What bus to start with

[ltcinfantry]

My build is the "Red Bus" thread in the Projects forum. With your budget and skills, a 5 year build schedule would be reasonable, start to finish. Spending a year just finding the right bus will pay off handsomely in the long run but even then you might not find exactly what you are looking for. Buying a conversion and remodeling to meet your own needs is well within your budgetary limits and will save a lot of time, even with rather extensive remodeling. Make the right purchase and the driveline rebuild becomes unnecessary, freeing up cash for other niceties such as leveling jacks or a primo interior.

The mid to late 90's MCI is probably going to be your best bang for the buck but you also might find a nice Prevost in your range. Look for the 60 series 4 stroke and the Allison B500. 102 width gives a bigger living space than you might expect. 40 and 35 footers are much harder to find and expensive when you do. The 45 has more baggage space and room for larger tanks. It can make a very luxo rig because of that. Having driven semi's I doubt you'd have much of an issue with the extra length. They are more common and considerably less expensive as a general thing. So the real job ahead of you is to figure out what will work the best for you. The difference in usable baggage space between a 35 and a 45 is quite simply enormous. Likewise inside. Probably the 40 is the best balance, if you can find one without making too many compromises.

Speaking of which, one thing the longer bus lets you do is keep more of the existing systems just because you have the room to do it. Like the HVAC system. It makes perfect sense that the shorter bus owners remove those and install a mini-split for instance, especially in the narrower buses. It frees up basement space primarily, which is at a premium, all other considerations aside. But there can be advantages to keeping it. The smaller the bus is, the more critical it is that everything have it's place and be kept there, and that space is carefully apportioned and eked out on a most needed basis. This becomes much more flexible with a larger bus. For instance, rather than using a miniature washer/dryer setup there is room for the full sized appliances should you want that. A roomy kitchen, bath and bedroom are very real possibilities, and you can escape from the impression of being cramped pretty easily. So in the end it's all a matter of what you want and it takes awhile to decide just which priorities should take precedence.

As for the build or buy question, that largely depends on whether or not you can get the features you want in a completed conversion. The vast majority are going to have 2 stroke engines. If you are OK with that it broadens your choices tremendously. If not, it narrows them. That part is simple enough but the same approach applies to every other feature. By the time you have your feature list worked out you will have narrowed your potential candidates to a small list and can then start shopping. It may be that you will find just what you want at a price you can afford to pay and it's job done. It may be that you will never find everything that you have decided that you must insist on and you will have to build. Or anywhere in between. That's where the fun begins.

Jim

Thanks for the insight Jim. Much to think about. It comes down to what we wanna sacrifice I think. Going for 45 footer gives us all the space in the world, but will limit us in site selection for RVs and of course become somewhat of a maneuvering challenge. going for a 30 or 35 footer obviously makes it easier to maneuver and more options for RV parks and such but we lose space which may change our amenities that we want. We looked into buying a straight up used class A, but really don't like the quality and look of cabinets and furniture. My wife is very particular when it comes to interior design I appreciate. I am of course more concerned about. Structural integrity and having the space in the basement to do what we need to for plumbing, HVAC and electrical. It appears so far the MCI is the staple starter bus but wanted to make sure we explored all options. Lots of time to work with, so no hurry, thanks again John

[Lee Bradley]

For layout, decide if you want center or side isle. Everything works from there. The 'new' buses have enough height for either. I have a side isle converted Colorado built Neoplan, all U.S. running gear.

[ltcinfantry]

Lee, good thought. Really hadn't considered a side aisle versus a center aisle. Like a boat or an airplane. I was concerned with balance, so as to not overload one side or the other.

[windtrader]

Thanks for more details about yourself. With a rather healthy budget of 80-100, I STRONGLY feel you need to find one already done. I wish I had that to play with because you can fine one FINE conversion in great shape.
Will it have the specific indoor style color palette, fabric choices, brands of appliances, etc. NO. Will it be super well kept, maybe even stored indoor its whole life and pampered. Will the running gear be in top shape, likely. If stored in an indoor climate controlled place, you can bet all maintenaice was 100% too.
Big benefit is getting on the road in style the day after you get the keys and have a super time years ahead of DIY. You can for sure make it yours over time, changing and updating interior to your tastes.

And given the manner and places you wish to visit, getting the smallest to fit where you want to go is best. In CA, I think they are even down to 24' or some nonsense. Personally, 40' is the sweet spot between 35 and 45.
There are many places to search for a gem. If you need soe tips there, just ask.
Last thing is timing. Since you are willing to defer road trips for at least a year or two, you have time to search for a sweet converted bus. I'm new here, like 5 years, but others who have been through more major recessions and fuel spikes can probably agree, these monster that suck gulp gallons of diesel get on the block more than less. I suspect over the next year the deals will only grow better, so time is on your side.
Oh, you mentioned having a pretty good hands on experience with vehicles. Do you lave doing that? Or is it more a chore than fun? I have enough skills to tackle some bus jobs, but i'll admint I rather do something other than getting all greased up and grimy crawing under a bus, banging my knucles from slipped wrenches, rubbing grease balls falling on my face and in my hair. i LOVE my already converted and super condition bus. best decision i ever made. Got lots of support here back then because like most who come knocking with dreams of a DIY project.

[ltcinfantry]

Windtrader, that's some good food for thought with an option to buy already converted. Problem is, I absolutely love wrenching on vehicles, building stuff and solving problems. Love a good "project" to work on. We'll see. I may dig into this and find I'm over my head.

[Van]

ltc, check your message inbox here on the board, sent you a PM.😉

[lvmci]

As for a side or center hall, if your 6' and over, side isle may not be for you. They all have curved sides, center isle is best for roof ACs, as drains and compressors work best on the flat area in the center. All MCIs from the "C" on have raised roofs, so not as big of an issue.
Since you live in Florida and it's mostly flat land, an 8V92 2 stroke, heating up climbing mountains isn't as big of a problem as living in mountainous southwest.

[Jim Blackwood]

It is an almost absolute guarantee that you will get nicer cabinetry in a bus that came from one of the big name converters and this translates into a nicer and professionally finished interior. Of course it may not be what you want so there's the question of can you live with it. Somebody liked it, but it might be more for show than go. OTOH if you love cabinetry work that part gets much easier, but it is very difficult (but by no means impossible) for an amateur to pull off a professional cabinetry job. So if perfection is a goal keep that in mind.

Of course there is a trade off. You may find the functional parts of the conversion are not up to your standards. Unfortunately RVs and campers in general have not enjoyed very high standards in construction. Bus conversions tend to be a cut above but they still suffered from shortcuts if you look in the right places. Does it matter? Maybe, maybe not. That's up to you. But due diligence is needed to verify how everything was done, particularly the electrical and plumbing. I met a fellow last weekend who had been killed because he plugged in an extension cord wrong, so don't let that be you.

Jim

[luvrbus]

Drive a 45 ft MCI D you will be surprised how well they do in tight spaces ,I watched Phil Lyons leave the Caverns Sunday in his DL3 and it was tight 

[lostagain]

You must also consider the high end class As. We love our Country Coach. High quality. And this is after a life time of MCIs.

JC

[luvrbus]

You must also consider the high end class As. We love our Country Coach. High quality. And this is after a life time of MCIs.

JC

I love my CC too since Van is getting the HVAC system worked out, a friggn  $889,000.00 RV when new with a mickey mouse T stat to control the AC,heat pumps a the Aqua hot,I got my new Mirco-Air T Stat JC if you want the RV Confort T Stat for a spare it is less than a year old ,Like JC said you would love the HP of higher end coaches with 600 to 650 hp they don't even break a sweat and get good fuel mileage too.Don't over look Blue Bird they have some unique floor plan and are a good bus, plus they can be found with Cummins,Cat and the series 60 engines and the length can vary from 40 to 45 ft with lengths in-between, just don't look at the older froward engine models     

[Van]

I love my CC too since Van is getting the HVAC system worked out, a friggn  $889,000.00 RV when new with a mickey mouse T stat to control the AC,heat pumps a the Aqua hot,I got my new Mirco-Air T Stat JC if you want the RV Confort T Stat for a spare it is less than a year old ,Like JC said you would love the HP of higher end coaches with 600 to 650 hp they don't even break a sweat and get good fuel mileage too

We better get busy then Clifford,  there's at least another week and a half of this "Hot as Balls" weather lol! I guess Fall musta been canceled this year.

[luvrbus]

We better get busy then Clifford,  there's at least another week and a half of this "Hot as Balls" weather lol! I guess Fall musta been canceled this year.

I came down the hill from Golden Shores to Lauglin and said to my self $#!% I am smarter than this back to Flag would be better for me 

[epretot]

Come on!  You guys are suggesting an already converted bus?

Where is the fun in that?

If I can do it, anyone can.

[Glennman]

I am partial to the 2002 MCI D4500 because I have one that I'm converting. However, I have to agree with some on this board that a late 90's model would be better (like Jim Blackwood's bus). I have the module electrical system in lieu of a bunch of standard wires going from front to rear. The modules are pretty complicated and are fed by 8 pair computer style cables in lieu of a whole bunch of wires. However, I think I would rather have the standard wire system as the modules come with a level of complexity. I do not have an EGR, but I do have the 12.7-liter Series 60 and Allison B500. It's a real nice bus to convert. I like the 45 foot bus as the bays have some exterior wall area beyond the doors that is nice for installing things where a door is otherwise the same width as the bay. I have my tank outlet coming right out the side of the bus, and I do not have to run the drain hose through the open bay door, or up through a hole in the floor. I also have my 50 amp inlet mounted right on the side of the bus next to the bay door thanks to the extra wall area. I personally like the style of the E or J series (I don't recall which is which) as they have (I believe) the spiral entry stairs and a fancier looking exterior. The D series is a little more "utility" looking and is a work horse. I had to change out the double doors with a sedan door and I did not have a rear restroom (I hear those are a real pain to remove). You can follow my build on YouTube under 'Glennman' (a shameful plug for myself). Whichever you choose, have a great time. I think I enjoy building the bus more than I will using it, but it is a lot of fun to drive around. The 45 foot is not a problem at all for me, but as some have mentioned, it may be an issue with some parks. I am building mine to boondock for the most part, but... we'll see.