I had to comment on this old thread

[BigDougInOregon]

When you bought your bus, how far did you drive it to bring it home?

I read this old thread and started laughing at some of the responses and especially when I started thinking about what my ultimate answer *may* be for how long and how much trouble I went through to get my bus home.  Once I *have* an answer, I can't wait to post it.  lol.

Doug

[scanzel]

I drove my ebay purchased bus from Reno Nevada to Berlin Connecticut, it took four days and about 2800 miles.

[WEC4104]

To save some folks the search, hopefully the link below will take you the the specific thread.  Some classic reads...

http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=3707.0

[Paladin]

I drove my ebay purchased bus from Reno Nevada to Berlin Connecticut, it took four days and about 2800 miles.

Did you buy it from that dealer in Reno who was selling used buses on Ebay? If so, how did it go?
I bid on one but not too seriously.

[NJT5047]

I drove my ebay purchased bus from Reno Nevada to Berlin Connecticut, it took four days and about 2800 miles.

You got cohones!   There isn't enough Zanax in the world to get me to drive an unknown bus that far. 
Not a bus that I could afford anyway...
I have these visions of towing that sucker 2750 miles! 
Everyone should own at least one bus.  It's really the only way to travel!  I'd move into ours in a minute...T ain't so inclined.   So we don't. 
Cheers, JR




 

[ilyafish]

Flew out to St Louis with another guy from the bad, had a friend pick us up and drive us 2 hours to where the bus was, picked it up, spent a day with the PO and had him teach us how to drive it, and show all the basic maintenance stuff and so forth.  then me and the other guy from my band drove just over 1000 miles (30 hours) straight, tag teaming the driving....i would drive, he would sleep, then i would sleep and he would drive.  absolutely not one problem going home.  definately a huge help in my confidence when it came to driving it.  i had knots in my stomach the first time i sat at the wheel....it can be intimidating!

now, 6 months later, 2 of the previous owners (a band owned it before us) moved to new jersey and joined our band haha.  so its comforting to now that on our next tour we have 4 guys who have driven the bus many times, 2 of them being more familiar with it than i am.

[cody]

I accidentally forgot to mention that I was going to buy a bus to libby, I went and looked at it, taking a friend along that works as a mechanic at a bus charter company, he crawled under, over and around it for an endless amount to time, or soo it seemed, then he looked at me and gave me the thumbs up.  I bought it and on the way home called my wife to ask her to move the truck to the side of the driveway, she asked why, I told her, remember how I've always wanted a bus? she said yep, I said I'm about 5 miles out, bringing one in lol.  When I pulled into the yard, she actually walked out without a gun so I took that as a good sign, her first words were as she looked into the open door was, 'couldn't you have at least bought one with a floor?' she was looking straight down at the ground lol, no floor, but I only had to drive it about 300 miles.

[Ed Hackenbruch]

Bought our bus on ebay in Dallas. Never driven one before but have run construction equipment including off road haul trucks and water trucks for thirty years so the size did not intimidate me. Took less than 100 miles to be comfortable with it. Drove 1100 miles in 2 days to home which at that time was Strawberry Az.

[steve5B]

    Bought my bus in Vancover, BC down to Port Orchard, Wa. on to Indianapolis, Indiana.  WOW! what an experience

    it was.  Never have driven a bus and not to mention the mountains between there and here!


    Steve 5B........

[HighTechRedneck]

Bought mine via ebay from a charter operator.  Drove it from Seattle, WA home to Chattanooga, TN.  About 2700 miles as I recall.

[Dreamscape]

I bought ours on eBay. I was living in Burbank CA at the time, 2003. Couldn't believe I won the bid! Upon my arrival, with my daughter, the owner said "Look her over and if you don't like it you don't have to". He was a very honest guy and showed me everything he could think of.

On the way from Columbus Ohio to Burbank (1800 miles) I had the best time! I had driven school buses but this was totally different, one thing was it was MINE.

It has been a great experience, wish I would have bought one about 20 years ago though.

When I met my wife she said "Oh an Entertainer huh?" She married into it and is really liking the adventure. At least I think she is.

If I was interested in doing another coach you might see me in the divorce court though! I think is my first and my last, don't have too many more years to enjoy it before I get too old to.

It's been quite a ride!

~Paul~

[BG6]

When you bought your bus, how far did you drive it to bring it home?

One of the guys interested in the 4903 that I'm selling is considering driving it home to Florida after picking it up here in the San Francisco area.  That's probably going to be close to the record, if he buys it.

Since I put it on Craigslist, I've had emails from all over the US, but he's the most distant.

One guy who wrote me last week decided to buy something else (skoolie or transit) sight unseen, wrote me this morning asking if I would take it in trade (not on a dare!).  He has to drive it from Los Angeles to Omaha.

[Jriddle]

I also bought our bus on EBay. I had been looking at buying a bus from the GOV. out of Idaho. They had two different auctions and I didn't have enough guts to bid high enough. I lost the bid in the second auction and started to look on EBay. I think I had too much to drink on night and bid $6000 for a bus in Bend OR. I didn't bid enough to meet the reserve price. The next morning I was out bid and they didn't hit the reserve either. About a week later I got an email saying the seller had removed the reserve and I would need to bid again if I wanted the bus. Now I made contact with seller but he didn't know much about the bus as he was selling for someone else. Time was running out in the auction and I think I had more than enough to drink again ( see a pattern here LOL) and bid one more time for $6500. I was the high bidder at $6200 with one day left in auction. Well the auction ended with me being the highest bidder. Now panic set in. I had thoughts as what the H did I get myself into. About a week later My wife, daughter, one year old grandson and I headed to Bend from Wells NV along the way I hit a coyote with the car at seventy miles an hour. That didn't do much good for the front of my car. We keep going. The temp was around 10 below f and I have to say I was suffering from a lot of anxiety. When we got there and I saw the bus I could not believe how good the bus looked. I drove to Burns OR the first day and on to Wells the next without any problems except one of the monitors that had been wired wrong started to smoke, over 400 miles. Best thing I have bought sight unseen.

[Tom Y]

Doug, Some of us may have gotten lucky making it home. I flew into Pheonix AZ around noon. Looked over the bus paid for it, visited some family for a few hours. I left at 9pm drove till I got tired. I was home in Pa on Sunday afternoon. After I got home I found missing and loose drive flange bolts and other problems.
  Many of us could have been in your shoes. I have learned a little about busses since then, mostly from this board. Hoping things work out for you. I would look at flying in and making a run for home. Keep it full of fluids and baby it.  Good Luck  Tom Y

[Paladin]

After looking pretty much all over the country though mostly in the west I finally found mine and drove it about 7 miles home. I had pretty much decided to abandon the idea until this popped up.
I got to check it out quite a bit both with the owner present and without before buying and drove it for a while out where it was before taking it on the freeway for that long, long 7 mile journey.