Looking for rolling home

[Legacy]

My family, my wife, and two children are in search of a bus to make our rolling home.  We are a traveling ministry and travel the USA preaching and teaching, helping with event, or just fellowship.  We are in the Phoenix area for a time and have a bus in the Nashville area that we are looking at.  We need advice and to know if this is the right bus for us.  We would also like to come and see buses, talk with owners, and get all the info we can.  We pray each day for God to lead us to our rolling home.  If you can help us, please contact here and if you would like to learn more about what God has placed before us, please ask for our website.

[Utahclaimjumper]

 For your usage you will be better off going to a conventional motorhome, when on the road  alot from place to place, you will often need professional repairs made enroute, its getting more difficult to find experienced repairmen that even have a passing knowledge of 50 year old busses, two stroke engines, 50 year old transmissions, and home brew "systems"..
With a family of four you will also benefit having at least one slide out for livable space..
Reasonable deals can still be had on the E place and if needed you can also find lenders that will work with you in whole or part, tough to do with a 50 year old "bus" conversion that some previous owner butchered "his way"..>>>Dan

[TomC]

Dan is right-only use a bus with a 4 stroke inline 6 engine. Good Luck, TomC

[John316]

I told this to Daniel in a PM, but here is a brief summary.

A bus sounds like a very nice idea. However, make sure you are prepared to spend on it. I have told this "reality check" to just about everybody who says that they are looking at a bus.

Buses can cost a lot. Parts CAN be VERY hard to find. Parts usually cost a LOT. It would help all of us here, if you can tell us your budget. What is your bus budget, and what is your repair budget? The newer the bus, the better off you will be, in my opinion. Personally, I would purchase a bus any older than ours, if you travel on a schedule. We have a 1995 MCI DL3, and we can get just about any part overnighted to us, if we need.

Next go around, we will be looking very seriously at a semi camper (toterhome, etc).

You will also, in my opinion, want to stay with a modern engine like TomC said.

Go with what you feel is best, and go full steam.

God bless,

John

[TheHollands!]

We are in a similar living situation as Daniel and his family. The reason I went for a bus was because we live in it year round, the interior can take a better pounding than the lightweight RV interior. We also haul decent amount of PA equipment and other heavy stuff that I didn't feel the Rv's were built to deal with. Regardless of what type of vehicle you buy, when you live in it fulltime maintenance and fuel costs are always going to have to be considered.
Craig

[Geoff]

How did I know this thread was going to be a traveling ministry before I read the second line?  Anybody else have the same feeling?  Not knocking anyone, just 15 or so years on this board.

--Geoff

[wg4t50]

Geoff,
Funny, I had the same thought, maybe due to this past Saturday at the local Lowes store, there were two fine looking coachs, One was a 2003 40' upper end Foretravel towing an enclosed trailer, the other was a late model 45' MCI 102DL3 with the DDC 60 engine, all with new Michelin tires. I thought they were a couple RV folks, turned out they were a traveling minstray out of Goshin Indiana.  A problem on the MCI, the heavy belt running the A/C compressor had worn thru the stainless steel air line that controlled the air pressure on the A/C Belt tensioner, clueless, so I offered a simple quick fix, no they decided to wrap tape around the hole in the air line.  I knew it was time to leave.  Just was amazed how well the traveling minstray seem to live.

[eagle19952]

sounds to me like the only 3 or 4 coaches worth owning are the ones owned by the posters to this thread.....why are you even here ?

[wg4t50]

eagle19952,
Seems we are not alone here are we ?  What is to complain about ?
I like my coach, I assume you like yours.

[robertglines1]

I'll  venture out. Late 90's XL Prevost Liberty-Country Coach-Marathon. 60 series pre egr engine this way this year set.= better fuel mileage.  Plenty of deals out there in this depressed market and great Prevost facilities all over the country for the guys that can't do it their selves...  deals under 100 grand. or much less if you really have $$$ in hand.  Give us a budget!

[Scott & Heather]

$35,000 and you can have ours 

[bansil]

There are lots of revivals and such here where we live, I am constantly in Awe at the 45 foot MH's with color matched trailers at them...amazing

[wagwar]

If you want to learn about buses, see bus conversions, meet bus people you should plan to attend the Bus Rally in Arcadia, FL this year. You'll learn and see more in three days than you can acquire in a year of online 'shopping'. There will also be buses for sale. The rally begins a few days after Christmas and runs through New Years Day.

[RickB]

Geoff,

Sometimes it's probably better to walk away from your computer before you type that kind of stuff.

They're new here. (Probably not for long now) and there's no way on God's green earth that kind of post be construed as "Not trying to knock someone".

Of course I could say I knew when I saw the person's name that posted that kind of remark it didn't surprise me either. Anybody else have the same feeling? Not knocking anyone just 10 years or so on the board...
As a smart, talented mechanic I can't imagine that feels very good to read that. Well, imagine if you just walked in the door.

Having been in ministry, and with my own share of questions regarding "Christian" behavior, I have disagreements with folks in ministry but not on a bus blog.

I am halfway out the door of this blog and I'm sure there are folks here that would like to see me all the way gone from here. Soon, guys, soon.

Rick

[bevans6]

I'd be happier if what we each did for a living wasn't front and central to a discussion about a bus.  I have nothing for ministries, but I have nothing against them either, it's just irrelevant to the question of living in a bus.  When I see someone leading the discussion with an advertisement for their business, I question the motive.

Brian