ebay bus

[oftenconfused]

Having a hard time finding a shuttle I want but I did find a 1994 Bluebird/Girardin Short bus,18 passenger 7.3 diesel with 144000 miles in Brookings OR, about 3 hours from me. She had to relist because she had no bidders with a starting bid of 3200. Brookings isn't close to anything, it's the Oregon coast at California. Might be why she has no takers Any imput? it is an automatic. I don't like that the tires are 50%, I imagine new tires are $$. We don't get snow here but lots and lots of rain. That, and I'd have to paint it.

[roach711]

The 7.3l Powerstrokes are a desirable engine and 148K miles is fairly low mileage for a diesel. Tires will likely be "E" load range light truck so $150 to $190 each to replace. Given the age and mileage, the bus spent a lot of time parked so tire age will probably be more of an issue than wear. RV tires are famous for rotting out (cracking) before wearing out.

From the pictures it looks good body-wise. It doesn't have a dually rear axle so that will limit how much weight can be carried on the rear axle. On the other hand, you'll only have to replace 4 tires instead of 6 and brake repairs will be cheaper.

The auction has a $4000 "buy it now" price and a reserve so $3200 won't buy that bus, at least this time around. I'm guessing that the seller's looking for closer to the $4000 range.

Here's the bus in question:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1994-Bluebird-G ... 7&pt=Buses

[Tango]

Great engine and nice looking rig...but 4 grand is way steep in my mind for a 20 year old van with a bus body. Just sayin...

[oftenconfused]

What is a good price?

[roach711]

The city transit shuttle buses in our area (Detroit) go for about $2500 at auction but they are way more wrung out than the one you're looking at. Most of them have 250 - 300 grand on the clock and have been poorly maintained. Lots of salt on the roads around here means lots of rust too. They also aren't built as well as your BBird. Seems that the short buses go for a premium compared to the full sized ones.

Personally, I'd like to know the service history of the bus and how it was used. Ultimately, there's no substitute for a test drive and a good walk around. If it's in good shape $3500 to $4000 may be a decent deal. It's amazing how much those "little" fixes add up to on a badly maintained bus.

[Tango]

My only real issue is the chassis it is on. That's a basic, light duty Ford van...not a bus chassis. The condition looks great, but for any long term build out, I'd want something more substantial as a base.

[roach711]

Originally Posted by Tango

My only real issue is the chassis it is on. That's a basic, light duty Ford van...not a bus chassis. The condition looks great, but for any long term build out, I'd want something more substantial as a base.

Gotta agree with Tango. The light axles will limit what you can do with it.

[leadsled01]

For what its worth, I have a 1997 ford shuttle with SRW the little 5.4 liter gas engine. Darn thing is amazing. I tow my car trailer with UTV and four wheelers all over with no problems. I think that diesel schoolie would be more than most would need. Just sayin..

[roach711]

Like they say; The one who says it can't be done should not interrupt the one who's doing it.

But towing and hauling are two different things. Towing is all about pulling power and brakes, while hauling is more about spring rates and tire carrying capacity. That BBird may be great at towing but the single axle will limit hauling capacity. It would likely be fine as an RV but suck as a toy hauler. On the other hand, if it's going to be lightly loaded the single rear axle will give a less harsh ride than a dual setup. It all depends on what the OP has in mind.

[Tango]

Roger Roach's observation --- It all comes down to what you want to do with it. Buy and build to fit your plan/dream.

[headinthetrees]

You can find powerstrokes for that price. Just sayin.