What To Look For In A Bus You Plan To Convert To A Home

Bus living has become quite a popular trend over the past few years. People are converting old buses into living spaces and touring the country in them, much like you would do with an RV. If you want to jump on the bus living bandwagon, then the first thing you'll need to do is buy a bus. But what should you look for in a bus well-suited for bus living?

1. Length Less Than 28 Feet

In most cases, you are not going to want to convert a full-size school bus. These full-size buses can be as long as 45 feet. Not only is 45 feet of bus a whole lot of space to renovate, but it's also too long to enter most National Parks, which often restrict vehicle length to 28 feet. Medium-sized school buses, such as those used by smaller and more rural school districts, are often only 28 feet long and are far more suited to bus living.

2. A Flat Nose

Chances are, you are not used to driving a bus! Driving one with a flat nose will be easier for you than driving one with a bull nose. Flat nose buses are easier to see out of. They also have a shorter wheelbase and are easier to turn. Of course, if you have previous experience driving a bus and are confident in your ability to navigate a bus around tight corners, you can disregard this recommendation.

3. A Tall Ceiling

Many school buses are only 5'10" inside. If you're short, this might be okay, but if you ever plan on inviting taller friends into your bus, you'll want to look for ones that are a bit taller. The tallest models are about 6'4". If you find a shorter bus and fall in love with it, you can look into raising the ceiling, but this is costly.

4. A Low-Mileage Engine

You'll be fully renovating the interior of the bus, so it doesn't really matter what that looks like. But unless you want to rebuild the engine, too, you had better look for a bus with an engine that's in good shape. A bus that has spent more time on the highway and less time in the city will have less wear and tear on it. The one exception would be if you were to find a bus with a completely burned out engine at a really low price. You could buy it and pay to have a new engine set into it.

For more information, reach out to companies like Sawyers Bus Sales.