Where did you buy your bus?

[BlueFish]

To help the new folks out...

Where was your bus purchased at auction (which one?), dealer (which one?), or private user?

Would you do it differently next time?

Thanks!!!!

[Rovobay]

www.publicsurplus.com Yes, I would recommend.

[o1marc]

Craigslist, Twin Falls, Idaho best deal I've found. Would do it again.

[BlueFish]

Thanks guys!

[Tango]

Ebay. It was in Utah.

[HappyInTN]

Originally Posted by BlueFish

To help the new folks out...

Where was your bus purchased at auction (which one?), dealer (which one?), or private user?

Would you do it differently next time?

Thanks!!!!

My wife and I made a list of Websites for bus sales. Hope this helps!
https://www.serenitybusproject.com/s...l-school-buses

[bigskypc50]

Harlow’s bus sales. Montana.

[Native]

Originally Posted by BlueFish

To help the new folks out...

Where was your bus purchased at auction (which one?), dealer (which one?), or private user?

Would you do it differently next time?

Thanks!!!!

We purchased The Beast two years ago next month, We purchased it from a heavy equipment dealer who purchased it and its two twins at auction.


Should we do this again, we will watch the bidding sites for a good deal. We will also learn more about the local school district auctions.


We now have a better idea about what to look for and how to find it, and what to avoid. We have also learned that doing it yourself is fun but also takes much longer than one might imagine. Having never taken on such a project before, we also learned the process also takes more money than we expected, which also affects the project schedule.

[somewhereinusa]

Tillery Chevrolet in Moriarty, NM. They're a Bluebird dealer. Saw it sitting on their lot.

[Johnny Mullet]

I found mine on craigslist.

[Mountain Gnome]

Got mine on publicsurplus.com from Tucson in August 2017 for $2200. It was 105°F, so nobody outside Tucson wanted it! I saw one basically just like it in Oregon weeks earlier; but the guy wanted $5500, and he wouldn't let me drive it first (no insurance, no tag, buried in the back of his lot). I figured the one in Tucson could need a new tranny and I would still come out ahead, cause I bid on it sight unseen. I got one with no rust on the body or frame: why I bought one from S. Arizona (unlike the one in Oregon, which even had moss growing on the seats in it!). I also lucked out and got an excellent motor and tranny - by far better than any others I drove. It really did cost me more to drive around the country looking for the right bus than the bus itself cost. (I looked online at Craigslist, auctions, private bus dealers, etc. etc. for 6 months before I knew about what I even wanted) But the very first bus I looked at had a frame so rusty, I could crumble it between two fingers; the guy had 200 old buses on his lot, and he said I was the first one to ever even look underneath, and that a 21 year old girl and her mom just bought one the previous month. ALL his buses were rust buckets! Buyer Beware!

What would I do differently? I don't know. I hated wasting time and fuel and $$$ for hotels driving from Hotlanta to Oregon then down to Tucson trying to find the right bus.....but I don't know how I could have mitigated that. I didn't want to call the guy in Oregon from GA first, because that weakens my negotiating stance, but he wasn't coming down in price anyway, and his pics were not good enough to see the defects in the bus. He was just a drunken dude who inherited an estate and cash, and had an addiction to auctions. Keep him outta Vegas, for his own sake!

Botttom line: keep looking everywhere, get the right one for you where ever you find it.

[BlueFish]

Originally Posted by HappyInTN

My wife and I made a list of Websites for bus sales. Hope this helps!
https://www.serenitybusproject.com/s...l-school-buses

Thanks Serenity!

Harlow's never heard of them and looks like they had some nice selection.

Thanks all.

[BlueFish]

I'm going to add Serenity's list. Make sure to check out his blog.

https://www.serenitybusproject.com/s...l-school-buses


https://www.govdeals.com

https://www.publicsurplus.com

https://www.purplewave.com

https://averysbusandtruck.wixsite.co...ysbusandtrucks

https://www.midwesttransit.com/

https://www.buscrazy.net

Buses For Sale: School, Tour, Mini Shuttle, Prevost, Ford, MCI | www.BusesForSale.com

Northwest Bus Sales: Used & New Buses for Sale

https://craigslist.org

https://www.searchtempest.com

TAMPA BUS MARKET INC - Home

https://www.goharlows.com/

https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/

https://www.onlinepros.com/

422 Sales

Canyon State Bus Sales – Phoenix, Arizona

https://convertedschoolbus.com/ site not working

[BlueFish]

https://www.aaabussales.com/inventory.html

https://www.lasvegasbussales.com/

https://www.creativebussales.com/

http://www.a-zbus.com/

https://www.govplanet.com/

https://www.ironplanet.com/

https://www.rbauction.com/

https://tinyhouselistings.com/

School Bus Transportation Provider | First Student, Inc.

https://www.truckpaper.com

[Willie_McCoy]

Originally Posted by BlueFish

https://www.aaabussales.com/inventory.html

https://www.lasvegasbussales.com/

https://www.creativebussales.com/

http://www.a-zbus.com/

https://www.govplanet.com/

https://www.ironplanet.com/

https://www.rbauction.com/

https://tinyhouselistings.com/

School Bus Transportation Provider | First Student, Inc.

https://www.truckpaper.com

I had most of these in my list, but AAA and A-Z are both new to me. Already have inquiries in to both of them for some decent buses. Getting tired of the emotional rollercoaster that auctions send you on, lost out on 2 awesome busses this week.

[plfking]

Didn't buy mine here, but another Eastern US source....

Welcome to M and M Service and Salvage Yard Inc.

[Oldcarnut]

Looked at a few auction sites, missed a couple busses by a day or few. Looked and talked with A-Z but they only had 1 at an absurd price and 1 mis-labeled and dirt cheap they would not honor so just ended up using craigslist for both my short bus and already converted Crown.
Have a line on a free International gasser that I recieved from a customer at my place of employment. Does not run (needs carb work or something, I forget) and comes with a new auxiliary heater.
Got a line today on another bus that has a 6bt n needs a clutch that it sitting on a farm next to a brewery I frequent. Went and asked the owner if it was his and was told it was and is available.

[BlueFish]

https://www.commercialtrucktrader.co...lorida/2909684

They seem to have a lot of buses and some are DT466. Anyone bought from here?

[EastCoastCB]

Naw man look at those ridiculous prices!

[BlueFish]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Naw man look at those ridiculous prices!

Some people are not the auction whisperers like you are EC. You are excellent at it. There are some people who hate auctions. This is for them. I like auctions and in person. Either way you need to be patient. However, some of the better buses or deals you need to move fast especially if you are looking for specific options.

That is asking price. The have a lot of buses for sale so they always need to move inventory. The end of the month or year can be a great time to buy. I love to negotiate.

Here is great book to help in the negotiation. Never Split The Difference

https://www.ebay.com/p/Summary-Never...9228813&chn=ps