Rear Engine 40' Bus Wanted - Page 2

marcuskellum · 10-17-2019, 11:51 AM

I called the guys at A-Z Bus in California.

Good for a laugh. The guy Jeff said they wanted 25-30k for a 1999 RE Bluebird bus.

I said "WTF, Jeff'?

He said all of their buses were CA compliant, which means they put a particulate filter on a bus they bought for $4k and are now charging 25-30k for it.

I am in the wrong business, apparently.

He also said that CA schools are not allowed to buy a bus outside California, and all buses purchased have to be CA compliant. So they can charge whatever.

Wow, I still can't believe it.

marcuskellum · 10-17-2019, 11:58 AM

Thanks for posting the links for all these places. There are some really solid buses to be had off this list.

How about posting some videos of your prison bus conversion process. Put it on Youtube, I will subscribe.

How funny would it be if you used it as a school bus? Imagine the look on the kids' faces when they walked onto the bus and saw the cages and metal seats. Like a comedy.

Or it could be a fun Haunted Bus Ride Halloween attraction.

No, but seriously--I would be curious to see how these buses are constructed.

EastCoastCB · 10-17-2019, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marcuskellum

I called the guys at A-Z Bus in California.

Good for a laugh. The guy Jeff said they wanted 25-30k for a 1999 RE Bluebird bus.

I said "WTF, Jeff'?

He said all of their buses were CA compliant, which means they put a particulate filter on a bus they bought for $4k and are now charging 25-30k for it.

I am in the wrong business, apparently.

He also said that CA schools are not allowed to buy a bus outside California, and all buses purchased have to be CA compliant. So they can charge whatever.

Wow, I still can't believe it.

Growing up hearing all the stories and anecdotes about the economy in Cali I'm not surprised. It blows my mind.
South FL is like that. $50 for a pizza takeout.

jctrembly · 10-23-2019, 10:22 PM

Hello, I bought a bus to convert, life and divorce later I'm now letting it go to allow someone to be able to enjoy it. Anyway here are the specs.

2000 International 40' RE, DT466E HT (250hp), 3060 trans, rear air ride, underbody storage boxes, I replaced the rear end, now in 6th gear you cruise 80-85mph no problem. About 130k miles.

This bus came from Orlando FL, drove it home to WV, I swapped the rear end, took a church group rountd trip to Orlando. I have not converted the bus other than adding a midship heater, took out a few seats, ungraded the stereo/speakers/wiring and added 12v outlets along the driverside all the way back for the church trip. I also replaced the drivers side kingpin with a Keyser (stainless steel and life time).

The body is very clean, it's a regular hight bus, took about 1-2yrs to find a bus I liked and wanted to convert. This bus is very easy to work on, everything is easy to get to, with common parts and zero emissions.

I'm asking $8k, I have twice that invested. I can be flexible on the price and I can deliver for an added cost. I can pick the buy up at Pittsburgh PA no charge. This is currently a CDL bus. Send me a message or call me if interested 304 Six98-Two699.

marcuskellum · 10-24-2019, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schoolbuscraig

Here is a link to Midwest Transit, they have several buses close to your specs.
The international RE models will probably have a DT466
https://www.midwesttransit.com/searc...=60901&tp=used

I checked out their used inventory: man, that is a lot of rusty buses. Some of them looked like they had been used as submarines or something. Literally every surface except plastic being eaten by cancer.

Sehnsucht · 10-24-2019, 04:52 AM

Make sure you choose which location's inventory you're searching. I think the location defaults to Kankakee which does have very rusty inventory but Whitestown has much better quality inventory although usually less units available.

neversayneverbus · 10-30-2019, 05:08 AM

I had a terrible experience with Macallister Transportation in Indianapolis. I would stay well away from there.

I've heard other people say they had a good experience, but when I got there I was willing to spend 7k on a bus. But since they don't have weekend hours, and all I had time for was on the weekend, I checked the inventory on a Sunday. The bus that checked all the boxes of what I wanted was the lowest priced bus at $1500. I stayed in a hotel that night and went in the next morning to buy it, only to find it didn't even run. I thought I was getting really lucky by getting the lowest price, but there was a reason it was low. I was told that I could drive anything they had home on the phone.

The main salesman wasn't there, so I didn't have a chance to ask him about it, because I had to be back home for 2nd shift work later that night. Instead of talking to me and figuring it out he ignored my text. So I blasted him on other forums. So again instead of talking to me directly he uploaded a small subset of my texts messages and not the whole conversation to make himself look better.

So if everything works out, you have a good experience, but if it doesn't he becomes a shady individual. And since his buses come from Indiana, they are all rusty.

Sehnsucht · 10-30-2019, 09:05 AM

When I think MacAllister I think of heavy machinery not buses so I suspect this was more of a one-off for them than their core focus. That still doesn't excuse their poor customer service though. In any case, I don't think anyone should expect a similar experience from Midwest Transit - buses ARE their focus and they always seem upfront and willing to help.

cadillackid · 10-30-2019, 09:16 AM

ive known several people to buy busses from mccaslisters in indy.. they get trade ins from everywhere... their web site is not the best but show up there when they are open and look at the busses... they dont hide anything.. some state they dont run... some iove known have got some pretty decent busses at good prices..

some of their stuff is rusty as it is in indy and alot of local schools buy new from there and trrade their old ones in rather than auction them off...

people seem nice enough when ive been in there..
-Christopher

wrenchtech · 10-30-2019, 11:40 AM

I currently have the twin of this 2008 Thomas Saf-T-Liner, same paint job, same specs, sequential VIN number, for sale. It spent it's working life in Colorado and is about as rust free as anything you're going to find. It is as optioned out as any School bus you are going to find. Including full A/C, 300 hp engine with retarder, highway gears (75 mph is right at the sweet spot), air ride all around, overhead storage racks, underbelly storage, and six virgin tires with like new tread. I have about 70 days left on a 90 day temporary registration and insurance in force. If I get my asking price I will consider delivering the bus. I won't take a penny less than $14,000

Sehnsucht · 10-30-2019, 12:05 PM

That's a sweet ride!

Random Family · 11-01-2019, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrenchtech

I currently have the twin of this 2008 Thomas Saf-T-Liner, same paint job, same specs, sequential VIN number, for sale. It spent it's working life in Colorado and is about as rust free as anything you're going to find. It is as optioned out as any School bus you are going to find. Including full A/C, 300 hp engine with retarder, highway gears (75 mph is right at the sweet spot), air ride all around, overhead storage racks, underbelly storage, and six virgin tires with like new tread. I have about 70 days left on a 90 day temporary registration and insurance in force. If I get my asking price I will consider delivering the bus. I won't take a penny less than $14,000

What engine and transmission does it have?

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