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03-27-2019, 05:01 PM
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#1
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New Member
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 1
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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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03-27-2019, 08:18 PM
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#2
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 7,000
Year: 2003
Coachwork: International
Chassis: CE 300
Engine: DT466e
Rated Cap: 65C-43A
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Forrest137
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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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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03-28-2019, 10:19 AM
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#3
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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
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If the miles and mechanical condition are good, I think $8k is not an unreasonable asking price.
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03-28-2019, 11:04 AM
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#4
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Claremont, NH
Posts: 482
Year: 2003
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT466E (195hp, 520tq)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PNW_Steve
If the miles and mechanical condition are good, I think $8k is not an unreasonable asking price.
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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.
__________________
Dave
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