Prison Bus for sale

[turf]

Originally Posted by jimburke77502

WOW!!!! 2 motors in that baby!!! Getting them criminals to jail DAMN FAST!!!!

nope.

why the interest in something with a 5.38 rear? i think going 45 explains the low low miles.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by jimburke77502

WOW!!!! 2 motors in that baby!!! Getting them criminals to jail DAMN FAST!!!!

Isn't it 3 motors? Your list says it has a DT466. details from the dealer says it's a 8.3, and the Descriptions and comments says it's a 5.9

[Native]

Originally Posted by turf

nope.

why the interest in something with a 5.38 rear? i think going 45 explains the low low miles.

Our 2002 Thomas Built Bus has a 5.57 rearend ratio and can do in excess of 70 MPH.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by firebuild

I don't know anything about this bus. it looks awesome. But I would caution you against assuming prison bus equals low mileage. If it was genuinely used specifically by a prison, this could be true. But most buses this size that are used within the corrections system are being used by jails. An entirely different situation. A jail bus transports a full load of prisoners, often from several different jails located far apart, to several different courthouses Monday through Friday every week of the year. Sometimes twice in one day, to different court sessions. People in prison don't need to be transported that often, but people in jail go to court all the time because many of them are being held while awaiting arraignment or trial. So it depends on where this bus served, that is, what part of the country AND what sort of facility used it.

Look at the overall condition.
Did you see the engine?
I'm THE biggest skeptic about buses being sold and this bus is the real deal.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by o1marc

Isn't it 3 motors? Your list says it has a DT466. details from the dealer says it's a 8.3, and the Descriptions and comments says it's a 5.9

The VIN and SN show an 8.3.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by turf

nope.

why the interest in something with a 5.38 rear? i think going 45 explains the low low miles.

It has OD.

Gotta say I'm a bit disappointed with the forum's response on this bus. We see people blow ten grand or more on junk buses and when a REALLY nice one pops up I guess folks aren't used to that.

[firebuild]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Look at the overall condition.
Did you see the engine?
I'm THE biggest skeptic about buses being sold and this bus is the real deal.

I think I was pretty clear in my post I wasn't saying anything disparaging about this bus. Just pointing out that prison bus does not unequivocally equal low mileage which seemed to be what people were pointed towards.

I chimed in because I search these forums a lot. I was thinking of the person who's got a dubious prison bus in front of him/her in the future who finds this thread and doesn't read the whole thing, just makes the leap that all prison buses must be legit low miles, which would be a natural assumption from some of the comments. I was cautioning people to look at location and service.

In this case, the OP put up the info after I posted that this was owned by Dekalb County Sheriffs Office. It doesn't take much googling to discover that DeKalb County has only one jail, and it's only 8 minutes from the courthouse, so yeah, it's a jail bus, but this is still going to be a low mileage bus.

[EastCoastCB]

I see. Nice investigative work!
I've got Kubla's Nuke Bus and its from the same bus leasing company. Probably came from the same auction.
Nuke bus is similar to a prison bus, only made for hauling employees on private roads. Its got 91k original miles and low hours.

I think folks get so hung up on it HAVING to be a school bus that the really awesome deals slip past them sometimes.

[Booyah45828]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

It has OD.

Gotta say I'm a bit disappointed with the forum's response on this bus. We see people blow ten grand or more on junk buses and when a REALLY nice one pops up I guess folks aren't used to that.

I agree 100%. The mileage may be false, mechanical gauges can be changed. However, the mileage will be correct in the ecm, and pnw_steve said the seller can verify that.

Another thing with mileage is it might not have been used a lot. Consider this, in order to drive the bus, you'd have to have a cdl with a passenger endorsement. That eliminates a large majority of deputy sheriffs from driving the thing. Which is why most jails/sheriffs departments use vans now. Which is likely why this was sold, because it was too much of a hassle/not enough use.

[EastCoastCB]

I've got a subaru and a one acre commercial lot for sale. If this beast is still available when I have the cash in hand I'll go check it out.

[PNW_Steve]

Again......,..

Seller claims to have verified the milage by checking the computer.

Pics of the valve cover sure look like a 5.9..

[Booyah45828]

Originally Posted by PNW_Steve

Again......,..

Seller claims to have verified the milage by checking the computer.

Pics of the valve cover sure look like a 5.9..

Valve covers for that year look the same. The quick way to tell is the intake "horn"

The 5.9 has a square type horn where it meets the engine, while the 8.3 has a rectangle.

Here is the 5.9 circled in red.


Here is an 8.3 circled in red.

[TJones]

If it's got the 8.3 it would be a great bus for someone wanting a large garage in the back.

Ted

[Mark_In_MA]

Here's the thing though - all those bars on the outside of the bus need to removed.

That's a LOT of holes to fill and seal.
And a LOT of potential leaks to curse and swear at down the road.


I'm not totally sure I like that thought in the long run for a skoolie.

[cadillackid]

the MD-3000 should explain most of it... if I remember right, the 5.9 is SAE3 only and the MD-3000 is a factory SAE2 transmission.. the 8.3 is an SAE2.. and i dont think ive ever seen an SAE3 trans attasched or an adapoter plate in use..



looks like a nice bus... even Air-conditioned.. of course whoever buys it will probably rip it out then complasin they are hot all summer lolol
-Christopher

[memecosta]

It looks good. But can you use the windows? or remove the bars? It will tricky to use the windows like that.
good luck!

[railbus5]

I have a 2002 CSFE and it has an Allison 2000 transmission that is called a 4 speed with double overdrives. You can run low speed city using 1, 2 and the first overdrive. To go faster use the second overdrive. I have verified it thru Bluebird and Allison using the transmission serial number. It sucks for open highway because it tops out at 55 mph @ 2500 rpm. It pulls good and holds back good.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by railbus5

I have a 2002 CSFE and it has an Allison 2000 transmission that is called a 4 speed with double overdrives. You can run low speed city using 1, 2 and the first overdrive. To go faster use the second overdrive. I have verified it thru Bluebird and Allison using the transmission serial number. It sucks for open highway because it tops out at 55 mph @ 2500 rpm. It pulls good and holds back good.

Your rear axle is geared low.

[stever88]

All glass Doors - is it bullet proof?

[robertv]

I saw the add for this myself. As was stated as a prison bus it wouldn't get the miles a school bus would, though 27k seems a bit low. Possible.. just depends on how far the agency would be taking it. I would cross reference the engine hours as a check on the mileage. If commensurate with mileage, that motor isn't even good and broken in. Will be a breeze to scrap out the interior as opposed to most with upholstered seats. In fact if they are all metal seats, just more $$ from the scrap metal dealer.