We’ve done it again! We have sold our much loved Toyota Coaster, and decided to do a new bus conversion on our Mercedes Vario. You may thinking why? Well after living in it full time for almost 18 months, there were a few things we decided really didn’t work for us. Rather than trying to fix them, we decided to sell up, and start again! Read below to see what kind of bus we bought and why, what we will be doing differently, and bus conversion tips to help you get it right the first time.
The New Bus
Our new bus is a 1997 Mercedes Vario. It is a 4.2 litre, 4 cyclinder turbo diesel automatic.
It is approximately 7.8 metres long, with an internal height of 1.9 metres and a width of 2.1 metres at the floor, and even wider at the windows.
So not only is it longer, but taller and wider than the Coaster. This will allow Shane to stand up freely, and for us to have a much wider hallway. We never imagined how much extra space that little bit of length and width would give us. Oh and its automatic – Shane can finally drive it! And maybe even one day get his licence 😉
So why did we decide to sell our Toyota Coaster and get a Mercedes Vario?
Office space –
The first and foremost reason we decided to do a new bus conversion was because of the office space. Both Shane and I are constantly using our laptops for this blog, our YouTube series, and study. Shane has also continued to work remotely 3 days per week as an IT Technician. In the planning of our Toyota Coaster bus, the office space was an afterthought. We had a fold up dining table which Shane would use, but no space for an office chair. The solution was a boat chair mounted to our lounge for Shane, and I ended up doing everything whilst sitting on the lounge. This was not convenient, or comfortable! Not planning this was a poor decision, and the office space should have been at the forefront of our minds considering how much we require it.
We could have remodelled the Toyota Coaster to fit a better office space in however, after thinking long and hard we decided that to do that we would be compromising too much on our lounge and dining areas. We felt as though a slightly bigger bus with a better layout would be better.
In our new Mercedes Vario, a larger, more comfortable office space has been in the plans from the very beginning. We are going to ensure there is a large enough desk for both of us, as well as having comfortable office chairs. The plan is to find office chairs that can be used throughout the day, and stored underneath the desk when not in use.
Thin hallway –
When we were building our Toyota Coaster, we were trying to think about the layout as much as possible. We tried to build it in a way that made sense – starting from the back; bedroom, closet, bathroom, kitchen, with living area at the front. What this meant though was the two largest things (the bathroom and fridge) were almost opposite each other.
This caused a very small entrance to the hallway and made it feel quite claustrophobic.
Not only did it feel very tight, but it meant that we had two very large walls right near the entrance of our home. This closed the entire bus off.
The idea for the new bus is to have the larger things (fridge and bathroom) on the same side. Whilst this is not as appealing as having the fridge on the same side as the kitchen, we believe the benefits of space will overcome this.
We have also arranged for any internal walls to be as close to the rear of the bus as possible. By doing this, we hope the bus will feel a lot more open and not so claustrophobic!
In all honesty, these were the two main things that we wanted different that were enough for us to build a new bus. Even though these were the primary things, there were other things we have decided to change in the new bus.
Things we want to do differently
Dinette –
In our Toyota Coaster, we had a small drop down table that was used as a dining table/office area. Whilst it was handy to use as a table, it was not in a convenient location that could be used to actually eat at. The plan for the new bus is to have a removable table top and leg that will be stored in the lounge. It can come out when necessary and be used along with the lounge to eat at. We will also have captains swivel chairs in this bus as the driver and passenger chairs. The same removable table top and leg will have a position in between the swivel chairs for a more formal dinette area.
Lounge –
Our previous lounge had all the bells and whistles; slide out to make a single bed, lift up for storage, and lift up foot rest. The problem was it had so much going on, that it was too much! It ended up being difficult to use, hard to access the storage, and we gave up on the foot rest idea. We had custom cut foam, and had covers made up to fit. It was very expensive, and after a long time sitting on it, it became uncomfortable.
The new bus will be much more simple. It will just be a lounge with storage. It will house our hot water system, cat litter, and our fold down table. We will have 2 small collapsible ottomans, so they can be put down and stored when not in use.
The lounge cushions will be thicker on the base, and we will have large softer cushions for the back.
Kitchen –
Kick panel. Omg we need a kick panel! In our Toyota Coaster, the idea of a kick panel seemed like wasted space. However, after opening the cupboards endlessly on our toes, we can definitely see the need for a kick panel! And now realise why it is called a ‘kick panel’…
Even though it takes up space, we have plans to have our air conditioner come up from under the bus into the kick panel area, at least then it is hidden from the inside. So still useable space!
All of our cupboards will have either drawers, or slide out storage; making everything much easier to access.
We have decided to buy a flatpack Kaboodle kitchen from Bunnings this time rather than build it ourselves. Whilst it is heavier, it will save us a lot of time, effort and surprisingly money to do it this way.
Our bus conversion tips; how do you get it right the first time?
Consider your bus size, plan and priorities –
Before even buying your bus, draw up some plans and work out how much space you will need, and what you want to have in your bus.
You might find that if you will be living in your bus full time, your needs may be different than if you are just using it for travel. For example, you may want a full toilet, shower and kitchen. Consider whether you will be staying in remote places and need to be off grid, or will primarily be staying in caravan parks. This will determine if you need a generator/solar, batteries and onboard water storage.
If you will be working in your bus, or like to do a lot of things online, do not underestimated your office space! Prioritise it. Comfortable seating and a good work area is a must.
What are your hobbies, or interests? Make sure you have the room to store things if you need to, or plan your design around them. Don’t leave anything to the last minute like we did.
We have a helpful planning guide here if you want to have a read in more detail 🙂
Don’t overcomplicate things!
One of our biggest bus conversion tips is don’t overcomplicate things! It may sound simple, but when you have limited space you may find you are trying to squeeze as much in as possible. Sometimes this just makes it too hard, takes too long, costs too much and doesn’t always work out. The saying “keep it simple” really is relevant here.
We have spoken to other people who have done their own bus conversions, and most agree that generally when something is too complicated, it ends up not being used.
Learn tips from others –
If you have an idea, you can pretty much guarantee someone else out there has had it too! There are so many great forums, blogs and pages like this that have tonnes of bus conversion tips, information and ideas. And like us, not all of them have worked and we all learn from each other.
Don’t be afraid to message people directly and ask their opinion, ideas, or what they would have done differently. Most people love to share their knowledge in the hopes it will help someone.
Also, check out our in depth guide “Things you should know before starting a bus conversion“. We discuss budget, time to build, planning, buying a bus, licenses and more!
So now that we have sold our Toyota Coaster, we are well on our way to completing our Mercedes Vario. It has been a big change, but so far are glad we have done it. We hope that these bus conversion tips have helped you to get it right the first time, and avoid having to do a whole new build like us. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to send them through 🙂
