Sight unseen - is this nuts?!?

[Grinn and Bare it]

Here's the deal. I'm in Florida and I saw a Craigslist ad in Denver for the following bus

1998 International 3800 DT466 7.6 L L6 with Allison automatic transmission. with 6500 hours and 123k. $6200 OBO. He says Tires are great. Very little rust. The buses were bought in Oklahoma and driven to Denver. The only thing noticed was a pin hole leak in the radiator. No overheating on the trip.


I want to ask the guy to let me see the undercarriage, wheel wells and a couple of other things by video.


Would I be nuts to buy this sight unseen?? I could ask my sister and brother in law to drive 3 hours to see it.


Advice please!!


Thanks!

[WIbluebird]

Ask about transmission, make sure its the MT643 and not the AT545. Might be a mechanical DT466 which some people on here prefer.

$6200 is kinda high for a run of the mill bus like that, especially that far away from home (even if Florida is the worst place in the country to buy a bus).

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Grinn and Bare it

Here's the deal. I'm in Florida and I saw a Craigslist ad in Denver for the following bus

1998 International 3800 DT466 7.6 L L6 with Allison automatic transmission. with 6500 hours and 123k. $6200 OBO. He says Tires are great. Very little rust. The buses were bought in Oklahoma and driven to Denver. The only thing noticed was a pin hole leak in the radiator. No overheating on the trip.


I want to ask the guy to let me see the undercarriage, wheel wells and a couple of other things by video.


Would I be nuts to buy this sight unseen?? I could ask my sister and brother in law to drive 3 hours to see it.


Advice please!!


Thanks!

IDK if I'd pay that much but all my buses have been acquired from far away without seeing it in person first. I do it to get a deal though. If that's a private sale why not go see it and THEN buy it if it checks out?

I'd rather have a colorado bus than just about anywhere else. They have good ones out there and not too much rust usually.

That one doesn't sound like a great deal.
For that price it should have a decent radiator that doesn't leak. I'd keep looking.

[o1marc]

I bought an Oklahoma bus sight unseen. When I got there to retrieve it it wouldn't get out of limp mode and was in much worse condition that the auction listing. Fortunately they refunded all my money. My experience has been that Ok, wears them out before they let them go. Mileage seems low, should be closer 200k, price is too high, IMHO, it's a $3k max.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

IDK if I'd pay that much but all my buses have been acquired from far away without seeing it in person first. I do it to get a deal though. If that's a private sale why not go see it and THEN buy it if it checks out?

I'd rather have a colorado bus than just about anywhere else. They have good ones out there and not too much rust usually.

That one doesn't sound like a great deal.
For that price it should have a decent radiator that doesn't leak. I'd keep looking.

It's a Colo. bus, like yours is a Fla. bus. It's from Oka.

[Grinn and Bare it]

Thanks Gents,



It's an Oklahoma bus. I won't lose anything by offering 3K sight unseen. I don't want a rust bucket so I'll ask for a view from underneath first.


Thanks!

[WIbluebird]

Agree on Oklahoma buses being beat. All the OK buses I've seen on the auction sites over the years have been completely used up and mostly tow away sales.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by o1marc

I bought an Oklahoma bus sight unseen. When I got there to retrieve it it wouldn't get out of limp mode and was in much worse condition that the auction listing. Fortunately they refunded all my money. My experience has been that Ok, wears them out before they let them go. Mileage seems low, should be closer 200k, price is too high, IMHO, it's a $3k max.

I demo'd an OK bus for a lady in FL. It was REALLY nice. Low miles, totally cherry. But it did have a BBC gas engine.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Grinn and Bare it

Thanks Gents,



It's an Oklahoma bus. I won't lose anything by offering 3K sight unseen. I don't want a rust bucket so I'll ask for a view from underneath first.


Thanks!

Factor in a new radiator. Price one before you make an offer.
"pinhole leak" is still a leak. Will need to be fixed before driving it across the country.
If they can't even get that fixed I'd wonder what other maintenance and repair has been skipped.

You can find some real good deals on PS and GD right now. Closer than OK or CO even.

[Grinn and Bare it]

The offer has been sent. Let's see what happens.

[EastCoastCB]

Here a FL bus worth at least going and checking out.

https://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/au...ew?auc=2491230

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Grinn and Bare it

Thanks Gents,



It's an Oklahoma bus. I won't lose anything by offering 3K sight unseen. I don't want a rust bucket so I'll ask for a view from underneath first.


Thanks!

Many times the rust can't be seen from underneath as it generates on the top of the floor, it may have annihilated the surface , but not gone through, won't know till you remove the plywood floor.

[ACamper]

Originally Posted by Grinn and Bare it

The offer has been sent. Let's see what happens.

Like others have said it doesn't look like that great of a deal. Looks like your average auction bus. If you offer him 3k, that is probably about what he has into it. Personally I would rather walk away and buy a $200. plane ticket home then get stuck with and expensive heap of problems.

If you don't mind a "fly and drive" you could also look at Texas and Arizona. They have dry climates and many rust free vehicles. But gotta watch out for flood vehicles around Texas these days.

[Grinn and Bare it]

Originally Posted by ACamper

If you don't mind a "fly and drive" you could also look at Texas and Arizona. They have dry climates and many rust free vehicles. But gotta watch out for flood vehicles around Texas these days.

Well I made the offer of $3K. The guy got kinda snooty telling me that these buses he's got are easily $8K yadda, yadda! It's all good. I'm looking at as many ads from all over. I'm using the Craiglist search I saw on here, can't remember who said that by using this you basically get a straight shot to other states' bus searches. Depending on the parameters you set. I have mine set to "school bus". Copy and paste this and change the parameters to whatever you fancy.



"school bus" site:craigslist.org

[Grinn and Bare it]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Here a FL bus worth at least going and checking out.

https://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/au...ew?auc=2491230

I looked but not for me. Thank though! I'll keep looking back to see what does up.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Grinn and Bare it

Well I made the offer of $3K. The guy got kinda snooty telling me that these buses he's got are easily $8K yadda, yadda! It's all good. I'm looking at as many ads from all over. I'm using the Craiglist search I saw on here, can't remember who said that by using this you basically get a straight shot to other states' bus searches. Depending on the parameters you set. I have mine set to "school bus". Copy and paste this and change the parameters to whatever you fancy.



"school bus" site:craigslist.org

Selling buses is like shooting fish in a barrel.

[banman]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Selling buses is like shooting fish in a barrel.

Are you saying the Murder Bus (my ol' bus) is actually worth something...?

(Progressive did want to know what I valued my bus at -- I started laughing...)

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Selling buses is like shooting fish in a barrel.

How much do you think you could get for my bus in its current state? It has at least some value as a potential watermelon-picking truck.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

How much do you think you could get for my bus in its current state? It has at least some value as a potential watermelon-picking truck.

Ulilizing Facebook and Craigslist I can confidently get my money back or double on any bus.
Yours is a "toter project" with only "minor rust".

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Ulilizing Facebook and Craigslist I can confidently get my money back or double on any bus.
Yours is a "toter project" with only "minor rust".

Uh, I sort of meant "without lying", lol.