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Old 03-27-2019, 05:01 PM   #1
New Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 1
Advice needed by new member

Hello to all! First time poster, but long time lurker. Love this sites plethora of knowledge, it has been very helpful to my wife and I in figuring out what we want in our skoolie. I found a bus listed for sale, and wanted to get your input. Ive read about transmissions and how the 545 is the one to stay away from, but I didnt see much about the 2000. We live in Chattanooga and would be traveling to states with differing elevations. I feel like this is the best deal Ive found as far as build goes. Thank you in advance!



Bus details:

PRICE: $8,000


-2003 International dog-nose, originally 65 passenger
-37' bumper to bumper, 27' from back of Driver's seat to rear door (approx. 200 sq. ft. of living space)
-DT466e engine, rebuilt 40k miles ago (total milage is 190k)
-Allison 2000 automatic transmission
-No speed governor
-Air brakes
-Air suspension
-High ceilings (6' 4")
-Tinted windows
-6 new tires, August 2017
-2 new engine batteries, March 2018
-Currently registered as a personal-use vehicle

Work done already:
-Gutted interior, including original floor, walls, & ceiling
-Removed rear heater and re-routed coolant line
-Treated floor rust, patched the seat bolt holes, and painted floor with Rustoleum
-Removed, cleaned, and resealed all 22 windows
-Removed both roof-top Emergency Exits, which were leaking, and patched roof
-Installed furring strips on walls & ceiling, including rear wall
-Spray-foamed Foam It Green insulation onto walls & ceiling
-Installed 3/4" rigid insulation on floor, topped with 3/4" Advantech T&G subfloor
-Removed some of the unnecessary wiring and exterior lights
-Removed the county school bus decals on exterior
-Sealed roof seams with EternaBond tape
-Applied two coats of Black Jack elastomeric Roof Gard white paint on roof

Sale includes (uninstalled):
-Engineered hardwood oak flooring and the glue to install it (a small portion has been done already, before it got too cold - see pic)
-Fan-tastic Vent roof vent with reversible fan and thermostat (new, still in box)
-5 water holding tanks, miscellaneous shapes & sizes (used, need to be cleaned)
-Remainder of the Roof Gard paint (enough left for one more coat)

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Old 03-27-2019, 08:18 PM   #2
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musigenesis's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 6,995
Year: 2003
Coachwork: International
Chassis: CE 300
Engine: DT466e
Rated Cap: 65C-43A
Quote:
Originally Posted by Forrest137 View Post
Hello to all! First time poster, but long time lurker. Love this sites plethora of knowledge, it has been very helpful to my wife and I in figuring out what we want in our skoolie. I found a bus listed for sale, and wanted to get your input. Ive read about transmissions and how the 545 is the one to stay away from, but I didnt see much about the 2000. We live in Chattanooga and would be traveling to states with differing elevations. I feel like this is the best deal Ive found as far as build goes. Thank you in advance!



Bus details:

PRICE: $8,000


-2003 International dog-nose, originally 65 passenger
-37' bumper to bumper, 27' from back of Driver's seat to rear door (approx. 200 sq. ft. of living space)
-DT466e engine, rebuilt 40k miles ago (total milage is 190k)
-Allison 2000 automatic transmission
-No speed governor
-Air brakes
-Air suspension
-High ceilings (6' 4")
-Tinted windows
-6 new tires, August 2017
-2 new engine batteries, March 2018
-Currently registered as a personal-use vehicle

Work done already:
-Gutted interior, including original floor, walls, & ceiling
-Removed rear heater and re-routed coolant line
-Treated floor rust, patched the seat bolt holes, and painted floor with Rustoleum
-Removed, cleaned, and resealed all 22 windows
-Removed both roof-top Emergency Exits, which were leaking, and patched roof
-Installed furring strips on walls & ceiling, including rear wall
-Spray-foamed Foam It Green insulation onto walls & ceiling
-Installed 3/4" rigid insulation on floor, topped with 3/4" Advantech T&G subfloor
-Removed some of the unnecessary wiring and exterior lights
-Removed the county school bus decals on exterior
-Sealed roof seams with EternaBond tape
-Applied two coats of Black Jack elastomeric Roof Gard white paint on roof

Sale includes (uninstalled):
-Engineered hardwood oak flooring and the glue to install it (a small portion has been done already, before it got too cold - see pic)
-Fan-tastic Vent roof vent with reversible fan and thermostat (new, still in box)
-5 water holding tanks, miscellaneous shapes & sizes (used, need to be cleaned)
-Remainder of the Roof Gard paint (enough left for one more coat)
Assuming the bus is relatively rust-free on the bottom, it would probably be worth in the neighborhood of $3000 (and maybe a grand or two more because of the near-new tires). So the question is whether everything else that was done and everything that comes with it is worth $4000 or $5000.

The value of the labor is hard to judge - personally I enjoyed gutting my bus and I was sad that there wasn't more of it to do. The spray-foam insulation would be about $300, the rigid floor insulation would be about $200 and the T&G flooring would be about $300. Water tanks are probably a few hundred. Nothing else is really super-expensive (the vent is around $150 I think, the oak flooring might cost a bit, not sure) - there is maybe 2 grand worth of material added to the bus.

$8000 might be a little much, but $6000 might be a good price. Seller might go down to $5000, which is probably about what he has in it (not counting labor).

My bus is the same type and has the same engine and transmission. It flies (even has a spoiler!) although I don't know how well it handles hills.
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Old 03-28-2019, 10:19 AM   #3
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Eastern WA
Posts: 6,401
Year: 2002
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: All American RE (A3RE)
Engine: Cummins ISC (8.3)
Rated Cap: 72
If the miles and mechanical condition are good, I think $8k is not an unreasonable asking price.
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Old 03-28-2019, 11:04 AM   #4
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Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Claremont, NH
Posts: 480
Year: 2003
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT466E (195hp, 520tq)
Quote:
Originally Posted by PNW_Steve View Post
If the miles and mechanical condition are good, I think $8k is not an unreasonable asking price.
Not a bad price. Check the air bags on the rear suspension for cracks. Our bus is just a little shorter (35.5') but the rest is the same and the air bags had to be replaced due to age and cracks.
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