Need advice; short bus vs van pros/cons

[iflewoverthecuckoosnest]

There was some discussion surrounding this in my introduction.
I am planning to live in this vehicle full time and go tramping all around the country in it. I may have one or two people coming along with me.
A van would get better mpg than a short bus.
A short bus would provide a more spacious shelter, plus less condensation.
How hard is it to find places to park a short bus? Are there roads that short buses cannot drive on?
I think that mobility, shelter, and mechanical stability are my main priorities. Space and aestehtics are secondary.
Could some of you bus and van dwellers give me advice? What are your experiences living in a bus or van? What are the pros and cons?
I want something between 2,000-5,000 dollars, though it could be slightly higher. I have a very steady job that is easy to keep, so I can save up for as long as I can grit my teeth.

 

[Matt Derrick]

so, i had a full size (35ft) school bus for 2 years. someone correct me if i'm wrong, but i've seen plenty of short buses that get around 15mpg, which is about as good as you're going to get from a conversion van.

if you get a short bus i'd get a diesel. the gas is more expensive, but mechanically the deisel engine is more efficient, hence the better gas mileage. also, your average gasoline engine will run a maximum of 300k miles before you start having serious problems, where a diesel engine will last around 500k+. So, if this is a vehicle you want to keep around for years and years, go with the short bus.

as for parking, the only real difference is how stealth you want to be. parking a short bus is easy, parking a full size bus is not (i speak from experience with both). if you want to stay hidden and not let people know you're living in your vehicle, a conversion van might be the way to go.

if you're interested in that route, i highly recommend visiting www.cheaprvliving.com, a great website for stealth camping in a vehicle. you should also buy his book which is available for $3 on amazon (you'll find it on his website) it's worth a look. the only unfortunately thing about both his website and his book is that he completely ignores bus conversions entirely.

the last thing i wanted to point out was that if you get a school bus, it's a total buyers market. meaning that short buses (and full) are in very low demand, so it's easy to pick one up for two to five grand. personally, i wouldn't pay any more than 3-4 grand. i got my full size bus for 1800, and i never had a single problem with it in two years, but i did get lucky with an exceptional deal. i've seen short buses on ebay for $5,000 but they were immaculate, running perfectly, and really polished, guaranteed to run for years and years, so that's the upper end for short buses.

another thing to keep in mind is that school buses are ridiculously well taken care of during their service (they are required to be by law) so the sooner you can buy a bus after it's been decommissioned the better shape it will be in. you won't get that with a conversion van.

okay, last thing (seriously this time), don't buy anything with over a 100,000 miles on the engine. you can fudge this a little (my bus came with 116k on it) maybe as high as 150k (on a deisel) but any higher than that and you can probably find a better deal somewhere else. just keep searching, high and low, ebay and craigslist, local paper, hell even call school districts directly to see when they're decomissioning buses and where you can pick them up at auction (there's very little competition at those auctions).

and www.searchtempest.com is amazing for searching multiple craigslist sites. hope that helps!

 

[Wawa]

Heya.. wasn't my bus and I'm no expert, but I lived on my friends short bus for a while, and she got that thing down some crazy rutted mud mountain tracks. Bus has awesome ground clearance, just feels a bit... tippy.

Think it got 10-12 mpg, too.

 

[Durp]

I agree with the above if you know how to fix your own vehicle. If you have issues you might be shit out of luck finding a shop to work on a bus tho. Also, diesel vans exist. Dont get an old chevy tho, any thing pre duramax is shit, unless someone did a cummins swap. Vans are really easy to get a shop to fix, and parts are every where. Just go to a mall parking lot, grab what ya need and go if you go for a van get either an idi or cummins engine. Also transmissions are your weakest link usally. Get one with a manual tranny (bus or van) you will not regret it. Its silly to get a diesel with an auto because the shift points are not set in the correct rev range unless extensive ($$$$$) modifications have been done. Also go for mechanical injection, not electronic. It is way easier (time = money) to fix and parts are like an 1/8 the cost of electronic fi. Have you considered a truck with a cab over? Any shop will fix an old truck (or it is super easy to do yourself) plus you can seperate your dwelling space from your vehicle if issues arise, and they will if you are on the road long enough. Hope this helps.

 

[East]

As someone that lives out of a conversion van I'm just going to say they blend in well and the insurance is negligible. I say live out of because I don't spend my life and days in the van, only late evenings for sleeping and relaxing. My shower is my gym membership or a camp ground, baby wipes are awesome. My office is the closest library, usually, working remotely. If you want a place to spend all your time do yourself a favor and get a short bus or extended high top van.

I guess it just boils down to how you plan on using your vehicle, how much time you're going to be spending in it, that sort of thing. Even though parking is a bit harder with a bus those who have them, I find, do have places to park, or they manage to find some place on BLM, that sort of thing. My conversion gets about 18mpg on a good day, parking has never really been an issue. People that prefer windowless vans I can get if it's an area with a lot of crime and it's city dwelling they're doing, but not having the ability to look outside at nature bothers me a lot, so hence the conversion route.

Good luck if you have any questions feel free to tag me!

 

[iflewoverthecuckoosnest]

Thanks, everyone! Really helpful thoughts. Right now I am definitely leaning toward short bus.

 

[oldcoyote]

I hitched a few days with someone who had a short bus. It ran on the same kind of fuel that those massive delivery trucks run on, so we would hang out at a truck stop whenever we needed to fill up. It was easy as hell to find truckers willing to share gas because all of their gas is paid off by whatever company they're driving for. They don't have anything to lose but a few minutes of their time, in my experience.

So while a short bus may be less ecologically sound, it might end up being way easier on you financially. Your results may vary, of course - I was only with that bus through the Utah / Nevada / California region.

Good luck!

 

[iflewoverthecuckoosnest]

Well that's damn spiffy to know, @oldcoyote. I'd be starting out around that region because it's where I live.

 

[dprogram]

If your goal is to be stealthy (which mine was when I bought my van) I'd go for a cargo van. And as Matt mentioned with the buses; if you can get a fleet van right after they are taken off lease /decommissioned you'd have a vehicle that was well maintained. I have a 2002 Ford E-150 with a 4.2 liter v-6 and I get around 20 mpg highway running at 70+. I need a tune up. What sold me on the cargo van specifically was that so many delivery and fleet vehicles for a business are parked in business parking lots. I have parked in tons of lots overnight without ever being harassed by security or cops. Either way you choose to go I wish you an amazing adventure. It is bound to happen after all. =)

 

[iflewoverthecuckoosnest]

Hey, thanks, @dprogram.
I am going for the shortbus at this point. I've been hunting around a lot. Most of what I've found is around 3 thousand, but I might call up the local bus district to ask if they are having any auctions or anything. In any case, I will have enough to get one by the end of next month! Of course, I've got converting to do after that, but I'm getting closer and closer to my goal.
I keep spacing out at work and daydreaming about seeing all of the forests and coastlines of the US. It will be a huge adjustment and I will have a lot to learn, but I couldn't be more excited

 

[lone wolf]

Thanks, everyone! Really helpful thoughts. Right now I am definitely leaning toward short bus.

if parking was an issue with a bus a little creative paint job could solve that problem.

an RV would look right at home in any 24hr casino parking lot.

 

[Matt Derrick]

Hey, thanks, @dprogram.
I am going for the shortbus at this point. I've been hunting around a lot. Most of what I've found is around 3 thousand, but I might call up the local bus district to ask if they are having any auctions or anything. In any case, I will have enough to get one by the end of next month! Of course, I've got converting to do after that, but I'm getting closer and closer to my goal.
I keep spacing out at work and daydreaming about seeing all of the forests and coastlines of the US. It will be a huge adjustment and I will have a lot to learn, but I couldn't be more excited

a friend recently turned me on to www.govdeals.com which is pretty amazing. it's an auction site for governement liquidation, and here in austin they just sold around 20 short buses for an average of 1-2k a piece! If i had the money I would have bought one right there on the spot, they were all in really good condtion. So yeah, check that out, I hope it helps you find what you're looking for!

 

[iflewoverthecuckoosnest]

That is a bad ass tip, @lone wolf. Very stealthy. It would ruin my dreams of painting her up like an adventure mobile from gypsy hell, but it would be quite practical.

Loving the website, @Matt Derrick. I will keep one eye on it at all times. Two when I'm asleep. Not seeing any short buses on it just yet, but I imagine that one will come up sooner or later.

 

[that one guy]

Yea living in/out of vehicles is all about practicality, I chose a gasoline van just recently because I know the likelihood that I'll have to work on it at some point, and I'm most familiar with the chevy 350.
I did however break my rule of 100,000 miles or less, its got 162xxx and I'm watching one plug that seemed to be wet, only time and milage will tell if I have a leaking head, it was $2400 for this one, as opposed to an identical one with better tires, less miles and every single little bell and whistle working tip top shape for 3300.
Unfortunately I'm in california, so that jacked the price $1000 automatically.
Its like the eagles song, 'you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave'