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Old 07-15-2017, 09:17 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 10
Which Blue Bird All-American To Purchase???

Hey everyone. This site has been wonderful thus far! My wife and I are looking at buying a 40FT Blue Bird All-American RE bus to convert to a RV for full time living over the next 10 years or so. Out of these three options, which one of these buses sound the best(is the first option really worth all the extra cash)? We are already set on a 40FT Blue Bird All-American RE so that is no longer up for discussion. If you could chime in on these options it would be much appreciated.

Option 1. 2002 Blue Bird All-American RE (8.3L Cummings Diesel, Allison Automatic MD 3060, air brakes, 14 Row, Lots of belly storage on both sides, tinted windows, 106,000 miles, No visible rust noted and this one looks clean as a whistle). $24,000

Option 2. 2003 Blue Bird All-American RE (5.9L Cummings Diesel, Automatic, Air Brakes, 14 Row, No belly storage, tinted windows, 94,000 miles, Some rust noted on the steps leading into bus, no visible rust on chassis). $10,000

Option 3. 2004 Blue Bird All-American RE (8.3L Cummings Diesel, Allison Automatic MD 3060, air brakes, 14 row, No belly storage, tinted windows, 131,000 miles, Michigan bus so there is quite a bit of rust, the chassis is noted to be quite rusty). $10,000

All 3 buses are 40 ft. All are running and have no known issues(although rust is a major issue in my opinion). We have the money to buy the first bus but the extra $14,000 we would save if we picked one of the other two could go a long way towards the conversion itself.

We want to get our bus this year so we can start the conversion process. We hope to be living on the bus full time by the end of 2020.

Thanks in advance for your insight!!!

Justin (Miles Of Smiles)

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Old 07-15-2017, 09:30 PM   #2
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,760
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
wow those prices are HIGH.. are they dealer prices?

even with auctions that bid up you can get option 1 for MUCH less..

alot depends on how much travelling vs stationary living you plan to do... if you are planning on being on the road a lot esp in the west USA.. then option 1's drivetrain is a really good one.! 24K is WAY high though.. if you have the time id definitely reaearch buying one from a public auction .. even if it means travelling a good ways to pick it up..

not sure where you live.. id stay away from the michigan bus... not only does MI bring alot of rust there are also a lot of bad roads that beat the suspension up hard..

-Christopher
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Old 07-15-2017, 09:46 PM   #3
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 10
Thanks Christopher. That is a good point about the MI bus. I'm gonna be traveling at least three months a year and maybe more. We plan to always keep the bus to use for future family vacations after we stop live no on the bus full time. Is there any particular auction site you could recommend? Yes these are from a dealer. They are checked out by mechanics before going to the bus lot for sale(at least that's what I am told). Thanks for your input on the prices. I thought 10,000 was pretty doable though.
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Old 07-15-2017, 09:52 PM   #4
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Oregon/Philippines
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for 24k one can often buy a conveted coach bus with almost new engine.
2, if you pay the prices u posted, someone saw you coming...
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Old 07-15-2017, 09:55 PM   #5
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Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: MONTANA
Posts: 471
Year: 1995
Coachwork: AMTRAM
Chassis: INT
Engine: DT466
Rated Cap: Big Girl
OMG those prices are crazy, 24k is a price for a fully converted bus, a high end conversion. Most bus when completed have 10-15k invested.

Check govdeals.com or public surplus
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Old 07-16-2017, 07:02 AM   #6
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
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I wouldn't pay 5 digits for a bus to convert. That's silly. Gotta be BGA, the price gouging kings of the bus world.

Dealers don't do anything bus mark up the price. Last few folks I've known to buy dealer buses had breakdowns or other mechanical failures immediately.
A rust free bus on decent tires shouldn't be more than a few grand.
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Old 07-16-2017, 09:52 AM   #7
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Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 1,497
Year: 2002
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: Bluebird
Engine: 5.9 Cummins 24v
Rated Cap: 72 pax
I second the motion that they are high. I got a 2002 35' for 2k. 5.9, underbelly storage, minimal rust, and 130k on the chassis (motor is 6 years newer and has less but not sure how much)
And it was from a dealer. Just have to be patient.
If you are set on one of the three, the second one is your best bargain but the first Is mechanically Superior.

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Old 07-16-2017, 11:31 AM   #8
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Eastern WA
Posts: 6,401
Year: 2002
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: All American RE (A3RE)
Engine: Cummins ISC (8.3)
Rated Cap: 72
#1 sounds a lot like my bus. I paid $3800 including auction fees. $24k is just insane.
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Old 07-16-2017, 09:28 PM   #9
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: May 2017
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Alrighty then. No I'm not really set on one of these three buses. I am set on a 40FT RE diesel pusher. Preferably a Blue Bird All-American. I have cash in hand if anyone knows of a bus(or a converted one for that matter) that would meet my needs for less than I'm all ears. Thanks to all for the input. I really so appreciate it. Once we live on the bus for three years it will likely pay for itself/break even. I guess we are getting excited to implement our dream after saving up our money. The sooner the better but we are not rushing into anything at the same time. It's got to be the right bus. ��
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Old 07-16-2017, 10:22 PM   #10
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Oregon/Philippines
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if i had choice of bluebird or thomas, i would choose newer amtrans as my brothers has much better turning radius than my thomas
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Old 07-21-2017, 02:18 PM   #11
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: SW New Hampshire
Posts: 1,334
I've posted about BB 40 ft AARE's on both GovDeals and PublicSurplus in the last day or so in the Non-Affiliated For Sale thread. Go to either of those auction sites and search. Total of about 9 to choose from.

All are in the PNW so take that into account.
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