Buying a Bus: Advice please

[BorniteIdentity]

Hey.

 

So.  Whilst my wife's never seen a car more than 10 years old that she's liked, we have agreed that an old bus would be a right laugh to own.  There's a guy around the corner form us who owns a 1949 Bristol L5G and it really is a lovely old thing.  

 

I'm pretty well versed in buying shitty cars,  but I've only ever been at the back of a bus.  

 

So:

 

1) Where does one look to buy such a conveyance?  

 

2) Is there anything I really ought to know? (I know I'll have to take some kind of test as I have a year 2000 issued driving licence.

 

3) What are they actually like to have?  We'd probably look to do a partial camper conversion of sorts so that we could take the children away in it and stuff.

 

4) What should we be looking at? I have to be honest - the Bristol looked a right PITA to commandeer.  Growing up where I did, an Atlantean or Swift would be more my cup of tea - but would go 80s too. 

 

Any help appreciated.  It's not going to be an immediate thing, so don't expect a collection thread next week.  It'd be nice to have something bought in the next 12 months though.

[Tamworthbay]

Wow, that's some wish list. I have no idea on any it though, sorry.

[dollywobbler]

Have a search. I think I (or someone else) started a thread about this a while back. I loved the idea right up until the point that 'great expense' was mentioned. Still hasn't entirely put me off to be honest...

[Felly Magic]

I sadly think you will need a PCV to drive one, and that isn't cheap, budget £1500-£2k for that, and 2-3 weeks due to CPC, classified adverts in Bus & Coach Preservation mag is one good place to look for potential candidates, AEC Swifts are like rocking horse poo, and go omnoms on head gaskets for a laugh, a friend of mine recently sold his pot winner Swift to someone in the Gt Yarmouth area. Atlanteans are getting a bit thin on the ground, but do turn up at around £5k ish. Ebay does sometimes turn up the odd classic bus, go into motors, other vehicles, minibuses/buses & coaches section. Older double deckers are starting to go out of reach for preservationists and are being converted to bars etc, I don't have my hopes up for the future of a Northampton Daimler that's currently up at £28k. There will be shedloads of Leyland & Volvo Olympians up for grabs at knockdown prices towards the end of the year, due to impending disability laws making them illegal to operate on normal service work, I know my employer has a stash that are withdrawn for disposal at Rochford.

[Cavcraft]

CMS is your man here...

[castros_bro]

Hi,

 

I had a 1960/70s Plaxton Panorama  Leyland engined Turner gearboxed coach designed for long distance travel and used it in UK, France, Holland, Germany, great fun BUT the one only only serious drawback was finding somewhere to park/stop in the UK when not at home which is the only reason I no longer have it.  Photo will be added later on.

[BorniteIdentity]

I think, with my reasonably sensible hat on, single decker is the way forward here.  Bristol B21 would be fantastic, even a Dennis Dart and get in ahead of the gold rush.

 

Perhaps even a larger minibus - but decals are absolutely mandatory so we don't just look like the Dingles on holiday from Emmerdale Farm.

[castros_bro]

Maybe I phrased that wrong, there are very few places to park a bus/coach no matter what it looks like so if you want to stop somewhere then it's home, a transport fest,  a motorway service station for 90 mins or the dogging layby on the A3.

[BorniteIdentity]

Interesting.  The guy in our village with the Bristol uses it like a motorhome and, as far as I know, has yet to be turned away.  Perhaps he's got 'contacts' in the vintage world, perhaps he doesn't do it much more.  I dunno.

 

Valuable information though, so thanks.

[quicksilver]

The biggest thing is to make sure you have suitable storage space - even the smallest bus ain't gonna fit in a normal garage and so many have been lost to preservation due to loss of storage. Everything is very big and heavy so they can't really be worked on alone and you'll need a team of mates to help, and some parts can be very expensive. Taking on a bus is a very different kettle of fish from a car or van. Messrs Campbell and Fowler are the ones to talk to as they have plenty of experience of bus preservation.

 

It can be done though - just last week I visited someone who not only has 30 buses of his own (many unique) but also does restorations for other people. I just can't comprehend the scale of such a collection but he is apparently a multi-millionaire so I guess that helps.

[Felly Magic]

There is a Bristol B21 preserved locally, it has a turbo nutter bastard 260 engine and goes like SOAS, but stopping is an entirely different kettle of fish. Darts can be picked up cheaply now, but avoid the Super Pointer, 11m long, and has structural issues at the back. Step entry and early low floor Darts are pretty simple mechanically, inline 6 Cummins and Allison auto box, ebay again could be your friend, and even have a word in the shell like of your local ops as to when they may be disposing of stuff, scrap is low atm, so an offer just above scrap could net you something. 

 

Quite a few early B10M coaches coming to market cheap, but watch for rot,especially Plaxton bodywork, these are better for motorways, as service buses are often geared to under 50, and are screaming at 45

[worldofceri]

To be honest it sounds like what you're really after is a retro (non-veedub) camper/motorhome.  Maybe a '60s/'70s Merc based one.  They're often on the same chassis as contemporary small buses.  Even a Bedford CF like my old one can carry eight grown ups and, with the addition of a suitable awning or whatever, superb for taking a large brood on a cheapish holiday.  Unlike a bus, you won't have the fear of being turned away from that fancy Caravan Club site, you can get it mot'd at a regular garage, and - with a bit of luck - it won't bankrupt you.

[MarvinsMom]

i've always hankered after a Leyland Olympian, or a Leyland Lynx or National, maybe even a Bristol VR, simple cos i remember riding them when in service some 20+ years ago!

 

but.....

 

no money, time space etc, all the usual excuses mean it will never happen.

 

those who do run/restore/enjoy old busses, and trucks too have my greatest respect cos keeping them going must be one hell of a job!

 

now i've only tried to run a couple of old cars, how you can do that with a vehicle 30-odd feet long, and weighing many, tonnes, just astounds me.

 

good luck if you do take the plunge!

[holbeck]

If you are after a bus, might be worth PM'ing Mr. 83C.

 

He has a Leyland coach, ISTR he stores it at an old airfield (?) site for quite a reasonable rate.

[Timewaster]

You are Ken Bruce. ICMFP

[worldofceri]

This ain't cheap, and it's in France.  But, still.  

 

[cms206]

I'd be looking at early Dennis Dart or Mercedes 709D for ease of everything; the DDA has more or less killed them off and even pre-2000 low floor Darts are now mega cheap - there was a '99 10.7m low floor Dart for sale on one of the facebook pages with test for £1750 and if I was going for a camper conversion that'd be my choice - Darts are normally 4-speed Allison auto, all have power steering and Cummins diesel engines. They come in sizes from 8.8m to 11.3m for all sizes and are generally fairly narrow at 2.4m wide. Mercs are typically 2.2m, step entrance Darts 2.3m.

 

In A&E with the wife again, will update when I get more time - possibly tomorrow.

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[UltraWomble]

Ive got a mate with a bus. He used to have a Bristol - this one in fact...

 

He wouldnt recommend it - they are a black hole for expense.

Oh, and ex-service ones are likely to be very rusty.

And they cost a lot to run.

Did I mention the expense? 

A trip from Bristol to Cornwall and back cost the GDP of Yorkshire

[BorniteIdentity]

You are Ken Bruce. ICMFP

 

That is, perhaps, more accurate than you're aware.

[Steviemillar]

I would really like to own a Volvo Ailsa, preferably in Tayside colours. I've tried to both buy one outright and a share in another one but no success so far. I need to try harder.

[Angrydicky]

Yes!! Leyland National FTW.

[dollywobbler]

Driving licence is a major thing to consider. Over 30 and you can drive it on a Pre-97 car licence, but that rules out the Darts. Also, some insurers might be a bit jumpy about covering someone who's never driven a bus before. 

[beko1987]

Didnt it cost davidfowler over a grand/nearly a grand to drive to shitefest and back this year or summat?

 

I'd love a small singel decker bus as a camper van though, so please buy it and build one so I can live my dreams via your luck*!

[Justin Case]

I'm a volunteer at a transport museum and although I'm not directly involved with the maintenance/restoration side I'm close enough to see what is involved. The main problem is the weight of everything, we use a fork lift truck with attachments to remove engines, and a lot of dismantling of heavy parts is needed to get to that stage. Wheels are difficult to remove and refit to service brakes, etc and you will need heavy duty jacks and axle stands not to mention spanners, etc. Don't buy a bus needing restoration, fancy recovering 56 seats On the other hand a friend bought a Bedford VAL a couple of years ago straight out of service from a company who were cutting down on the vintage side and he's had no trouble with it. He stores it on a farm under cover which isn't too dear but isn't near where he lives so he has to plan journeys. A Bedford would be a good choice but as Felly said beware of rot, Plaxton and Duple bodies weren't built to last 30 years, but spares seem to be OK. Whatever you choose go on condition and remember only a single decker can go under most low bridges I think that you can drive a bus over 30 years old on a car licence and a class 5 MOT is not too rigorous but you can only carry eight passengers with one. Good Luck   *Hope that you can read this with no paras but enter key has gone AWOL

[NorfolkNWeigh]

This thing has been for sale for the last couple of years, the funny little wheels let it down in my eyes, but it's 90 mph cruising ability is appealing. I saw it at Silverstone Festival a couple of years ago and it's beautifully put together. Not cheap mind, about the price of a high spec Range Rover/ S-Class. Got to be a better way to invest* £120k though.

[sierraman]

A few thoughts...

 

Storage... Where will you store it? Forget keeping it at the side of the road, you might find a farmer that will let you store it.

 

Campsites... Anywhere decent will likely tell you to fuck off if they see you turn up in a bus as they'll assume you are a gypsy or a New Age traveller.

 

Licence... You'll definitely need a licence obtaining as you passed post 1997.

 

Fuel... Reckon on 8-9mpg.

 

Parts... An alternator might last 500,000 but the cost to replace such an item will likely be prohibitive and difficult to find at the drop of a hat potentially.

 

Tyres... As far as I know a lot of bus companies rent the tyres. Even if they own them they'll be the shittiest pair in the depot.

 

Breakdown cover... Won't be cheap... Forget winging it.

 

Likely candidates... A bus like a saw or a hammer is a tool, while they'll have likely looked after it, the operator will have sacked it off when it starts becoming a liability

[Partridge]

I'd like my own coach. I'd love a really early Van Hool Alizee or Irizar Century. I wonder if I could sneak one into work's depot? "Mind if I put this here? It will only be for a few minutes."

[Split_Pin]

I love buses as much as cars although have only been interested in them for the past 20 years or so.

 

However 1/76 scale is more than big enough for me, I couldn't cope with the logistics or the expense of owning and doing right by a 1/1 example.

 

How about an old VW LT camper or perhaps a Commer PB?

 

If I was going down the classic camper route I could not see past a bohemian Leyland FG. It would have to have a chimney and be painted with a roller brush base with 'artistic' decorations. I would of course be burdened with the label of being a 'straight' by those that are the real deal but I could totally live with that!

[Dave_Q]

If it's "just" to make a camper for occasional use, I would consider trying to stick to 3.5t for minimal arseache and expense. 

 

Some 3.5t minibuses are pretty big inside, something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Spares-or-repairs-LDV-CONVOY-/252513578232?hash=item3acafb6cf8:g:sqEAAOSwHoFXv~Aq would make a good 4 berth camper, with no new licences, storage concerns, being turned away due to size, etc. 

 

Of course if Mrs_Identity thinks it's ugly then you're back to square one.

[scruff]

I know nothing about buses but a little about "lorrying for fun" and other large vehicle silliness

 

some great stuff above but I would emphasise the cost consideration - have a re-read of David Fowler's excellent thread on here with his yellow double decker.

 

Certainly in the truck game there are specialist private recovery schemes - I would personally consider this essential, having seen the four figure bill to recover a dead wagon 150 miles home. Do a tyre in and the call out will be £100-£250 plus whatever the repair/replacement costs. Even if you have the gear with you the gents from DVSA take a dim view of DIY tyre replacement and will be awkward/try to insist on you getting a man in van out. Usually "theirs" at £££

 

Having said all that I'm a great believer in if you want something bad enough you will get it, it's a hobby like anything else and bound to cost a bit, if it makes you happy who gives a toss?