The Price of Converion Bus

[lvmci]

Hi all, I think these people that are doing schoolie bus conversions now ( and altho I hate the term, tinyhomes) are going to upgrade as they get older too Intercity bus conversions and will want all the amenities especially when their children's ages rise, I think time will tell but, I think our conversions are going to have new homes when this new generation gets older, regardless of the engines, lvmci...

[luvrbus]

I don't think that will happen Tom ,the ones I know that made the leap when the bus dies that is the end ,they don't have the resources to keep it going remember the Jason and his family saga 
I do my best to try help the few that want to go the route with limited funds lol but I won't be here for ever.
Haven't you noticed when a person passes away the first thing the kids want to dump is his bus very few kids will keep their dad's bus the ones that do maybe a year to 2.It's just a matter of time till rules and regulations take the older buses off the highways like trucks and school buses 

[DoubleEagle]

One big thing effecting the resaleability of older conversions is financing. Other than getting a home equity loan, financing is a big problem. You buy a new sticks and staples, no problem, just sign on the dotted line.

Yes, that is absolutely correct. The banks want something newer that they can look up in their guide books (or online, now), despite the lower quality of most RV's. It is lazy and unfair of them. Many of the Bus Conversions, even though they are decades old, far surpass most RV's. For people that have enough money and/or mechanical savvy, a Bus Conversion is still the best value, particularly if you buy it at a distressed price. On the other hand, they are not an investment that you can "flip" at a profit. 

[richard5933]

So, all this confirms what I've said all along. Buying/building a bus conversion is not, and should never be considered, an investment. A bus is worth exactly what you're willing to spend on it. Nothing more, nothing less. We paid what we did for our bus because it was worth it to us. I don't know if we'll be able to recoup the money we've sunk into it, but my guess is not at all. We will 'withdraw' our money in the form of experiences, adventures, and enjoyment.

I've always loved traveling by bus. I've also always loved old cars. Never made money on one, but boy did I have a great time restoring them, owning them, and driving them. How much more so when I can combine bus travel with old vehicles.

None of us has any way to tell what the future will bring and whether or not we'll be able to sell our buses down the road. Better focus on whether or not the bus is giving us enjoyment right now and base things on that. When it comes time to repair/upgrade/replace our current bus I'll use the same metric to decide if it's worth the money - will we get enough use & enjoyment from it to move forward.

[Geoff]

I didn't build my bus to sell it, but enjoy it, and who cares what a Prevost is worth.

[luvrbus]

I didn't build my bus to sell it, but enjoy it, and who cares what a Prevost is worth.

No none of us did but there may come a time when you or wife will sell it 

[Geoff]

No none of us did but there may come a time when you or wife will sell it 

Not on my watch.  If I get incrurable cancer, I'll just drive it off  a cliff-- who says you can't take it with you!

[luvrbus]

I just look at like why bother now doing one yourself at these prices I paid that much for my Eagle shell when I did mine and they are about the same in years as far as age then,my shell had 281,000 miles with a 4 speed and a gutless 8v71 which was the 1st modification i done replacing that with a 8v92 and a Alison 740 then I started converting.When I see Dick Wright I ask him if he still has the bushel basket he used to carry my money to the bank     

[DoubleEagle]

During the boom years for conversions (the nineties) the shells may have been overpriced, and the conversion products were as well. Now is the time to get the things you want in a conversion that you couldn't afford then. I wish I had more money, there are a lot of good Eagles for sale, but I have to be content with the three I have. There is a 1983 45' Eagle Entertainer with a Military Turbo 8V71 (405 hp) and Allison on eBay.... $26,000 OBO.

[luvrbus]

If you set down with a open mind with a pencil and paper it's had to justify owning a conversion for the mileage driven and used,we started out running 20 to 25k miles per year then it started dropping every year till we were doing less than 3000.
One year at a MAK rally they did a poll on miles driven on about 60 buses the average was less than 5000 miles per year.I have made 4 trips in the bus in 3 years the longest was 180 miles to Williams, all of them are worth more in parts than a conversion   

[Geoff]

Maybe you guys need to find a cheaper hobby like racing riding lawnmowers.

[luvrbus]

We still put miles on the Trek it is handy for week ends  14 MPG a new set of tires for under a 1000 bucks,2 gal oil changes  and has everything a bus would have and our friends don't care if we show up in a bus or not   

[buswarrior]

The availability of cheap, good condition, shells, due to the close coupled double whammy of dumping 96 inch wide in the mid 80's and 40 foot long coaches in the early 90's created a never to be seen again bonanza for the hobby.

Everywhere you looked, there were good, cheap buses.

Unwitting new busnuts simply got a good shell, not because they knew anything, simply by the better odds of perfectly good buses being available that the commercial market didn't want, as opposed to couldn't afford to run anymore.

Today, much more normal conditions, there's serious problems lurking in way more shells, that bite the unwitting in the a$$ hard.

A coach has a "normal" commercial lifespan somewhere shy of 20 years. After that, it is a hard decision for a commercial enterprise to pour more money into significant systems...

There are still good shells out there for the busnut who wants to roll their own, but, they need to be smart about the shell choice, and must know the coach's real history, insider info, not what some a$$hole salesperson blows up their patoot.

Buying an existing conversion has its own set of "previous owner neglect" problems, that can bankrupt the new busnut just as fast.

Buyer beware, buyer be informed, no matter the direction.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[bigred]

Getting ready to put my 94 Prevost Two stroke  on the market .I know when I'm beat !! And I also know I will take a blood bath but before I'give it away I'll donate it to Goodwill .lol

[luvrbus]

I have a friend in Vegas that just replaced his engine.On the phone he told me he has owned boats, air planes and antique cars and told me I think I found something I may not be able to afford to drive,I ask what he said a bus conversion