Getting rid of the bus..... :( RV SHOPPING UPDATE!

[Eric]

So went Rv shopping today.....and guess what she says S&S is too cheap feeling......She looked at a Beaver coach...said she'd like that w/out the price tag....now she wants to buy an already converted coach as they seem more "Sturdy" (All the meanwhile i'm going DUH! JK honey:) (she reads the board LOL)
Go Figure

Eric

[happycamperbrat]

It is hard to let go of a dream    But on the plus side, there isnt a better time to buy a converted coach then now. They are going for cheap, cheaper then it costs to build them in many cases. I imagine you have already considered buying premade 2nd hand furniture and cabinets from thrift shops/garage sales/craigslist/freecycle etc... Using stuff like this you may not create a half million dollar bus, but most certainly you can create one that functions and feels like home.

[Eric]

The worse part is I have already bought the expensive stuff Appliances cabinets the works...i just can't handle the woodworking end of it! We fulltime and live in it as a steel tent she said 1 year and we are well past that and the boss isn't budging!

[luvrbus]

Give the wife a little credit lots of nice S&S on the market and a lot cheaper to maintain than a bus,I sold a nice converted bus and the wife bought a S&S and I sorta like it now 700 miles for less than a 100 bucks worth of diesel fuel,no more 500 dollar tires, no $15,000 engine, 8 qts of engine oil not 8 gals life is easy lol but I miss my bus she has good home Matt takes care of it that makes it easier for me


good luck

[Chopper Scott]

It's a great time to buy something already converted or even a S&S. A lot cheaper than doing it yourself. One advantage to a fifth wheel type is not needing a toad. Something to think about Eric. Having one of these old busses is not the easiest route.

[happycamperbrat]

I fulltimed in a 27 ft Ford Jamboree motorhome with 2 kids................... NEVER again! We did it for about 3 months with both kids and then about 1 1/2 years with myself and one child fulltime and the other part time. These things REALLY are "sticks and staples". The walls are thin and they are very drafty. They are not meant for fulltiming, they are only meant for a weekend here and there. My motorhome got 5 miles to the gallon (gasoline) on a good day, my bus gets 8 on a good day.  I love having a bus for my family, but Im a strange lady too. I am actually happy steal tent camping, but am converting cuz it makes everyone else happy lol

[cody]

I can certainly understand your position from the other end, I understand wood but am totally confused by metal, I couldn't figure out the simple basics of taking out a bolt but I have a tool box.  In the mid 80's I was visiting my sister in law and her family in Peoria Illinois and I saw an ad from an RV dealer down by springfield so went to take a look, he told me about a fantastic but unobtainable rv that a doctor owned but never used, even took me over to look at it, it was an immaculate front wheel drive class A, the doctor had it custom built in california and even had all the engineering prints and notes from the construction, I loved it but understood it was not available, the doctor took my name and phone number and said he enjoyed northern michigan and sometimes fished up there, we left and a month later he called me and asked me if i wanted a revcon, I said you bet, he told me I could have it for 3K which was the storage bill coming up, I was in his yard the next day with a handfull of money for him lol.  He gave me all the paperwork including the final billings on it for when he had it built from scratch to his specs, when you could buy a winnibago for 25K he had paid 100k for this critter, I still have all the paperwork and keep finding cool features all the time, last time when I was changing the carpeting I found a gun safe hidden in a raised section along the wall, the couch becomes a bed with the flip of a switch, it's got an led ceiling that looks like stars, pretty cool for 1978, so I understand but I also realize there are some great S&S units out there too, I've got the iggle but I also have the Revcon and even a 1964 frolic travel trailer lol.

[luvrbus]

Yep Cody Revcon and the Foretravel Grand Villa loved that Grand Villa in a S&S they were tuff to beat


good luck

[Eric]

Well unfortunately my budget doesn't allow for a very nice S&S right now either going to be a 5k craigslist special for the winter I spent all my money on the dang bus! LOL surprise surprise! I'm still a Busnut i just hope i can find a Really cheap/free conversion LOL    or it's going to be a miserable winter LOL

[cody]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/gmc-revcon-motorhome-rv-/320579698237?cmd=ViewItem&pt=RVs_Campers&hash=item4aa409fe3d   just something to look at

[Eric]

Nice Cody! pretty neat setup!

[cody]

Thats not mine but a similar model, thats got the tag, mine has super singles in the back, I've driven both with the tandam axle and single axle and really didn't see much difference in handling, they are all front wheel drive anyway but saw that listed and thought it might be interesting for anyone thats not familier with revcons, the ad states GMC and thats wrong, they were oldsmobile. 

[TomC]

I remember in the summer of '74 after graduating from Hi school, my parents and I rented a Cortez with 455 high compression (read premium fuel) front wheel drive.  That little 21ft'r rode amazingly, handled like a car, and got 10mpg if you were careful.
That 30ft Revcon with the duals in the rear are a much better setup then the GMC, since you have a walking spring suspension on the Revcon compared to the single air bag per two tires on the GMC.  For $5,000-that is a great price on a great motorhome.  Granted they are low, hence not as much storage as the taller basement motorhomes.  If you've never driven one, you should!  Good Luck, TomC

[cody]

If your lucky enough to find one of the ones built around 2004 or so you'll have a 40ft coach with all wheel drive, yep complete all wheel drive, they built a bunch for the military to be used as command posts.  44 inch tires and duel generators, everything super heavy duty, not sure now many gallons per mile they got but they would climb over anything in their path.    http://www.pddoc.com/camp/mini003.htm

[Dreamscape]

I feel for you! I can't imagine what I would do in similar circumstances. Only problem I see is that is might be difficult to sell your bus to get the funds for the replacement.

What is left to do on the inside? You say you are not a carpenter, neither was I when I started our conversion. it takes time, patience and money. It's hard to do it on a low budget but we have survived so far. We live in ours also, not an easy thing to do when you are building one. We were about 50% before we moved in, at about 95% now. We'll never see that 100%.

One thing I have learned, do the things that make your spouse happy, because you will be happy too!

I would take a deep breath, and rethink your options. There has to be a way to make you both happy.