Your Thoughts on this Bus

[Lamacose]

Good Afternoon,

I took second look at a 1997 Amtran today. I don't remember the number of passengers but it was 26 feet from the back of the drivers seat to the back end. It is IH 3800 with a T444E. 150K miles, no visible rust, started right up, and sounded great. It has an Allison 545 transmission and air brakes. I have arranged a test drive for next weekend. The only apparent negative are the tires will need to be replaced sooner than later. Asking price is $5000. From what I have read on here I am guessing it should be closer to $4000, especially considering the state of the tires.



I would appreciate y'alls input.


Andy

[DoubleO7]

You pretty much described my bus which I bought earlier in Oct.
Except mine is 2 feet less in floor length and it has a wheelchair lift.
A bit less miles.
https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...18&acctid=2721
When I went to pick it up, it had been sitting since June. On engine revolution six, it started and stayed running.
Drove it home 320 miles, no issues (knock on wood with fingers crossed, etc.).

The bus your looking at better be spit polished.
Does that price include a warranty or anything?

Check out the group of Internationals going this week (on GovDeals) in Summerdale, AL which is three hours from NO

[Oldmopars]

It sounds like a nice bus, but the price seems a bit high. However, if you don't want to go through the hassle of bidding on a bus and then traveling to get it, this may be the price you have to pay.
I would maybe try bidding on some buses in a reasonable driving area and see what happens. The time spent doing so, will give you an idea of what they go for and what you should pay for a given bus.

[KashMoore31]

The bus that I bought yesterday was a 98 Amtran with a T444e. It is a rear engine unit. Mine has 200k on it though. I gave $2100. Hope this helps...

[Versatile]

Originally Posted by Lamacose

Good Afternoon,

I took second look at a 1997 Amtran today. I don't remember the number of passengers but it was 26 feet from the back of the drivers seat to the back end. It is IH 3800 with a T444E. 150K miles, no visible rust, started right up, and sounded great. It has an Allison 545 transmission and air brakes. I have arranged a test drive for next weekend. The only apparent negative are the tires will need to be replaced sooner than later. Asking price is $5000. From what I have read on here I am guessing it should be closer to $4000, especially considering the state of the tires.



I would appreciate y'alls input.



Andy

You can buy a bus with great tires for the same money. I would pass. I am no fan of the AT545. Others here defend them. Not the best for Mts.

[cowlitzcoach]

If the bus is on a dealer's lot I would expect the asking price to be that high. As to the actual sale price, I would expect it to be much lower.

I would not pay more than $3,500.00 if it had been taken out of service in the last month or two. If it has been sitting since last spring or longer I would offer even less.

A 1997 AmTrans with a T444E/Allison 540 with air brakes is about as low optioned bus as you are going to find anywhere in CA, OR, and WA. If it has 9" windows it would be even lower optioned.

In other words, it is a very common bus with few bells and whistles. Common with few bells and whistles means it won't command a high price in the used market.

I see only a couple of things going for it.

First, at 150K miles it has low miles for the age of the bus. It has only run about 8,000 miles per year.

Second, if it is close to where you are the cost of getting it home can make the price more attractive.

I would offer $3,000.00 and hope to get it for $3,500.00 but would not pay anything more than $4,000.00.

[Carytowncat]

Hi,

I am continually reminded there are no shortage of busses out there, especially ones for a good deal. This is a common bus that i see sell for $2k quite often. In fact we see nicer busses purchased for less.

Whatever you decide, good luck!