I'll have my friend Bruno give you a call.

Howie, I like your bus. But don't you think a full sized van would have been better for the following reasons?:

1. It will save you a lot on insurance.

2. You will be able to drive more areas because of the overhead space.

3. It will save you more on gas.

4. You will be able to park closer to where your gig is (driveway, between parked cars, etc).

5. Easier to tow for mechanical road problems.

I can see the bus helping you get more advertisement, but because of the above, you will be loosing more because of the cost.

Dynamike;

All very good points, I have thought of all this, in fact last weekend I performed at a house that would have been difficult for the bus park in.

I was very surprised to find out that the insurance premium will be the same as a van, because this bus is mounted on the same frame as a large van but with more seats in it, and since I am not carring passengers, it's the same as a van.

I own a car to drive every day; I don’t plan on taking the bus everywhere or to parking lots with multi level spaces so in the area I am in we have no problem with the overhead space.

You are correct I will spend more on gas, but I believe the advertising will be worth more to me; I don’t plan on driving it a long distance, or very fast, so the gas will not increase much more than what I am getting now from my eight cylinder pickup truck now.

I have a rider for the bus on my insurance for towing in case of mechanical road problems.

The uniqueness of the type of vehicle and the advertising will be “THE HOWIE DIDDOT MAGIC BUS” I can’t really call it a Magic Bus if it is a van.

I am able to stand up straight in the bus for moving things around and picking props,this is a very important plus for me since I have a bad back.

Its fun for me putting together the bus and the graphics and planning the entertainment inside the bus when it’s parked; it will also be more fun driving a bus around than a van would be.

It’s a gamble, but If I do it right, it will be something the mom’s will be talking about and taking the kids to see wheen it’s parked in the neighborhood when I am performing.

And the last point is, I already own the bus and I am at the point of no return on the project.

Where do you park the bus over night? In your driveway, on the street, at the airport, in another business parking lot?

Mike brings to light some fantastic points.

Also the thing I wonder is the future. Yep you have it now but in 5 years you are going to be high on mileage. May need another.

Danny I answered Mike's question about the cost of operating the bus.

In five years I will be fully retired, and Al Angello has been bugging me to buy the bus when I am done with it

I would like a bus to use for advertisement also Howie. But the inconvenience in my neighborhood would make me think twice. I would rather have a full size van with a cube trailer for advertisement.

I have a cube trailer also for the photography business, now that's a problem backing up and parking, it's not a good resolution to my transporting tricks and entertainment plans, but trailers are more economical to maintain than a bus.

Al; If Bruno wants to see the trailer when he comes to look at my bus, I will be more than happy to show it to him and let him take photos of the inside to show you the equipment stored inside of it.…

Bottom line is that it is always good to take a liability and make it work for you. That is good.

Good luck with the bus.

You missed one question Howie.

Mike I know we have gone round and round in the past but I enjoy your insight and perspective.

I'm sorry I was not avoiding the question, I didn’t notice it. I have just this week, negotiated a parking space within a locked warehouse that can’t be rented to any business because it does not meet the municipal code because of bathrooms and other issues.

But it is legal to park a vehicle in it; I am paying $50.00 a month for unlimited use, day and night until late 2013 when the building will be up to code.

Thanks for answering it.

No Problem Mike;

I am aware that Police Magician has been very concerned about the safety of storing my tricks on the bus while unattended; to the point that I think he has lost sleep over the whole situation and has been posting about it everywhere.

So to relieve his stress, I decided to secure the bus in a locked warehouse when I am not using it.

What's the adress of the warehouse ?

Mr Pecan Creek
Could you go to Howie's house for me and inspect this bus? I tried to convince my friend Bruno to go there, but after he found out Howie is a heavy medication psycho with a large gun collection Bruno turned me down. Take a few pictures of Howie in the drivers seat, and either post them or send them to me. Before you answer me I would like to thank you for helping the thousands of curious magicians that want to know the real truth.

WOW 8 pages....I don't have the time nor desire to go through each page,
but is this a joke thread or is there really a bus waiting to get "tricked" out (pun intended)?

The reason that I ask is that oft times Howie speaks tongue in cheek, so it's difficult to gauge
when he is putting us on.....am I the only one who thinks so?

Al;

I was correct, you could not get a friend to visit me because you have no friends; If you did have a friend here in California, I am sure he hung up on you when you asked him to do such a stupid favor.

If you are so successful as a performer that you drop off your dry cleaning every Monday at the cleaners and drive a fancy Hugo car, call a private detective near San Francisco and pay him to come and inspect the paperwork then match it against the VIN number on the bus so you can report here the findings of your investigation.

In addition I believe Pecan_Creek is the posters location in Texas, I don’t think his name is Pecan_Creek; how can you ask someone in Texas to come look at my bus???

Are you nuts!!!

Mike;

I apologize for Al; he is off his meds again.

Devious; it would be only 4 pages if Al Didn’t rant so much and stayed away.

Yes the bus thread is real; I originally posted to get ideas on how to apply my advertising and what little gimmicks I can install on it to really make it unique.

Do you have any good ideas on how to complete it?

I found out today that even though my bus is not carrying passengers I still need to register it with the California Highway Patrol.

Thinking this is going to be expensive and my whole plan just blew up; I call and find out that registering with the Highway Patrol is FREE!!!

But I need to pay an additional $35.00 to the Department of Motor Vehicles and then I get a special sticker, just like the big busses.

Now it will certainly be the Howie Diddot Magic Bus, certified by the State of California, complete with a State of California bus registration sticker

Way to go! I still think you should have a custom paint job with something magical, like top hats and bunnies and magic wands and glitter stars covering the entire bus. That way there is no mistake that it is a MAGICIANS bus. Maybe in your advertising, OR on the bus, say, "This bus will come to your home and Howie will bring his magic show into your home. Or: "Imagine this bus in front of your house while Howie is inside your home doing his funny amazing magic show for you!" Just some thoughts to specifically let them know the bus does not take passengers...
I also remember seeing on many an 18 wheeler: "No passengers" or something like that. A polite variation of that on the door might me helpful.

ACE