Non-affiliated buses for sale - thread

[musigenesis]

Ugh, the first bus I was seriously considering was a rusty (from NY) 2007 C2 with the MBE and plastic taped over the missing side exit door ... for a mere $7,500. Fortunately I moved on. Later I met a mechanic who maintains a fleet of C2s; he said if he were to build a skoolie he wouldn't take a C2 for free because of the cost of parts.

They are very good-looking buses, at least.

[WIbluebird]

I would think some parts would be affordable due to sharing parts with the Freightliner M2 truck lineup but it seems like they would only account for a small portion of the vehicle.

Buying new parts from bus dealers is $$$$ they're used to dealing with large school districts and contractors that can afford to pay hilarious markups on everything. I've seen the invoices for Bluebird OEM parts when I've made parts runs and yikes is the reaction every time.

[cadillackid]

mosrt all parts bought from the dealers are pricey.. fortunately there are a lot of generic chassis parts that fit many makes and models.. sure there are the proprietary engine or biody parts ands occasionally some of the hydraulic brake systems use specialized controllers.. (IC bus has a really pricey controller).. but normal things like allison parts, bendix and haldex brake system parts, hubs, linkages, tie-rod ends, shocks, etc are often able to be sourced through 3rd party outlets...

[WIbluebird]

https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...27&acctid=6284

Look at the ending price on this. Rebuilt Allison AT545 and it still only went for $240. Just reinforces the opinion that these things are glorified paperweights.

[brokedown]

They said in the q&a that the reserve was $500, which is way too close the cost of a factory reman mt643.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by WIbluebird

https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...27&acctid=6284

Look at the ending price on this. Rebuilt Allison AT545 and it still only went for $240. Just reinforces the opinion that these things are glorified paperweights.

I'd give $200 for a surplus reman 545. Just to have a cheap spare.For $500 I'd be looking for a 643.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by brokedown

They said in the q&a that the reserve was $500, which is way too close the cost of a factory reman mt643.

agreed other than obtaining the pieces required to make the upgraded 643 to work.. esop if you have hydraulic brakes or a T444E.. that spacer plate is darn near impossible to find.


in those cases a spare 545 in the garage is a weekend job to swap and be back on the road

[WIbluebird]

https://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/li...rent?orgid=913

California auction with some decent buses. The TC shortie is listed as a non-runner unfortanately.

No mention of engine type in the ad and I cannot get any of the serial numbers to work in Vantage portal. However manually decoding the VIN seems to indicate the pushers are 3116 CATs. The TC shortie is most likely a Cummins 5.9.

[Beachvbguy]

https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...010&acctid=500
No info on the tranny from the VIN decoder. Any guesses?

[Beachvbguy]

https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...92&acctid=7423
opinions?

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Beachvbguy

https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...92&acctid=7423
opinions?

Price is still right. Find out if its egr or not.
Decent bus if it stays fairly cheap. Looks like its got lower suspension but at least it has 22.5 wheels.

[Beachvbguy]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Price is still right. Find out if its egr or not.

****, what's "egr"?

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Beachvbguy

https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...010&acctid=500
No info on the tranny from the VIN decoder. Any guesses?

I like that one but with that slammed rear suspension and those tiny wheels and tires I'd pass. Too rough riding and not much ground clearance.
A cummins 5.9 shorty would be real sweet though.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Beachvbguy

****, what's "egr"?

exhaust gas re-circulation. Its not the end of the world but the egr engines aren't as good as the pre-egr.
If this bus is pre-egr it would definitely be my choice of the two.
I'd probably throw a low bid on this myself and re-sell if I had the time, money, space, etc.

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by Beachvbguy

https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...92&acctid=7423
opinions?

5.9 Cummins and Allison 2000 is a decent combination in a mix sized bus.

[Kubla]

If the international really has a 7.3 like the listing says, it is a non-egr engine, they did not put EGRs on the 7.3, they switched to the 6.0 (VT 365) for the pollution stuff, so that is propably a late 2003 chassis with a 2004 body

[Beachvbguy]

https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...m_medium=email

Reserve is $4,500...

thoughts?

[Truthseeker4449]

Originally Posted by Beachvbguy

https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...m_medium=email

Reserve is $4,500...

thoughts?

Hmmm allegedly has a driveline retarder. High roof, underbody storage, deploying tire chains, CAT 3126 with round top HEUI Pump. Pretty good tires.

That exhaust will be a recurring nightmare. NAPA sells elbows you can use to replace the bad section but they won't hold up very long in salt. Might need to adjust the hangers as well, it doesn't look so much rotted out as having smashed repeatedly against the diff.

[WIbluebird]

Originally Posted by Beachvbguy

https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...m_medium=email

Reserve is $4,500...

thoughts?

that price is a good selling price but NOT a good starting point.

I will say that Colorado has some of the nicest buses in the country.

[Beachvbguy]

Originally Posted by WIbluebird

that price is a good selling price but NOT a good starting point.

I will say that Colorado has some of the nicest buses in the country.

Right now, the bids are under $2K, but, of course.. the auction has another 16 days to run