Buying Moseby

I have always been interested in tiny living. I like the idea of being able to go off-grid and live non-traditionally. My family considered going tiny when we were moving, and I drew up many floor plans trying to convince them. We weren’t quite ready to make the jump, but it did lead to my parents buying a smaller house, a step in the right direction. Then the idea of going tiny seemed out of reach as I was trying to save money for college, and I was too young to move out. Then I got sent home my freshman year of college due to the Coronavirus. In an attempt to cure my boredom, I broke down and downloaded Tik Tok.

That is where I first seen a school bus conversion, also called a Skoolie. After seeing it on Tik Tok I found them on YouTube and Instagram, which is when I noticed how freeing the Skoolie lifestyle could be. I showed the original Tik Tok to my mom, and then my dad, waiting for them to call me crazy. My dad and I started researching buses the next day, and my mom was very supportive. It was intimidating trying to find what engine was the best one along with the pros and cons of dog noses/pullers versus flatnoses/pushers. Luckily, my dad used to be a mechanic, and my uncle has been driving diesel trucks for over twenty years, so he knew what to look for. Between the two of them I was still nervous, but I knew I was in good hands.

I started looking for buses in North Carolina on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, govsurplus.com. I skipped out on the auction sites because many of them were out of state. Without being able to see the bus ahead of time I didn’t feel comfortable using it as the foundation for my house. Auctions are a great resource if you feel comfortable going that route. I’ve seen many Skoolie owners buy their buses from auctions, but it wasn’t the way I felt comfortable going. I decided to buy one from a school system because they are serviced regularly, and they generally had lower miles. We ended up finding ncsu.edu which is a list created by NC State University with every surplus bus in the state. We made a list of the ones we thought were viable for me and made appointments to see them in person.

The first three buses we seen were in from the Durham school system. The first bus was in almost perfect condition, the tires were matching sets, it started right away, it had working air conditioning, it was a 54 passenger, and it cost $5,250. The second one was a short bus, which I realized wasn’t big enough for me, and the third one had some serious mechanical issues. I almost bought the first bus even though it was outside of my price range, and because we were buying it from the government the price was non-negotiable. Everything that I had read said not to buy the first bus, so I walked away hoping I’d find something near that condition again. I knew that if I tried saving money by buying the wrong bus the whole conversion would be ruined, which left me more nervous than I had been when I got there. The next week we had more appointments, and I refused to give up.

Our next appointment was in Robeson County for a bus that was a 46 passenger with two wheelchair tie downs, a lift, and working air conditioning, it was $3,500. It had been sitting for about a year, so we had to jump it, but it only took one try to get it started. It was in my price range, in good condition, and closer to where we would work on it then the first one had been. I jumped in, got the cashier’s check, and put the title in my name. Which may seem like nothing to other Skoolie members who have owned homes, held stable jobs, and bought cars before they decided to downsize, but to me it was a lot. I’m 18 and had never even paid property taxes before, I had no idea what I was getting into. I had saved up at least half of my checks all summer from working fast food, it was the first big purchase I ever made, and it took a large chunk from my savings. I was terrified, but I paid the property tax (which I have to pay every year now ☹) and let my dad drive it home while I followed him in the car.

It took twice as long to get it home because all the buses in NC are governed at 45 mph. For those who don’t know a governor blocks the engine from going over a set speed, and they can be manual or computerized. Luckily, mine is computerized so I don’t have to replace any parts to get it off. It is also important to know that even when we do get the governor off it probably won’t go over 60mph, but that’s better then 45 so I’ll take it. We cancelled our other appointments, parked it in the backyard, and started taking out seats that night. I’m so excited to have started the process and look forward to seeing the progress. Don’t get me wrong I am terrified, but I’m excited to be part of such a welcoming community while working on being financially independent.

And now I'm living the sweet life!