Blue's New Shoes!

When I bought Big Blue, I was aware that the tires were old and a bit cracked and they would need to be replaced before driving for any extensive distances. For many people, "bad" tires are an immediate turn off when it comes to selecting a bus. However, for me, I was getting such a good deal on the cost of the bus that even with the cost of new tires factored in, it was well below what I was expecting to pay outright. While this may not be the right decision for everyone, it was right for me.
When I took Big Blue in for the inspection at Western Mountain, Cliff recommended a tire place (American Tire & Auto Service) for me to go to and told me to ask for Jason. After my initial experience with  Western Mountain, I felt that I could trust them (especially in comparison to my experiences with other auto shops in the past with my car), so I decided to go to their recommended tire shop. Jason was incredibly helpful with answering my questions and getting Blue set up with some new rear wheels and tires. He was fast and persistent in getting in contact with me throughout the process and was always very friendly. I was out of town while the bus was with them, but I picked it up when I got home, about two weeks from when I dropped it off. The four rear tires and wheels cost about $700 in the end, which is actually a pretty solid deal. I still need to replace the front tires, but they aren't in as bad of a condition as the rear ones were, so I'm going to take care of that once I've saved up a bit more.

Big Blue's First Inspection!

A lot of perspective skoolie owners hire a mechanic to come with them to look at the bus they are interested in purchasing. This allows them to get a professional's input regarding the condition of the bus and use that to make a well informed decision regarding their purchase. This, however, is not something I decided to do. I got some advice from the skoolie community online about some major red flags to look out for and took care of it all myself. That being said, after geting Big Blue home, I knew there were probably at least a few mechanical issues with the bus, so I decided to have it inspected so I could start to prepare to take care of some repairs. I found a local bus repair shop (Western Mountain Bus & Auto Sales) and gave them a call. Cliff (Bus Sales) gave me the option of a basic one hour inspection for $90, or a slightly more in depth inspection at a higher price point. I opted for the basic inspection, as it would cover enough to get the ball rolling with bus repairs. I scheduled an appointment as soon as possible and dropped Big Blue off to be inspected. The guys at Western Mountain worked incredibly quickly and I was able to pick Big Blue up the next day. When I arrived, Cliff brought me out to the bus, gave me a short list of repairs to make, handed me the keys and sent me on my way- no charge at all! He said that the suggested repairs and maintenance were pretty minor (new tires, oil change, and fixing the rear axle seal) and that there was no real rush on getting them done but that it was more so just things to start thinking about as they would eventually need to be taken care of. It was incredibly reassuring to hear from some bus professionals that I didn't make a horrible mistake in purchasing my bus.
New tires is the next step on the road to making this bus a home.