Considering a skoolie

[Zizzer_Zazzer_Zuz]

1999 Bluebird
Chevrolet running gear with 350ci engine
34,687 miles

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/5805344973.html[/SIZE]

Any thoughts on the engine?
I'm sure tires will be expensive but worth it for a long haul vehicle.
I like the size, bigger than a short bus but smaller than a full size.
Gas mileage should be great for house it's size.

Thoughts?  Suggestions?  Words of warning or advice?

Already looking for a mechanic that can give it a once over.  Hope to test drive it today or Thursday.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Hard to believe someone is selling a bus with only 35 k miles on it for only $4300.  My guess would be that the odometer has turned over a time or two.

Before you spend ANY money on it, verify you can get insurance for it.  That seems to be the biggest hang up on converted skoolies.  Almost no one is willing to insure them.

 

[Zizzer_Zazzer_Zuz]

Hard to believe someone is selling a bus with only 35 k miles on it for only $4300.  My guess would be that the odometer has turned over a time or two.

Before you spend ANY money on it, verify you can get insurance for it.  That seems to be the biggest hang up on converted skoolies.  Almost no one is willing to insure them.

Not sure there is a way to tell if the odo has been rolled or altered that but I have arranged for a third party mechanic to inspect it.  The seller is an auto repair shop that has been doing the maintenance on the bus since it was new.  They have a lift for it too so I may just have them do any work that is required.  I do expect tires, hoses, belts and wires just due to age.  But we'll see.

I have already spoken to my insurance company and told them EXACTLY what I'm doing and they have no issue with it.  If I want comprehensive and collision I will need to provide images of the conversion.  For personal only use with base insurance is $138 every 6 months.  Once the conversion is done and I provide photos etc adding comprehensive will be at $250 every 6 months.  I did NOT mention that I plan to live in it but they currently insure my bricks and sticks and so have no reason to think for a moment that I plan to live in it.  When the time comes I may change that but for now insurance is pretty much a done deal.

 

[Fabber McGee]

As a school bus, I wouldn't believe the mileage is correct. However, this is a specialty bus that may have belonged to a nut house or old folks home or some other unusual business that only made a 2 mile trip 3 times a week. Or it may not have worked very well for what it was bought for, perhaps too big and cumbersome for the number of passengers they were moving and they just used a van or some other vehicle most of the time instead.

 

[Trebor English]

In my experience the Bluebird are better than Thomas or Carpenter.  They tend to rust less.  Look around where the roof and ceiling come together above the windows.  It looks good in the pictures.
Since it is only 17 years old it isn't old enough to smoke or drink.

 

[Zizzer_Zazzer_Zuz]

Heartbroken.

Saw it driving down the road on my way for the test drive.

The SOB sold it out from under me.

Back to the drawing board.

 

[Richard]

The SOB sold it out from under me.

Sorry to hear this. What's wrong with some people? I mean, I understand "money talks" but for them not to call you first (given that you had an appointment) seems like a jerk-move.
/sigh

 

[LoupGarou]

Its not the actual insurance company you have to worry about. It their underwriters that will give you a hard time.

Source insurance for what the vehicle is. not for what you intend to turn it into. Insurance companies have trouble assigning a value to DIY conversions. After the job is completed and the build has been reclassified as an RV, sourcing insurance is less problematic. Keep all your receipts for the large ticket items.

 

[Headache]

The other issue with schoolies and why insurance companies don't like them is they claim they are top heavy. This is because the center of gravity is higher due to the collision area of a car; they built the floor of the bus just above the collision height of the average car with it's lid and pillars sheared off. After adding the weight of the conversion on top of the center of gravity they claim it makes the bus unstable.

Don't think you are scott free on registering as an RV. VIN numbers for the most part have been entered into a computerized system somewhere so any licensing agency or company like CarFax can look up the VIN and check history. However, if you have the tens of thousands of dollars it takes for a professional RVIA certified company to do the conversion the insurance companies are happy to take your money. /shakes fist