Which Forum To Ask For Buddies To Share RV Costs

[gyre]

Not all rvs have a cabover.
There is a big gas consumption advantage to a lower one and they fit in some garages.
I'm more interested in the van body ambulances and they are reasonable as many are switched over to the larger type.
The better ones are rollover protected too.

Many have inverters and thousands of dollars in signals, if you get one that isn't stripped.
Lights are legal most places if you don't run them on the road, but in most cases clear or amber lenses can easily be switched to give you good area or alarm lighting.

[Captain Goddammit]

Oh hell no... I've had both, and the ambulance does NOT have a fuel economy advantage. The lower profile doesn't make up for all the extra weight.
Forward-facing red lights are strictly illegal! It doesn't matter if you don't turn them on.
Virtually all RVs are roomier than ambulances... but they're built like crap!
School busses are available in small, one-ton chassis versions, similar in size to an ambulance but much roomier, with nice solid construction. Cheap.

Now, if you can find a decent '59 or '60 Cadillac ambulance, who gives a shit about whatever disadvantages there may be, the cool factor is off the scale!

[Elliot]

The diesel rear-engine ones are the best. I'd avoid the front-engine gas motor rigs. They get horrible mileage and are way underpowered, painfully slow.

Hey, cutitout Cap'n! You're stealing my thunder! That's the stuff I'm writing up now!

[gyre]

Oh hell no... I've had both, and the ambulance does NOT have a fuel economy advantage. The lower profile doesn't make up for all the extra weight.

I have a transvan with the streamlined profile that goes about 6 inches beyond the van size.
There is noticeably less air drag.

The van-based ambulances I've looked at have a reinforced floor and a cage inside the roof extension, but I don't see a lot of extra weight beyond the obvious.

Here even blue lights aren't illegal if you don't use them with intent to deceive.
It's wise to change them though.
For alarm use, the brighter clear lamps are more useful and you're less likely to attract unwanted attention.
If you want the red lenses for some cosmetic reason, you can just remove the bulbs.
Some people suggest blue lenses are better for attracting cops in alarm mode.
This may be true, but you may also have police at a distance decide there is already a car there.

Clear lamps make for useful area lighting around the rv too.


I suggest always sticking to rvs with a steel or aluminum frame.
There are plenty out there and it isn't always obvious.

They aren't always costly.
I found a good quality diesel pusher for $3500 before the economic crash.
Some rvs are not rated for occupancy on the road, or safe where it is allowed.
Stronger bodies don't have this issue.
Ambulances past a certain year are all crash rated as a passenger vehicle is.

[Elliot]

I have posted 3000 words about school buses. Hopefully, six or seven of them will prove useful to a burner.
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=27783

[Daddy-O]

I am in the process of investigating buying a vehicle to turn into an art car. I have found that uniform companies often sell off their large cargo type box vans at a pretty reasonable cost. Most have pretty high mileage however for the most part they are very well maintained. You may want to check them out.