bus or van...

steal the short bus from some stupid school. Its big enough.

 

Pros of having a BUS:
1. Looks cooler to have a bus.
2. More interior space- lets you live full time in it and can install a bathroom.
3. Allows for personalized creativity in decorating and floorplans.
4. heavy duty suspension- allows for more stuff and people.
5. Bus shell can be cheaper than fully outfitted van conversion,
but requires additional money and time to complete into a useful vehicle.


Pros of having a VAN:
1. Safer
2. Much more comfortable to drive- better for long road trips and spending a lot of time driving.
3. Goes faster than a bus, and climbs hills with ease.
4. Deals better with city driving and getting lost.
5. Better fuel economy- if it is a diesel.
6. Attracts less attention from police and uptight people who might freak out.
7. Parks everywhere a car can park.
8. Less maintenance.
9. Cheaper to maintain.
10. Requires no additional investment of money or time beyond purchase price.
Just buy it and you're ready to go on your road trip.

Summary
A bus is great for long-term, full-time living where it won't be driven often, or for fixed destinations knowing in advance that buses are welcome and cherished. It allows a high level of creativity in its conversion, but requires a tremendous amount of time, money, and commitment. Not for the faint of heart or the impatient.

A van is great for road trips where destinations are sometimes spontaneous or unclear. It can drive on any road and can park anywhere. Van conversions are widely available in ready-to-go condition and require less maintenance than a bus.

Both vans and buses offer mobility and a place to sleep. Buses allow you to carry more cargo and passengers, however, and are great for situations where you will be camping in remote locations for extended periods (i.e. Burning Man).

P.S. Not all Walmarts will let you camp in their parking lots. I got my buses kicked out of several such parking lots in the past (not fun getting waken up early in the morning by a Walmart security guard).

P.S.2 My 40 foot turbo diesel bus with air suspension and aluminum frame cost me only $2000 to purchase. But it cost about $5000 more to make it reliable including $3000 to replace all the tires. Then I added another $3000 to add plumbing, solar power, kitchen appliances, furniture, lighting, and a bathroom. That was even using mostly found parts and junkyard RV stuff. But I needed custom water tanks made and that cost about $1500. Before I put on the new tires I had a tire blowout and had the bus towed. That cost $750 for towing. So all in all the $2000 bus eventually cost me about $11,000 to yield a very crude RV. And that does not even mention the blood sweat and tears of working on it 10 hours a day for several months at a time each summer.

Conclusion:
To the original young poster who just wants a vehicle to go cross country this coming summer with boyfriend and dogs- get a van. If you want a bus later, that's fine but you won't have a bus ready by this summer unless you and your boyfriend are both mechanics and carpenters. If you get a good deal on a van now, you can always sell it later and get most if not all of your money back. Then you could put that money into a bus when you're ready to take on a big project and have more time to shop around for a decent bus.

 

thanx sweet dream you kinda gave the most info and pretty much made my decision for me... we are kinda looking for a vamn now but if anyone is interested iknow where theres a bus already converted for 1200 it hasnt moved in alil over a year but they say it runs....

 

Hey no problem. I'm just sharing my experience and letting you know what worked for me and what didn't work, since I'd like to see you folks have a great road trip with no hassles. I did a cross-country trip back in 1992 and bought a 33-foot RV thinking it would be cool. It turned out to be really slow, a pain climbing hills, and it made my girlfriend and I so nervous we couldn't just relax and enjoy the scenery. We were constantly dealing with the RV, trying to just keep it on the road (steering and braking were dicey), and we were spending a lot on gas. So we turned around and went home, put the beast away, and drove my old station wagon across the country instead. We then had a fantastic trip where we could focus on having a great time rather than worrying about the vehicle. We liked having air conditioning in the hot humid South. We traveled for more than a month in the wagon and never complained once about the lack of space. We slept in the back of it most of the time and in a motel only once a week or less. Weather was warm enough that we could simply cook food outside, often using the hood of the car as a table. We thought the wagon was the perfect sized vehicle for us. Any bigger and it would have just been more gas and more responsibility with no added benefit. As a result, we spent very little money on our trip. Since you'll have dogs with you, you'll need a little bit more room, so a van should suffice. I once travelled for a week in a van conversion with two other guys, two girls, and a big girl Rottweiler. But we couldn't all sleep together in the van. Us guys slept outside in tents. Maybe you'll need to work out a similar plan for the dogs' sleeping arrangements. Whatever vehicle you get, just make sure it has curtains or shades for privacy when you sleep in it. Bring a compass so you know which direction the sun will be shining the next morning. That way you can anticipate where the shade will be so you can park there and sleep in.