Yep, you heard right! The time has come to sell the Skoolie...
We bought this bus back in the summer of 2017 and got to work building it out. We are a family of 7 (2 adults + our 5 kids) and we built it to suit our large family. We’ve taken quite a few trips and have put an estimated 5,000+ miles on it. We never intended to go full-time, just planned to take some adventures. And we've definitely made some wonderful memories! However, the time has come for us to pass it on to another family because it’s just not getting used as much these days. And we hate to see it sit!
Check out our walk-through video below and the detailed list of features. Please contact us if you have any questions that we haven’t answered.
You can find more pictures on our Instagram account @cypressandspruce
Price: $35,000
Location: Weatherford, Texas
Features:
- 1997 Blue Bird / Ford School Bus / 5.9 Cummins Turbo Diesel Engine / Allison Transmission
- A lot of people say the 5.9 is not enough engine, however, that is 100% not the case. We have taken this bus (loaded down) through the mountains in New Mexico & the rolling hills of Kentucky & Tennessee without any trouble.
- The biggest reason I went with this engine (and glad I did) is that it is a very common engine. Which means I can (and have) walked into an O'Reilly auto parts (which are located in just about every little or big city around the country) and get most of the parts needed for that engine. If not, they can easily have parts within a day or 2. Some of these other school bus engines are harder to get parts for. And if you’re on the road and traveling, that is a big factor to think about.
- 5k+ miles on Completely Rebuilt Engine
- We had the engine completely rebuilt about 6 months after purchasing it. I knew that when I bought it the engine might need an overhaul, but once we got the head off we noticed there were some microscopic cracks in the head. Which is not uncommon. So, at the advice of my diesel mechanic, we completely rebuilt the engine at around 145k miles (guesstimating) and have put around another 5k+ miles on that rebuilt engine. And have not had 1 single issue. Runs like a champ! And we’ve taken several long trips.
- Sleeps 10 / 11 if you count the small bed (6 beds + 2 Fold Down Couches)
- Master bed is a queen with its own enclosed area / room. The mattress is a gently used Tuft & Needle (very nice)
- There are 2 sets of bunk beds for our boys. The oldest is 17 and he still fits but it’s tight.
- There’s a small bed / cubicle area for our little girl. It’s about the size of a crib. She’s 6 now so she barely fits anymore. So it’s perfect for a toddler. And if it’s not needed for a small child, it would work perfectly as a closet or for storage.
- There are 2 Fold Down Couches that can sleep an extra 4 people combined
- Seats 7 with working seatbelts (driver + 6 more)
- We installed Steel Frame Fold Down Couches that are bolted to the frame of the bus and have working seat belts that are also bolted to the frame of the bus.
- They comfortably seat 6 total (belted in)
- The seats fold down into extra beds and the seatbelts fold underneath
- 2 Separate Pioneer 12,000 BTU / 21.5 SEER / 115V Ductless Mini-Split Inverter Air Conditioner + Heat Pump System
- These bad boys get cold! And they also put out great heat in the winter. We have camped in the Texas summers and these guys keep it cold in there!
- These units are one of the highest seer + btu ratings you can get in a 115V setup. Which was extremely important when running them on the generators or at a campground
- We went with these particular units because we can comfortably run them on our Honda eu2000i generators (independently / individually) and still have plenty of power to run other items / appliances.
- Running WATTS is around 1,050 per unit. Which means you can run them independently of each other with the 2 generators
- These units are extremely, extremely quiet inside and outside. Most of the time you don’t even know they are running. Nothing like a window or overhead unit.
- The outside units are mounted under the bus within a 1in angled steel frame with is protected from debris
- These units run perfectly / without any interference while driving down the interstate
- We paid around $2,000 total for both of the units. And that didn’t include paying to have someone come out and charge them
- Link to the units: https://www.pioneerminisplit.com/products/pioneer-12000-btu-115v-ductless-wys-energy-star-mini-split-air-conditioner-heat-pump-system-full-set
- Rebuilt Engine
- Brand new Cylinder Head
- Pistons / valves overhauled / reset w/ new rings
- Timing rebuilt
- New Hoses & Seals
- 2 - Honda EU2000i Inverter Generators (4,000 watts in total)
- These generators are more than enough combined power to run everything we have installed on the bus (both a/c units, refrigerator, oven, outlets, ect)
- These can be be run independently or together / parallel as one shared power source
- These generators are some of the quietest / most power / most portable on the market
- We run them while driving down the interstate with no problem
- They sip the gas / hardly use any gas. I have them connected to a 5 gal external fuel tank and can run quite a bit for a day or 2 without needing to refuel.
- Extremely small / do not take up much room
- Learn more here: https://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/models/eu2200i
- NOTE: This link is for the newer model 2200. Ours are the previous models 2000
- Nature's Head Composting Toilet
- We have a enclosed bathroom with a fully functionable / working nature’s head toilet
- This toilet is amazing as it is 100% compost. Which means NO WATER & NO SEWAGE tanks that need to be drained.
- Learn more here: https://natureshead.net/
- Kenmore 10.1 cu. Ft Fridge / Freezer
- Works great / gets super cold
- 10.1 cu ft is about the biggest upright fridge / freezer combo you can fit in this bus / most buses. Plenty of room. It suits our family of 7 just fine and we’ve been out on the road for almost 2 weeks on our longest stretch.
- Full Size Kenmore Oven. Converted to Propane & working. Connects to a 20 lb propane tank outside
- We went with a full-size oven vs a smaller one because we have a big family and my wife loves to cook!
- Custom built 2” Trailer Hitch Receiver on the back end
- We mount a Trailer Hitch Rack / Cargo Carrier here with the generators securely mounted & locked in place
- Plenty of good / decent tread still left on the tires
- 2 - Brand New High Cycling Interstate Batteries
- Currently Registered & Insured as a RV
- Dimensions: Inside height is 6ft. Outside height is 9ft. Inside length is 32ft. Outside length is 38ft. Inside width is 7ft 7in and outside width is 8ft
- This bus is super easy to drive being under 40ft makes it easy to maneuver / get in & out of most places without trouble
- My wife and I built out the entire inside ourselves out of 2x4 framing (very, very sturdy) and then built all of the walls out with shiplap. This thing is extremely solid on the inside. We’ve never had any issues with anything creaking while driving or coming loose.
- Comes with 2 external RV water tanks & 2 RV water pumps. Both sets of tanks / pumps I pulled from an RV. I believe the tanks are 20 gallon but not 100%. I never got around to installing them, but they do go with the sale of the bus.
- Once we were done building out the inside, we hired a professional painter to come in and spray the entire walls & ceiling with a professional grade paint. And it has done very well / no cracking, no bleeding, ect. Looks really good.
Things to Note:
- This bus does not have water nor electricity installed / setup. We never got that far in the build. We plug the a/c units & appliances either directly into the generators or the power pole if we have one while camping. We’ve never taken trips longer than 2 weeks so we never had a problem with either. Just used campground showers and brought our own drinking water. And with the composting toilet, we don’t need water for that.
- Oil pressure gauge doesn’t work. From what my mechanic told me, not a hard fix / easy part to get, I just never got around to it. I just constantly check the oil
- Fuel gauge does not work. Not sure what’s wrong with it or what needs to be done to fix it. I just calculate my mpg and then watch my mileage. When I get down to about ¼ of a tank, I make sure to top it off.
- We recently discovered that while storing the generators at my in-laws, some had backed up into one of the generators and dented in the front end. Nothing is wrong with the generator other than it cosmetically has the front side dented in. I have run it thoroughly and it still runs like a champ.
