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Old 01-13-2014, 10:54 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Rust Buckets

Am I crazy or is all the rust free busses from the south east being bought up from some unknown source of money and never hits the bid sights. Im in N Augusta SC and the only busses I see on the bid sights from around here is the left over junk nobody wants.

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Old 01-13-2014, 11:23 AM   #2
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Re: Rust Buckets

a lot are used by farmers and a lot go to Central America....broaden your search
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Old 01-13-2014, 11:41 AM   #3
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Re: Rust Buckets

Yea I see the farmers using them but down here thats the left over junk bought for pennys on the pound. Now on the moving south deal Im with ya, thats where most of them are going. My question is how the heck are they getting them with out me having a chance to bid on them. Yea I know all it takes is money in the right hand. I will stay in the watch for the local ones and figure out whos got the upper hand to keep them off the bid sights. Maybe Im searching the wrong time of year or something. All I know is these local busses have never saw any snow or salt. That makes a huge difference. One of these babies should last forever.
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Old 01-13-2014, 11:47 AM   #4
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Re: Rust Buckets

Whats that old saying about a duck. If it looks like one and sounds like one. I check the bid sights and have been for weeks on end. The northern rust buckets, sorry guys no harm intended, but they just keep selling and new ones being listed every few days. The pretty rust free busses ? Heck what rust free busses ? Their are none listed from the south. Someone is buying them before they hit the bid sights. Im going to figure this thing out. I want one of these pretty shiney rust free Blue Birds I see roaming the streets everyday.
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Old 01-13-2014, 11:55 AM   #5
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Re: Rust Buckets

there are several for sale at the "bus companies" around here, last week there was a dog nose and a flat nose (Bristol,TN)

Check out searchtempest and craigslist, I assume you do govdeals-dot-something
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Old 01-13-2014, 12:39 PM   #6
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Re: Rust Buckets

Yea govdeals and surplus sights as well as craigslist. Seems the craigslist busses has been bought and being resold. Better watch that paper work.
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Old 01-13-2014, 12:41 PM   #7
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Re: Rust Buckets

Exactly....people buy them for $2500/$3000 and resell them for $5000 plus....crappy in my eyes

I think there are several for sale on the site in the SE
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Old 01-13-2014, 12:58 PM   #8
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Re: Rust Buckets

Thanks, did not know about the search tempest. My hats off to you guys that are man enough to bid off e bay with out seeing the bus in person and starting it up. I guess I just dont have the nerve then again maybe its the back pocket just ant fat enough. On a side note I just talked to an employee of the local school district and it seems the rust free busses are being bought with out hitting the bid sights. It did seem kinda funny and unfair that all busses listed seem to be from salt road areas. The good folks buying them dont seem to want the northern version just the rust free southern ones. Are any of you guys from the south east able to buy our nice rust free busses ? If so could you give a fellow skoolie little info on how when and where ? Im on the state line between Augusta GA and North Augusta SC If you guys to the north have any located down here I would be glad to check them out for you if they are in my local area. I may need one of you guys from Kingsport or Winchester Tenn. to check one out for me. I see a few from that area. Not sure about the winter roads in Tenn. Seems like where the salt line would be.
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Old 01-13-2014, 01:09 PM   #9
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Re: Rust Buckets

Sorry to make such a big stink about the northern busses but I bought a Chevy Surburban years ago with out looking under it because it was dirt cheap. Then the lady told me she was from NY so I decided to go back outside in the cold rain and have a little look at the bottom side of it. Did not take but one half of a second to figure out why she wanted to sell it to me in the cold rain. It took four people to pick me up off the cold wet ground when I passed out. When I awoke my friend asked me how the frame looked. My question was where the heck was the frame, it did not have one. It was all rusted away. I owned it for one hour, sold it for scrap. Just cause shes got fresh shiney new paint topside dont mean squat about her bottomside YIKES !
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Old 01-13-2014, 01:19 PM   #10
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Re: Rust Buckets

Like you just quoted "On a side note I just talked to an employee of the local school district and it seems the rust free busses are being bought with out hitting the bid sights"

that is exactly what most of us do, did you see the first pic in my thread? that was at school bus garage, they were taking the camera out of it and had it fueled and waiting for me.

if it wouldn't have sold in a month or so then it goes to either scrap (after being stripped) or to auction

You have a company where you live that holds/services you local buses....I would start there
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Old 01-13-2014, 02:10 PM   #11
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Re: Rust Buckets

It seems like we have a bus shop in each county down here. Thats my next step to try and contact one of them and see if they will tell me how to buy one.
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Old 01-13-2014, 07:23 PM   #12
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Re: Rust Buckets

Not to be the spelling police but the proper word is sites. It is a web site not a web sight. Sights are on guns and national monuments. Sorry Just a pet peeve.

I am down here near Savannah. I have also noticed the same thing you have. Here in Chatham County, the buses are sold by First Student. Many of them are being gobbled up and shipped to South America where they have less restrictive laws on school buses and their replacement cycles. They did tell me someone named Sue would be contacting me this week. I got a list of the north west buses as First Student is calling them. Everyone of them lists rust problems and rotted floors. One even says stairs rotted off.

I am also going to research a Georgia Law that requires Government entities to sell their surplus equipment by auction. My city attorney mentioned it but I will research it more fully.
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Old 01-13-2014, 08:03 PM   #13
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Re: Rust Buckets

Thanks Kenny, that's my plan as well. I am still searching different web sites and trying to find out who is doing the buying of the people as well as the buses. I have a few contacts that work for local school districts and hopefully one of them will give me the info I need. Dont seem fare to me for a few fat cats to get the cream of the crop but from what I have found so far thats exactly whats going on. I feel like we all deserve a shot at these buses that were bought with our tax money. Something in the milk ant clean. Oh no ant is not a word. Just my southern slang Kenny. I will do some more asking questions tomorrow and hopefully we can chop into the fat cats game and see if their is a scam going on or not. Maybe SC and GA sells their buses on different web sites. IDK but I plan to find out. Maybe we can get a few of our skoolie brothers on here some rust free projects. I live in SC and work in GA and I want on of these buses I see everyday.
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Old 01-13-2014, 08:06 PM   #14
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Re: Rust Buckets

Here in Texas the school districts use whatever local auction service they want to. I think some also sell straight out without the need for auction houses to get involved. I found that asking the school district directly led me to the auction houses that handle most of the locals. Good luck!
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Old 01-13-2014, 08:27 PM   #15
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Re: Rust Buckets

Yea you are right Kenny. Firstgroup.com and Firststudent for GA and still looking for SC Looks like the GA boyz are locked in a contract for supplying the buses so the good folks at first & first get them all back. Only thing is most all the buses listed at first and first are from the salt states or a dud no one wants. Anyone that would like to chime in from SC with any info would be greatly appreciated. I live in SC but still no clue where they go. Im sure they are under some type of contract as well.
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Old 01-14-2014, 05:10 PM   #16
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Re: Rust Buckets

Been calling a e mailing today and seems like SC may have one of the oldest bus fleets in the US I hope Im wrong but seems they buy used buses that other states are retiring. I sure hope I read that wrong but may explain why its hard to find a good bus coming from SC I dont have kids in school but something seems wrong buying used buses to transport kids in. IDK contacted first & first today and tight lips is all I got. I still have no clue where the good rust free GA buses are going. I hope Im just looking at the wrong time and some will pop up. Right now I cant find any to bid on close enough to go look at other than the ones on craigslist and e bay that came down from the great salty north.
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Old 01-14-2014, 05:57 PM   #17
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Re: Rust Buckets

Heck, mine served 3 different school systems, tn keeps them for 15 years from date of manufacture, not 16 years just 15yrs 363 days
That is why mine was delivering kids the day before I bought it
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Old 01-15-2014, 11:35 AM   #18
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Re: Rust Buckets

Three school systems, man ! how many miles you got on that thing ? Im worried about anything over 150,000 miles, maybe Im just a wuss. Miles scare the heck out of me.
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Old 01-15-2014, 02:18 PM   #19
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Re: Rust Buckets

about 150k on a diesel even with a lot of miles idling (5.9 better to idle than say dt466)

small towns/cities you never put a lot of miles on stuff
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Old 01-15-2014, 06:41 PM   #20
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Re: Rust Buckets

I really wanted to buy a school bus but it looks like I may be better off buying a coach and converting it. I can get a class a coach for less than 10k. Decent school buses are crossing that threshhold.
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