Pro's and Cons of using your bus as your daily drive

So all being well i will have sole ownership of Rusty very soon. I may be jumping the gun but the divorce is almost at the end of its ugly process so still time for it to go tits up. Im just wondering what the pro's and con's of using the bus as a daily would be? I'm not going to be able to afford to run the bus and the car so one has to go. Its not going to be the bus even though that would score me some serious reddies but the bus is my ticket to taking the boys away on the weekends and during the hols etc which is why we bought Rusty in the first place. I'm lucky at the moment as work is only a short distance from my flat and takes 15 mins to walk in and now im more office based i dont use the car for work as much. I mainly use the car on the weekend to pick the kids up, drop them home or to go somewhere. Rest of its use is if i pop over to my girlfriends or drive back home. I just wondered if anyone could shed some light on the pro's and con's on using the bus as a sort of daily?

Also anyone want to buy a Ford Focus Zetec 1.5 off me

 

i'm in the same boat at the minute mate as i've just started the van as my daily, i asked the same question a few weeks ago, the top answers were poor fuel economy, dodgy reliability and the risk of damage if you go shopping etc.

 

So not so bad then lol..

In all honesty it would make far more sense to sell Rusty as my cash flow is dire at the minute but i just wouldnt be able to bring myself to do it. More because of my boys than anything.

 

She would get a decent run out each week thats for sure and knowing me id try and be cool and cruise the high st on a Sat night like some sad old git trying to look cool.

 

Daz mate I've been using my van as a Daily for over a year now and it's been great. As long as you keep it well maintained it will be fine. The issues I've had have been very small......
Winter... very cold I've not got an eber/propex just wrap up warm and keep a tea towel to wipe the windows
Leave earlier cos it's gonna take a bit longer
I've not had a major issue with economy only because I've never really had a diesel or mega economic car. Half of my 24 mile round trip commute is motorway which I usually plod along at 50-55.
Parking can some times be an issue as most of us bus owners know but you use it every day you do have to put a bit more thought into where your gonna park.
But every time I jump into the bus it makes me smile...... That out weighs the inconvenience of driving a vehicle without the mod cons of a modern car.

Go for it dude

 

As Owen said. I've done about 6-7k since last August and she's not missed a beat, I think regular use is key

 

The biggest problem I've faced is try and resto a vehicle you use as a daily...... It's a nightmare

 

The main bulk of what we wanted to do is finished for the moment. I just need to get the electrics sorted at some point.

I was thinking of maybe selling her and then buying another one for half the price and then doing a resto so may think that one through some more.

 

the wisemans use Arthur as their only vehicle. i know lots of people who just have a van and get by

 

Think hard about that one mate, you know the good and bad bits of rusty, if you sell it you're stepping into the unknown again! Which is fine if you have plenty of dough and another car to drive whilst restoring the new one. Plus buses seem to be getting dearer all the time you will have to look hard for a bargain. If I was doing it all again I think I would look to import from a dry state. But I've been lucky with mine she looks tatty but is pretty solid.

 

plus, is smile factor

minus' would be cost of fuel, i dont think reliability is that much of an issue if your mechanically minded, i drove a classic mini for 6-7 years with no breakdown issue that caused me not to get to and from work on time, also driven old beetles BMWs etc.

the main minus is wear and tear on the interior and paint, the steering brakes and suspension are all pretty bullitproof , make sure you have a good battery on it, bosch silver . i would drive mine everywhere if i could

travel time will be longer if you travel a long motorway journey

 

We use Lola as a daily, bit juicy round town, the open road gets much better mpg,

Especially useful when the kids are off school...who needs a purpose built people carrier,

It's fun to drive, you never lose them in supermarket car parks amongst several hundred silver cars,

If you have a walkthrough you can get into narrow parking spaces and get out through the sliding door.

Brew up and have a bacon sarnie allmost anywhere,

Keep on top of maintenance,

Drive regularly...( I use rain as an excuse to go out for a drive to shake off the excess water once it's stopped )

I'm restoring her as we go along, rolling resto, she'll never be a show winner but she's part of the family, I'd much rather drive a vehicle with character than a modern one, just my opinion...I love it

 

... I'm in a similar position. Wife took the car, a Renault Scenic, and then part-exed it for an A3 cabriolet! The Audi is nice but I'm so much happier I've got the camper. I use it a least once a week and on the motorway if needed. I get about 22-24 mpg but on a trip last week it went down to 16. I checked the points and then the timing, and the timing was out a bit. That'll explain it. But the point is use it, and maintain it and that seems the best way to own a camper. They like being used!

 

(Over here) The biggest problem i have as using 'Willow' as a daily driver is everybody want to wave & have a better look at her, & if i stop someplace folk want to tell me a story about one they-had,or saw or even wanted when they were young,
It's going be getting cold in a few months so i now have to worry about freezing my bottom off :cold: the fuel economy is what it is,if i wanted 40+mpg i would own a Prius!

 

Worst con of all is using it in winter time... salt really ruins an old car quickly. if you can avoid using it in the snow and ice, I don't see a problem with it.

unreliability is not an issue of the car, it's poor maintenance and irregular use. cars that sit for longer periods of time are more likely to have a break down than those used every day.

 

using it saily will do it more good than bad... being stuck on a drive for 6 months while sorn, and then wonder why it breaks down is another option,
i used mine all year round short run to work, shopping, and stuff.
give it a wax oyl for the winter to keep salt at bay,

 

If you are going to use it as a daily drive make sure it's all there like the thermostat.

But bear in mine what the commute/ journey is?? I drove my bus the 1 mile from home to workshop for a week and it wasn't very cost effective. To be honest even the Ragtop drinks a bit too much gas on that weekly commute. When I checked the bus was doing around 14 mpg. Smile-per-gallon my foot. The bus now stays at home.