FAQs
When did you buy the bus?
We bought the bus in the spring of 2007 on the north side of Chicago from a guy named Randy. Randy was using the vehicle to drive his family cross country.
What type of mileage do you get on diesel?
Running on diesel fuel, the vehicle gets between 8-9 MPG.
What type of mileage do you get on SVO?
Running on SVO, the vehilcle gets between 9-10 MPG.
When it runs on veggie oil, does it smell like french fries?
Yes it does. It smells great compared to the smell of diesel fuel!
What’s the longest trip you’ve taken it on?
We have taken the bus on two West Coast 3-week trips from Chicago. We’ve crossed mountain ranges, deserts, 135-degree temperatures in Redding CA, and much more. We’ve taken it to the East coast multiple times. And we drive it around the Midwest too many times to count. Our favorite cities are in Indiana and Ohio for the bus.
What’s the maximum speed of the ‘82 Bluebird Wanderlodge?
We keep the maximum speed at about 62 MPH. There are charts on the Internet that show what the recommended speeds are for the vehicle. It depends on the gear ratio.
Why did you convert the vehicle to run on SVO?
We converted the vehicle to run on SVO for two reasons. 1) It’s more environmentally friendly to run veggie oil than diesel for a variety of reasons. The carbon footprint is less because you’re not purchasing diesel that has been hauled around the world by trucks/ships, the emissions on SVO are less than diesel, and you’re recycling waste products from restaurants. All of that is good. 2) The costs of running SVO are astronomically less as compared to running diesel. It is technically not totally free, because you do need to pay for the filters which are replaced (we have about 15 left that we’re including), and they cost about $15 online. It is also good to get the entire system “tuned up” with cleaning so to speak about once a year or maybe once every two years. You can do this yourself or you can pay someone to do it. We took the vehicle back to Full Circle Fuels to have the system cleaned, and it cost about $200.
Why did you install a new engine?
We installed a new engine in spring of 2008 because we threw a rod in the original engine. The original engine was from 1982, and we did not have a full service record on that engine. So it could have been weakened by previous owners. We are the only owners of the new engine, and we can attest to it’s quality.
How new are the tires?
All of the tires were replaced in summer 2008. They have 90-95% wear left on them.
Why did you install new front airbags?
A risk traveling on the road is to blow an air bag out, which would make traveling difficult or impossible. As a preventative method, we replaced all of the airbags in the front. They are not as durable as the rear airbags, so we replaced them first. We recommend replacing the rear airbags at some point just to ensure that they are new, but we do not feel it is a requirement at this time.
Why did you rebuild the air dryer and air compressor?
The air system on this vehicle powers very important elements — mainly the brakes and the suspension (air bags). As a result, we wanted full reliability of this system, so we rebuilt the air compressor and air dryer. The system as worked flawlessly since doing this.
Why did you install new rear air brake canisters?
One of the rear air brake canisters had deteriorated over time. As a result, we needed to replace one. We decided as a preventative method to replace both air brake canisters to ensure safety. They are basically brand spankin’ new.
What does it cost to maintain the bus?
Maintenance on a vehicle like this depends on the amount of driving you do. The engine needs another quart of oil every 250 miles or so, so that is an ongoing cost. Besides this ongoing maintenance, it is best to budget for continually improvement of any RV. Determining exact maintenance costs are difficult because it depends on the amount of driving.
What would you fix first on the bus?
The bus is in the best shape it’s ever been since we have owned it. It has a new engine, new air compressor, air dryer, new tires, new air bags and more. The air system and engine are extremely reliable at this point, so we anticipate zero repairs there. There is a brand new alternator and brand new batteries as of January 2010. So we anticipate little-to-no repairs on the electrical system. The generator wiring to the vehicle needs to be examined as it is not powering the outlets. If we were keeping the vehicle, the first things we would fix are:
- Repair wiring on generator to get outlets working
- Repair relay on middle/rear AC so that both AC units work
Why are you selling the Wanderlodge?
We are selling the Wanderlodge because we drive too frequently at too great of speed to use a vehicle of this size. Every weekend we need to drive at least 15 hours, and in many instances up to 30 hours (10 hrs between each city). As a result of this stressful driving, we need a vehicle that can travel 70-80 MPH. We purchased a 15-passenger van for this person. We miss the comfort of the Wanderlodge, the ability to plug in to shore power, the ability to stretch out and sleep whenever we want and much more. Owning an RV is just a fun thing to do — especially one that runs on WVO. But right now our organization needs a van.