Thinking about converting and ambulance to an RV

[Halmfamily]

I have been wanting a "mobile man cave" as the wife calls it for awhile, something to boondock in the NF with. I want Something tough but not too big and have been looking at used ambulances on MDT chassis. Prices are very reasonable, $10000 for a 2005 with a 16' box and full service records. Most have 200000 plus miles.

My question is am I crazy to use the rig for an RV. They seem very tough, perfect size for an RV and already have battery banks and inverters. I'm thinking for less than $20000 I can have fully customized RV ready for anything.

So, what does the masses think? Give me your ideas, good or bad. Any other vehicles you could recommend.

Thanks for the insight.

[mowermech]

CharlesinGA wrote:
You COULD make a decent class B from an ambulance that is on a full van body, such as a long WB high top Sprinter.

Box on a cab and chassis is probably a waste, as others have noted, you will invest time and money in appliances, fixtures, cabinets, etc only to not get any of it back at sale time, in addition to being run out of campgrounds.

The vehicle is probably great for making a service truck, but not so much for a camper.

Charles

I don't understand why anybody would think that somebody who puts all the work and money into such a vehicle will want to sell it anytime soon. I know a guy who has about $50K invested in a 2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon that he bought new. He knows he will neveer be able to sell it for what he has invested in it, but it is set up just the way he wants it. He has no intention of selling it!
As for being "run out of campgrounds", that would not be a problem for me. Any RV park or "resort" that would not allow a nicely done conversion on the premises is NOT a place I would be likely to stay anyway.
In the USFS or BLM or State campgrounds where I would be likely to want to stay a day or three, no problem. EVERYBODY is welcome, even (gasp) TENTERS!! I have even seen people there camping in (horrors!) unconverted cargo trailers!

[JaxDad]

drsteve wrote:
Not necessarily. I saw a short bus conversion in a CG last summer with a sweet paint job, nice curtains in the windows, holding tanks, roof air, etc. Nothing trashy about it.

As mentioned previously though, the problem is, as a fellow pilot friend discovered when he did a really nice school bus conversion, not being a ‘legal’ camper and being refused a space at campgrounds and public parks.

As long as you’re only planning on boondocking it wouldn’t be a problem.

[soren]

CharlesinGA wrote:
You COULD make a decent class B from an ambulance that is on a full van body, such as a long WB high top Sprinter.

Box on a cab and chassis is probably a waste, as others have noted, you will invest time and money in appliances, fixtures, cabinets, etc only to not get any of it back at sale time, in addition to being run out of campgrounds.

The vehicle is probably great for making a service truck, but not so much for a camper.

Charles

As compared to an E chassis Ford, when it comes to buying an old, worn-out rig, a clapped out Sprinter is a whole other ring of hell. A buddy of mine does fleet repair work. One of his clients just acquired a small ambulance co. that came with a whole collection of high mileage, fairly late model Sprinters. To say that they are unreliable, and extremely expensive to keep on the road, would be awfully generous. The owners are dumping them ASAP.

[zcookiemonstar]

I think with a old ambulance I would always be wondering how many people died in it. Hope you don't believe in ghosts.

[CharlesinGA]

You COULD make a decent class B from an ambulance that is on a full van body, such as a long WB high top Sprinter.

Box on a cab and chassis is probably a waste, as others have noted, you will invest time and money in appliances, fixtures, cabinets, etc only to not get any of it back at sale time, in addition to being run out of campgrounds.

The vehicle is probably great for making a service truck, but not so much for a camper.

Charles

[drsteve]

DownTheAvenue wrote:
IN my opinion, this is a stupid idea. You have to decide what your hobby is- camping or building a camper. For the $30000 you say you will invest, you can buy a nice class C or a B+ and start camping that day. For me I don't want to camp in something that looks like do-better row, and an old ambulance or school bus converted into a camper just screams white trash.

Not necessarily. I saw a short bus conversion in a CG last summer with a sweet paint job, nice curtains in the windows, holding tanks, roof air, etc. Nothing trashy about it.

[Teacher_s_Pet]

If worried about water damage, look for an C, B or B+ with a Fiberglass body, like a Chinook, Coach House, Dynamax Isata Starflyte or Coachman Starflyte (same coach Dynamax bought molds when Coachman quit building the line.) Dynamax also had an Istata based on the Firan Europa in the late 90's as well as the Carriage Carri-go. Again these were Rv molds they bought and continued the product lines after the originators quit production. When we bought our B+ I wanted a coach with out the usual water damage from the overhead front window and trim around the cap, we found a R-Vision B+, with a full fiberglass cap over the cab, with low miles. I explored the others previously mentioned also when looking for our then "Alaska Rig".

This is an Example of a Europa when product line was owned by Overland.

[bucky]

OK so if we are not white trash are we trailer trash? Just wondering 🙂

[Grit_dog]

Halmfamily wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

Halmfamily wrote:
Thanks for all the feedback. I am now looking at Class C's in the $10000 range and it looks like I can easily modify/update one to my needs. I want to stay away from one with slides and I hope I can find one with no water damage.

Again, thanks for all the feedback.

There’s about a bajillion RVs fr wale out here. Idk how it’s where you’re at. Not hard to find a decent one.
Begs the question though, what “custom mods” are you set on doing to the camper? You don’t have one, sound like you haven’t in the past either, but the “modifications” keep coming up. Better figure out what that is. Idk how much you can mod a camper except to repair, update the look or add functionality like solar power or something.
And only the latter are “mods”. Rest are basically repairs which most people strive to minimize.

Currently own a 42' FW that I pull with GMC DRW. Not the easiest rig to get into remote boondockable locations. I've done numerous mods to our FW but just looking for something I can take out to the Talladega National Forest and boondock when I want to. Mods would be a new bed, get rid of dinette and put a nice couch in and do interior updates like removing carpet, etc. Would add solar and a bigger battery bank as well. In reality I want a project.

Bingo. Apologize for the assumption about your RV experience. Hard to tell from basic written conversation, all the facts.
Your last statement sums it up though. If you want a project, it would be a good starting spot, and better than an old short bus, IMO.

[BadgerMcAdams]

mowermech wrote:

DownTheAvenue wrote:
IN my opinion, this is a stupid idea. You have to decide what your hobby is- camping or building a camper. For the $30000 you say you will invest, you can buy a nice class C or a B+ and start camping that day. For me I don't want to camp in something that looks like do-better row, and an old ambulance or school bus converted into a camper just screams white trash.

Isn't a Bluebird Wanderlodge nothing more than a converted Bluebird school bus?
Isn't a Prevost nothing more than a bus converted into an RV?
Neither of those are whitetrashmobiles, IMO. In fact, "white trash" can't afford to buy either one!
As one who lived barely one short step above the "white trash" level when growing up (the house we built never did have siding, it was covered with 60 lb. felt paper; Yeah, a real "tarpaper shack"), I find the term offensive, bigoted, and elitist; right up there beside the dreaded "N-word".

X2...People here at times get the attitudes that if you can't afford to buy a Prevost Coach in cash, tipping the salesman 10%, and having enough left over to full-time for the rest of your life, you don't need to be camping in their campgrounds. They have the demeanor of someone who looks down on anyone who has an RV that is over 5 years old.

As I have stated here before...Good Sam is based on the Good Samaritan who helped someone he didn't know and owed nothing to simply because he was a decent human being...Some here forget that.

And for the comment about the old school bus? My parents had one, and we had people in new campers coming to see how he did it when we camped...So frankly, blow it out your tailpipe.

[MrWizard]

bluebird built buses
and they built motorhomes using their bus chassis
but they started with an empty shell that did not have any 'bus' windows or features

it was built from the ground up as an RV

[DownTheAvenue]

mowermech wrote:

Isn't a Bluebird Wanderlodge nothing more than a converted Bluebird school bus?
Isn't a Prevost nothing more than a bus converted into an RV?

NO and NO.
The WanderLodge was never a school bus....it was always a motorhome. You will not see the stop sign and flashing lights anywhere.

The Prevost is a bus chassis that upfitters like Liberty Coach make into a motorhome. A Liberty coach was never a intercity passenger bus.

IF you are happy with a yellow school bus that someone has thrown stuff into to make a camper or an old ambulance with the gurney for the bed and people living in it, then more power to you. I stand by what I said -it screams trash. I stand by what I posted to the OP- he needs to decide what his hobby is camping or making a camper. Granted there are very few exceptions where the conversions are exquisite, but most are not. And those exquisite conversions cost way more than the OP indicated he was willing to spend.

Sorry if I offended anyone but I was not calling anyone trash, I was merely stating what a trashy conversion is--TRASH!

[ncscz]

mowermech wrote:

DownTheAvenue wrote:
IN my opinion, this is a stupid idea. You have to decide what your hobby is- camping or building a camper. For the $30000 you say you will invest, you can buy a nice class C or a B+ and start camping that day. For me I don't want to camp in something that looks like do-better row, and an old ambulance or school bus converted into a camper just screams white trash.

Isn't a Bluebird Wanderlodge nothing more than a converted Bluebird school bus?
Isn't a Prevost nothing more than a bus converted into an RV?
Neither of those are whitetrashmobiles, IMO. In fact, "white trash" can't afford to buy either one!
As one who lived barely one short step above the "white trash" level when growing up (the house we built never did have siding, it was covered with 60 lb. felt paper; Yeah, a real "tarpaper shack"), I find the term offensive, bigoted, and elitist; right up there beside the dreaded "N-word".

When exactly did we become white trash?

[mowermech]

DownTheAvenue wrote:
IN my opinion, this is a stupid idea. You have to decide what your hobby is- camping or building a camper. For the $30000 you say you will invest, you can buy a nice class C or a B+ and start camping that day. For me I don't want to camp in something that looks like do-better row, and an old ambulance or school bus converted into a camper just screams white trash.

Isn't a Bluebird Wanderlodge nothing more than a converted Bluebird school bus?
Isn't a Prevost nothing more than a bus converted into an RV?
Neither of those are whitetrashmobiles, IMO. In fact, "white trash" can't afford to buy either one!
As one who lived barely one short step above the "white trash" level when growing up (the house we built never did have siding, it was covered with 60 lb. felt paper; Yeah, a real "tarpaper shack"), I find the term offensive, bigoted, and elitist; right up there beside the dreaded "N-word".

[free_radical]

DownTheAvenue wrote:
IN my opinion, this is a stupid idea. You have to decide what your hobby is- camping or building a camper. For the $30000 you say you will invest, you can buy a nice class C or a B+ and start camping that day. For me I don't want to camp in something that looks like do-better row, and an old ambulance or school bus converted into a camper just screams white trash.

Conversion done right can look pretty good,,IF one has time and skill to do it right,,

https://youtu.be/o7X2nOtwdUM

https://youtu.be/Fo0HHRW2ihY