Why a Bus Conversion?

luvrbus · December 10, 2020, 11:01:35 AM

The C's are crappy all you dealing with is a pickup camper mounted on van front with most of those lol I did see some slide in campers for pickups the dealer was asking $60,000.00. I could not believe the price or that anyone would pay it people do their was guy in a new F450 Ford (100 )grand for the truck and 60 grand for the camper

windtrader · December 10, 2020, 11:03:19 AM

I don' really know. I went looking fore an RV and somehow stumbled onto bus conversions. I suspect the overarching reason was value - what one can get for x dollars. You get a lot of good and bad but everyone places a different weight on what is considered good and bad.

In the final analysis I feel like I maximized the benefits and minimized the risks of owning something like this.

Jim Blackwood · December 10, 2020, 04:21:35 PM

It's the only way I know that I can build an RV with lots of room, big holding tanks, lots of storage and do it in a way I could afford. Still under budget and money in the bank. So far so good. The solid structure and underpinning is certainly a plus.

Jim

dtcerrato · December 10, 2020, 05:15:46 PM

One really really nice thing about converting a bus is there's very little concern overloading it. I just took 200 lbs times the # of original seats plus the weight of everything gutted out of it (seats, overhead racks, A/C pony assembly, bottom compartment luggage, etc. etc. etc.!) & started replacing it with conversion. We've been running an antique 41 seat bus with 11 to 20 passengers for 40 years now as a conversion. It has been loaded over it's GVWR only when a toad is following.

lostagain · December 10, 2020, 05:49:14 PM

As much as I love buses, I have been driving them on and off for 47 years, they are not the end all, be all for a motor home. We just bought a 07 Country Coach that drives as good as any late model MCI or Prevost I have driven. And is just as solid or better than commercial buses. And with the 600 HP Cummins ISX will blow the doors off of any of them up a mountain pass. Those higher end motor homes can be had for pennies on the dollar, like any older S&S.

chessie4905 · December 10, 2020, 06:12:02 PM

Because Gary has one.

Jim Blackwood · December 11, 2020, 06:57:44 AM

After pulling out the seats I found I had 15,000 lbs of weight capacity to play with. Heck, that's almost as much as the gross on my old S&S I think. Well maybe not quite but you can do a lot with that. I don't worry much about the weight.

An old CC might have been nice, but I don't think I'd have been satisfied with one. Probably be forever changing things. It would have cost me more, and I don't think I could have mustered the purchase price.

Jim

luvrbus · December 11, 2020, 07:17:56 AM

Country Coach has a lot electronics but the boxes if they go bad are cheap in price and Advance Auto Parts stocks the computers for a $139.00 ea. If the HWH Active air ride and leveling system gives up HWH will rebuild the boards for the slides and Active Air for a $100,00 I can live with that.Now Cummins for the engine and Generator that is a different ball game when you add Allison to the picture ,I will say Cummins is good for helping with your serial number over the internet,Allison won.t give you the time of day unless you subscribe

lvmci · December 11, 2020, 08:04:43 AM

I had trailers for years, a streamline while the boys were growing. We got an Ultrastar class A. I saw a bus conversion with a window in the bay when I looked inside and saw a bedroom with a dog lying inside, tail wagging, I was hooked. Sold the ultrastar quickly, started the hunt, first bus was a pro conversion of a MCI5A, with an interior access to the lined and carpeted interior of 2nd bay, big enough for a queen bed. When the wife wanted to retire, as a nurse, and wanted to travel, but make jewelry from silver, we needed more space. Sold the 5A in a month. Got a great deal of a 102C3 that was somewhat started to take out the seats and luggage racks. Gary, Van and Joe of B&B, as did Clifford, were tremendous help, finished enough, in record time to stay in SoCal, to live in when working...lvmci...

Glennman · December 11, 2020, 01:28:16 PM

The typical trailers or motor homes are pretty cheaply built, but the main thing with me is that I love to do things myself. I built my own house twice, and remodeled others. I think the main thing with me is the do-it-yourself factor.

luvrbus · December 11, 2020, 01:37:47 PM

Quote from: Glennman on December 11, 2020, 01:28:16 PM
The typical trailers or motor homes are pretty cheaply built, but the main thing with me is that I love to do things myself. I built my own house twice, and remodeled others. I think the main thing with me is the do-it-yourself factor.

Me too!!! but father time cured that

chessie4905 · December 11, 2020, 03:21:21 PM

Yeah, Clifford's right about that. As we age, reliability takes a front seat. It gets old when something breaks down on a trip.

Handyjim · December 12, 2020, 08:47:57 AM

It's the pits to have a 40 year old mind in an 80 year old body.☹️

dtcerrato · December 12, 2020, 10:07:47 AM

But anything is better than push daisies... Heck even pushing a bus!

6805eagleguy · December 15, 2020, 04:22:52 PM

First of all we needed a flexible floor plan, and then of course the bus won't crumple if it rolls etc. notice attached pic from today

I know busses aren't the best (for driver safety)but these sticks and staples just literally fall apart if you touch them...

And driving a pickup is no fun if you have a trailer

Of course the first time I saw an Eagle I was instantly hooked on the look. And of course I like to build things

My 2¢