Giving up the bus dream

[Sam 4106]

Some of us, me, have had to give up our bus project. It wasn't the end of the world, although it may have seemed like it at the time. I understand the frustration of having to throw in the towel. We still had a useable bus after giving up on our project and thought we would have to give that up as well. Three years after selling our project bus we found our current bus by coincidence. We bought it and with my wife doing more of the driving than me we continue to bus. An added benefit to our current bus is that it gives me something to work on when I'm able. It may not be as satisfying as doing one from scratch would have been, but you do what you have to do sometimes. So Brian, if you have actually given up your bus dream, for now, it doesn't mean you have given up busing forever. You will eventually get over the disappointment and move forward.
Good luck, Sam MC8

[belfert]

I finally got my bus over to C&J Bus Repair today to get my yearly oil change and service.  I was supposed to be there Thursday and changed to Friday a few days ago and was still an hour and a half late.  I was up at 6 am finishing the last few things to make the bus driveable.  It still is not ready for a 4,00 mile trip quite yet.

I burned up a lot of midnight oil this week getting everything put back together.  I was totally stressed out Monday and Tuesday.

I'm still thinking about selling the bus even though it looks like I will be going on my trip.  I'll have to talk to my friends when we get back to see what their thoughts are.  At a minimum I'm going to park my bus when I get home and not touch it at all next summer except to use it.  (I've been thinking about this for a few weeks already.)

I still do need to get a trailer brake controller installed this weekend, but the weather is supposed to be decent enough to get that done.

[bobofthenorth]

I guess if you didn't want advice Brian you wouldn't have made the initial posting.  FWIW my opinion is you should use it and enjoy it.  There's a list a mile long of things I'd like to do to the frenchy-bus but nothing other than ongoing maintenance is a MUST DO item.  I have the utmost respect for those people, some of them on this forum and some of them elsewhere, who have the tenacity to actually build a bus from scratch.  I respect them but no way in hell do I want to be them.  We bought our bus "completed" which still left me lots of room to do things.  I absolutely love puttering when I don't have a deadline.  I don't even particularly mind time sensitive repairs or maintenance but it would drive me nuts to see a nice day going by while I was completing a project that had gone way over schedule.  I can understand your frustration but I think the cure for it is to use the bus.

[Ace]

Brian a word of caution and or advice. If you think you have issues with your bus now, and then you decide to let it sit without touching it you will have more problems you will ever know. Use the bus finished or not. DON'T let it sit!

[edvanland]

We started out on our anual two weeks to lake powell on Labor day and 50 miles from home blew the engine. Call AAA and they towed the bus to Geoff house. We then loaded a lot of stuff out of the bus and went on to lake powell. Had already pulled our 24 trailer there so we sent Teusday conveting the trailer into a camper we then proceded on having a ball with friends and family. Yes in case you are wandering the bus overheated. No where to pull off on I 17 so it was one of those aw@#@@#@ times.
Never give up on a dream because as we get older that is what we have to live for. I don't want to leave this earth till I have done everything I ever wanted to do.
ED

[Van]

Tough break Ed, sorry to hear this, been there done that, got the t-shirt, hope it is not as bad as you describe. We were just in the area yesterday. Best of luck to both of you fellas. Van

[boxcarOkie]

Often the best course of action ... is no action.  When things got me down, I would just "walk away from it" for a little while, it is after all, still going to be there tomorrow.

If you sell it and then change your mind ... then what?

BCO