Help me buy the right bus

[TravelingMommaof3]

Hey folks,

I have been searching for a bus for a few years now. Just when I think I found "THE" bus, something goes awry.

This is what we want to do. I want a bus to travel the country with my family. We want to head out west to Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, Idaho, California and the PNW. We would like to do a lot of boondocking out West. We eventually want to head back East and travel around NY, VT, MA, ME and head into Canada.

This is what we want to know. What engine/trans combo do we want. Every bus that I think is "THE" one has either a CAT which I don't want or a DT466 with an AT545. I know the DT466 is fine but everyone is making me nervous with the AT545. Is it really as scary as everyone makes it sound going down hill. I guess going up hill real slow will grow old quick. Do I want that combo out West. I found a bus out in Reno with the DT466/AT545 but hesitate because of what I have read. We will driving a maximum of 4 hours on travel days, will this cause a problem with a bus that is made for stop and go?

I find most advertised have a CAT or DT466 bus usually the AT545.

I am willing to travel to get it. I would like a transit style, RE or FE.

Thanks again for all the help. I have learned a lot here.

[crazycal]

My choice would be an 8.3 Cummins mechanical with a MD3060 because of over drive. Second choice would be a MT643 trans, same engine. Next would be a DT466 mechanical with the same transmissions in the order I gave.

[TravelingMommaof3]

Originally Posted by crazycal

My choice would be an 8.3 Cummins mechanical with a MD3060 because of over drive. Second choice would be a MT643 trans, same engine. Next would be a DT466 mechanical with the same transmissions in the order I gave.

What buses would these combos be on, Thomas, BB, etc. Gov auctions usually have a CAT or 5.9 L and searchtempest has the AT545. Are these options few and far between?

[Robin97396]

Cal has it. 8.3 with a 3000 series automatic.

Not all the sellers bother listing what transmission is in the bus. It's us Skoolie folks that are so picky. MT643 is good. There's also an older MT640 that is reported to be quite good.
You know what they say, "you got to kiss a lot of frogs." It's not hard to find a bus, but it is sometimes hard to find the right one. Besides, now you're going to be a bus expert after looking at all these buses.

[TravelingMommaof3]

1988 Blue Bird All American 8.3 Cummins

It has the 8.3, not sure about trans.

[crazycal]

Originally Posted by TravelingMommaof3

1988 Blue Bird All American 8.3 Cummins

It has the 8.3, not sure about trans.

Probably a MT643.

[Robin97396]

Damn that's a lot of seats. Lots of room when you get them out though. That's pretty serious rolling real estate.

Although it's a nice looking and apparently low mileage bus the price seems kind of high for an '88. People are buying '98s for less than half of this asking price. I'm not an expert on buses, but if you use SearchTempest you can look for that specific model of bus and compare prices. You need to follow some auctions so you can see what different buses are selling for. This is a dealer or reseller price on your '88, in my opinion.

[cowlitzcoach]

That BB is a little high on the price and a little low on the mileage. That bus is almost 30-years old. If it has been in regular service all this time it should have well over 200K miles. Mileage that low makes me suspect the odometer has been changed.

The Cummins 8.3/ISC and the IHC DT455/530 are the best choices in engines. In a Type 'D' with 250+ HP neither engine will be coupled to an Allison AT500, 1000, or 2000 series transmission.

For your purposes you do need to be looking for a Type 'D' bus that was set up for trips. Buses set up for trips will have the big HP and highway gearing to get the bus down the road at highway speeds. They will also have luggage compartments, some of which will pass through under the floor. Some will even come with air suspension in the rear and some will come with front and rear air suspension. Air suspension will ride much smoother than any steel spring suspension.

Be prepared to pay more for a trip bus as they cost more when new and there are a lot fewer of them. In this case, desirability and scarcity will make the price higher.

While the FE buses are not bad, if you plan on doing a lot of highway miles having the engine in the rear is a big plus. No matter how much sound deadening materials you use an engine that is six inches from you is going to be a louder than one that is 40' away from you.

Getting back to the BB in the CL listing, it looks like a pretty good bus in reasonable condition. I think making an offer of less than $4K and not paying anything more than $5K would be a reasonable price to pay.

Good luck!

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by cowlitzcoach

That BB is a little high on the price and a little low on the mileage. That bus is almost 30-years old. If it has been in regular service all this time it should have well over 200K miles. Mileage that low makes me suspect the odometer has been changed.

The Cummins 8.3/ISC and the IHC DT455/530 are the best choices in engines. In a Type 'D' with 250+ HP neither engine will be coupled to an Allison AT500, 1000, or 2000 series transmission.

For your purposes you do need to be looking for a Type 'D' bus that was set up for trips. Buses set up for trips will have the big HP and highway gearing to get the bus down the road at highway speeds. They will also have luggage compartments, some of which will pass through under the floor. Some will even come with air suspension in the rear and some will come with front and rear air suspension. Air suspension will ride much smoother than any steel spring suspension.

Be prepared to pay more for a trip bus as they cost more when new and there are a lot fewer of them. In this case, desirability and scarcity will make the price higher.

While the FE buses are not bad, if you plan on doing a lot of highway miles having the engine in the rear is a big plus. No matter how much sound deadening materials you use an engine that is six inches from you is going to be a louder than one that is 40' away from you.

Getting back to the BB in the CL listing, it looks like a pretty good bus in reasonable condition. I think making an offer of less than $4K and not paying anything more than $5K would be a reasonable price to pay.

Good luck!

Couldn't agree more.

I think for the most part CL is a horrible place to bus shop. Overpriced "field queens" and stuff that's sat around and now they want double what they paid.
Of course once in a while a deal pops up. CL is great but you have to watch like a hawk for any kind of good deal. The good deals don't sit on there for months.

[WIbluebird]

1998 Blue Bird All American RE 84 Passenger School Bus

This is the kind of bus that most people should be looking for-8.3 cummins, MT643 and a rear engine setup.

[Robin97396]

Agreed, but it's pretty hard to put your cycles in a bus like that. Gots to make some sacrifices to do what you want.

[crazycal]

That first bus is a MT643. The picture of the shifter shows it's not a MD3060. They had a push button shifter. Look at that turbo. It's nice and BIG.

[crazycal]

If I were to buy a bus that big, my choice would be the second bus. Plus it has a P-pump.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by crazycal

That first bus is a MT643. The picture of the shifter shows it's not a MD3060. They had a push button shifter. Look at that turbo. It's nice and BIG.

that bus is likely a 643, but fwiw not all 3060's have push buttons. Some districts spec'd regular shift levers. There aren't a ton of them, but they ARE out there.

[crazycal]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

that bus is likely a 643, but fwiw not all 3060's have push buttons. Some districts spec'd regular shift levers. There aren't a ton of them, but they ARE out there.

I wonder if that makes the shifter even more expensive to repair?

[Tango]

I'll ditto the preference for a single rail pump over the rotary units. Easy to work on and tweak for more ponies.