Your thoughts on this Freightliner?

[wrenchtech]

It's from the upper Midwest it's a shorter what model with five passenger windows on each side. It's powered by a 5.9 Cummins it has an automatic transmission, I'm assuming it is an Allison 2000. There is no separate air-conditioning for the passenger compartment. And it has 250,000 miles on it, which is the most miles I've seen on any bus I've looked at so far. I haven't seen it in person yet. The owner says there's a little bit of rust. What might a bus like this be worth?

[musigenesis]

What year? No air conditioning in the back is good, one less thing to remove and dispose of. "Little bit of rust" + upper midwest = "a lot of rust".

[o1marc]

Why would you assume it's a 2000? Where is the visible rust?

[wrenchtech]

Oops. It's a 2003.

[wrenchtech]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

What year? No air conditioning in the back is good, one less thing to remove and dispose of. "Little bit of rust" + upper midwest = "a lot of rust".

+250,000 miles. Could mean lots of exposure to the elements.

[wrenchtech]

It's from Illinois. I'm wondering if the reason it has so many miles on it is because the state is broke, and so they probably run their equipment longer than some others.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by wrenchtech

+250,000 miles. Could mean lots of exposure to the elements.

The mileage alone is not an indication of much. My Genesis had 255K on it and it's in really good condition. I'm not sure of that mileage on a 5.9, especially if it's backed by a 545.

[wrenchtech]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

What year? No air conditioning in the back is good, one less thing to remove and dispose of. "Little bit of rust" + upper midwest = "a lot of rust".

Passenger compartment AC is not good! I thought it would be handy for traveling down the road in the summer.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by wrenchtech

Oops. It's a 2003.

That's the ideal year for a skoolie, at least (buses after that started having emissions stuff installed which is pricey to maintain).

[wrenchtech]

Originally Posted by o1marc

The mileage alone is not an indication of much. My Genesis had 255K on it and it's in really good condition. I'm not sure of that mileage on a 5.9, especially if it's backed by a 545.

The term "545" is new on me. Does that make some reference to the body configuration?

[wrenchtech]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

That's the ideal year for a skoolie, at least (buses after that started having emissions stuff installed which is pricey to maintain).

If the Cummins motors in these buses are like the Cummins motors in the Dodge pick up trucks, I'm not aware of any emissions equipment that anyone would need to be afraid of. I heard that international did something like that though.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by wrenchtech

The term "545" is new on me. Does that make some reference to the body configuration?

It's the Allison transmission that was put behind 95% of the buses that came with a Cummins 5.9



"+250,000 miles. Could mean lots of exposure to the elements."

If that's a pic of the actual bus, the elements haven't done any damage.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by wrenchtech

Passenger compartment AC is not good! I thought it would be handy for traveling down the road in the summer.

I would put up some kind of temporary curtain behind the driver's seat and just rely on the cabin AC. Cooling the volume of the back (if the AC was even still working - a lot of the auction buses seem to have this broken FWIW) would lower your mileage even more, and you shouldn't have passengers back there unless you have properly-mounted forward-facing seats with shoulder belts, which almost nobody does.

Moot point on this bus since it doesn't have the AC anyway.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by o1marc

It's the Allison transmission that was put behind 95% of the buses that came with a Cummins 5.9



"+250,000 miles. Could mean lots of exposure to the elements."

If that's a pic of the actual bus, the elements haven't done any damage.

I dunno, my bus is rusty as hell and the pics in the listing all looked pretty much like this one.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by wrenchtech

If the Cummins motors in these buses are like the Cummins motors in the Dodge pick up trucks, I'm not aware of any emissions equipment that anyone would need to be afraid of. I heard that international did something like that though.

They are similar motors. The Federal regulations went into effect in 04. I don't believe the 5.9 saw any of that. The 5.9/545 was the base drivetrain for a route bus. Least desirable by many here.
Most of us would replace the factory huge space taking units out and put in more space saving systems. One reason being it will be used more often probably while parked and not running the engine, than running. It's a compromise.

[wrenchtech]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I would put up some kind of temporary curtain behind the driver's seat and just rely on the cabin AC. Cooling the volume of the back (if the AC was even still working - a lot of the auction buses seem to have this broken FWIW) would lower your mileage even more, and you shouldn't have passengers back there unless you have properly-mounted forward-facing seats with shoulder belts, which almost nobody does.

Moot point on this bus since it doesn't have the AC anyway.

I am a lightweight when it comes to riding around in vehicles with poor air-conditioning. Been there, done that, not doing it anymore.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by wrenchtech

I am a lightweight when it comes to riding around in vehicles with poor air-conditioning. Been there, done that, not doing it anymore.

Uh, why are you looking at this bus then?

[wrenchtech]

Originally Posted by o1marc

They are similar motors. The Federal regulations went into effect in 04. I don't believe the 5.9 saw any of that. The 5.9/545 was the base drivetrain for a route bus. Least desirable by many here.

I drove an expediting truck in the just-in-time automotive production goods hauling business. It was a Ford 8000 straight truck with a 24 foot box and a Kubota APU hanging off of one of the frame rails. My loads were normally not that heavy, but occasionally they were. My gross vehicle weight probably approached 30,000 pounds on occasion. It was powered by a 5.9 Cummins back by a fuller five-speed. It wasn't fast but it went down the road pretty well.

[wrenchtech]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Uh, why are you looking at this bus then?

Are you telling me that being a Schoolie is partly about deprivation and suffering? Kind of like the Calvinist view of christianity?

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by wrenchtech

Are you telling me that being a Schoolie is partly about deprivation and suffering? Kind of like the Calvinist view of christianity?

That is exactly right except for "partly".