Hey all! This is a little last minute, but I figured I would take a shot in the dark to see what input was offered. I checked out a few buses semi-local to me today. They are in a live auction starting and ending tomorrow morning. One is a 1993 MCI DL3 and the other a 2003 Gillig Phantom. Both are from this dreaded rust belt and that is my main concern. The MCI shows 80k on the odometer which is obviously wrong. Do coach gauges/dashes fail as often as skoolies? I guess just take a look at the pics/vid and let me know if you spot any compromising areas or deal-breakers. The MCI has a 2-stroke(8v92?) and an old 4 speed(ht740?). Most newer DL3's offer the S60 and B500. Under any circumstances, would this drive-train be worth the compromise(mpg/maintenance)? The Phantom has a Cummins M11 with 145k on odometer, but a bad compressor. I figured I could rig something up to get it home, which is exactly how they got the bus to its current location.
The first 11 pics are of the Phantom and the rest are the DL3.
https://ibb.co/album/m2GnwF
Shaky video mainly for sound. I didn't catch the exhaust. If anything, it was a small puff of white smoke. Who knows how much it was started today.
https://youtu.be/lrhP44dXG1U