Newbie looking into buying 1993 Bluebird Bus

[sarahbabushka]

Hello, I am totally new to the whole skoolie thing and am hoping to start a project of my own with a 1993 Bluebird bus I found for sale on a Facebook group in my area.
The lady selling it says it has a Diesel Caterpillar engine in it, which I won't know anymore about until her son gets back into town. It's a standard.
The inside already has insulation on the walls and hardwood laminate installed.
Here are all the pictures I have at the moment:
sarahbabushka's uploaded images - Imgur

I guess I'm just wondering what to look for and what kind of questions to ask, and if the caterpillar engine is better/as good as the standard (I think, not sure) Cummins engine?

Thanks!!

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Well, first, it seems your images are publicly viewable.

The Cat engines are OK, but you'll find parts tend to be more expensive, and come only from Cat dealers. IH and Cummins engines tend to be much easier and less expensive to get parts for.

[sarahbabushka]

In case that link doesn't work (I moved them into an album) here is a better link:
Bus - Album on Imgur

Thanks for the info about the Cat engine parts, I wish I knew what make/model at the moment. When we go up to look at it I'll take pics of the engine, undercarriage, etc. We have a few Cat dealers near where I live so I'll have to ask around about them

[bansil]

Welcome
One issue I would check is the leading end of the metal siding they installed over windows.
Make sure it is sealed very good so water doesnt leak in, especially going down the road

[sarahbabushka]

I didn't think about leakage, I'll keep an eye out for sure

And I got a little bit more information, the max speed is 60 MPH, bumper to bumper google says its 40 feet but her son says its 27 feet, the engine was NEW when they put it in the bus (going to get more engine details soon, she thinks its a 1992 or 1993), she says it already has insurance like an RV ($17 per month through AllState, or so she says), she sent me a pic of the title and it's exempt from having the odometer information on the title itself so I have yet to check the mileage.

And the most important part, she's asking $6,500 but willing to negotiate "a little."

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by sarahbabushka

I didn't think about leakage, I'll keep an eye out for sure

And I got a little bit more information, the max speed is 60 MPH, bumper to bumper google says its 40 feet but her son says its 27 feet, the engine was NEW when they put it in the bus (going to get more engine details soon, she thinks its a 1992 or 1993), she says it already has insurance like an RV ($17 per month through AllState, or so she says), she sent me a pic of the title and it's exempt from having the odometer information on the title itself so I have yet to check the mileage.

And the most important part, she's asking $6,500 but willing to negotiate "a little."

Ask what kind of insulation was used.

[sarahbabushka]

Oh good question!
I asked and she said it was regular house insulation against the walls, no insulation under the floors. I asked who laid the floors down and how they did it, but unfortunately she doesn't know how they were put in, they bought it with the floors already installed.
However, they are real hardwood floors (not sure if that's a bonus or not with the weight?) But a nice touch.
And I asked about any leakage, she said they've never noticed any but I'm checking nonetheless

[EastCoastCB]

I'd wager there's likely some leakage somewhere behind all that paneling. Regular house insulation means fiberglass probably. If there are ANY leaks its going to be nasty.
When you look at it, use your NOSE as much as your eyes.

IDK, I'm big on starting from scratch so a Cat engine coupled with all that previous owner's work is a double whammy of "iffyness". Just my 2 cents.

[sarahbabushka]

I'll try to see if we can look behind any of those panels, but I was considering re-doing them anyway for a smoother look so we'll see. Will be suspicious of strange smells for sure :/
And I'm not sure how many owners there have been which makes it sketchier... I know they've had the bus for several years but I'll ask for a thorough history. But it does seem a bit piece-y

[Carytowncat]

Gosh that price sits high to me, and all the uncertainties; like yikes Scoob!

I like to think of the glass as being half full most the time, except when my gut says ehhhhhhhh...