Lots of people do; I did in 1969 with GS67 and the rest is history. I learnt the hard way. More have learnt the hard way since.

BUT, in this enlightened age, maybe those of us with "experience" can pass on a few tips. I've seen many "disasters" in recent times when buses have changed hands, especially on those that have been modified in some way.

Before you go out and buy RML2770, have a good look round. Kicking the tyres proves nothing except you may hurt your toes. What is the general condition? what mods have been done? Does it have a current test certificate?

Go inside: downstairs has the floor been boarded over? If so that's a good sign the gearbox oil has never been looked at. So, expect gearbox failure. Is there a cigarette lighter adaptor/satnav plug in the cab? Where is it earthed? If to the body, expect electrical problems. the bodywork should be neutral. There's a thread on here somewhere about this.

Are there any maintenance records available? If the bus is currently used as a PSV, then the operator should have these to hand. If it's a preserved bus, you may be lucky; if it's a promo bus, then in my experience it's highly unlikely!

I find promo buses have had most of the above mods done, have been thrashed around for long periods with little or no maintenance until they break down, then it's only make do and mend. When they eventually end up with me or one of the other RM repair specialists, they usually cost a fortune to put right.

So, does the bus start? if it does, after a short time the STOP flag in the cab should raise out of sight. there's 2 warning lights there too which should go out. If they don't you have more problems. Press the brake pedal a few times. If the flag comes down, there's a problem with the brake accumulators. This means your emergency brake will probably not work.

What bits are missing from the bus? Ask around and see if they're still available. Some mechanical parts are still being rebuilt by specialist firms as are body parts, but other bits are like the proverbial rocking horse droppings.

If in doubt, post your concerns on here, an expert or 3 will be along shortly to answer your questions!

As an aside, quite why people buy scrapyard RMs with a view to rebuilding them is beyond comprehension, after all, it's not as though RMs are particularly rare and there's enough decent ones around to rescue. I applaud those that have done so and finished the project, but I feel that there will be more RMs on the market soon as all those who bought them when they came out of service find the novelty has worn off/they can't make a fortune doing weddings/they can't get the parts or it was a good idea at the time!

My bus number (if any): RML2532 Keeping Europe's Routemasters on the road.

All good advice but I have to come to the defence of those who have basket cases to rebuild and restore.

One or two vehicles are of significance, RM2000 should have been retained for the millenium, in fact, LRT intended that, but had no idea it had gone for scrap some years before the millenium. Nonetheless it may well reappear for 2100!

An RM sold into preservation that came out of service in the 1980s from LT and is largely original and well looked after, it is more or less a case of maintaining it.
They come from the end of the era of solid uniform maintenance.

A more recent acquisition, then it's certainly been changed about a fair bit but also has an extra 20 years heavy wear. The London Routemasters that lasted in service to the bitter end were largely neglected.

It is the challenge that is the attraction.

Having rebuilt several classic cars, it's a lot easier with a basket case than a vehicle in reasonable condition.

Sometimes with a vehicle that is original but a bit tired and worn here and there it is really hard to know what to do to it. Anything may take it's patina away and spoil it's character.

When Bentley won LeMans 24hr race several years back, they had a dilemma.
The 2 cars that finished were filthy, covered with dust, screenwash stains, peeling stickers, scrapes etc. But they were do to a tour of victory at various events in the UK.
They decided to leave the winning car exactly as it was externally when it crossed the line. It carried the patina of endurance and showed what 24 hours of racing can do to a vehicle. The second car was cleaned shortly after to it's pristine original state.
So a bit of both, which is what bus preservation can do. As long as it's safe for the road and it's users, anything can go.

So back to rubble up restorations:

You can be more brutal with a wreck.
Also, from a frame up restoration, everything can be accessed & restored, as most are aware, there are some lovely looking buses out there, but underneath that shiny paint and polished chrome lay a series of untouched time bombs waiting to happen. Corroding wiring, failing structural bits, cracking bulkheads all sorts of nasties.
To get to them and put it right means taking it apart and that is always difficult when it is looking pristine.

A carefully rebuilt bus done over time and as a consequence, thoroughly,should be better than new, and ought not to need much doing to it for a very long period thereafter.

It's not everyone's cup of tea to take on such a task, it requires a huge amount of work, a good workspace, access to facilities and incredible patience, free time, and deep pockets but, if I had those ingredients, I would go for that option.

I take my hat off to those that do just this, just like those that turn huge lumps of rust back into working steam locomotives, a really satisfying achievement.

I'd tend to agree with you Mark; I have an OB basket case and a couple of 4RF4s which are not quite that bad yet..

what I was getting at is with the quantity of RMs still around, why bother with the basket cases? Good luck to those who do!

My bus number (if any): RML2532 Keeping Europe's Routemasters on the road.

My advice would be to look for an RM that's as original as possible - by that I mean AEC engine and all the LT standard nechnical gubbins (a la Chiswick/Aldenham). That way you can consult the LT and Walkers maintenance bulletins and everything makes sense. As we know so many of the refurbs are far from standard and there seems to be very little info on how to fix problems. I realise that the AEC 590 engines are well worn and as such are a bit of an unknown quantity, but if you know where to look replacements are available in the shape of AEC AV 690 ex-military units used to power generators. These have done very little work and would provide you with a more powerful lump to cope with longer distance travel at higher speeds.

My bus number (if any): RM1001

If you can find a military 690 all well and good, but these are from generator sets, they will not bolt straight in, there will be a lot of work to do. Some of it will require the source of parts anyway and most certainly so if the basket case doesn't have an engine.

If you've bought a basket case with (or without) a non-AEC engine, you will then have a problem getting the mountings and so on to fit an AEC!

As Mike says, there's so many mods on the mods that no-one really knows where or what they are. This is a discussion Roy and myself have have a few times in the last couple of weeks!

I once sold a contributor on here an AEC760 ex generator set, plus a 590 ex RM to make as a 760 to put in an RM he was doing as a basket case. That was subsequently sold on as a basket case, and that buyer contacted me for advice and there was some nasty words about the seller which I felt obliged to correct!

I've just been offered a couple of 760s with generators from my local power station!

My bus number (if any): RML2532 Keeping Europe's Routemasters on the road.

Interesting debate. Buying a bus is a large leap of faith. It doesn't matter whether it is an AEC "original" example or a refurb RML, if you don't know what you are looking at when you go to view, or take along someone who does know what to look and listen to, you could make a very expensive mistake. Like anything, buyer beware. Some poor individuals got caught up in the hysteria of withdrawls a few years back and got sold basket cases by what I would only describe as "Cockney wide boys"- the Del boy types- who told unsuspecting buyers that the cannibalised hulks they were selling would only cost a couple of grand to get back together, and that the halfshafts, Iveco engines and all alse that were missing (and difficult and expensive to obtain) were easily available and cheap to buy. Hence some poor chaps are left with buses which are still a long way from road, years later.

Personally (being extremely biased) I wouldn't touch an AEC. You are buying an unknown quantity which has a doubtfull spares availability. Very much a case of fingers crossed and deep pockets. To ensure a good one, it will probably need a rebuild, it will probably smoke or rattle or probably both. Who will you entrust? Where will you get the parts? Be prepared for a very large bill.

Likewise a vehicle which has been in private hands for 20 years is also an unknown quantity. You may face undoing 20 years of someone elses bodges to get back to where you should be. At least with a late withdrawl you shouldn't be buying something which is literally a deathtrap....although there are always exceptions. The bus which has been out in a field since 2005 and recieved no expert attention should be viewed with suspicion. The moss on the paintwork will be the least of your concerns.

Being biased I think the Scania is probably the best to go for, it is modern, reliable, has good spares availability and suits the vehicle well. But it is noisy. Some have jerky gearchanges. The Cummins "Dartmasters" are in my humble opinion a step too far for the average preservationist. Although on the upside they are now a "modern" bus which can recieve attention from fitters versed with the modern machine. But those AECs...and the Leylands....lovely to see, hear and enjoy. But I fear owning one is a "fingers crossed" experience not for the faint hearted or those on a tighter budget.

My bus number (if any): RM531

I love the idea of having a RM with AEC power, however for the reasons mentioned by others I would have reservations about its running reliability on trips of hundreds of miles, at 40+ mph for long periods of time. For me I think it will be keeping with either Scania,Cummins or Iveco engined buses. The AEC engine comes from another motoring era in terms of usage, conditions on the roads of the 1950/60's were far less wearing on old technology than nowadays with the extremes of either stop/start motoring or prolonged high speed running.
I do not see any problem with having a refurb bus, even if they do have many differences, after all these buses are not exactly rocket science to understand in general terms and spares are not too much of a problem to source. More important is whether us private owners will consider it worthwhile to keep vehicles for the long term,involved in a hobby that is becoming increasingly more expensive, when other priorities exist in our lives. The argument for basket case restoration of a Routemaster does not hold up so well if considering the lack of rarity of type of vehicle, and sensibly these basket case vehicles would be better used as a source of spare parts.
When I think quite deeply of just what is involved in owning a Routemaster as a hobby, and the amounts of money spent to enjoy this odd pursuit, I cannot in all honesty justify it at all. The crunch will come within a couple of years or so if we don't pull out of this recession, and fuel prices keep increasing to the point that owning a bus for a hobby might be deemed to be even more eccentric than it is at the present time. Consider if you fitted a counter in the cab displaying in front of you £'s spent as you drive your icon, at 40mph for 30 minutes even......musn't think about it must we, or should we feel guilty about such indulgence or recognise a certain selfish interest in the wider picture of our lives. I've just seen a lovely old Humber limousine for sale for just £...............!, not the same though is it.

My bus number (if any): RCL2250

What Ed says in the last sentence of paragraph 2 sums it up.

My initial comment was not aimed only at Routemaster buyers, but buyers of old buses in general. Remember in the 1970s everyone and his dog bought an RT/RF/GS. where are they all now? I know Brian Watkinson has found a few in France in a field and is rescuing what spares he can from them; Lodekka parts are like rocking horse droppings. about the only parts that seem relatively plentiful are Bedford OB parts!

No doubt some of the basket cases bought from "east end wide boys" will provide a source of spares for the rest of us.

My bus number (if any): RML2532 Keeping Europe's Routemasters on the road.