Is this a good deal for a school bus

[thewallfan]

I was searching for a school bus on ebay and i came across this (search 200708125401). Is this a good deal for the condition.

[surfingbodi]

Wish I could help you here but I do not know anything.  However, I am considering getting a bus further down the road or a hard sided camper.  Can you share with me what features led you to see a bus instead of a traditional RV? My biggest concern is that one of the reasons I want a hard sided camper or bus is for cold weather camping and all those windows seem like it would be impossible to keep warm unless I covered them tremendously and then it would be very dark.  Any way around this?

ty!
sb

[SeilerBird]

Keeping an RV warm is a considerable challenge. That is one reason I don't go near cold weather.

[donandmax]

We went through 30.00 dollars worth of propane in 4 days trying to keep ours warm. No cold weather rv'ing for us.

[wellsronald18]

I agree with zzyzx , this can be the only solution to keep RV warm.

[COMer]

In our area, school buses go for about $2500 and are "used and abused."  The owners do not replace them until state and federal funding has expired.  Keep in mind that most are geared for city driving, not running down the interstate.  Gas mileage is pretty poor also.

But if you get a good one, and block the extra windows with sheet metal before you paint you can get a cheap potential RV.  They usually are maintained well and if you can talk to a school district person, you might find out about one that just had the transmission replaced before it had to be sold, for example.  They vary greatly in condition and newness of various parts. I've seen them do engine jobs on a bus and then sell it within 5,000 miles.  All this means local school districts instead of eBay.

[demoon]

I would suggest that you try to find a bus that was owned by a school district, not a bus service company.  In my 23 years in educational administration it is my experience that vehicles owned by the district  tend to get better and more regular maintenance that those of bus company's.

[MedfordRV]

I'm curious how much it costs to convert a school bus into a comfortable RV with the basics. Is it porta-potty and used furniture and off you go? Seems you could get an older RV for $5,000 or $6,000 with everything already in it.  Or is it the school bus look that has the appeal? Just curious, I do see a few of them in my travels?    Bruce

[99WinAdventurer37G]

I went to a school district auction in the Houston, TX area, school buses were going between $500 & $1500.  I was tempted, but didn't know what I'd do with it, other than maybe turn it for $2500.  They usually buy them here and take them down to Mexico.

[Jarlaxle]

I'm curious how much it costs to convert a school bus into a comfortable RV with the basics. Is it porta-potty and used furniture and off you go? Seems you could get an older RV for $5,000 or $6,000 with everything already in it.  Or is it the school bus look that has the appeal? Just curious, I do see a few of them in my travels?    Bruce

For me, it was simply the QUALITY.  Instead of a flimsy, leaky box on an overloaded bread truck chassis with marginal brakes and running gear, I have a watertight steel body, a chassis I cannot overload, and Class 8 truck running gear.  This past June, I had nine people on the roof of my bus...try that with a stick and staple motorhome.  (Actually, please don't!)

[uberwitch]

we went with an MCI bus fur just that reason, want to be in it 20 yrs from now

[gwcowgill]

Before you consider converting a school bus you need to talk with your insurance agent. Also, school busses tend to have a numerically higher gear ratio which tends to operate the engine near max rpm range. Not good for fuel efficiency. An over the road bus would be a better choice for efficiency as they tend to be geared numerically lower.

[Alfa38User]

And.... you want a highway bus, not one that was used in city transport. The gear ratios are considerably different, especially in cites where there is a mountain involved.