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Thursday, January 22, 2015

this bus. tiny bus.




Do you see this lovely bus here? Well this lovely bus has been taunting me for months. I ride to work the same way every day and for a few months it was parked outside this one house (actually they had two buses, one of which I did make an offer on and never got a reply. :\) But this bus, it is the perfect bus!

I decided a bit ago that a shorter bus is the bus for me, for what I hope is a few good reasons

- Um, have you seen full size school buses? They are huge. I thought I was making myself a tiny house, not a huge house. If my house is going to be the size of a whale I'd prefer it to be a small whale.

- To go along with the hugeness, I'm not the most confident driver. I don't have a lot of experience driving huge things and if my life could be based around driving something something a little less huge, that would be great. 

-A small bus would be a little more manageable as far as finding parking, short or long term.

-My mother told me I should get a small bus. She usually knows what is up. 

So now that we've established that a tiny bus is the way to go (aren't my reasons convincing?) What are the downsides to tiny buses? I think it pretty much boils down to space and availability.

Tiny buses are (surprise) smaller than standard buses! Many nice finished tiny buses you see are pretty comfortable looking, but then you realize they eliminated the bathroom. I do want a bathroom in my tiny bus and I am working on ways to be as efficient with space as I can.

It seems like tiny buses are also a little harder to come across. I guess I should also be clear I'm not looking for the tiniest bus. I don't want a really tiny 'short bus' but a medium class B bus. Usually when you shop for buses you see the really short buses with about 15 seats and the huge buses with 40-60 seats. What I am looking for is a 25-35 seater. A perfect Merma size. Well, Merma + pug. 

I'm just about at the six month mark in my fellowship which means I am also six months out from my bus build. I've seen a lot of cute buses come and go for sale and passed them by because I knew it was too soon to buy, but I think this is the shift. With six months to go until actual bus building time I could feasibly buy a bus if/when the right one comes along. 

So tiny bus, wherever you are, I am ready! Come find me!

loves,
Mer.

P.S. Yesterday two of these buses came up for auction on my favorite bus auction site. They both have a problem or two and they are both in Salem, OR. I am very tempted, though at this point it may be better to get a bus in California and keep it with me until the migration back north... I'll keep you updated. 

1 comment:

CeeBee said...

There is a SWEET 1995 International that would be perfect for you and its listed on Public Surplus. Its actually mis-categorized and is in the "transit bus" section.
You CAN score that bus for well under $2000.
Its in Colorado, but honestly-0 going and getting the bus from an auction is the way to go. Trust me- it sounds crazy, but these buses are so better maintained by the schools than they are by individuals.
CO buses also are better in the mountains due to better braking systems.
I live in FL, and I drove all the way to Kentucky and picked up my auction bus for 2200 sight unseen.
Don't spend a ton of money on a bus, buy an older pre-1996 diesel, and get one that doesn't need repair. A transmission in a bus is NEVER going to be a $500 fix. I'd say at least 1500 and up.
Hope you find what you're looking for and get a great deal!