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Old 04-24-2016, 11:45 PM   #1
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Is this possibly worth buying?

Its an 88 thomas gmc mini bus. Seller said engine replaced w/ 6.5liter deisel claims only 10k on motor. Claims bought from school dist. 9 months ago. Odometer in 3500k range. Worth having mechanic check out?

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Old 04-25-2016, 04:39 AM   #2
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Its an 88 thomas gmc mini bus. Seller said engine replaced w/ 6.5liter deisel claims only 10k on motor. Claims bought from school dist. 9 months ago. Odometer in 3500k range. Worth having mechanic check out?
School districts around here try to get rid of buses at around 15-17 years. This bus would have been dumped at 28 years. I question the claim, and thus question also the claim of the rebuild. Does he have receipts?

And 3.5 million miles? If he wants $500 and the tires are good you might take a gamble with a mechanic's visit. At worst, if it would limp to the scrapyard you could sell them the steel, and keep and resell the tires and make a profit. But otherwise? I'm worried.

I also don't know what I'm talking about, btw. Raw noob.
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Old 04-25-2016, 07:03 AM   #3
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This bus would have been dumped at 28 years. I question the claim,
.

This would be easy to verify on the title. He should also have the maintenance records from the school.

I bought a 92 from a school and they were keeping three other 92 models so I don't think it's that crazy.

I also know nothing.
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Old 04-25-2016, 08:31 AM   #4
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Bottom line is are you willing to put out the money to make it your skoolie? What's worthwhile to some, isn't to others.

I wouldn't trust a replaced motor unless there are receipts in hand. And if the price is worth it to you, always offer 15% less....... never know what you can pick it up for.
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Old 04-25-2016, 10:23 AM   #5
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I think you've made a decimal point mistake on your mileage. If it is more reasonably 350K, instead of 3500k, it is nearly double the mileage limits most of us look for in a bus. Even if the engine was replaced the rest of the bus has a significantly high amount of miles.
Nobody can judge this bus as accurately as you can. None of us can look at it unless you provide pictures. Think used car. Was this bus only driven to church by a sweet old lady on Sundays?
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Old 04-25-2016, 11:55 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by Bonedoll View Post
Its an 88 thomas gmc mini bus. Seller said engine replaced w/ 6.5liter deisel claims only 10k on motor. Claims bought from school dist. 9 months ago. Odometer in 3500k range. Worth having mechanic check out?
Engine replaced means nothing without paperwork to back it up.
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Old 04-25-2016, 12:11 PM   #7
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Engine replaced means nothing without paperwork to back it up.
if the engine was replaced wit ha remanufactured engine like a Jasper or such, you can get the tag number from the engine, callthem and at least get the age of it.. you cant get the accurate miles, however the age may give you some idea of if its an older or newer replacement.
-Christopher
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Old 04-25-2016, 12:34 PM   #8
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Google GM 6.5 and read some of the problems they've had. Cracked blocks, broken webbing, cracked cylinder walls. The good side, they generally won't "nickel and dime" you as they're more prone to catastrophic failures.

Oddly enough, the turbo versions make pretty decent power until they die.

350k is a rare sight for that motor, and it means the rest of the chassis still has 350k on it.
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