Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 01-30-2010, 01:10 PM   #1
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: New England
Posts: 1,009
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Ward Genesis
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466/MT643
Rated Cap: 77
Looking for another bus...

Geez, this can get frustrating. Too many people want premium prices for crap.

__________________
Jarlaxle
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Optimism is a mental disorder.
Jarlaxle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2010, 06:21 PM   #2
Skoolie
 
busdriver_phil's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Northeast CT
Posts: 201
Year: 1999
Coachwork: AmTran RE
Chassis: International
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 72
Re: Looking for another bus...

I hear ya. I'm still looking for one too. I haven't called about that Chevy in NH but I'm not really feeling a good vibe about it. A different dealer in NY told me this week that he can get $2,400 from a scrapyard, so he won't even entertain an offer less than that. Going back to Plan A for now - AmTran RE from an auction (444/545 Laidlaw specs). Cheap, quiet, comfortable to drive. Just gotta make sure to put LED hazard lights on the back ASAP so we don't get rear-ended going up a slight incline...
__________________
The conversion of Miss Euphegenia, a 1999 AmTran RE: https://www.skoolie.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5704
busdriver_phil is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2010, 08:49 PM   #3
Bus Crazy
 
bus-bro's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Whidbey Island, WA.
Posts: 1,109
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: All American
Engine: 3208 na boat anchor
Rated Cap: 2
Re: Looking for another bus...

One thing I've noticed about my local school bus broker is that less skoolies are getting surplused. I've thought that the budget crunch could have districts holding on to their buses. That could be driving up prices.
bus-bro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-31-2010, 07:42 AM   #4
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Adirondack Mountains NY
Posts: 1,101
Re: Looking for another bus...

One trick that crossed my mind if you can wait until June, is to become very good friends with the local school district transportation office, unless they contract out to Laidlaw/First Student, etc. Find out which buses are being replaced, and then offer to match the trade-in offered by the dealer on the 'best' one. Let's guess the dealer who sells an old bus for $2400 is only giving the district a flat $500-$1000 off of each new bus as a trade in. The district may accept the matching amount from a taxpayer instead, if it does not mean too much extra paperwork. . . . .

Just thinking out loud . . . . . . . . .
__________________
Someone said "Making good decisions comes from experience, experience comes from bad decisions." I say there are three kinds of people: those who learn from their mistakes, those who learn from the mistakes of others, and those who never learn.
Redbear is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-01-2010, 03:28 PM   #5
Skoolie
 
dentedvw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Lansing, MI
Posts: 236
Year: 1998
Coachwork: Thomas SafTLiner
Chassis: FE
Engine: 5.9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 60
Re: Looking for another bus...

Wow, good idea about talking to school districts.
dentedvw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-01-2010, 07:32 PM   #6
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Adirondack Mountains NY
Posts: 1,101
Re: Looking for another bus...

The district I grew up in in Massachusetts in the Sixties bid its routes every year. Each operator quoted so many cents per mile, and a guess low bids got the longer routes. Most were owner-operators, but at least one had 3 buses and hired other drivers for the second and third. The driver who had my route also had a truck contract for a Post Office mail run between AM and PM routes.

Most of the owners had IH sixes with straight four speeds, but our driver had a high-roof Ford V8 with a split axle. It also had overhead shelves for gym bags. He needed the extra power. The town figured the routes wrong. The first day of high school, the principal stood on the sidewalk and counted 80 high schoolers coming off. It got adjusted down to about 70, but even then there were standees back to front, and the overhead bins allowed additional hand-holds for them besides using the seat backs.

Maybe watching the driver split every shift is one of the contributing causes of Skoolie fever.
__________________
Someone said "Making good decisions comes from experience, experience comes from bad decisions." I say there are three kinds of people: those who learn from their mistakes, those who learn from the mistakes of others, and those who never learn.
Redbear is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:30 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.