Things we've learned

Black velvet and I have learnt a lot about housebuses in the time we've lived in ours, especially what to look for when buying one so I thought this could be helpful for anyone out there still dreaming about becoming a bus dweller.
Hmm where to start?
Ok firstly our engine is mounted in the front between the driver and passenger seat which makes travelling extremely noisy. Rear or midbus mounted engines definitely have an advantage over front unless of course your engine is outside under a bonnet.
When we bought ours she had an old Perkins diesel engine which on our second trip proved very expensive and difficult to find parts for. We have since replaced it with an isuzu engine which is cheaper to run aswell as easier to get parts for.

Windows, they may seem insignificant at this stage but spend one cold wet winter or hot summer in your bus and you will soon see that windows have the power to make your bus life hell! Our bus has both fixed and sliding windows mounted in (very) old rubber seals. They leak, they don't let enough air in during summer and they let too much in during winter, to put it nicely they suck! Look for a bus that has large aluminium framed windows that slide open to let in all those summer breezes. If your bus is like ours and the windows are shitty and leak make it a priority to replace them BEFORE you do any other work on inside.

Storage is another big priority. Our bus is lovely and old but she doesn't have any under floor luggage compartments. These are definitely a bonus as it gives you almost twice the amount of storage space especially useful for all your tools, camping gear and all those other things you don't want inside but need to have.

Another thing our bus is lacking is somewhere to store the spare tyre which means every trip we take we have to lug it inside and lay it flat on the floor. We have also nearly lost it when trying to roll it out the door it kept rolling about 800m down the paddock towards a dam. Some buses store their spares up underneath at the back, look for one of those.

Our bus is a 2 door one behind the passenger side front wheel and one behind the rear wheel. This has its positive points as well as negative. I like having 2 exits for safety's sake and in summer i love laying on our bed with the back door open, but having 2 doors reduces the amount of usable space inside. Also the placement of our front door creates a small space where the passenger sits. This could be a nice little nook but in reality it's where everything gets dumped as you walk in the door. Our friends leyland has the door in front of the front wheel which gives them a nice entry space as well as a bigger space for the lounge room.

If you find a bus that you are seriously considering buying, try and check it out on a rainy day. Every bus i have come across leaks somewhere and it is best to know beforehand so you can fix these as soon as possible. Also have a trusted diesel mechanic check out the running gear, engine, electrical and body etc they will be able to tell you what is fixable and what is not.