2020 was a wild year for a lot of people. For me 2020 started out great working for my dream company, but when the pandemic hit I was ultimately laid off. After spending some time trying to decide what to do next, I knew I wanted to travel more. I wanted to see places I have never been to before and after doing a lot of research I decided to buy a school bus. So here is the story of how I bought a school bus!
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First Step – Research
Before I bought a school bus, I spent a good amount of time researching. I looked at different types of buses, engines, transmissions, and the pros and cons of buses. I watched a lot of Youtube videos of other people who have converted school buses into tiny homes to help guide me down the right path. A couple of my favorites are Navigation Nowhere, Tale of Two Smittys, and Bussy McBusface just to name a few, but there are tons more that I watch on a regular basis to stay caught up. If you are considering buying a bus, I would recommend checking out Youtube for a lot of different helpful tips and tricks. And be sure to check out our Youtube for Tips and How-tos from our bus build!
Next – Bus Budget
After deciding I wanted to buy a bus, the next topic to cover was budget. How much money did I want to spend? What would be feasible for the type of bus conversion that I wanted to do? My goal is to create a large enough rig to accommodate family and friends so they can come along on adventures with me while I Explore Every Day. After conducting a lot of my research I started an excel sheet to layout various elements of the build and what I expected it to cost. With any project they always say to use the rule of 25. Add 25% to your budget and timeline from what you planned at a minimum.
I Bought a School Bus
After all of my research and budgeting it was time to start shopping. I looked on used bus dealers, facebook, craigslist, and a variety of auction sites. Ultimately I purchased my bus on my second auction attempt. I will go into more detail about the actual purchasing process in a future post. But, I do remember facetiming with my parents and telling them, “I bought a school bus” and it was still a moment of shock that I had actually won the auction and now the real work began.
If you want to follow along with the bus build I have a variety of social media I am posting on. You can find them all here. This is just the beginning of this great adventure. I look forward to sharing this journey with you all. Be sure to check back regularly to see more Skoolie Posts! In the mean time get out and continue Seeking Discovery and Explore Every Day.