What's it worth? '90 All American

[raisingmn]

Looking at my first skoolie and have no idea if the asking price is reasonable. Here's the specs:

1990 Blue Bird 33' All American
120,000 miles / 8,000 hrs
8.3 Liter turbo diesel (Cummins?)
Allison automatic transmission
air brakes
Trans/Air air-conditioning
tires 50%
throttle lock
tinted windows
6.0 cu. ft. refrigerator/freezer (12v / LP / 110v)
3-burner cook top range (LP)
dining area
sofa that converts to a bed
1200 watt DC/AC inverter
large deck on top
white (original?) paint
no body rust
cruise at 70mph @ 9mpg

asking $7900

Good deal?

[phillbus914]

Hard to say...

The owner may have that much into it, and it may take that much money (plus a lot of time) for you to build a similar bus, so in that since I'd say it's worth it.

A used bus like that can be found for as little as $2,000 (or less in some rare cases) so in that since it's maybe a little pricey.

If it makes you feel any better scrap metal is worth 240/ton right now so at 10 tons it's worth $2,400 minimum. Because of that cheaper buses are getting harder and harder to find.

Any pictures of the bus?
Is the outside finished?

[raisingmn]

Thanks for the feedback! Here are some photos:

[raisingmn]

and a few more:

[phillbus914]

I agree that's a rather basic conversion... $7900 is too much.

In my opinion it's worth about half that... maybe a little more.

[raisingmn]

Thanks for the responses. You've talked me out of this one (and I'm already on to the next!).
-Glen

[raisingmn]

I'm in Minnesota. I'm looking further south to find a bus outside the rust belt. My ideal bus:
35'-40' flat nose, front engine (rear door access)
diesel (WVO setup installed)
automatic transmission capable of 70mph cruise
high roof option (I'm 6'9")
tinted windows
air conditioning
bottom storage compartments
schoolbus paint-job (city camouflage)
reclining coach seats for 8
stove, fridge, table, bunks
roof rack for gear

[phillbus914]

wow sounds like that first bus has everything you are looking for. Are they flexible on the price?

Are you planning on doing the conversion or do you need something already converted?

good luck!

[raisingmn]

Yeah, other than the high price, it's pretty close. I don't want a converted bus that has been divided into rooms because I plan on using this thing to haul rowing shells (27' - 35' carbon fiber toothpicks) inside the cabin. One side of the bus will have racks for the boats and oars, the other side will be seating, kitchen, bunks.

The bus I'm considering now is a 40' 1986 Blue Bird with 32,000(!) miles. It was a former corporate shuttle and has coach seats, coach windows, roof-mounted ThermoKing A/C. CAT 3208 diesel and Allison transmission. The ThermoKing has its own gas genny, but is currently non-running. It's also close to my in-laws' hobby farm in Kansas. I'd guess the ThermoKing could be tapped to run other goodies like a fridge, TV, etc.

[raisingmn]

how many shells, you can mount them on the roof.....

4 boats is probably the max that could fit per side of the bus. 2-man and 1-man boats could fit in a 40' bus. 4-man and 8-man boats could go on the roof. There are already several trailer manufacturers that let you expose these delicate boats to the road and weather - these go for $8-$15k and are really designed for collegiate teams. In my case, I'd be moving a small group of old timers 250-2000 miles at a time.