Looking for advice before the I act, for a change.

[Quincy]

My wife and I have been RV'ing for more than thirty years and for at least twenty of those years I have been thinking about doing my own bus conversion.  This time though I thought I would do something different and get advice before I act.  If this moves from the thinking stage to the doing stage it will be soon so which bus do I look for.  An MCI or GMC or something else?

We will probably end up full time and spending time between winters in Florida and Summers in North Carolina with a side trip or two if that will influence the choice.

Any information regarding what bus to begin with would really help.

Thanks in advance,

Q.

[Busted Knuckle]

Yes one of the many, many already done and ready to be used conversions on the market!
You can't even buy the materials for what many buses are selling for these days!
  BK 

[Quincy]

Thanks for the reply BN.

  I was afraid that would be the case.  I have been working on autos and motorcycles since I was a kid and was hoping to do the work myself.  I have a pretty well equipped shop at home and am still working on some project or other.  This would be a lot of fun for me.  I would not need much more that a structurally sound donor bus and would really enjoy doing the rest.  Including  putting in slides so I guess that would influence which coach I look for.  One that would lend itself to adding a slide or two.

Q.

[robertglines1]

No surprise to other board members I like Prevost. Easy to put slides in as I'm on second coach first was 89 with 2 slides and now doing 98 with three. Good factory support and parts with a few exceptions are reasonable.I'm a home builder also.   Bob

[chuckd]

BK:  Is absolutely correct about the used market, I bought a used Prevost and could not be happier.  One of the things you will find as you use the bus, is there is a list of "darn it, wish I would have done this" items.  If you buy a already complete bus, you can learn what some of those things are, so the bus you build will be as a result of your experiences, not other people's experiences.  Oh by the by, you will have plenty of things to do with your already "complete bus" trust me on this.

Chuckd

[luvrbus]

Don't leave out the Eagle it is probably the easiest bus to convert on the market  www.eaglesinternational.net and the best ride of any bus ever made


good luck

[Boomer]

Amen to what Clifford just said.  And, there are a handful of really, really nice Eagles for sale right now, at way undervalued prices. As was already mentioned, even if you pick up a "finished" conversion, they are never really finished.  There will always be plenty of work to be done to satisfy your creative lust.

[papatony]

I have a GM 4106 and love it but the roof being curved instead of square brings on a lot of problems with cabinets and walls ,, hard to fit.

[ruthi]

I think you will get replies as to each of the busses being the best, A lot of people have pretty strong feelings on what bus is the best. Best thing is to do a lot of research on busses, and what you like and want to do with it. I know when we had our gm, we were always told that you cant do a roof raise. Well, Cliff was at the rally with his, and he did a roof raise, and it was pretty cool. Since we just finished ours, I can say we had a blast getting to do it all ourselves, and we are happy we went that way. But..........if anything ever happens to this one, we will be looking for one already converted, Being so pressed for time was our enemy, so, for that reason, would not want to do it again. Yes, there are good buys out there now, but there is something to be said for doing it the way you want it yourself, especially if you have the place to do it, and the knowledge. Good luck.

[Geoff]

I converted my first bus, and still have it after 14 years and am still not done.  I am perfectly happy with my choice-- an '82 RTS.  I have built houses, done frame up restorations on cars and motorcyles, and I can honestly say a bus conversion is more work than all of them put together. 

[Seayfam]

You've got that right!!
I build houses for a living and I can tell you that I could probably complete 3 or 4 houses from ground up faster than one could build a bus if you lower the floor and raise the roof.
Just don't understand why a good conversion has no value.

Gary

[Gary LaBombard]

Quincy,

Get the best conversion you can afford.  The prices especially now are at rock bottom, the pickings are yours my friend.  Then have it Inspected before purchase by all means.  By one that is all ready done, don't get crazy with raising roofs etc. unless you personally like those challenges.  Look for real signs of neglect, they will be obvious, engine compartment, generator compartment etc.  My suggestion would to try contact a reputable bus converter himself and he can help you shop for you.  I know of a man now getting ready to sell his well taken care of MCI, (Fred Hobe) from Madison, FL, which is all done and ready to go.  Contact Sonnie Gray down in Texas, one of the greats in this hobby. He may have an Eagle to satisfy you that is not in need of frame replacement etc. Don't try to do this alone, take it from ME!!  Now this only a suggestion, but do not shop with your heart!!  Just asking as you did now is a step in the right direction, ask these guys for buses they actually know of for sale they would want their parents to own.  I think this would work, but good Luck and let us all know your decisions as you progress. 

Don't tear her down when so many are on the market now, I am sure you will find one you can live with and really enjoy.  Especially if you are not going to be a full timer.  If your interested in anything about Fred's MCI contact him through the members profile I believe he has a contact there.  If not let me know and I will get it for you.  Fred has a website of all his bus repairs etc. as well to view.
http://users.cwnet.com/thall/fredhobe.htm

Good Luck
Gary

[RJ]

Quincy -

Do your homework, then do it again.

You've already got RV experience, so you have a general idea what works for you and what doesn't.

Since you also mentioned that you'll probably be full-timing, you need to post some questions about that lifestyle, too, for additional homework.

The vast majority of coaches are laid out w/ the bedroom in the rear, then the head, the galley, and the "living room" up front.  Doesn't make any difference which brand, layouts are nearly all conceptually the same.  Even the stick 'n staple Class A rigs are similar.

Whatever you do, remember:

It's very, very easy to buy a bus, but it's MUCH, MUCH harder to sell a mistake.

FWIW & HTH. . .

[Barn Owl]

1. Prevost

2. MCI

In that order, for whatever reason Prevost sits higher on converter's hierarchy list. GM and Eagles are great, but you can get a bus that is still supported by the manufacture and is in general much more desirable by choosing one of the above. BTW no slides on a GM. If you decide to go Eagle, the frame must be thoroughly inspected for rust. Buy yourself a bus that is already converted and use it as a temp bus, and the bus you build will be better because of your experience with what works and what doesn't.

[David Anderson]

Quincy,

I asked for the same advice in 1999 when I started reading this forum.  It was a whole different market back then.  Diesel was $1.30/gal.  Conversion prices were sky high.  I built my eagle 10 for half what it cost to find one converted.  I did it the way I wanted it, and it took me 3 years to get it all done.

Fast forward to 2011:  Diesel is north of $3.30 and expected to go to $5 by 2012.  I can almost buy a converted coach for 3/4 of what it would cost ME to build it with my own hands.  I would never attempt a ground up conversion in the current market.  Did I enjoy making my own?  Yes, but I see some of these converted coach prices and just drop my jaw knowing how much it cost in money and time to assemble one of these coaches.  

If money and time don't matter, do it.  If you want to hit the road now, buy one.

Good luck and welcome to the board.

David