Newbie Looking to buy a bus

[JustTrynaHike]

Hello all,
I have wanted to convert a van or bus for several years now. I finally decided to pull the trigger. For a while i was toying with what kind of vehicle I wanted to convert. I have settled on a mini bus. The smaller the better. Originally I wanted a hight top Transit Van but they are way over priced. So, instead I am going to raise the roof on a short bus.

I have been reading all sorts of threads on here to educate myself some and have learned a lot but still have so many questions. Any advice people can lend me is greatly appreciated.

One concern I have is gas milage. Does anyone know what I can expect. Is a diesel engine going to get me better milage? I am also planning to taking my bus on forest roads. Is that crazy?

I've started looking on public surplus at bus actions. I saw one sell the other day for around $9000. It was a 2013 from NY that had full DOT service its whole life. It that what I should expect to pay? Did it go more just for the Service records? How much do I need to worry about service history? public surplus doesn't give you a lot of info on the vehicle. Are there other good places to be looking for Buses?

I've read about people buying online without seeing it in person. Is this a really bad idea? It sounds bad to me.

Thanks for reading this far any help would be awesome!

[Eric_theferret]

Welcome aboard!

You’re probably not going to get many answers on this post because it is something that is posted and discussed very often on this site.

Mileage: varies but expect 10ish

Buying online: if you can get a good deal and you know exactly what you are looking for, go for it. I would have bought online if I didn’t find a good deal nearby.

My advice: do more research before you buy! Not a dig, but based on your questions you need to read up a little more. Know exactly what year/model/engine/trans is best for every year or model you are looking at, and know all the potential red flags of every model you are looking at.

P.S I bought my bus a little over a month ago so I just went through the research phase. It’s a pain in the ass but I’m so happy I waited, researched, and planned ahead of time. I settled with a 2003 international DT44 23.5 feet from Arizona. I paid $6900 out the door.

[JustTrynaHike]

Thanks Eric,
Your right I am still doing a lot of research. Thanks for the insight

[Corbi]

I used Auction International for mine. I did inspect it beforehand. You can also try Municibid. These are auction companies that deal directly with school and other municipal services. If you know what you want, I think. 9k is a lot.