Anyone willing to give advice on this bus?

[Curlyallisons]

I’m very leery due to being in salty Chicago, but I live by the seller and going to take a look. Thoughts on this engine? 2008 Chevy 3500 V8 6.6L Duramax Diesel

https://peoria.craigslist.org/ctd/d/crystal-lake-2008-chevrolet-passenger/7042039145.html

Thank you in advance.
~Allison

[Johnny Mullet]

Way too much money. Those can be found for under 5 grand and no rust elsewhere.

[Curlyallisons]

Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet

Way too much money. Those can be found for under 5 grand and no rust elsewhere.

Yes, I was thinking that. What about this type of engine? Or any that come recommended?

[EastCoastCB]

In a van I'd shoot for a 6.0 gas gm engine.

[brokedown]

When someone is looking at one of these Type A buses, I always have to ask them; Are you looking at a Type A because of a specific need, or have you unknowingly backed yourself into a corner for dubious reasons?

[cadillackid]

Type A busses are nice because any GM shoip can work on it.. if you dont need the space.. then type A is great.. way too high a price.. type A go for less at many bus dealers even.. .. they drive more like a pickup truck as well..



I can understand why someone wants one.. Vans in general though are a royasl Pain to work on if you are planning to do any mechanical work yourselves..



-Christopher

[brokedown]

For sure there are situations where a type A fits great. Single person, weekend warrior, etc. but I have run into a lot of people who go after them because they perceive them as being easier to park, or easier to work on since they are vans. I had similar thoughts when i started out!

[cadillackid]

im not sure how your 3600 was but i know my shorty 3800 is about as sharp turning radius as anything ive owned that was bigger than my chevy spark...



for me since I do most all my own mechanical work the CE style chassis is the easiest .. if i had to hire out everything from oil changes to changing a belt then I might be inclined for a Van chassis.. as it seems taking one to an independent auto / light truck shop you incur much lower hourly labor rates over an independent diesel truck shop..



at least until you can make friends in a home city and find the good little Nook shops that do solid work and charge fair prices..

[brokedown]

My Vista was super easy to park, other bus owners wold stare longingly as I backed into a spot at Starbucks. But I don't consider that a fair trade-off for having a bed that you don't have to fold into a sofa every morning and back to a bed every night, or having to shower at planet fitness instead of in your bus.

[WIbluebird]

That guy in Crystal Lake is expensive as hell. He always lists crappy beat up shuttle buses for close to 10k each.

Watch out for his ads, he's got a whole field of buses, box trucks and other stuff like ambulances. All of it hilariously overpriced. I'd avoid him.

As for the engine choice the Duramaxes are really nice in the cutaways. The 6.0 gas is also really good if the miles are low enough. My company stopped speccing Duramaxes in the cutwaways about 4 years ago, now all our new stuff is Chevy Collins with the 6.0 gas and they're all great little buses.

[magnakansas]

I think I would agree with the chevrolet engine or the ford 5.8 also known as the 351 windsor, or dodge 360. as a total package the chevrolet will be the least expensive to buy parts for....... The diesels in the vans are labor expensive to work on.

william

[Danjo]

That’s twice what it should cost

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

In a van I'd shoot for a 6.0 gas gm engine.

I spent quite a bit of time over at the bus barn in Snohomish talking with the fleet manager and mechanics. They were in the process of getting rid of the last of their E450 diesels. They were replacing them with GM 6.0 gas buses.

They were loving the 6.0 gas motors after having to support 6.0 Powerstrokes. They were so enthusiastic about it that I bought a Chevy 2500 with the 6.0 gas. I drove it around town a d liked it fine.

Then I took it on a trip pulling a 26' fifth wheel trailer. About 650 miles round trip. As soon as I got home and put the trailer away I parked the truck out on the street with a for sale sign on it.

I am SO GLAD that I didn't sell my Dodge! I don't think that I will ever buy another gas vehicle for myself. I am going to keep my Dodge diesel until it is unrepairable.

Just my $0.02

[EastCoastCB]

Did just fine in the work truck I used to drive. it was a beat-on 2003 pulling a 16' landscaping trailer with two zero turn mowers.
I'd expect em do do great in a glorified van.
WHat was it you didn't like?

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Did just fine in the work truck I used to drive. it was a beat-on 2003 pulling a 16' landscaping trailer with two zero turn mowers.
I'd expect em do do great in a glorified van.
WHat was it you didn't like?

Lack of power and lousy fuel mileage. I get 7-9mpg towing and topped Snoqualmie pass at 45 mph. Pulling the same trailer with my Dodge I get almost 16mpg and can top Snoqualmie pass at 65 without much effort.

I also felt like the trailer was pushing the truck around on windy roads and decending . That is not the engines fault.

Lastly is the automatic transmission. I found it "hunting" when pulling up a grade.

Different strokes for different folks. I will stick with my 5.9 CTD and NV-5600.

Anyone want to buy a Chevy?