Re: I'm new around here and have some questions
Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2020 3:13 pm
Greg, at your budget (indeed most any budget), every bus will be a compromise and will need "fixing' to be the bus you want.
To my way of thinking there are five main areas of focus when you evaluate a motorhome/bus:
1) The structure. This is obvious. A bad choice here will cost you thousands of dollars and rust has ended several projects.
2) The running gear (engine and transmission). Again big potential dollars to repair or convert. Best to pay up front for what you want. Another major item of this category is tires -- at $500 per tire or so, it would add up quickly
3) What I will classify as systems. This would include inverters, generators, air conditioners, transfer switches kitchen equipment, water and house heaters, etc. This area is often overlooked. Each of these items has various levels of "quality" and adding/replacing can get expensive. For example the very best inverter (true sine wave) is a magical component but it costs perhaps $3K Cheap inverters may do some of the job but make living a bit more of a challenge
4)Interior. This is the most often "adjusted" component of a "finished" bus. The cost can be fairly reasonable if you do your own work and use materials that are not hugely expensive.
5) Exterior. Again, this can be a non-budget breaking update with good planning. Not everyone needs a $10-20K (or more paint job.
So, your have to balance out these areas against your skills/resources/budget.
Fun huh
Jim
To my way of thinking there are five main areas of focus when you evaluate a motorhome/bus:
1) The structure. This is obvious. A bad choice here will cost you thousands of dollars and rust has ended several projects.
2) The running gear (engine and transmission). Again big potential dollars to repair or convert. Best to pay up front for what you want. Another major item of this category is tires -- at $500 per tire or so, it would add up quickly
3) What I will classify as systems. This would include inverters, generators, air conditioners, transfer switches kitchen equipment, water and house heaters, etc. This area is often overlooked. Each of these items has various levels of "quality" and adding/replacing can get expensive. For example the very best inverter (true sine wave) is a magical component but it costs perhaps $3K Cheap inverters may do some of the job but make living a bit more of a challenge
4)Interior. This is the most often "adjusted" component of a "finished" bus. The cost can be fairly reasonable if you do your own work and use materials that are not hugely expensive.
5) Exterior. Again, this can be a non-budget breaking update with good planning. Not everyone needs a $10-20K (or more paint job.
So, your have to balance out these areas against your skills/resources/budget.
Fun huh
Jim