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Old 03-24-2017, 10:34 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: WI
Posts: 55
Year: 1995
Chassis: International 3600
Engine: T444E
Spring sales surge

Hello all,

New here, but I've read a few forums. One thing I saw is that often there is a surge of buses for sale in spring after school is out. What my question is is, do school districts usually go through an auction service to get rid of there buses? Or would it be worth the time to call up districts in my area (WI) to find out if there selling?

I'm looking for a 99-03 7.3 Ford short school bus, dually, 4 or 5 window, bluebird or Collins. (or other bodies that tend to have higher ceilings)

Thanks,
Simon

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Old 03-24-2017, 11:21 AM   #2
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simonsteve, Welcome to the madness. I think the factories had better start making more shorties. That seems to be all people want to build these days. That's alright, your second bus will have a lot more room in it.

You seem to be going for the post '97 computer controlled models. Need more into on what you're looking for. Engine preferences? Timeline? Budget?
You'll get a better deal if you're able to spend some time online until the right shortie comes along.
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Old 03-24-2017, 12:25 PM   #3
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Posts: 55
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Chassis: International 3600
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I suppose I haven't done enough research, I thought the post 97s were still mechanical. I'm looking to convert it to WVO. Timeline is by Sept 2017 and budget is 3K
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Old 03-24-2017, 12:26 PM   #4
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4K, sorry, typo.
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Old 03-24-2017, 01:55 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by simonsteve View Post
Hello all,

New here, but I've read a few forums. One thing I saw is that often there is a surge of buses for sale in spring after school is out. What my question is is, do school districts usually go through an auction service to get rid of there buses? Or would it be worth the time to call up districts in my area (WI) to find out if there selling?

I'm looking for a 99-03 7.3 Ford short school bus, dually, 4 or 5 window, bluebird or Collins. (or other bodies that tend to have higher ceilings)

Thanks,
Simon
The answer is yes and yes, sort of. School districts do go through a purge at the end of each school year. Some sell directly; most go through some sort of auction service, and there are outliers like (Georgia? North Carolina?) who have a state agency that handles the whole thing.

That being said, it cannot hurt to call up your local school district bus barn and talk to the supervisor. They are most often friendly and pleased that someone is interested. They can tell you if your kind of bus is coming off service and getting sold in the near future, and what org will be doing the selling for them. I've heard stories in this forum of folks being told which ones to go for and which ones to avoid.
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Old 03-24-2017, 02:03 PM   #6
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Oh yeah, if you go to the bus barns the mechanics are quite happy to talk to you.
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Old 03-24-2017, 04:27 PM   #7
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Desperately seeking skoolie

Hello Everyone I am new to the site. I am in the Richmond Virginia area and I am desperately seeking a Skoolie for conversion. Please contact me if you have any leads. Thank you
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Old 03-24-2017, 04:44 PM   #8
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Hello Everyone I am new to the site. I am in the Richmond Virginia area and I am desperately seeking a Skoolie for conversion. Please contact me if you have any leads. Thank you
Public Surplus.
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Old 03-24-2017, 05:16 PM   #9
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I would think the buses going up for sale after school is out are the ones they held is reserve during the school year. And so might have been sitting idle all school year.
Most districts are not going to sell off their buses until the replacement is delivered and running the route without issue.
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