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Old 04-03-2018, 07:51 PM   #1
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Advice on bus purchase

Hey everyone! Another newbie here seeking advice from the wise! A couple days ago I found a bus on CL it's a 2005 international fe300 with Allison automatic DT 466 and it has 137k miles.

My use for the bus is mainly more affordable housing, I won't be doing a heck of a lot of traveling, if I do it'll probably be 2x a year

I know very little about mechanics that's why I'm seeking advice. Is this a good transmission? Also is 137k miles a lot? They're asking 5k for it. All advice is appreciated!
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Old 04-03-2018, 08:29 PM   #2
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Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Vero Beach
Posts: 36
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Bluebird Handybus
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT466E
Rated Cap: 14
Quote:
Originally Posted by cesar.quattro View Post
Hey everyone! Another newbie here seeking advice from the wise! A couple days ago I found a bus on CL it's a 2005 international fe300 with Allison automatic DT 466 and it has 137k miles.

My use for the bus is mainly more affordable housing, I won't be doing a heck of a lot of traveling, if I do it'll probably be 2x a year

I know very little about mechanics that's why I'm seeking advice. Is this a good transmission? Also is 137k miles a lot? They're asking 5k for it. All advice is appreciated!
So the powertrain aka engine is a DT466E.
The transmission if what we all kind of refer to as base around here may be an Allison AT545 which you can tell pretty quickly if it has no park gear and a shifter lever from some photos. You can also get a line sheet to find out the exact build specifics from the bus by emailing this coach builder.

If you plan on doing mountain runs and such the AT545 could be a challenge on a full size bus at normal speeds as there is no lockout torque convertor on this trans.


135K is low miles. If you are local it might be worth paying more for a bus you can check out vs finding surprises upon your arrival after you have already paid.
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Old 04-03-2018, 09:39 PM   #3
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Location: Dawsonville, Ga.
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Year: 1999
Coachwork: Genesis
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466/3060
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I understand the 05's and up are prone to expensive and hard to diagnose electrical gremlins associated with the electronic EGR systems. that's why most of us have 04's or older. average pricing in the $2-$3k range
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Old 04-04-2018, 08:51 AM   #4
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Go with what has been said, plus You can buy a bus with new tires for the same money that you can buy a bus with bad tires.

Those buses came with the AT545 and the MT643 and neither have a park gear. The 643 is a good tranny to have.

Read this:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_3000

I would say get a bus with Mechanical Injection vs Electronic.
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Old 04-04-2018, 11:24 AM   #5
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A picture of the shifter would tell us something about what transmission it has.

I believe that the AT545 was discontinued in 2003. The few 2005's that I have seen have been equipped with 2000 series Allison's.
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Old 04-04-2018, 03:00 PM   #6
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What do you guys think of this other bus I found? Its a 30 min drive from my town.

The guy said it's a 1992 Carpenter with dt466 engine and a mt643 transmission. What do you think of this one? He's asking $2800.
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Old 04-04-2018, 03:46 PM   #7
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It's got the motor and trans combo and its 30min from you. I say you go look it over and drive it and let us know if you bought a bus. All busses will have rust so look the frame over well and see how the general bus looks. Your a notch up as alot of people have to buy bus site unseen and hope for the best.
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Old 04-04-2018, 04:02 PM   #8
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I'll do just that. I'm really excited to go see it this weekend. The price is just too good, but I hope there's nothing wrong with the engine or tranny.

Thanks to everyone for your input!
I'll probably be back soon with more questions!
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Old 04-04-2018, 04:18 PM   #9
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Location: Frisco, Texas
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Year: 1998
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Chassis: International 3800
Engine: Dt466e
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cesar.quattro View Post
What do you guys think of this other bus I found? Its a 30 min drive from my town.

The guy said it's a 1992 Carpenter with dt466 engine and a mt643 transmission. What do you think of this one? He's asking $2800.
I'll second that and say definitely check it out, good price and awesome that it's so close, saves you a chunk of money. I have the same drivetrain combo except that 92 is probably all mechanical, and although I only drive it 500 miles home so far, I was happy with it's performance. If it drives well, no major issues, and has okay tires I'd say grab it. It's also already not yellow, have shade over roof, probably highway gearing
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Old 04-04-2018, 04:28 PM   #10
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I'll second that and say definitely check it out, good price and awesome that it's so close, saves you a chunk of money. I have the same drivetrain combo except that 92 is probably all mechanical, and although I only drive it 500 miles home so far, I was happy with it's performance. If it drives well, no major issues, and has okay tires I'd say grab it. It's also already not yellow
The guy told me it was previously being used for white water rafting. Is this a good thing? Does it mean it has a strong engine or does it mean that all the uphill climbing has put a lot of wear and stress on it? I also think mold or rust might be a factor, I'll have to look out for it.

I'm kinda feeling the color red too! But I might end up changing it if I do get it.
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