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Are you looking to convert a school bus into a motorhome? Wanting to get escape the 9-5 daily grind and explore everything around you? Not sure what is the best vehicle for your bus conversion?
Yep, it’s a hard decision, but we’re here to tell you why you should consider a Toyota Coaster for your conversion.
We undertook a lot of research before deciding on a Toyota Coaster for our school bus conversion; our home. There are so many things to consider – like what sort of layout is it going to have? Am I going to be able to fit everything that I want and need? Am I going to be able to drive it? Is it reliable? The list goes on and on…
The good news is, you will get there; a decision will be made. After all our research it became clear to us that the Toyota Coaster was everything we were after, and more. And, with helpful posts like this, it makes it that little bit easier to compare, and get information for your decision as well.
Why choose a Toyota Coaster?
Reliability –
Arguably the most important factor when considering a vehicle to be your new home is reliability. You don’t want to have it fail and leave you stranded. Where will you stay if it needs to be at the mechanics for weeks?
The Toyota Coaster is a popular minibus available locally in Australia, Japan and China, but imported all over the world. They have been driving on our roads for almost 40 years with over 20,000 of them being sold locally in Australia, and many more being imported.
Toyota Coaster’s (Primarily models between 1993 and 2003) have the same engine as the Toyota Landcruiser, the Toyota 1HZ. This well respected engine has been found to be extremely reliable, with some coasters lasting well over 600,000 kms.
The coaster is famous and well known worldwide, for its strong body and large seating capacity. The internal floor of the Toyota Coaster is made up of a durable and high-quality vinyl-covered timber. The coaster has been so popular that many companies have tried to replicate it, however none have been able to come up with a design that has been as durable.
There is a reason it has a reputation for a bus that won’t fail you!
Easy to service –
Because Toyota in general is such a well-known brand Australia wide, almost any mechanic can perform services and minor repairs on a Toyota Coaster if required. Parts are easy to come by, with most local places stocking Toyota parts or being able to order them in, relatively easy and inexpensive. This is a huge reason why the Toyota Coasters are popular for a bus conversion.
Size –
Due to being a minibus we found the Toyota Coaster to be the perfect size for what we were looking for. It is large enough that we could comfortably have a queen bed, shower/toilet, kitchen and lounge area with space to store everything we require. Yet, it is also small enough, at around 6.8m long and 2m wide, that it would not be a major inconvenience driving to and around national parks, a big win since this is one of the reasons we wanted to do this. It also fits into two car spaces, and is not much wider than a 4WD, which makes it easier to drive around town and park when required.
In Australia, it can be small and light enough to be driven under a standard car licence, which allows you to drive a vehicle up to 4.5 tonne and with a maximum of 12 seats.
The next licence up is an LR licence, or light rigid truck licence, which is designed for vehicles above 4.5 tonne and up to 8 tonnes, that carry more than 12 passengers.
The Toyota Coaster has a GVM of 4.99 tonne, this includes seats and 22 passengers. Once the seats are removed, the coaster will be reduced in weight enough to be reclassified to a class C, or car licence. If you keep the converted weight under 4.5 tonne gross, then you will not require a LR licence.
This was not something we did, however can be very handy.
To get an LR licence in NSW you must undertake a truck driving course and pass a computer test. This makes it a much more convenient and cost-effective method as the LR courses can be pricey.
Read more about driving a Toyota Coaster on a car licence.
Availability and Pricing -
The cost of the Toyota Coaster itself is reasonable. After researching many different models that ranged from around AUD $10,000 to $25,000, we found that the coaster was a very viable option to transform into a motorhome.
We also learnt that once coasters were converted, hold their value extremely well. For the initial cost you get great benefits including excellent reliability and lifespan, a good amount of space for something that can only require a car licence (once converted), large windows, rear doors, and wheelchair lifts in some models.
Toyota Coaster buses are fairly easy to come across. They have been around for a long time, so you can imagine there are a fair few of them out there. We searched Australia wide and ended up finding one in our own suburb . It had everything we were after and more – what are the chances!
Not only is the bus itself readily available, but because it is such a popular choice for a motorhome conversion, so are the parts to do it. Companies such as DIY RV Solutions and Noq Noq RV fitouts provide flat pack options already cut and ready to fit into a Toyota Coaster. This can be helpful to look at if you are not sure where to start and to get some ideas.
Final thoughts
Even after re-reading what we have just written, it solidifies that we have made the right decision in choosing a Toyota Coaster.
It feels like the best bus for our conversion. Our coaster feels like home already, and it has only just had the seats pulled out. And that’s how it should be, it should feel like home.
When we decided that this was going to be our adventure, and we told our family and friends, so many of them laughed. Who ups and leaves to live in a bus on the road?
Well we say to anyone looking to do this, or even just interested, if you can, go for it. Just do it. So far, the sense of freedom it has made us feel, and the sense that we are going to achieve what we want out of life, is so exhilarating.
We hope this post helped with your decision to convert a bus into a motorhome, and if you have any other questions, feel free to contact us ?
Can you give an approximate cost to do this? We are looking at the queen bed, shower toilet and lounge option.. I’m just after a ball park idea.
Hi Mark and Mandy,
It’s so hard to give an approximate cost, but we will give it a try haha!
Depending if you make your own shower, or go for a pre-made cubicle from somewhere like Custom Coaster Conversions, you could be looking around $1000 for this part alone. A toilet can be anywhere from a few hundred to maybe $600-$700. Then add shower taps and plumbing etc and all up that shower/toilet combo may be around $2500.
If you are building your own bed and lounge, this is just the cost of materials, then if you are adding a floor and roof there are these costs too.
Do you need to replace your existing door to an outward opening one? This is expensive if you need to, and could be anywhere up to around $2000.
Also, are you requiring power points, lights etc? You may need an electrician if you are running 240v. If 12V you can do this yourself if you know how.
The cost of the engineer to change it from a bus to a motorhome as well is typically around $500-$600.
So its hard, but your conversion could be as low as maybe $5000-$10,000, and could go up from there.
Hope that gives you some sort of idea though, and sorry for the late reply!
Shane and Claire 🙂