There’s a fabulous little movement in America of people eschewing big McMansions for minuscule ways of life. It’s the tiny house movement, and it often involves packing one’s entire life into the confines of a small trailer or similar vehicle. I just found what could be one of the weirdest tiny houses, and it’s really just a dilapidated coach bus perched on a volcano in Hawai’i. The shocking part is how cheap it is compared to traditional housing in the area.
This bus, as well as the bus on the plot next door to it, was sent to me by our wonderful Adrian Clarke via a post on X, and the whole situation gets wilder the more you look at it. The pair of coach buses are located in the Kalapana Vacation Lots area of Kalapana Gardens in the District of Puna on Hawai’i Island. That’s the Big Island, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the area. The plots are located near the Puʻu ʻŌʻō volcanic cone on the Kīlauea shield volcano on the southeastern side of the island.
The Kalapana Gardens subdivision has an interesting history. In 1990, lava flows from the Kūpaʻianahā vent destroyed the subdivision alongside the Kalapana village, Kaimū, and Kaimū Bay. The latter two entities remain buried under dozens of feet of the new coastline created by the lava. Likewise, Lava hit the subdivision again in 2010, and in the past decade, lava flows have been known to cover access roads to the village of Kalapana.
i keep saying we need to solve the housing crisis bc they want $25,000 to live on a bus on a volcano pic.twitter.com/BGjLedY65j
— derek guy (@dieworkwear) May 13, 2025
As of 2023, Kalapana is said to have a population of just 75 people, and Kalapana Gardens is advertised as a remote community for people who want to live off-grid lifestyles. Residents can get views of the volcano, flowing lava, and the ocean all at the same time.
I think parking two coach buses on a former lava flow definitely counts as living off-grid.
The agents for Seaview Real Estate and eXp Realty, who are handling the sales of these two properties, don’t give nearly as many details as you would want to read for listings like these. What are those buses? When were they built? Are they connected to shore power? What’s the water and sewer situation like? I found out all of that for you.
The Buses
Right out of the gate, I can tell you that both buses were built by Motor Coach Industries (MCI). This first one here is an MCI D-Series, a line of buses that launched in 1992.
D-Series development began in 1988 with help from a grant from the Canadian government. MCI wanted its next-generation of intercity buses to be longer and more wheelchair accessible than before. Also aiding in MCI’s quest was the U.S. government allowing the length of coach buses to stretch to 45 feet.
The launch model is the 102-DL3. That alphabet soup of a name actually means something! The “102” means it’s 102 inches wide, “D” indicates its series, “L” indicates a 45-foot length, and “3” tells you it has three axles. A 40-foot 102-D3 model followed in 1994. The first bus for sale in Hawai’i is a 102-D3, or the shorter 40-foot model. In 2001, MCI renamed the D-Series, going with the scheme of D4500 and D4000, respectively. The update came with slimmer headlights and, later, new badging.
A common engine configuration for one of these buses would have been a Detroit Series 60 12.7 liter inline-six four-stroke diesel engine. The Series 60 is one of the most popular highway truck diesel engines of all time and are known for their durability and insane longevity.
That engine would have been backed by an Allison B500R six-speed automatic transmission. At least some of the Detroit 60-powered MCI D-Series buses were delivering 425 HP, perfect for comfortable intercity travel.
Other engine choices included the Cummins M11 as well as the Cat 3176B and Cat C10 diesels. Some of these buses also have Eaton Fuller seven-speed manuals, which must have been interesting to drive.
A shocking number of bus companies adopted the D-Series, ranging from Greyhound and NJ Transit to the Central New York Regional Transportation Authority. The larger 102-DL3/D4500 was adopted by an even larger number of bus companies all over North America.
The other bus appears to be an MCI 102-A3. This bus comes from the A-Series, which is a couple of generations older than the D-Series.
This bus is still 40 feet long, 102 inches wide, and has three axles, but has a distinctive design employing fluted stainless steel panels. The A-Series was considered to be the successor to the iconic MC-9 coach bus and made improvements in the form of larger windows and a more modern design.
These older buses, which were sold from 1985 to 1992, were available with Detroit Diesel 6V92 and 8V92 two-cycle diesels. We’re talking up to a 12.1-liter V8 making 360 HP here, so still plenty powerful.
This would make the first bus close to 30 years old and the second bus to be pushing 40. It’s unclear where these two buses came from. I have found that some bus operators in Oahu, Hawai’i, have run 102-D3s in the past, but none that I could connect to these buses. It’s entirely possible that they were shipped in from the mainland.
What I can say is that someone then proceeded to do pretty rough renovations to both buses. Both units look like they’ve been painted over with house paint. Normally, I wouldn’t even mention that, but both buses have paint overruns and whoever painted the coaches painted right over the lights. I guess they didn’t expect the coaches to ever move again. The blue peeking through the first bus makes me wonder if it might have been a Greyhound coach at some point in its past.
Inside The First Bus
The buses also come up pretty short on features. The first bus has a sink, a bed, and a dinette. Coldwell Banker, another real estate agency operating in the area, says that the lots out here don’t have running water, electrical power, or sewer connections. That would suggest that both of these buses are totally off-grid.
The first bus, which is pictured in the two photos above, has no bathroom. If you want to take a shower or use the composting toilet, you have to exit the bus, walk around it, and then use the outhouse erected on the left side of the coach.
At least there’s an on-demand water heater in there. It would appear that all of your power comes from solar panels, and water comes from whatever you bring in.
The Other Bus Is Better, Maybe?
The second bus is in simultaneously worse and better shape. There appears to be loads of sealer tape framing the windshield, which suggests that there might have been a leak there at some point. The emblem was also partially ripped off.
The weirdness continues inside, where someone only halfway completed a renovation. You get a sink, some cabinets, a composting toilet, and a bed, but that’s it. At least you can poop in this one, but you still have to shower in an outhouse. The shower room looks pretty rough in this one, complete with a pallet-based structure and rust.
The seller notes that you’d drive 20 minutes to Pahoa for basic provisions or an hour to Hilo if you need to visit the nearest big box store. At the very least, it’s said that the cellular signal is great out here and you can get high-speed Internet. But yeah, this isn’t glamping.
The seller of the first bus might have had some unrealistic expectations at first. It was originally listed for sale on January 15, 2023 for $115,000. The current price of $24,900 has come after the coach has failed to sell for more than two years. The second bus was originally listed on April 13, 2023, for $61,750. That listing has since been reduced to $38,000.
Coldwell Banker lists similar lots in the same neighborhood for $20,000 to $25,000 without buses on them. The buses themselves aren’t worth much, especially if they haven’t run in a while. You can get a running MCI for $5,000, and it wouldn’t cost much to toss in a bed, a sink, and an outhouse.
Yet, these properties are cheap for the region. The median price for a home on the Big Island is $611,000 to $679,000, depending on whom you ask. Of course, a lot of the dirt-cheap cost of these buses and the land under them comes down to their location. They’re in the middle of nowhere without basic utilities and are parked on top of an old lava flow.
Personally, the bus nerd in me would try her hardest to get the buses running. What a sweet way to drive around the island! But I suppose if you’re looking for a cheaper way to move to Hawai’i, this could be a way to do it. Buy a bus parked between active lava flows and the ocean — it’s certainly something different.
Wow, interesting and unique!
When I saw the headline, I knew I had to comment and ask:
So how is the “lava”tory situation?
That’s it for today folks!
If you’re going to insist on living in an area that has a recent history of being covered in molten lava, more than once, I suppose a house that can drive itself out of danger makes some sense
Or towed out is good enough.
Common approach to habitual flood zones.
Tire maintenance is a thing if you want to move them again.
Another approach is semi reefer trailers or cargo containers.
Insulated containers can be rare and costly to transport any distance.
You can remove the trailer suspension, but it’s definitely not moving easily then.
You’re using the word outhouse generously. That’s really more of a fence. Dare I be crass and alliterative, a pooping pen?
I’m s***in’ in the rain,
Just s***in’ in the rain,
What a glorious feeling…
*record scratch*
… Nope.
I know me and if I bought either I’d be praying for another lava flow within 2 weeks. However cheap lots and you could build something better even if you had no thumbs.
But where are you gonna go when the volcano blows?
I don’t know
I don’t know
Up?
… in smoke
Definitely not living there. Back in 2012 my newlywed wife and I were on The Big Island for our honeymoon and had a helicopter tour over Kilauea booked which got cancelled, but rescheduled for the next day.
The next day when we took the tour we found out it had been cancelled because the tour company had been assisting with the evacuation of the final holdout resident of Royal Gardens, a former neighborhood very close to where these buses are. The lava finally consumed his house. When we flew over the next day we could see no evidence of any human habitation other than a remaining satellite dish. Nature ain’t no joke.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk44ZivzJC8
At least you get radiant heat for free.
It’s green!
Then sort of red. And then black.
I had copilot create a Lava Bus song for me… and this is what it came up with:
(Verse 1)
Riding on the lava bus, it’s a fiery ride,
Through the molten rivers, where the lava flows wide.
Windows glowing red, seats are hot to the touch,
But we’re having so much fun, we don’t mind it much!
(Chorus)
Lava bus, lava bus, rolling through the flame,
Every stop we make, it’s never quite the same.
Lava bus, lava bus, feel the heat and glow,
On this molten journey, there’s so much to know!
(Verse 2)
Volcanoes in the distance, spitting fire high,
We wave to the lava birds as they soar through the sky.
Driver’s got a lava hat, and a smile so bright,
Guiding us through the magma, day and night.
(Chorus)
Lava bus, lava bus, rolling through the flame,
Every stop we make, it’s never quite the same.
Lava bus, lava bus, feel the heat and glow,
On this molten journey, there’s so much to know!
(Bridge)
Feel the rumble, hear the roar,
Lava bus is never a bore.
Through the heat, we ride with glee,
On this fiery odyssey!
(Chorus)
Lava bus, lava bus, rolling through the flame,
Every stop we make, it’s never quite the same.
Lava bus, lava bus, feel the heat and glow,
On this molten journey, there’s so much to know!
(Outro)
So hop on the lava bus, join the fiery fun,
Our adventure’s just begun, under the blazing sun.
With every turn and twist, we’ll sing this song anew,
On the lava bus, there’s always something cool to do!
The Magma Opus of the Meshing of Architectural and Automotive Design.
I am a big ol’ volcano nerd. Like enough of a volcano nerd that my most common reoccurring nightmare is of a volcanic eruption being *inconvenient and annoying* rather than terrifying. And even I would not want to live in the Lower East Rift Zone. This is because of those dreams being very much a every-few-years reality. That and the whole lack of indoor plumbing because it keeps getting paved over every few years. Also, you can’t get homeowners insurance out there. Presumably you can’t get bus insurance either since they will eventually be written off by Pele just like a house.
I have a permit form for climbing St Helens here somewhere.
They call them ‘areas of change’ in geology.
Some more than others.
THE BUS IS LAVA!
I read that in Rutledge Wood’s voice and started to actually miss TGUS.
I read it in Charlton Heston’s voice.
A young, single me might have gone for this. It seems like a fun way to live for a while.
Then again, I’ve always watched my step around Pele.
Be cool or be cast out. 😮
In the basement bars
in the backs of cars
Every day I get in queue (Too much, the magma bus!)
To bid on a bus that melts like my shoes (too much, magma bus!)
I’m so nervous, I pay full price (just bought a magma bus!)
Stop Hawaaining, I’m sure that it’s nice (divorce, thanks magma bus!)
True story, but for the majority of my Gen X life, I thought the MCI buses were somehow affiliated with the MCI long distance telephony carrier. It made sense, just like how ITT had highway billboards and a technical school, or how Yamaha made pianos and motorcycles. Wait, they still do!
Sure, why not? It’s the 80s, let’s do it.