GOSH, I WISH THAT I WEREN'T SO DUMB......Florida bus again.

[ros]

http://lakeland.craigslist.org/search/sss?sort=rel&query=eagle+bus

You should post photos of the rest of the bus. I'm really curious. Especially after seeing these bay photos with regard to the comments you made about my friend's MC9.

[ros]

Robert,

I have already talked with the owner. 

Are you going to try to buy the bus?

Ros

It will prob be pulled or said sold (Prevost) Worth more than that if a runner. Heck I'd buy it just to have extra.. I will wait till monday to ck on it. I have a bus..  Parts are avail from prevost. with a super support system.  Can hear my wife!   Bob

[ros]

Hi, Gumpy.

I can't see that bus because I just joined after seeing your post and my membership is pending.

Can you copy and paste a bit about it in p.m. to me?


Thanks

Ros

Here's one you might want to look at, too.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/convertedbusowners/permalink/752554818113843/

[ros]

Hi, John and thank you for your opinion, too.

Here is the c.l. advertisement. 

http://lakeland.craigslist.org/search/sss?sort=rel&query=eagle+bus

I wonder if you are condemning the entire bus because of just a few pictures?

Nevertheless, I am passing on the bus due to the opinions expressed here and the other board.

It is very good to know that others are voicing their opinions whatever they may be.

Ros

Ros,

I am not an Eagle fan, but that particular one looks terrible! I wouldn't touch it with a 10ft pole.

Here's to hoping you find the perfect one

John

[luvrbus]

ROS, a wise choice passing on that Eagle IMO it would be nothing but a problem without the bogie Eagle made a 2 axle 40ft but the suspension is different

[ros]

Thanks, Clifford.  Including your valuable opinion, too many others expressed their opinion to pass on it, as well.

I sure hope that I can get this other bus on the 'bay.

Someone sent a lead on a buffalo but it was only 35 feet.

You never did say if you know Duane in Tennessee.


Ros

ROS, a wise choice passing on that Eagle IMO it would be nothing but a problem without the bogie Eagle made a 2 axle 40ft but the suspension is different

[robertglines1]

Ros; I would appreciate a note if you decide to pass on the Prevost. Not going to muddy waters on any possible deal.  I have owned 3 XL's and have allot of parts and accumulated experience with them. Plan on 4 1/2 to 5mpg without mods.  They are tuff. Might drive 5 ft or last another 200,000 miles. Would be worth a air line ticket to find out.  Plus with the factory hitch they are designed to pull good size trailers. That looks like a 10,000 lb hitch.(standard equip) 20,000 lb was available. Bob

[ros]

Thank  you, Robert and for that, you can count on me sending you a p.m. about it.

I really appreciate your having bowed out depending on how I fare.  That is very noble of you.

This really would be my perfect bus and I hope that I can swing it.  I wonder what McDonalds is paying nowadays.  Bye bye to the house, the utilities, the house insurance, the exorbitant taxes for this resort town, the phone bills, the water bills, all of the upkeep for the house and grounds, field mice traps, the INSANE electrical bills, the fuel to go into town to get groceries from out in the country, fence mending and painting, house painting, the mowing of grass and tending to and trimming of thousands of trees, the septic tank emptying charges, no more mortgage payments that I can't pay and the worry of being evicted at any day and strangling a partridge in a pear tree.  Oh, how I will miss it all when I get a bus.  

I still have too many naysayers about me getting a bus.  As I have said umpteen times before, I don't have a VIABLE choice.

I think that the various boards that I constantly post to, ask questions of and about buses and all manner of other stuff while pestering folks with private messages, asking them to explain this or that, should really chip in and make up the difference to what I can afford, just so they could get  some peace and quiet.  Hah.

Oh, I had better make sure that folks know that I am kidding.  Too many have taken me seriously.
I got myself into this jam and I will get myself out of it; no help needed except plenty of advice.



Christmas is coming and by then I hope to have a rig before that but I could swing a bell and have a kettle saying BUS FUND.

Ros; I would appreciate a note if you decide to pass on the Prevost. Not going to muddy waters on any possible deal.  I have owned 3 XL's and have allot of parts and accumulated experience with them. Plan on 4 1/2 to 5mpg without mods.  They are tuff. Might drive 5 ft or last another 200,000 miles. Would be worth a air line ticket to find out.  Plus with the factory hitch they are designed to pull good size trailers. That looks like a 10,000 lb hitch.(standard equip) 20,000 lb was available. Bob

[muldoonman]

Ros, what part of Texas you live in?

[ros]

Hi, Muldoon.

I live in Salado, TX in Bell County.  Not too far from you in Fayette Country.

Why do you ask?

Ros

Ros, what part of Texas you live in?

[Oonrahnjay]

...  This really would be my perfect bus and I hope that I can swing it.  I wonder what McDonalds is paying nowadays.  Bye bye to the house, the utilities, the house insurance, the exorbitant taxes for this resort town, the phone bills, the water bills, all of the upkeep for the house and grounds, field mice traps, the INSANE electrical bills, the fuel to go into town to get groceries from out in the country, fence mending and painting, house painting, the mowing of grass and tending to and trimming of thousands of trees, the septic tank emptying charges, no more mortgage payments that I can't pay and the worry of being evicted at any day and strangling a partridge in a pear tree.  Oh, how I will miss it all when I get a bus.  

I still have too many naysayers about me getting a bus.  As I have said umpteen times before, I don't have a VIABLE choice. ..   

       OK, this is serious.  I understand.  And I DO NOT want to seem a naysayer, but if you're in a critical life situation, you should be thinking about all the details.   

       First, let's talk about a little context here.  Some people here are full-timers with enough resources that they don't have to stick to a tight budget, others are full-timers who DO have to stick to a tight budget, others have a bus/coach conversion that they use for business purposes ("entertainers", temp relocations for short/medium term work contracts, and there are others of us (of all financial conditions) for whom bus ownership is basically a toy.  We will all have different points of view on things.

       There will be people here who can help with tips for simple fulltime living on a budget.  And that's just fine.  But I think that you should be aware of the fact that there are some challenges that bus owners face.  There is always the issue of parking; sometimes you can lease a quiet place (local codes and restrictions sometimes make this difficult) but day-to-day can be a challenge.  Local and state parks often have a limit to the number of consecutive days or the number of days in a week or month.  And there's the issue of hookups -- a person *can* live full-time boondocking but it is so much more convenient and simpler to live in a place or have a place available that provides "shore power", water and sewer.  And parking and utilities can be expensive.  And you mention driving to the grocery store -- many places to fulltime in a bus are not really convenient to shopping, doctor's appointments (sometimes important for us old people), work, etc.  And you mention a situation with a resort county; those are often the most bus-un-friendly.

        Now, none of this is a stopper.  Many people have successfully dealt with these issues and managed to live on less than the whole property-owning, tax-paying, yard-mowing scene.  But if I were you and I were facing a critical situation, I'd investigate the cost of parking -- in places that were "boondocking" (not forgetting the making your own electricity is usually a good bit more expensive than buying it from the electric company), places with hookups, a budget for utilities, and a reserve for making bus repairs and upgrades.  Also, if you intend to move around, you have to factor in bus fuel and maintenance costs -- and NOTHING about this is cheap!

        Not saying that this is a bad idea but be aware of what you're facing going in.

        On the other hand, things can be done at a lower cost.  I recently spent a week on my bus plugged into a 15A socket - put a "Kill-o-watt" meter on it set to "K-watt cost".  It showed that I'd used less than $1.50 of the local power rates.  Now, that's *everything* in my favor.  I started with 95% batteries, I had no heating or air conditioning costs (mid-summer and mid-winter would be WAY different), was running a 12V fridge, and had only one person on the bus and had no sewer hookup so I wasn't running the water heater on the bus.  But it shows a "low variable".    Taxes on a bus will be way lower than a house and property.   You'll live smaller and that helps.  Do you have family or other people sharing the bus?  That will make a difference.  And being long-term unemployed, I can tell you that being free from having to live near a job, the costs of getting back and forth, the "daily costs" of working, etc. can make an un-attached life style life style cheaper -- or at least balance off some of the costs.

        And one other final note, the costs of finishing or modifying the conversion of a bus can be high.  Same for repairs if the bus isn't in good mechanical shape when you buy it.  What you buy, where you buy it, info on the weak points on a particular bus type, the quality of the inspection before you buy, the layout and equipment on the bus can all have an effect on the overall cost of owning it over the longer term (or even the shorter term).  And, don't forget, if you're "living near the bone", a major bus failure can wreck your finances.  For instance, a major engine failure (rare but not unheard of) can basically total a low-cost/low-value bus;  If you don't have the $15 - $18 -$20 - $25,000 to replace an engine, you basically lose your home.  All this is to say that in the condition of buying a bus to live at a lower cost, one must be very careful what you buy. 

        So, definitely not a nay-sayer here.  But I urge you to be aware of the realities of living in a bus and making plans to cover the costs and quirks.  Good luck!  And don't forget that many of us who fulltime or "mosttime" on buses love it!  Go for it, if it fits you -- but be aware and do it like a business proposition.

[lvmci]

Hi Bruce, very concise and encompassing,  ros, the basic form is tin can camping, the high end has no limits on luxury, lvmci...

[luvrbus]

I do hope this one works for you the Prevost are good buses I know the Prevost people don't like the word RUST but that model will rust around the windows ,rear bay and engine compartment so have someone like ACE check it for you he knows where they rust, if the floor feels soft in the rear that is a good sign of rust BTDT and no I don't know the guy in TN

good luck  

[John316]

Ros,

I think I was looking at the wrong bus. Most of my comments still apply, but I think this is the one you are looking at. http://tampa.craigslist.org/hdo/rvs/4769643724.html I still would not get it!

I have only been around buses for seven years, so a newby by most standards. However, in that time I have learned a few things.

I wouldn't go near that bus for several reasons. First is, it is old, if I am looking at the right one. Where are you planning on getting parts for it? I just talked to an eagle owner who was lamenting how tough parts were to find. Even with our MCI, I could order almost any part, straight from the factory.

And then you have to keep it running. We could probably place a pool on how long we think the engine will last. Then there is the dropbox. I wonder how it has been cared for? What about the suspension? Tires?

The list is endless.

I have found, that the older it is, the more you need to put in it to keep it running. If it was me, I would try for that Prevost. Looks a lot better to me.

FWIW

John

[luvrbus]

A little birdie told me the Prevost in FL has a weak engine so check it out it was blowing a little water out the right side air box drain when he looked at it, could be just condensation from setting or could be another problem needs to be driven for 40 or 50 miles