What is the Best Shuttle Bus To Buy For a Bus Camper/RV Conversion in 2023?
You can’t start your buslife journey without a bus! Acquiring a vehicle to convert is often one of the hardest parts of the conversion process, believe it or not. There are some key things you should look for in every vehicle you look at, and some features that will be deeply personal choices that will vary from person to person. Let’s take a look at all of it so that you can be better prepared when you head to your nearest dealership or to meet an eager Craigslist seller.
First: Understand There is No “Perfect” Shuttle Bus For Your Bus Camper Conversion
This isn’t going to be what you want to hear right off the bat, but trust the process and stick with me. Under no circumstances should you believe anyone who tells you there is one single “best” kind of bus to purchase - that’s simply untrue. Even if you buy a brand new vehicle, it will probably have a feature or quirk you find you wish you didn’t have. That said, that doesn’t mean you can’t educate yourself on some of the most important features to look for and pitfalls to avoid so that you can get a bus that works best for you.
Understanding Your Own Needs & Wants
You’ll want to take your final product into consideration before even starting your first bus search. How many people are you traveling with? How often will you be in cities? Are you full-timing? Are you mechanically inclined? All of these things matter when you pick out your bus. But you also have to know where you can be flexible. For example, we originally wanted a bus 24 feet or less, with a co-pilot seat, under $15k as our main search criteria. The bus we bought is 25 feet long with a co-pilot seat that we spent $18,700 for - but we got a mechanically solid bus from a rust-free state, so we were exceedingly happy with the purchase. That said, we never would’ve bought this bus if the co-pilot seat had been missing. It’s all about your personal situation and preferences - but it’s a must to know what your end goals are before you start. Room for the kids’ car seats? Long enough for a full-sized bathtub? Small enough to fit in a regular parking space? You decide, and keep it in mind throughout. Don’t set yourself up to be unhappy with your rig from the get-go.
For Shuttle Buses - Size Matters
In the Skoolie community, you’ll often hear things like “I have a 6 window bus”, because all school buses are constructed similarly behind the cab. In the shuttle bus world, there is no such standard, so be ready to throw those terms out the window. Every shuttle bus from every manufacturer is different.
There’s one rule of thumb when it comes to understanding size in a conversion - the more living space you have inside, the more challenging the bus is to drive around. If you’re travelling with a family, or three Great Danes and your six foot tall significant other - interior space is probably going to be very important, and you’ll need to get comfortable maneuvering something big around as you travel. If you’re travelling solo and plan to spend time in the small streets of San Francisco or NYC - get the smallest bus you can find (think mini bus, 4 window, or turtle top) and be ready to create an open floorplan for your conversion layout.
A standard parking space is typically 19 feet long. Vehicles up to about 21 feet fit comfortably in a single spot. Anything over 24 will typically require backing in and hanging partially over a curb, or parking in a pull-through space. At 30+ feet you’ll always need two spaces. Keep these things in mind when you check out buses - imagine taking it to the grocery store and a small corner gas station.
Pro Tip: Bring a tape measure when you go look at a bus - private sellers and dealers alike often have no idea how big their buses actually are. Trust me - don’t take their word for it.
Second Pro Tip: Rent a vehicle close to the size that you’re considering purchasing first (U-Haul has trucks in a number of sizes). Get a feel for what maneuvering a large vehicle around is like before you commit to something 40 feet long.
Our 25 foot long bus in a standard parking space.
Your Shuttle Bus Search Radius
A mistake it seems like many people tend to make is limiting how far they’re willing to travel to find their bus. Buses from dry, warm areas are worth their weight in gold, especially when compared to anything from the northeast or the Midwest, where they spend the winters marinating in road salt - a true vehicle destroyer. The cost you will likely spend repairing the issues that arise from these conditions is often a lot more than the price of a one-way plane ticket to drive a better bus home from a different state.
This has become especially true with shuttle bus conversions becoming more popular with each passing year. The more people turning to bus conversions as their travel vehicle of choice, the more people that will be competing against you when you show up at your local dealer to buy something. Don’t be afraid to look nationwide if you can afford to do so - you’ll almost definitely get a better deal that way.
Mileage & Mechanical Shape
It should be considered obvious that the newer the bus you can afford to buy, the better shape it’s going to be in. But when you can’t afford new (who can?), you should know what key things to look for.
Gas engines are typically expected to have a life of 200,000 miles. So an engine with over 100,000 miles on it may have less than half its life remaining. If you plan to travel occasionally, that might be perfectly fine. If you plan to drive the Pan-American highway three times, maybe not.
Well-maintained diesel engines regularly last for 500,000 miles and beyond, so a diesel engine with 100,000 miles on it likely has way more life left in it than its gas counterpart. The advantage here is that you can purchase a far higher mileage vehicle with more confidence - but diesel comes with its own challenges as well.
We’ll get further into engines in a moment - but the takeaway is that if you’re planning to do a LOT of driving, look for a lower mileage vehicle (but know that the less they’ve been driven, the more they will cost).
As far as general mechanical shape goes - Google will give you a check list of things to look at if you want to give the bus a once-over yourself. But I frankly would not recommend it unless you’re very mechanically inclined, especially if you plan on full timing or anything close to it. If you don't know what you’re looking for, in this department it’s smarter to hire out some help. Many mechanics will do pre-purchase inspections for a very affordable price, and it’s well worth it to take the extra time and make sure everything checks out. If a seller doesn’t want you to get the vehicle inspected, it’s a huge red flag and you should walk away.
Pro Tip: Looking at out of state buses? We used Lemon Squad twice during our shuttle bus search. They send an inspector to look at your chosen bus for you (and will even test drive it), and provide you with a comprehensive report about the vehicle. We absolutely loved working with them, and they even saved us from a bad purchase from a less-than-honest dealer once.
Your Shuttle Bus Engine
If you’re going to put money into a shuttle bus conversion, don’t do it on an unreliable bus. I’ve seen too many horror stories of someone just embarking on their van or bus life dream, only to have a major mechanical failure set them way back, or end their plans altogether. Heartbreaking.
Finding a shuttle bus with a solid engine is important component of this. But if you ask 100 people this question, you’ll get 100 different answers - so there is no black and white answer here. You’ll see references to the Chevy 6.0 Vortec as a repeated favorite in conversations about gas engines, and the Ford 7.3 Powerstroke and 6.6 Duramax as favorites among those with diesels. Many will caution you against Ford 6.0 diesels (and I will too - that’s perhaps the only engine I would say should be a deal breaker unless you’re a very knowledgeable mechanic).
But I don’t recommend you search by engine - a good engine is not an absolute guarantee that you’re making a good purchase. Instead, I recommend you search by your other criteria - length, mileage, age, general condition - and when you find a bus you like, research the engine that it has. This allows you to educate yourself on the individual pros and cons of that specific engine, and you can take that into consideration alongside the rest of the bus’s features.
A safe bet - as always - is to talk to a trusted mechanic about the engine you’re considering as well. (If you haven’t lived on the road yet, you’ll soon learn that you’ll be spending probably more time than you ever expected talking to mechanics - best to get used to that sooner than later!)
And as far as gas vs. diesel? Well, that’s mostly a personal preference. As mentioned above, diesel engines run for far longer than gas, but the drawbacks are that at the fuel pump and at the mechanic, a diesel engine is going to cost you more. Gas is of course the opposite. Keep those things in mind when making a decision - but know that either gas or diesel can both work as well as the other.
Pro Tip: I wouldn’t touch a CNG / natural gas engine with a 20 foot pole right now. Down the road, when fueling stations and mechanics for these types of engines are more common, maybe. But right now, no matter how good the price is, choosing a CNG engine is going to make your life a lot harder than it has to be.
Internal Shuttle Bus Construction
Something challenging about the interior of shuttle buses is that they are NOT all built the same on the inside. We got lucky - our bus has an entirely metal interior construction, giving us lots of strong mounting points for our furring strips. But we’ve heard of people starting demolition on their new bus to find behind the walls there is nothing but 1/4” fiberglass, with no ribbing to speak of - that’s a bit of a nightmare from the conversion standpoint.
How do you avoid this? Well, unfortunately, there’s no real way to do so. Because there’s no build standard for shuttle buses, this is a question you can’t answer about a bus until you start the demolition process. Fortunately, there are workarounds for every type of interior construction, and you can absolutely build out a solid conversion even if you have a less-than-ideal bus structure.
That said, there are a couple of things you should look for in terms of condition of the body. One is of course rust. Check underneath the vehicle as best you can for any signs of structural damage from rust, and be very cautious moving forward if you find any. Repairing significant rust involves hiring a welder, which can be expensive.
You should also be aware of the signs of water damage on the interior. Leaking windows are a regular culprit of seriously problematic water damage that can be a headache to repair. Any soft spots in the floor, walls, or ceiling should be an immediate cause for concern. A musty, damp smell is something used RV buyers are encouraged to run away from, and this applies to buses as well. Since you typically can’t take down the panels inside the bus, do everything else you can to check for these issues - walk all over the floor, press on the walls, take a look at the roof if the buyer will allow it.
If you’re unsure if you’ll be able to tell what looks like a problem and what is workable - hire a vehicle inspector. The upfront cost now will save you from serious headaches down the road.
One slightly less important thing you can also look at is the curve of the exterior walls - the straighter the wall, the easier it is to build onto, and vice versa. It’s a minor thing, but if you’re looking at two identical buses, pick the one with the easiest platform to build in.
Where Should I Look for My Shuttle Bus?
The short answer: online. It’s where the vast majority good bus deals are listed. Small dealers and private sellers often have better prices than the national bus dealers will. Websites that can be particularly helpful include Commercial Truck Trader, Craigslist, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace - we’ve heard success stories from each of these (we personally found ours on Marketplace, and we bought our first rig on eBay). Government auction sites are another popular place to look - but don’t be too quickly charmed by their low prices, as a lot of these buses are in rough shape. Good deals can be found, but they’re rare - and getting rarer as these sites grow in popularity.
You can also look locally, which can be an especially good option if you’re in a climate that’s already easy on vehicles. We’ve seen people source buses from senior citizen centers, churches, casinos, airports, and tons of other local businesses.
Should I Buy A Shuttle Bus That’s Already Converted?
This is a commonly asked question, and there’s a lot to consider when deciding on the right answer is for you. Are you looking to get on the road ASAP? Want a fully functional build without having to undertake the creative design aspects? Looking for something more interesting or unique than your standard RV at the same time? Those aligning with these thoughts will be best served by buying pre-converted shuttles.
But there are serious drawbacks to also consider. Keep in mind - you do not know the quality of the work that was done by the original converter unless you are buying from a professional conversion company. This is critical to consider when the bus you’re looking at has complex electrical or propane systems. If an inexperienced DIY-er installed those systems, you could end up with a disastrous, bus destroying result - or worse. RV fires take lives every single year.
So while I won’t say buying from an individual who did a conversion is a bad idea, it’s a VERY good idea to make sure they really knew what they were doing. If you’re not confident, don’t take the risk! Or at the very least, be willing to remove, rework, or reinstall any systems that don’t appear to be safe to operate after you purchase the bus.
How Long Will it Take to Find a Shuttle Bus?
This one is hard to answer, but I always caution people never to pull the trigger on the first bus that they think they like unless it’s a complete unicorn of a bus. Typically, we all get caught up in the excitement of the purchase process and it’s SO easy to end up in a bus that isn’t all that great because of how much you just wanted to get started on the build.
If you only take one thing away from this article, make it this - take your time looking for your shuttle bus.
The used car market can be tough, and with shuttle buses getting more popular it isn’t getting any easier. But I still see good bus deals pop up on eBay and Facebook pretty often - and I’m not even in the market for a bus right now.