advice for first bus please!

[busconversion101`]

Hi, im new to everything school bus related and am currently in the process of finding the right bus for me, I want to live year round in the mountains. I might have found a doable option but feel the price is to steep. It is a 2001 T444e with an Allison 3060 and 170,000 miles on it for 6000$, the body is in nearly perfect condition and its has been taken care of by a mechanic ever since it left the bus barn. With all that being said I still feel like the general price range for the T444e is somewhere around 3,000-4,000$ and I would be overpaying by a few grand if I went with this choice but my issues is that I am having a hard time finding many good school bus options in Oregon, they seem to go so fast and im pressed for time to find a bus sooner rather than later. Any help or advice would be great, thank you.

[Rivetboy]

Pressed for time? Pay the man.

[o1marc]

That's what happens when pressed for time, you end up paying double to get the same bus from a dealer that doubles the price when they get it on the lot. There are some advantages to buying from a dealer but I'm not sure IMHO if they are worth the extra dollars. I have found Oregon has an abundance of good deals and would have bought several I looked at had they not been so far away.

[ComfortEagle]

Originally Posted by busconversion101`

Hi, im new to everything school bus related and am currently in the process of finding the right bus for me, I want to live year round in the mountains. I might have found a doable option but feel the price is to steep. It is a 2001 T444e with an Allison 3060 and 170,000 miles on it for 6000$, the body is in nearly perfect condition and its has been taken care of by a mechanic ever since it left the bus barn. With all that being said I still feel like the general price range for the T444e is somewhere around 3,000-4,000$ and I would be overpaying by a few grand if I went with this choice but my issues is that I am having a hard time finding many good school bus options in Oregon, they seem to go so fast and im pressed for time to find a bus sooner rather than later. Any help or advice would be great, thank you.

Show up with cash and make a reasonable offer, then be willing to walk away. Or, just pay the man...

[Dapplecreek]

Dear '101 - glad you're here! You've found a treasure-trove of information and helpful folks.

Word to the wise (trying to keep you from making the classic noob mistakes... that I've made...): most of the questions you might come up with have already been answered, sometimes multiple times. Your question here is the exception to that general rule: you had a specific question that needed a specific answer. The big problem is when someone has a "what type of bus should I get" question or the like, or has a painfully common question that could have been found by searching the forum.

PRO TIP: the 'search' box at the top of the page doesn't work very well. Instead, use Google, and after you type your question, add "site:www.skoolie.net". You'll get just this site's gold, and a goodly portion!

And read the stickies: they have lots of good help for the new guy.

Oh - and if you can wait until late fall, I will be in Moscow, Idaho with a bus for sale. I'll be using it for moving, and it will be gutted but little else done to it.

Again - glad you're here!

[Twigg]

Originally Posted by Dapplecreek

PRO TIP: the 'search' box at the top of the page doesn't work very well. Instead, use Google, and after you type your question, add "site:www.skoolie.net". You'll get just this site's gold, and a goodly portion!

You no longer have to do this.

The new Google Search at the top of the page does it for you.

Just type your search term into the box and leave "skoolie" checked.

[CaptSquid]

Dapplecreek, are you going to be a Vandal?

[EastCoastCB]

A wee bit of patience should land you a fantastic bus for a much more reasonable price. You're in BUS COUNTRY, man.