MPG and should i buy it

[Kfisher88]

Hello,

I am new to the whole bus thing. But i am planning a cross country trip with a buddy and i think we found the bus we want to buy to convert. However i need an estimate on what my MPG will be as the previous owner (A Church) never drove it far enough to really tell.

Here are the details of the whole bus. If you can tell me if its a good deal and the MPG that would be awesome.

It is a 1992 Blue Bird 5.9 Cummins with an Allison Automatic and regular hydrolic breaks. The odometer reads 30,599 miles. 32 gallon diesel tank.

The bus is in REALLY good shape with no rust. The front breaks have just been replaced and the only thing wrong is the fuel gauge does not work. Tires look good also and it has had its regular maintenance.

Anything I should look for specifically?
They are asking $2500 for it.

[M1031A1]

Without knowing the transmission, or if it's a conventional or not, I'd GUESS somewhere between 7 to 9 mpg. It seems to be the standard. In addition, gear ratio and a few other small details would be needed in order to get a better guess-timantion on fuel consumption.

[Kfisher88]

Thank you. That's what i am figuring. It is a big bus. I am not sure of the people count or the transmission other than its an Automatic Allison. Or the gear ratios.

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Hmm. 5.9 Cummins, likely an AT545 Allison transmission, hydraulic brakes, reasonable mileage for $2500. Sounds like a fair price. I'd suggest fixing the fuel gauge when you can; it may be a simple fix. Otherwise I'd suggest fueling up every 200 miles. Getting between 7-9 MPG sounds like a reasonable estimate, and running out of fuel typically tends to be quite a hassle.

[Azuleslight]

Originally Posted by Kfisher88

Hello,

I am new to the whole bus thing. But i am planning a cross country trip with a buddy and i think we found the bus we want to buy to convert. However i need an estimate on what my MPG will be as the previous owner (A Church) never drove it far enough to really tell.

Here are the details of the whole bus. If you can tell me if its a good deal and the MPG that would be awesome.

It is a 1992 Blue Bird 5.9 Cummins with an Allison Automatic and regular hydrolic breaks. The odometer reads 30,599 miles. 32 gallon diesel tank.

The bus is in REALLY good shape with no rust. The front breaks have just been replaced and the only thing wrong is the fuel gauge does not work. Tires look good also and it has had its regular maintenance.

Anything I should look for specifically?
They are asking $2500 for it.

Carry a 5 gallon Diesel jerry can

[jake_blue]

Fill up at the beginning of your trip. Drive 200 miles and then fill up again and note how many gallons it took to go to 200 miles... that will tell you what your fuel economy. Miles / gallons. As mentioned the transmission and gearing are going to play a very large Factor and if you are planning a cross-country trip are also going to play a big factor in how well you cross mountains.