When $1,500 of suspension repairs come calling, it's time to cash in on that investment from months ago...The Bus. It was sitting around without registration or insurance and costing me $50 a month just to store it. Luckily I had someone who was interested in purchasing it from day one.



Starting it up for the first time in a couple of months. Looks good and runs fine!



The shiny, (not terribly) clean driver's area. I sent these to the guy who wanted to buy it.

One new insurance policy later, it was time to venture onto the highway and head to the BMV. This bus had not been on the road since the plates ran out two months ago, but it was still roadworthy...

...until smoke started coming out of the dashboard.





Hey, that's not where the coolant goes!



This was my view for an hour or so as I frantically phoned mechanically-dexterous friends and tried to notify the seller that the bus in question was currently broken down on the side of I-275. After some careful inspection of the leak, and discovering that it got worse every time I tried to move the bus, I stopped panicking (i.e. looking up tow costs and scrap prices) and grabbed the tools.

And guess what we found after disassembling that entire driver's area...



...a small but rather important straight hose that was supposed to be a curved one. At some point during the voyage it decided to go kablooey.

After plenty of late-night tinkering and reassembling the dashboard area, I managed to make it to the BMV with all of the magic smoke and coolant still inside the bus. The next day, the buyer arrived, the title was transferred (apparently the fact that it takes about 15 minutes in Ohio is unheard of in Indiana), cash changed hands, and the new owner headed home with my old bus.

What does the new owner plan on doing with it?

I'm buying a house with a couple acres. My wife is dreading the shit I'll bring home with the room. A bus is on the list😂

My wife recently mentioned how proud she is of me that I haven't brought a single bus or shipping container home.

Yet.

A good friend of mine runs a school bus company, so I've at least got that contact sorted out. It'd be wonderful parts storage!

Posted by jeepdave I'm buying a house with a couple acres. My wife is dreading the shit I'll bring home with the room. A bus is on the list😂

Posted by bandi My wife recently mentioned how proud she is of me that I haven't brought a single bus or shipping container home. Yet.

Lmao.

The joys of being single...

Posted by bandi What does the new owner plan on doing with it?

Fixing it up a bit and driving it around intact, I believe. If he has other plans then he hasn't said anything about them.

Posted by blitz Lmao. The joys of being single...

She's as bad as me for having cars "follow her home" but did express some disinterest in a school bus being parked behind the garage for parts storage.

The guy I sold it to sold it to another guy, who is turning it into a skoolie. Inevitable, really. At least it's still in operable condition.