Found bus BUT--250K mileage. Is this too high to consider?

[JoeA]

I hate unfixed, broken problems.
I know where you can find a nice conversion without any... and with all the best no break built-right full performance backwoods set-up for a bit more than 10k or so

Hahahah
Hi jim
I'm just messing with you. My bus is doing great. I still haven't made any gear changes yet and I plan to be in AZ by mid Jan or so. That could change. but I thought you might want to glance through at some of the changes and updates I have made to the photos and comments found when you click on some of the photos. I have been sprucing the thing up a bit. The past summer/spring and fall, she was like a beautiful ship out at sea and with her in port right now I have done lots of little things to keep the ship tight before i set out on this next voyage.(cosmetic mostly)
I have had lots of interest but no buyers this time of year. more than likely I'll really be looking to sell later in 2007 and the price could change more after i see what kind of buyers tax time and nice weather bring.
good luck

[Les Lampman]

Originally Posted by greyguzziart

Checked out the BB All American mentioned in this post. It had 10K miles more than I was told. Grrrrrr! I was pleased that it was not yellow, but the bus was not preped right before it was sprayed. Grrrrr! When we started it it cranked up on first turn (oil pressure 60psi) but smoked. This was in the Phoenix area and the temp was about 65-70?? Even after the engine was warm, the smoke eased up but never quit. When I accelerated, another big black cloud rolled out. It has a new air compressor, tires were fair, entrance step rotted out (weak), all windows were very good. He lowered the price to $4500. but still, with the mileage and smoke, it doesn't look good.
Comments?

Ya know...it's just really hard to assess a situation that's so far away.

The bottom line is...if you don't feel good about it, walk. Use your instincts and if there are red flags going up it's for a good reason. Almost anything on these big 'ole beasts can be fixed but at what price and with how much hassle? You alone know how much tolerance you have for "fixing" things (which I consider wholly independent of the conversion).

One of the litmus tests I use when in a situation like yours is to ask my self...Self, if you bought this thing today could you sell it tomorrow for what you just paid? If I think I'd have a heck of a time selling it to someone else for the same amount I'm getting ready to part with I walk away from the deal.

Both those paragraphs sound a bit negative but I don't mean it that way; at the right price the bus you're looking at may be a good thing. But then again...

[paul iossi]

Have a Cummins specialist look at the engine and get a professional opinion. A puff of black smoke is normal when you crank up this engine, since the injector pump goes to full fuel until the governor starts to spin, then it pulls back to throttled speed. Black smoke is an overfuel condition, and possibly cureable with minor tuneup adjustments, blue smoke is oil consumption and could be from to much idle time (slobbering), cured by a good warmup and workout to reseat the rings, or it could need major work.
I'm to far away to be of anymore assistance so I vote, go with your gut, Les is on the money with his opinion.

[greyguzziart]

It's more than a puff when starting. I'd be okay with that. And, I will have it checked out before I were to buy it.

I want to thank all for the feedback I've received on this matter. It sure has helped.

You're a great bunch!

[lapeer20m]

smoke at startup isn't necessarily concerning. My bus with the dt360 smokes like a destroyer when it fires up, especially when it's cold out. Once the engine is warmed up, my bus smokes very little. A black puff of smoke on acceleration is perfectly normal for a diesel.

The above poster hit an excellent point. It's important to distinguish between the smell of diesel exhaust verses the smell of burning oil.

phill was amazed at how much my bus smoked when he saw me fire it up once.

I used to work at test grounds for general motors. They would fire up new semi truck's when it was below freezing. They would smoke far worse than my engine, and they were 2002 or 2003 model year.

[JoeA]

I agree with lots of this stuff. Smoking can be a part of a diesel and it definately will smoke more when cold, but I wouldn't go by what a trucking company does with a fleet rig....they blow up fleet motors also.

Anyway that alone I wouldn't let stop me, but if you really want it with all that goes with it, have the engine looked at and spend that money before you spend 6k and then have to rebuild an engine to use the thing. ESPECIALLY with a cummins. I say that because they are, among most, the most expensive to rebuild and repair. They are also excellent engines. I like my DT466 because it is reliable and the least expensive to rebuild.

I never physically saw my bus before I bought it. It was on Ebay...but I have been driving for "free" by buying and selling nice used vehicles with my father for years and I feel like I knew all the things that i needed to, that checked out and I was protected by ebay and it was a public transit fleet with service records, owned since new by the same garage.

[GoneCamping]

My 3208 Caterpillar smokes worse than an old Godzilla movie when it's cold, but it's diesel smoke....lots of of it too! But like the others, once mine warms up it is fine!!

[Les Lampman]

Originally Posted by GoneCamping

My 3208 Caterpillar smokes worse than an old Godzilla movie when it's cold, but it's diesel smoke....lots of of it too! But like the others, once mine warms up it is fine!!

My 3208 does the same!

I'm glad I was familiar with the 3208's from boats 'cause the amount of smoke it throws out when starting cold wouldn't have scared me to death otherwise. When a boat with a pair of 3208's would start in the marina the boat would disappear for awhile.

[lapeer20m]

i don't think i would spend $6K on this particular bus. I think you can buy a lot more bus for the money if you look around.