Poll: How much time do you spend living in your bus?

[ruthi]

I saw this a while back, but didnt have time to respond. We full timed in our bus for about 2 yrs. Then, our bus had to spend about 6 months in a shop, and we had to hotel it. Didnt like that at all. We work on the road, so on the road, or when we had time off, we had to find a place to be. Then we decided to find a house for our home base. We are living in the bus most of the time though as we travel doing our work. We are home a week every month or so starting this yr, which is more than it has been in the past. Then we usually have off every Nov and Dec too. We are thinking now, we may go back to full timing, and sell the house when the market comes back up. I will miss it if we do, but, it is a lot of cost to maintain a place you dont get to spend that much time at, and keep a bus going too. I guess we will have to wait and see. We are getting older too, and the thought of maintaining a large place at that time, seems overwhelming.
We have loved bussin ever since we got our first one 10 yrs ago. There have been times that I have been really unhappy with it, when breakdowns are involved for sure. You just dont pull into the local machanic shop and get it fixed. Even if you find someone to work on it, finding ethical people to do the work is  a real issue. We recently had a problem with the gmc, and it took 3 shops before the real problem was found. That is when we found out about Choo Choo shop in Chattanooga. Joel found the problem and fixed it finally, no more issues with that.
Then of course when we started out, we lived in Colorado. We had issues with the cold, bus not wanting to start up, and things freezing up. We bought our bus in Texas, and they didnt really make it for the cold in Colorado. But, with a few modifications with water lines, putting in extra heat, and installing a pro heat system, we managed.
I really never dreamed of the cost involved with parts also for the bus, or the size of the parts. I was amazed first time we had to replace some parts at the size.
Good thing about bussin is being able to have your bed and kitchen with you at all times. We ran some numbers to see cost versus hotels, and really we can bus just as cheap as staying in hotels. A real bonus to us, as we like to sleep in our own bed, and eat our own food. We have all the convieniences that you dont get in a hotel also. For us, the extra bonus, is we can stay on site doing our work, so no driving back and forth. Lunch, sleeping is just a short walk away.
All in all, the good outweighs the bad for sure.

[Mike in GA]

Two+ months in the winter - usually FL, and 3+ months in the summer - New Hampshire.
Love it!
Mike in GA

[white-eagle]

Fran and I have been full-timing for going on 3 years, with a lot of time spent living in the bus for 3 years prior.  i wouldn't have it any other way.  She misses the garden, the grandkids, and (can you believe this?) i think even the mowing.  We have enjoyed the people we have met, some of the time and work we together have done to make this our home, and a lot of the places we've been.  Winter is much better in a warm climate, in my opinion.  I do think she agrees with that.  We are not retired, even tho many seem to think we are.

Things i love:
Having my living room be everything outside the bus.
Being able to move to where i want to be.
The Bus friends i have (i know some of you may be amazed i have any)
Meeting new folks.
Seeing N. America and the US
Working on the road, and learning.
Staying away from floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and blizzards unless i can help afterward.
Traveling yet staying in our own bed, eating what my amazing wife cooks.  We like being at home in the bus.

Things i hate:
Oil leaks
Too much repair i can't do myself yet.
(From Sean) Government and the inability to deal with full-timers.
(again from Sean) drivers that don't realize i can't stop fast without spilling the plants, knocking pics off the wall, etc.
(from Ruthi) parts sizes and costs for the engine and bus.

[bobofthenorth]

I didn't vote because there wasn't a good answer for me.  We lived fulltime in our bus for over 3 years and used it 6 or more months out of the year prior to moving into it.  In December we parked the bus and moved onboard a 43 foot Defever trawler which will be our halftime home going forward.  Since we're in the Pacific Northwest we still intend to use the bus to get to warmer places for December and January but this year we're just having way too much fun getting to know the boat to even notice the chilly weather.  We'll likely also move back into the bus through July and August so that we can miss all the crazed tourists that descend on this area for their summer holidays.

We loved/love the freedom to be wherever we need/want to be in the bus.  Love not having grass to mow or trees to trim.  I really miss my shop and that hasn't changed on the boat but just today I found a wooden boat society with a shop in our marina so that problem may be behind me.  In the bus I had some shops available to me but they weren't always accessible when I needed them.  I'm with Sean and Tom on not liking the bureaucratic hassles associated with not fitting the conventional definition of how people should arrange their lives.  We caved last summer and bought some property just so we would more closely fit the mold we are supposed to fit.  Unlike Tom and Sean I don't mind idiot drivers in micro-vehicles - I regard them as my crumple zone.  I'm going to be the first one to arrive if the $#!% hits the fan so it feels good to have a Honda Civic zip in to save me.  My own bed every night is absolutely the best feature of life on the road.

[white-eagle]

Crumple zone!  I like it.  Never thought of it that way Bob, but now that you mention it, it works fine.  Hope you enjoy the trawler, but we missed you at Bussin'.  Even bought an extra bottle of Pinch, jic.

i had a new floridian (retired person with florida plates who probably came from Michigan) pull out in front of me, go about a mile and then turn.  Usually i resist the temptation to pull the halyard, but today he just pi$$d me off, so i let him know that i didn't appreciate the fact that he pulled out from a parking lot, when he could have waited since there was no one behind me, and then he turned, causing me to have to slow down again.  And the old fart probably was clueless anyway.  if he didn't have a heart attack, then maybe he'll think on it.

Sorry, i got sidetracked.  Oh yeah, i like living in the bus!!!!