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12-09-2016, 10:37 PM
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#1
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 13
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Going The Distance
Alright, I am sitting in a restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico, anxious about the flight to Tulsa, OK tomorrow morning. There rests a sweet, low mileage TC2k with an Allison MD3060, and so far, it looks like I'm gonna get her. I've already found insurance, booked the one-way flight, dealt with temporary tag options, and studied up on the operation of a bus.
My first time driving a vehicle this large I'll be headed 650 miles west, without proper registration, no CDL, and I had a tooth pulled two days ago.
I live for this stuff.
Any fellow Skoolies located between OKC and New Mex along I40 i'd love to meet up!
The plan is to take it directly to a shop and have her prepped for the journey, certainly not interested in driving an unknown vehicle that distance without a proper tune-up.
Wish me luck, folks; I'm completely terrified and absolutely the most excited I've been in a long time.
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12-09-2016, 10:48 PM
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#2
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Skoolie
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Alberta
Posts: 134
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Thomas 72 passenger
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: 230HP DT466 engine MD3060 transmission
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Good luck! Sounds much like something I would do. Take some photos.
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12-09-2016, 10:49 PM
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#3
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New Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 8
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Safe travels! Pics and comments wanted!
Sent from my VK810 4G using Tapatalk
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12-09-2016, 10:52 PM
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#4
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 13
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You got it! Also, doing this entirely alone...
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12-09-2016, 10:53 PM
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#5
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New Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 8
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Oh yeah, what road trip!!
Sent from my VK810 4G using Tapatalk
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12-10-2016, 02:44 PM
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#6
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 455
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Sweet adventure!
Jeep, bus, repeat.
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12-10-2016, 03:45 PM
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#7
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Danglebury, Tejas
Posts: 310
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: IH 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466E
Rated Cap: 72 passenger
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Awesome! A leap of faith indeed. Just be prepared to walk away from it if something feels wrong about it.
Great idea getting it professionally serviced.
Btw: Which engine? Its already got a great trans... 
__________________
"You can finally say you have enough horsepower when you leave two black streaks from corner to corner"
(Mark Donohue, famed TransAm driver)
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12-10-2016, 05:00 PM
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#8
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Bus Nut
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Richmond Virginia
Posts: 932
Year: 1984
Engine: 366 Big block Chevy! :) w/ Stick shift
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Good luck!
Oh gosh a recent tooth pulled and terrified? In my years i have finally come to set aside my desire, if only for a moment, appreciate and listen to the voice of fear. I also invite the wisdom to know the difference between fear and excitement. There are lots of busses out there, i sure would hate to see you risk harming yourself. Gently gently down the stream.
But still; good luck!
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12-11-2016, 11:18 AM
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#9
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 13
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Update!
Health improved but bus ownership is yet still not mine. Arrived to the bus early yesterday afternoon. The owner, who recently acquired the bus from a small town school in rural OK did not have any idea what he had. Over the past two weeks I asked exhausting questions and he did his best to oblige and he accommodating; however, he was not a mechanical fella and just did not know what or how when I asked him many questions. The bus fired right up and idled nicely, but the MD3060 didn't want to get set into gear. The air compressor was making an awful sound, plus seemed to be leaking. Every tire was over 8 years old, oil was sludge, heat just completely did not work, the emergency hatches had been leaking for who knows how long, and the two rear under belly compartments were hit with somethis and didn't close at all as a result of damage to the cross member they attach to.
Now, if this if this bus was an hour away, even 4 hours away, i'd probably have felt differently, but it just didn't appear to have had a good life up to this point, and it was that fact that made me very uncomfortable driving it 12 hours home.
Sorry for the disappointment, folks. It's mutual.
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12-11-2016, 11:40 AM
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#10
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Oklahoma aka "God's blind spot"
Posts: 2,446
Year: 1989
Coachwork: 1853FC International/Navistar
Chassis: 35' Retired Air Force Ambulance
Engine: DT466, MT643
Rated Cap: 6 souls and a driver
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If it don't feel right.... Walk away and learn from the experience.
If I'd known you were gonna be in Tulsa, I'd have come up... It's only about 90min north
__________________
I once complained I had no shoes....
Until I met a man with no feet
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12-11-2016, 01:55 PM
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#11
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Music City USA
Posts: 737
Year: 2005
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freightliner
Engine: Detroit MBE906
Rated Cap: 72
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It's definitely better to walk away than close the deal on a bus you're not 100% comfortable with taking on the road. From the conditions you described I'd say it wasn't particularly well taken care of.
There's plenty of buses out there, just throw your net out there again and see what you can find.
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12-11-2016, 02:05 PM
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#12
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Oklahoma aka "God's blind spot"
Posts: 2,446
Year: 1989
Coachwork: 1853FC International/Navistar
Chassis: 35' Retired Air Force Ambulance
Engine: DT466, MT643
Rated Cap: 6 souls and a driver
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Found this one
2002 Freightliner Thomas School Bus
Edit:
Never mind... Searched Don Brown Bus Sales and he's in New York
__________________
I once complained I had no shoes....
Until I met a man with no feet
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12-11-2016, 03:15 PM
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#13
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Danglebury, Tejas
Posts: 310
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: IH 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466E
Rated Cap: 72 passenger
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Sometimes the best deals are the ones you walk away from. I think that sounds like the case here.
__________________
"You can finally say you have enough horsepower when you leave two black streaks from corner to corner"
(Mark Donohue, famed TransAm driver)
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12-11-2016, 03:25 PM
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#14
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Iowa
Posts: 447
Year: 1989
Chassis: International
Engine: 9.L
Rated Cap: 64
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GreyCoyote
Sometimes the best deals are the ones you walk away from. I think that sounds like the case here.
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Words of wisdom right there
The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the road has gone, and I must follow, if I can.” –J.R.R. Tolkien
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