Finally the Weather is Right

Finally, I've picked the right place to be for the current weather.

Since I've started living on a bus, I've stopped watching television, I rarely see a newspaper and I get my news on-line. I usually only pay attention to the weather for the area I'm headed to and lately that hasn't been all that great (if you remember the massive rains in both Oregon and on my way to Florida). But right now it's perfect. I was about to run to the mailbox at a friends house and decided I'd check the weather (since there's a big thunderstorm going on outside) to see if it might be better to wait an hour before making the run... and that's when I see the above graphic!

I was about to change from jeans into shorts because it's feeling a little warm on the bus and I didn't want to turn on the air conditioning... and if there wasn't a thunderstorm going on, then I would have never noticed what's going on in the rest of the country weather-wise. This is my first winter without snow. I grew up in Minnesota and have only lived there and Colorado for my whole life. It's only at this moment that I realized I'm truly a snowbird.

Comments

[Glenn Davis]

Hi Ben,

I have enjoyed your page a lot and wanted to let you know we have a mutual connection with the Lyons Colorado area. I live in Longmont now but I lived in Raymond, near Allenspark, for 5 years and my post office was in Lyons. I am very curious what it costs per mile to operate a Prevost that one is living in. My wife and I are thinking about living full time in a bus conversion. Do you keep any data on what it costs to maintain your bus that you would be willing to share. I wanted to keep the initial purchase price under $150K and I am hoping I can drive it for less than $1.50 per mile with diesel at $3 per gallon. Is this possible do you think? Hope to hear from you. Sincerely, Glenn

[Ben Willmore]

Hi Glenn,

Your cost per mile will depend on how much maintance your coach requires and how many miles you plan to put on it each year. Here's what a friend spend on a coach of the vintage that you'll most likely end up with considering your price range (mine is a little newer and has an updated engine that gets better MPG... more like 6-8MPG):
11,000 miles / 5.5mpg = 2,000 gal x $2.50 = $5,000 then add oil change ($400 yr), maintenance (+/-1,500 yr), tires ($960 / yr), insurance ($600) overhaul ($.07 mile= $770)= $.84 per mile

Another friend who has a newer coach tracked every penny he spent last year including all maintance, etc. (and he replaces stuff way before it wears out... he even won the Anal Award at our last bus rally) and he ended up spending $1.21 per mile (but that also included things like a new refrigerator and other unusual items). Neither of those calculations included depreciation though.

Hope that helps.

Feel free to ask questions of other bus owners at www.prevost-stuff.com. Just be sure to mention how much you plan to spend, otherwise they might assume you're going to purchase a new bus. You'll most likely end up with a bus that has an 8V92 engine that will be a 1994 or older.

-Ben