HOW MUCH DID IT COST

[boxcarOkie]

The most frequent question I am asked about my bus is "How much did it cost?" Which I freely admit, kind of irritates me. American's want to know the cost of everything, but at the same time, I always seem to find that they know the true value of nothing.

You ever notice that?

No one has ever asked for instance, "How much does it weigh?" How long did it take to build it? How many miles of wire is inside it? How did you find it?" Stuff like that.

They always just offer up ... "How much did it cost?"

Taking all of this one step further, it is like my Daddy used to say: "Son, if you have to ask, you caint afford it." Lot of truth in that.  Another thing that mystifies me is the "rumor that just because you own a bus" you are made out of money ... Simply aint so.

Most of us who reside in the bus community of life, know what they cost. We fuel them, repair them, polish and cherish them, and all of it requires an investment upon our part to make it all work.  Contrary to popular opinion we are not all stinkin' rich ... some of smell a little bad true ... But I have yet to meet all that many millionaires driving old used buses.

Now we will run this one up the flagpole and see if we can find anyone who will salute it. The most expensive part of any of this, is believe it or not, is the time. The time is the most expensive part of this endeavor, not the loose change.

You know, when you reach my mile-marker in life, middle age, a small voice inside you says ... "Just because you are retired and living the good life. Just because you have reached that particular pinnacle in life, that doesn't mean you should not take advantage of new challenges and seek out new adventures. You get on this crazy merry-go-round we call life and go for it, and by golly, you should make the most of it. Find yourself a good used bus on the Internet and then go for it!"

When you hear this little voice in your head, beware. This is the voice of Satan. Walk quickly, no run, to the nearest exit and check yourself out!

One night at a bus rally not long ago I asked a guy, "What does a paint job like that cost?" He smiled and said, "Y'know? I really LOVE MY EAGLE and you don't want to know what that paint job cost, you really don't." So as you can readily see, "None of us are immune to this affliction, we all do it from time to time."

A couple of weeks ago a guy walked up to me at the fuel island and he asked, "Where can I find a bus like this?" and I just smiled my toothy smile and said, "Nowhere, I got the ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD LIKE IT." Which is true, no one else has one like mine, some are similar, but none are just exactly like it.

Not to be deterred he then he looked me straight in the eye and said it .... "How much did it cost?"

I just shrugged my shoulders and said, "Don't know, never figured it." What this guy just doesn't get or understand is one simple truth. None of this is about money, it is rather, about time. All of it gets down to time, we don't have enough of it, and we (all of us) are all running out of it in one way or the other.

That is the bottom line ... the true cost.

This, I suppose is the best idea I was able to come up with this week. I freely offer it up to share with you, and all you had to pay me was a little of your time. Where can you get a better deal than that?

See you in the fast lane.

BCO

[justin25taylor]

Another great post pal!

I love your insight.

Justin

[thejumpsuitman]

Well though out post.  It just doesn't pay to tell anybody what you have in a coach.  It is like casting your pearls before swine.  

I like your answer...  "never figured it."  Even if you got a great deal, what is the cost of hundreds of hours on the internet searching for it?  Or spending a dozen or more weekends traveling to see buses you don't buy?  What is the cost of the time it takes to learn all you need to learn just to know how to buy wisely?  

When it comes to time, the cost is a part of your life.  How can you put a number on that?

Marc

[boxcarOkie]

Another great post pal!

I love your insight.

Justin

Thanks.

BCO

[boxcarOkie]

Well though out post.  It just doesn't pay to tell anybody what you have in a coach.  It is like casting your pearls before swine.  

I like your answer...  "never figured it."  Even if you got a great deal, what is the cost of hundreds of hours on the internet searching for it?  Or spending a dozen or more weekends traveling to see buses you don't buy?  What is the cost of the time it takes to learn all you need to learn just to know how to buy wisely?  

When it comes to time, the cost is a part of your life.  How can you put a number on that?

Marc

Here is one that is kind of scary ... How many Saturday's in life are we allotted?  How many tires did you kick before you found it, that is a good.  i remember a lot of trips where I drove literally hundreds of miles to look at a bus and came back and the wife would say, "Well?  How was it?" and with a sour look on my face I would tell the wife ... "Someone owes me some money for the gas!" (Like in the fairytale stories ... You have to kiss a lot of frogs, before you find your prince!)

It is as you so aptly pointed out ... A big investment ... Thanks for your reply.

BCO

[Oonrahnjay]

I tell people who ask the question "If I had known it would have been 1/10 the cost or 1/20 of the time, I'd have never got involved with it" ... but I would have.

[Len Silva]

It costs so much less than the yacht.

[Lonnie time to go]

Thank you its is a good post to make you think



Lonnie

[Chopper Scott]

Great post. Now you helped me make a decision I have been kicking around!

[ruthi]

Nice post. You hit the nail on the head. It always bothers me when complete strangers approach me and first thing out of their mouths is the How much did it cost. I am always stumped at what to say, but wish I had a really good comeback. We are getting that asked pretty regularly now. You are so right about time. For us, it was every spare moment and half the night for the last 2 yrs, when we could schedule time to be home. And you are right about time researching. I cant even count up all the hours, days, weeks spent on my part at looking up stuff, trying to find parts, and researching problems. I guess we are not the only ones that get that question. I am interested to hear responses as to what others answer when asked that, lol.

[luvrbus]

Just do like a friend of mine that has a new Prevost he left the sticker on his 1,583,000 bucks he paid about 1/2 of that but it stops the asking he said  lol that is very rude of someone to ask prices,then you have the group that love to throw out the prices they spend with me it is my money and my business what I spend the kids get a little upset sometimes lol and I have answers for them too



good luck

[bevans6]

My answer would be it cost some money and around 1,000 hours of  my time.  My time is worth more than the money...

Brian

[artvonne]

  Every night we dont sleep in a scuzy motel, I figure we saved $100. In 10 nights thats $1000 we could burn in fuel, or food, or not spend at all. In a few years a modest rig could almost pay for itself. Then there is the peace of mind, the ability to take a few more things along and live a bit more comfortable, they really can become your home. Whats that worth?

 And if you spend all summer building your Bus the way YOU want, and can then roll down the road satisfied with your work, and the new found freedom, security, and reliabity you have, whats that worth?

 I dont have a problem so much with with people asking what something cost, as much as their intent. If they seem really interested, and want to know because its something that interests them, thats fine. But if its that sneering question, boy, what difference does it make how you answer? As the wife is fond of saying "a couple bucks".

[fe2_o3]

   I tell them it cost me about 3 days a week for 7 years. The conversation has never gone beyond that...Cable

[happycamperbrat]

Here is aparting of the ways..... and the main thing that makes "me" nutz with this hobby. I actually PURPOSELY went shopping for an unconverted bus because of 1) cheaper initial cost 2) just so I could work and learn and research WITH my (at the time) 16 year old son. Being a single mom I needed to play dad to him the best I could by teaching him guy type things, but of course that meant that no longer could I be a princess and instead had to learn things myself. The more I have learned in the last couple of years, the more I have learned that I need to learn lol it is a vicious circle! BUT I refuse to let my family be "burdened" by a shell and instead I have been determined to use it and have fun with it..... which we do! It is tent camping to the extreme lol.

Even with us, people who know nothing about buses (99.99% of the people out there) either think we are super rich to have our "own bus"    or they think we are super crazy  But always, people are very surprised when they learn how little $$$ we have into this so far. But as all of you know, the real expenses are only begining for us!

Time invested? Next fall I am going to college with my son and taking a welding class so I can have a door and a wheelchair lift exactly like I want and where I want in the coach. No doubt this coach will still be a work in progress when the big depot in the sky calls me home, but my son is growing up with this coach and I think he will keep it and enjoy his family in it one day and best of all will that he will know it inside and out! One day he may be the teacher on these old 2 stroke bus conversions.

All in all money is not an object but fun and memories and learning is, time is all anyone has and how we each choose to spend that time is what defines us as human beings the most.