Buying a bus and have some questions.
Hello all.
Im looking at buying a coach sometime this winter and have some questions. The first hurdle is, we are a family of 7. My oldest is 15 and the youngest is 5. So that sets the tone. Obviously that puts my purchase in a very niche category. Ill start by saying ive looked at a bunch of RVs. We looked at class A and super C. The problem as you might have guessed is most Ravs are built for 2. Others are have a couple bunks. This still leaves half of my kids without a place to sleep or sit when not sleeping. I dont want any sleeping on the couch, because this leaves half the coach useless half the time. I've thought about converting a coach and putting in bunks. However, that would leave a pretty wonky floorplan. So, that leaves me to think an entertainer coach to be the only logical choice. This is where the questions come in. I've looked at numerous coaches and test drove a few. I've looked at everything from late 90s to mid 2000s. I plan on actually using the coach and not just letting it sit stationary for months on end. Because of this, I think I would prefer a no slides coach. Less things to go wrong and I dont see the point in the added floor space. I dont really need more floor......for anything. I really like the star coach layout, which usually have 1 or 2 slides. I like this layout because it has everything I need. Now we get to the crux of the issue. The star coaches are usually xl2 chassis and start in the high $200s. All this is fine, except they all need quite a bit of work too. So add another $50k or so on top of that. Ill be honest, the thought of spending $300k and then having to deal with the near certainty of delamination doesn't really appeal to me. So, this leads me to an xl chassis. I can pickup an xl chassis for $50k. Put a whole new front end under it and redo whatever i need and have about half as much in it. I dont feel a need to spend more just to spend more. They both have the same chassis more or less and the same exact drive train. I dont want to spend another $200k just to get a nicer couch or interior that isn't some funky 90s color. I can sit on a blue coach just as easy as a black leather one. If I go the riveted route, I will have to add alot. Entertainer coaches are meant as a mode of transportation and lack any motorhome amenities. I will have to add a shower and redo the plumbing
The toilets aren't meant to be used for #2 in them. So ill have to redo the black water system. I know that prevost went through a few iterations of the ifs. If I find a coach I like that has a straight axle, beyond turning radius, is there a downside? Or should I just spend the extra $200k or so and go with the star coach and call it a day? I Obviously dont want to spend more than I have to and I have no problem doing whatever work needs done. I personally see no difference between a 1999 and a 2008 other than one has a nicer interior than the other. So, is a nicer interior worth triple the cost and no DIY? Also, entertainers dont have awnings, but most star coaches do. So thats another add. I need input, please.
Edit: I want to add more to this. Because of our family size a toad is also a problem. My wife has a transit van and it obviously can't be flat towed. So that leaves me with two options, a trailer or a separate toad. So, my question here is, to trailer or not. I know overall length is obviously an issue. Or I go buy a suburban for the sole purpose of toad use. Obviously the trailer is the cheaper route, i just dont think its the best.
