Bus conversion vs tiny home label

[lvmci]

A Bus Conversion, is not a tiny home.
A Bus Conversion group, started  FMCA and other what we now call motorhomes.
A tiny home is what we used to call a Park Model Travel Trailer.
Even a tiny home that is self contained, is still a travel trailer if it has wheels and a tow bar.
A bus conversion generally does not have a wood frame, skids instead of wheels, a wood shingle or shingle roof.
Bus conversions have some kind of rollover protection, to the degree of the time frame it was built, commercial size wheels and brakes, aluminium, steel or stainless steel frame.  And have a long and exceptional history of advancing RVing.
Would any one call a million dollar entertainer bus conversion a tiny dressing room?...

[Utahclaimjumper]

Are you off your soapbox now?? >>>Dan

[windtrader]

Yeah, not sure the point but my take is to get them all to fall into the same category as bus conversions is an old timer but left out of today's "it" thing to look for when wanting to travel or live or remote work, etc. especially in these days molded by Covid.


I'd think we want as much attention to come our way to get increase the interest and numbers in bus conversions. It'd be great to get more skoolie fans checking out bus conversions, same with tiny homes on wheels, and of course regular RV and travel trailer crowd. too.

[Brassman]

If you label your bus conversion as a tiny home you can ask twice the price or more when selling.  At least that's how it works in the skoolie world.

[buswarrior]

"Tiny home" is a slick way to make some money shooting tv shows, not sure it does anything else?

I think a key economic indicator for this hobby is whether there are people being paid to do conversion work.

That space is glaringly empty, compared to 20 years ago. If someone can't make some money building... we aren't going to make any money selling?

And these internet spaces, both the old boards, and social media, do not fairly report the carnage of failed projects strewn across the continent, a total that silently grows as fast as the fresh newbies arrive, all full of enthusiasm and questions.

I would suggest this carnage drags our values down via association, not make ours more exclusive. This is not a collector car market.

During the covid, international travel is destroyed, large numbers are piling into camping as something "safer" to do, rv and traailer sales are healthy, campgrounds are booked solid the moment another block of dates comes open, and busnuts are NOT getting the money their coaches are worth in this hot market...

We should see good prices at this moment, not sure how the market conditions could get any better?

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[windtrader]

...rv and traailer sales are healthy, campgrounds are booked solid the moment another block of dates comes open, and busnuts are NOT getting the money their coaches are worth in this hot market...

We should see good prices at this moment, not sure how the market conditions could get any better?

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

Well, one of the requirements for a satisfied bus conversion nut is knowing they are going to have to wrench on it DIY, and not even think about taking it to a shop for everything that needs fixing.


That means the market conditions really don't apply to us, even though the planned use is the same. Honestly, most people think a bus conversion is cool but most all serious buyers who have both eyes wide open, must go wobbly kneed when they consider what is involved to keep the beast in working order.


The "hot' RV market is selling to the 99% who think buying an RV from a dealer gets you a comforter and baby bottle. Whenever something goes wrong, you go waah waah and drive it to the dealer to warm up your bottle. Then they leaving going waah waah after writing the check.


But skoolies is a good crossover as many of them are thinking on the cheap DIY but still a school bus is different than a revenue bus.

[richard5933]

We've just seen more than a couple of conversions go for higher and higher prices recently, prices which many didn't think were possible. The ones I'm thinking of were Custom Coach conversions in nice condition and a 60s Wanderlodge in original 'as-found' condition. There is still money out there if you have a bus that ticks off the proper boxes.

Tiny house vs. bus conversion? I guess that all bus conversions are tiny housed but not all tiny houses are bus conversions. In a world where people are advertising "restored" tin can ham travel trailers as tiny houses, why wouldn't a bus conversion qualify.

[windtrader]

Yes, there were a couple recent that sold for good money but they were quite a cut above what most of us have. In fact, I'd speculate that Bluebird was purchased by a collector rather than a bus nut and would not be surprised to see it back up once it gets spiffed up, guessing for sure.


Exactly, just get bus conversions to fall under the "tiny home" label and it can only increase the interest and market size.

[DoubleEagle]

I think the biggest factor keeping our conversions down in value is the fact that they don't show up in RV value guides that the banks use to establish loan values. (The only exception might be American Eagle RV's being confused with an Eagle Coach, but when they look up the VIN.....).

[windtrader]

I think the biggest factor keeping our conversions down in value is the fact that they don't show up in RV value guides that the banks use to establish loan values. (The only exception might be American Eagle RV's being confused with an Eagle Coach, but when they look up the VIN.....).

Agree, that generally applies to newer buses/RVs where secured bank financing is involved. The price guide is still good for all used market valuations but it'd be curious to know how far back it goes. Would be wild if they tried to price out some 50's-60's revenue bus.

[lvmci]

Just because someone decides to join in our hobby and bring their terms from their hobby and uses those terms in the communications with us, doesn't mean we have to accept these new labels, replacing what we've always used.

[Nova Eona]

Did I miss someone trying to force us to change labels?  If I'm talking to someone and they refer to their bus conversion as a tiny home, this neither confuses me nor changes how I address my own bus.  I like my bus that I've turned into an RV, if someone else has a tiny home that happens to be built on a bus chassis, that's no skin off my nose.

[windtrader]

Humm. The only reason I chimed in was about getting more folks interested in bus conversions. We sorely need more new blood. We are busnuts and love our bus conversions and that is that. But it still wound be wonderful if all the people behind all them other labels became aware of how awesome what we  do and drive.


More people, interest, and involvement in buses is a win all around, i think.

[Utahclaimjumper]

 What "Most people" really want is to write a check and drive it away..>>>Dan
( That's why half done conversions are going for chump change)

[lvmci]

Bus to tiny home