses.
When Songman says tenting he means it! He'd have to put a tent on the sides of his to have privacy! LOL! (sorry Dale I couldn't resist!)
http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=9767.0
Anyways stick around and enjoy this insanity! Oh yeah buying an economical GM is not a bad way to get started either, just remember
not to try towing that heavy trailer set up you have planed with it! LOL! ;D BK ;D
Bk his tent blew off on the way home ,he's sleeping under the stars LOL,sorry dale I could'nt help it either ::)van
Having a bus is not a requirement to be a member, just being interested, whether hardcore busnut or tossing it around in the back of your mind (definately something you want to think about first), all are welcome.
Now if they start a brain requirement ???, I 'll have to reconsider my membership ;D
i bought one already converted so i could get an rv loan from the credit union, no big out pocket expense, tax deduct like a house too,
plenty to fix but i use it now instead of waitng for me to get done
good luck and keep us posted.
Yeah, yeah, yeah... you guys! I may just leave the slides off an sleep in the nice carpeted bays!
I showed someone else the pics of it going down the road like that. And to my surprise their response was "what hasn't that eagle owner earned his feathers yet?" LOL! ;D BK ;D
Now that right there is funny! haha
Moulting season. ;)
LOL
Burglary,he was robbed while he slept,or maybe tornado blew his feathers off.lol Peabody