| Author |
Message |
Kenneth Hintermeister (Barbwire)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 01, 2005 - 8:00 am: | |
Thanks guys for all the comebacks. I (WE) are looking at done conversions, Gonna go fulltime. Would have time to make some modifications but know its too big a job to build one from scratch. Seeing some nice ones here on busnuts for sale, I drive MCI's and VanHool's for a living, part time, so know a little bout busses. Just like the looks of eagles in the 80's.
Ken |
John that newguy
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 01, 2005 - 9:14 am: | |
Ken-
A personal opinion?
Before you spend any hard earned cash, have the bus looked
over by a bus garage. Check for rust on the framework behind
the outer panels, inside the corners of the bays, and around
the front stairwell. The bus garage can tell you if there are
any frame cracks or rust around the engine's framework, and
the condition of everything mechanical.
Whatever you do, don't be blinded by the glitter of a nicely
converted coach. Keep in mind, that you're buying a used home
on wheels, with used appliances of unknown maintenance.
You don't want to suffer all the headaches the owner is trying
to divest from. After the trip to the bus garage, take it to a
reputable RV shop to have all the appliances looked at. If they're
too far outdated, you'll be pouring more into it for repairs.
You didn't mention if you already had an RV... If you do own
one, try living in it in your own driveway for -at least- 6 months
before going full-time (we did). Once you're out on the road
with no home to return to, you'll find the stress level will be
increased if and when anything goes wrong. At least in your
own driveway, you can take that second breath.. There's more
to full-timing, than just driving around... There's mail, medical
and maintenance issues you'll have to be concerned with.
We had a great time full-timing, but health issues cut us short.
We hope to do it again, but with a home to go back to, the
next time.
Weigh it all very carefully and make sure you start with a vehicle
that can be maintained and repaired as easily as possible by
the majority of bus garages.... |
Marc Bourget
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 01, 2005 - 9:19 am: | |
More importantly, don't be blinded by the glitter of a nicely APPEARING converted coach.
This is truly a case where beauty is more than skin deep
You don't want to wind up with a rolling maintenance project!
(An aside: ask any Eagle owner as he listens to the tinkle of rust flakes under the skin!) LOL! |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 01, 2005 - 10:31 am: | |
I have yet to meet a single Eagle owner who complained about rust! I know I had no problem in 15+ years of owning DML.
Richard |
James Maxwell (Jmaxwell)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 01, 2005 - 10:56 am: | |
Kenneth: A wise choice for "getting" a conversion. Given today's market, building your own is almost foolish, unless your just looking for something to do. Even a major refurbishing would be preferrable to starting from scratch. |
Geoff (Geoff)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 01, 2005 - 11:07 am: | |
I agree with Jim-- let someone else do the work and take the hit. However, the downside of buying a "used conversion" is having to live with the shortcomings of the converter. And (besides the mechanical issues) you need to have someone with you that has converted a bus to see if it is a decent conversion to buy.
--Geoff
'82 RTS CA/AZ
Richard (DML)-- I know what you mean, pre-conceived notions are very prevalent around here. |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 01, 2005 - 3:20 pm: | |
Hey Geoff, maybe we need to organize an RTS/Eagle club. LOL
Richard |
Brian Brown (Blue_velvet)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 01, 2005 - 3:47 pm: | |
I should also say, after owning both a S&S class-A rig and a converted bus, there are a few downsides (to go with the upsides from my response to your previous post) to bus RV’s that you’ll have to factor in:
Parts availability and cost The local AutoZone had many parts for the Winnie I used to own. They don’t carry bus parts. So bus parts have fewer suppliers, and they tend to cost more, and you’ll obviously pay more in shipping costs.
“Big league” monkey-wrenchin’ The Winnie was like working on a car. The bus is like working on… a bus. If you won’t or can’t do your own maintenance, you’ll pay big time to have someone qualified work on your bus. You’ll likely also spend some $ on heavy-duty tools to DIY.
Acceptability If you don’t want to “stand out from the crowd” you will driving a bus conversion. Some folks “won’t get it” and think you’re nuts.
Resale concerns There’s a much smaller market for selling your conversion when you want to upgrade or get out of it. And if you convert it yourself, there’s very few folks that have made $ selling theirs, especially considering their time-investment.
Even though busses are an amazing value, considering how well they're built compared to "sticks" rigs, the market doesn't bear them much consideration because of supply and demand.
Just some more random thoughts,
bb |
Jim Ashworth (Jimnh)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 01, 2005 - 5:05 pm: | |
OK gentlemen- If you aren't concerned about rust in an Eagle, you're burying your head in the sand. They wouldn't have the reputation if they didn't rust.
Three examples:
1-- A friend rear-ended a limo on the highway going about 3 mph. Around the perifery of the bus was a ring of rust that was shaken loose from the impact.
2-- An acquaintance was pushed off the highway onto the grass on the side of the road. A couple of dips and a 4" pine tree and he finally stopped. The wrecker couldn't tow the bus because from the front wheels forward was disconnected from the rest of the bus.
3-- Another was turning into his driveway at very slow speed and the steering stopped working. Inspection revealed that the steering box was floating along with the frame that held it in place. He then stripped the entire lower half of the bus and found an incredible amount of rust.
These are true stories. Really scary true stories. Gimme my MCI or Prevost, thank you.
Jim |
David Hartley (Drdave)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 01, 2005 - 5:49 pm: | |
There's no "PAT" answer.
If you don't want rust, Buy a stainless Prevost. Everything else either rusts, corrodes or pops rivets. Many do it all at the same time.
How many 50 year old Eagles are still running without major structural repairs.
And yes that was a dumb and loaded question.
My MCI and RTS both have signs that say, Honk if Parts Fall Off.
Most qualify for:
Stay back 500 feet!
Do Not Push!
Biohazzard!
Warning Oil Slick!
Smoke / Fog Ahead !
I gotta get a life, anybody got a fresh unused one? |
Jtng
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 01, 2005 - 5:56 pm: | |
I just hafta' toss my .03 in again...
Ken.... You mentioned buying an already converted bus...
It's a good way to go, -if- the conversion was made in a manner
that meets the safety criteria of any commercially made RV.
It may look great on the outside -and inside-, but did the
builder use "Family Dollar" extension cord inside the walls?
Was Styrofoam insulation used around wiring, that may cause
it to overheat? Has the plumbing been run in a manner that
will make future repairs possible? Have any structural changes
been made that might weaken the integrity of the bus?
Any future floor plan changes you may desire to do, will be more
difficult. You'll have to tear out and re-build... It's not a pleasing
thing to have to do. In fact, it's 99% easier to build from scratch,
than to tear out what's been built, to build again (Oh the horrors
you'll find).
There's nothing wrong with buying a conversion, any more than
anything wrong with buying another commercially made RV.
And there's absolutely nothing wrong with attempting to build
one yourself.. But it sounds like you just want to hit the road,
and not make a hobby out of building one..
The plus side of owning a bus conversion, is the room inside
and the vast amount of storage space.... If that's what the
previous owner has provided..
To add to Brian's downside... Some parks may give you the
bum's rush and deny you access. Many KOA's won't allow
a "home conversion" in.. You may find that some smaller parks
won't take a 40' rig.. And as a bus driver, as much as you feel
that you can stuff the thing into any spot... There are some spots
that are designed for much, much smaller rigs having a much
shorter wheelbase and tighter turning radius. Then... there's
the matter of weight restrictions on some back roads you may
have previously taken with an RV... And some low bridges
that may now restrict your routing...
But hey, Ken... If you're driving a bus now, just pretend it's
your conversion, and after you dump the people, take a cruise
to wherever you'd want to take your own conversion; down
side streets, dead-ends, parking lots.. Pull into a camp-ground
and see if they have a spot for you...ride through a few
campgrounds and see if you'll find a spot easy enough..
Full-timing is one helluva' big "life decision", but doing it in
someone else's "home-built" converted bus, is..well.. even bigger.
Don't be discouraged by any comments, they're all made
to help you be aware of all the possibilities. Go into it as
well informed as you can. |
Jon W.
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 01, 2005 - 7:46 pm: | |
A lot of generalized opinions, but the reality is the amount of money available is ultimately going to dictate what to buy.
As far as getting in places in general, and campgrounds in particular, our 45' will get in almost any reasonably modern campground. If it won't fit in a campground it is almost a given that the campground is not one we would prefer to stay in.
When the amount of dollars to be spent have been revealed then the answers to the first post will be more accurate. |
James Maxwell (Jmaxwell)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 01, 2005 - 11:25 pm: | |
As DML & Geoff point out, this rust issue w/Eagles has grown into something akin to the old tales of The Wild West and Davey Crocket. I have seen the engines in MCI's fall out of alignment so far they would no longer operate due to cracked engine cradle framing. I have seen GM's where the front ends literally were ready to fall off due to corrosion around all the mounting bolts. My own Neoplan was only 11 yrs. old when I bought it and it had already been factory re-framed and re-skinned on the sidewalls. Want to see more rust? Remove the inner body skin of a 20-25 yr. old MCI that run in the East or South. Do the same thing with a Prevo.
Someone mentioned "buy a SS Prevo". I am helping on converting a '95 H3 (maybe more observing and suggesting than WORKING) Guess what; rust where it ain't SS. If it's over 10 yrs. old and has over 1/4 million total miles on it, it's got some problems. The older it is and the more miles on it, the more problems it's likely to have. That may be a big part of the explanation of why big charter outfits get rid of them. I know someone who bought a new MCI a few yrs. ago: damn thing burned up less than 2 yrs. later from an oil leak. |
FAST FRED
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 02, 2005 - 6:04 am: | |
Purchase a Pro built coach , Custom Coach is the tops, in an older shell that was converted from new.
May be only 35' but thats even better for fulltiming if you intend to tour.
These are avilable ,(late 60's & 70's) usually with under 300,000 total miles which is NEW by bus standards.
The interior will be dated , but that's only colors , paint or new formica and some fabric is cheap and easy.
Any mechanicals that were ignored will be fairly easy to upgrade , a water pump is unde $200 for the more expensive types. New Cruisaris are not out of $ight and make the finest in Quiet cool .
You will have a coach with systems you can count on and not a backyard nightmare filled with undeciperably circuts , relays and electric crapola , that no one understands, or can fix.
Resale will be about what you paid for it , and many are found in the FMCA and other places for $50,000 to $100,000 and only need searching out.
Have fun hunting , and remember paint is only skin deep,
Mechanical Nightmares are thry & thru.
And AGE is Mileage VS Maint , not years.
Go for IT!
FAST FRED |
Arthur J Griffith
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, July 04, 2005 - 2:07 pm: | |
If you want to buy an EAGLE, make it a 89 or
newer Model 15. They used CorTen steel for all
the frame tubing. There will be very little to
no rust. Also stay away from a northern bus.
I stripped all the skin off of my 89-mo15 and there was almost no rust. Did not have to replace
even one piece of tubing. WHAT A JOY.
ARTHUR
828-479-4771 |
Art Gill (Sandcastle)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, July 04, 2005 - 3:30 pm: | |
I also have a 1989 Eagle model 20 that came from New Jersey Transit with the Corten steel and almost not rust. A few places on the bi-fold doors at the bottem had the only holes in the steel that I have found. So, if you want an Eagle, get an Eagle. But as with all buses, look for the rust in hidden spots. Ask a pro to help.
art |
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