Buying Bilby

The buying process of Bilby is one we are often asked about on Instagram. We searched for about 8 months online once the idea of buying a bus first came to mind. There were a number of sources online we used to search. The main ones were Gumtree and Ebay. Liam would check both sites every day.

The first buses we looked at were an old 1960s Ford bus, and then another 1960s Cleveland motorhome shortly after that. We decided after looking at these buses, that going old was going to be way too difficult considering we had no mechanical knowledge. We really wanted something a lot newer and in a good sound mechanical condition. We were more excited about spending money on the conversion than a restoration of engine and so. We then looked at a Mazda T3500 bus and got pretty excited and even made an offer. We thought it was the one for us and got our mechanic to have a look. Unfortunately the result was negative as it had rust on the roof. Liam became a bit despondent after this.

It wasn’t long after that we found Bilby, after months of scrolling through website after website we finally found a 1990 Toyota Coaster in Shepparton. As soon as we saw it we made an enquiry over the phone and asked if we could have a mechanic in Shepparton have a look at it. The lovely people at Fords Bus Co. were very helpful and drove the bus to the mechanic for us and a day later we drove up to Shepparton to inspect it ourselves after positive feedback from the mechanic. Funnily enough Liam’s mum Sharon was playing basketball up in Shepparton the same week so it seemed like it was meant to be. Sharon was able to take the bus for a test drive, as Liam didn’t have a heavy vehicle license, nor knew how to drive a manual. Sharon thought the bus was perfect too, so after thinking about it over lunch in Shepparton, we went back to the Bus company and negotiated the price down. In the end we got the bus for $9000. Unfortunately they weren’t including the RWC but did replace the windshield for us. Having had the mechanic in Shepparton already look at the bus he assured us it would pass the RWC. It did take a few days for a couple of little things to be done and after another trip up to Shepparton we went to pick up the bus. The mechanic we were dealing with couldn’t issue a RWC on a “bus” but could on a van so we removed the seats in the car park of the mechanic and he took photos and gave us the RWC and we were on our way.

The decision of Van vs Bus was a tough one, as we weighed up the Pros and cons, this is what we came up with and we are very happy with our decision.

Pros:

• More room to stand up and cook.

• Can seat & sleep 4 people

• Full kitchenette

• Couch and table

• Full drawers for clothes

• Rainy days we can sit on the couch etc and not have to lie down in bed

• More storage space

Cons:

• Length, so harder to find parking

• Height with deck and bike can be an issue with bridges and quite often petrol stations

• Heavier, so more on petrol and can be hard to get up hills

• More expensive for ferries etc. (Due to size)

• A lot harder to sleep in the street (more obvious we are sleeping)

• Can’t take on beach very often, too heavy

• Don’t get big doors like vans to allow more air flowing through in hot weather

Although there appears to be a lot of cons, we have found so far that the pros outweigh the cons tenfold with the ability to still have walking room and the extra space, as opposed to a van having to lie down or crouch. Although we have difficulty finding parks we are yet to go somewhere and not find a park, whether it’s a double or hanging over the edge of the gutter. We are lucky there are a number of free camps around Aus so parking in the street isn’t necessary. A lot of the cons are easily fixed by spending a little extra time searching.

We have a number of windows that can be opened to allow for airflow and a door way to open while cooking inside.