With the digital age of social media, it gets easier and easier to see how other people choose to spend their time and how they live their life. One of the more recent popular topics has been buying a school bus and converting it into a Skoolie / Tiny Home / RV. After a lot of research I decided I wanted to buy a school bus to allow me the freedom to travel and see more places. Today I am going to be talking about how to buy a school bus! In the last post I talked about some of the first steps you should take before jumping into purchasing a bus, you can find that here.
Where to Find a School Bus
I’m sure your first question probably is where to find a school bus to convert into a tiny home on wheels. Well there are many answers to that question. In doing my research the main options I determined were Auctions, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and Resale Dealers. There are pros and cons to each of these options. For my personal bus I chose to get it at auction in the hopes of getting it for a great price, I did stay within my budget. Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are similar in that they are online “for sale” pages where you can search locally or in specific areas. And lastly Resale Dealers who specialize in school buses is a great place to start if you have a bit of a larger budget.
Bus Auctions
The first place to get a bus that I will dive into is auctions. There are countless options when it comes to locating buses online at auction websites. Some of the most commonly used website include: GovDeals.com, PublicSurplus.com, and Ebay.com. While all of these sites typically contain buses for sale from all over the US and Canada, they can get a bit pricey since they are the most commonly used sites that people look at. This means there are more people bidding and the prices can get high on good buses. Now that isn’t to say you can’t get a good deal on a bus from any of these sites, but I choose a different route. I decided to look for local auctions that deal specifically with the school districts and local municipalities in Florida. Ultimately I got my bus from George Gideon Auctioneers.
As you can see in the short clip above, I was excited to be previewing some of the buses that were going to be auctioned at George Gideon Auctioneers. This brings me to my next tip, be sure to preview and start any bus you intend to bid on. My buddy Justin was familiar with diesel engines so it was great to have him along. If you don’t have a friend who is familiar with diesel, consider hiring a local mechanic to accompany you!
School Buses on Facebook & Craigslist
Both Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are great places to check for buses regularly if you don’t want to deal with the stress of an auction. People tend to sell fully or partially converted Skoolies on both platforms as well. So if you don’t want to do the build yourself, take a look at these. Just like with auctions, I recommend looking at any bus you are interested in and ask to hear it run. If it’s a private seller, I would ask them to take you for a quick ride so you can see how it drives. I would not recommend test driving yourself though since you don’t own the bus.
One of the biggest perks of Facebook and Craigslist is the potential to negotiate. Auctions go to the highest bidder, and dealers don’t like to negotiate much. So there is a chance to get a great deal using these two sites, but you may still end up paying more than an auction. The added benefit of these sites is that it is very easy to search different geographical areas as well. A lot of bus owners tend to like southern buses that have never been exposed to winter so there is less rust.
Buying a School Bus from a Dealer
The third main area to look for buses would be a used bus dealer. The important part is “used”. New buses are extremely expensive and it wouldn’t be practical to purchase a new bus to convert. One of the most well known and highly recommended school bus dealers I have heard of is AAA Bus in Phoenix, AZ. Arizona is a great place to look for buses because of the dry environment that helps prevent buses from rusting. AAA Bus is also a great place if you need used parts, or work done on a bus you already own. They have been seen in many Youtube videos from other people in the Skoolie Community!
Since I was looking for buses in Florida, I did find another used bus dealer near Tampa called Tampa Bus Market. Although they do have a lot of options on their website, I didn’t visit in person since their prices were a bit outside of what I wanted to spend. Another well known Florida dealer is BGA School Bus which is north of the Tampa area. Again I chose not to see any of their buses since the prices were outside of my budget. And that is a common theme when looking at bus deals, they tend to be the most expensive option for buying a school bus. But they do have mechanics that check everything out, so you do get peace of mind when purchasing from a dealer.
Time to Buy a School Bus!
These are just a few of the options when it comes to how to buy a school bus. As I mentioned I decided to go the local auction route and I was very happy with the process. If you are thinking about buying a bus, drop a comment below with any questions. If you want to see how my first day owning a bus went, check out the video below. And as always be sure to check back for new content. In the meantime be sure to keep Seeking Discovery and Explore Every Day!
