RE: Our dream is dead...or is it?!
Oh heavens... that issue still exists. Drat!
My ex and I converted a Blue Bird skoolie in 2003 and it was a hassle. It has been a while, but as I recall we had to start by insuring the bus as "a commercial vehicle for private use" because the VIN number is going to come up as "school bus." And it has to stay that way while you do the buildout.
Then we had to work with the DMV/DOT to re-register the bus (aka "change the association of the VIN number) as an RV. That's kinda tricky, too because it may have to be inspected, and you can NOT have it look like an old "hippie bus" with a wood stove and stuff like. You have to have plumbing, cooking, electrics and so on. And no yellow paint or ANY other signs that this was a school bus.
Once you have THAT done, you can go for RV insurance... but don't tell anyone you are going to LIVE in the bus; tell them you are going to "travel extensively" around the country in the bus. But keep a "home address," even if it's a parent or a sibling, or whatever.
Now, that was in 2004... I don't know if the rules have changed. But it was all rather cloak-and-dagger. And it was easier to work with our local agent, NOT a web site or off an 800 number. You want to speak to "a real human" who has a vested interest in writing the policy, not some call center clerk who will city you "the rules."
Good luck with your project!
Thank you!! We're excited!
So, we had done all of our homework. We had a list from the highway patrol of what we needed to have it considered an rv so that we could have a new vin number put on and register it. We had talked to our insurance lady (who's also a friend) for months about it. But then when it was time to actually put everything into motion, she called about 8 different underwriters, who all said they wouldn't cover it. We even asked if it had an RV vin number why a conversion would be an issue, and she said if something happened and then they found out it was a homemade conversion they wouldn't pay out anything.
After that we called around to several different insurance companies that were real people who can insure through different companies. They came back to say it was a no go unless we did it professionally, and even then it was still questionable. We also called Progressive, which was a tease. The guy said yes, but during a second phone call we learned he was wrong.