But if their abolition really causes that much pain, why not buy one so that that majestic, curvaceous, crimson form can be sitting within walking distance of your front room?Routemasters - or RMs to aficionados - have changed hands since the early 1980s, when London Transport started to cut costs by converting two-person buses to the modern vehicle where the driver collects the fares. A version of the concoction is in production in Germany, pending approval by the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products.While the results did not surprise Weinstock - IBS is rare, he'd noted, in countries where digestive parasites are common - a few of his colleagues were taken aback. Mr Newman says one buyer picked one after finding some graffiti on the inside that made him laugh. Mr Gregory adds: "The RM is like a giant Meccano set - simple and effective, and the reason it has lasted so long is because it is a simple design. It won't have a computer crash like a modern bus."Choosing a bus can be the trickiest part.

They may have never seen an RM, but they'll know about them."An RM uses 8-10mpg in passenger services but this rises to between 12 and 15 - better than an SUV - on the motorway with only a few passengers. It has a 29-gallon tank, so it will go for 300 miles for a £120 fill-up. It should come in for less, but every five years you can get a bad one."It is a good idea to work out what MoT test centre can cope with an RM bus. Alan Gregory, of the Routemaster Association, says: "Get into a local bus garage, introduce yourself and ask for help. Mr Newman says: "You should budget for £750 a year over five years. Most buyers also get vehicle recovery insurance at £80 a year.Maintenance is likely to be the largest drain on resources and one of the biggest practical hurdles. Insurance is surprisinglycheap, at about £150 fully compre- hensive Insurers include AON, Adams Tingle and Footman James.

Otherwise, the buyer would have to pass the test for a PCV licence.The bus should be exempt from the congestion charge and use bus lanes - although check this with Transport for London or the local highways authority. As private vehicles, they can be driven by anyone with a normal driving licence, as long as they carry no more than eight people. At 27ft 6in long, 8ft wide and almost 15ft tall, it is not something that can be parked on the average London street. All the owners contacted by The Independent have stored theirs either on their own or a friend's farmland. Although RMs are made of a corrosion-proof aluminium, it is best to keep them under cover.The first piece of good news is that since RMs were all made at least 30 years ago, they are exempt from road tax - a saving of £500. To convert one back to its true 1960s look would cost up to £30,000.

Paul Almeroth, heritage vehicle engineer at Blue Triangle Buses, says: "If you want to buy one and play with it, that's fine, but to put in the original specifications will cost a lot."Experts and owners agree the priority is to work out where you are going to store it. Second-hand RMs tend to have a basic price of between £6,000 and £10,000, which buys a fully roadworthy vehicle in varying states of d?r. It is an iconic piece of engineering."Anyone thinking of buying one should bring a checklist: cost, insurance, fuel, maintenance, storage and actually driving it. Steve Newman, a director of Ensignbus, which has the franchise for retired RMs, said he sold 150 last year "If it were a building, it would be listed," he says "It is not just a vehicle, it is a brand. Examples have turned up in the United States, India, Hong Kong and even Lebanon's Bekaa Valley - showing they really were built to last.But with the welter of publicity over the final six routes being converted, interest is rising. They are the ultimate people-carrier - they can legally carry eight people in comfort, will turn heads on every street corner, and cost from as little as £6,000.