Introducing Technomadia - We are hunting for our first bus!

[technomadia]

We've just handed over our Oliver Travel Trailer and Toyota Tundra, our home for the past three years. We've got a borrowed old Class B, and are headed out to find and buy our next technomadic home - ideally an awesome (vintage?) bus we can move right into.

The bus hunt is underway!

We've gotten a lot of emails and PM's with leads on buses, some offering essentially no details or even a ballpark price.  To try and funnel all our leads into a more usable form, we are going to try collecting information on potential contenders via a web form:
http://www.technomadia.com/sell-us-your-bus/

Right now we are in Lynchburg, VA. We might be headed up to the Philadelphia area this weekend, and we plan to soon swing through St. Louis, MO to drop off some stuff.

Any buses we can arrange a chance to see over the course of the next week or so would be great.

We aren't dead set on any particular model of bus yet, but so far we are finding ourselves most called to the Flxible VL100 and the GM 410x buses.  Anyone who has some of these (even if they are not for sale) anywhere near us, we'd love to take a closer look to help refine what we are looking for.  And if you've got something else you think we should consider - let us know too!

This is going to be a fun process, we hope.  And living right now in a borrowed old super-cramped Class B is giving us a strong incentive to find something fast.  *grin*

Thanks to everyone here for the warm welcome,

   - Chris & Cherie // www.technomadia.com

[Barn Owl]

Anyone who has some of these (even if they are not for sale) anywhere near us, we'd love to take a closer look to help refine what we are looking for.

My offer still stands. Roanoke is one hour west of Lynchburg and you can look at two 4106's (Not for sale, sorry  ) It would be a good learning experience for someone just starting to look. If you can fine, if not, no big deal because I stay very busy. PM me if you need a phone number.

[zubzub]

If you can take barn Owl up on the offer.  It really helps to look over as many buses as you can before you buy.  They are kind of impossing beasts at first, and it is hard to see the forest for the trees.  I'm used to them now and they seem more like huge cars to me, big PITA to work on cars.
p.s. one of the pains is all the walking from front to back trouble shooting stuff.....I have taken to using an old car alarm siren and clipping it to wires so I can hear when a circuit works....

[PP]

p.s. one of the pains is all the walking from front to back trouble shooting stuff.....I have taken to using an old car alarm siren and clipping it to wires so I can hear when a circuit works....

Hehe, I'll bet your neighbors love ya LOL

[technomadia]

My offer still stands. Roanoke is one hour west of Lynchburg and you can look at two 4106's (Not for sale, sorry  ) It would be a good learning experience for someone just starting to look.

And indeed - it was an EPIC learning experience.  Thank you to you and your dad both for sharing so much with us, including taking us out for a spin in one of the nicest 4106's I can imagine.

We learned so much yesterday.

And I think you've convinced us that we need to avoid manual transmissions, and buses over 35 feet. We like the kinds of roads (and driveways) that you took us down, and they would have been impossible with a longer bus or a manual transmission.

Thanks so much!

  -  Chris (and Cherie)

[Chopper Scott]

Not to be a wet blanket but also remember that you have also sold your main transportation vehicle while you are set up and will need a toad and something that can pull such or some other kind of arrangements. Tearing down and running to the grocery store and back isn't a strong point with a bus!

[technomadia]

Yes... we know that we may need to pull a toad eventually, and are keeping that need in mind.  However, we want to try toadless to start. At least until we get comfortable driving the bus. Some of our full timing friends have had success with this for multiple years.  We'll likely carry electric bikes in the bay for local transit, and then plan to rent a vehicle and/or be near public transit for longer term stays.  Generally, as we do now, we do our grocery shopping en route anyway.  We know it won't be as convenient as having our own wheels ready to go, but we also know it's possible .

Thanks,
- Cherie

[Barn Owl]

Next time you all are in town plan on dinner. It will be fun to see how things turn out and I will make sure RoxAnne knows in advance. LOL. Tire kicking is a smart way to learn, and I enjoyed the short visit we had. Good luck.