Colorado Bus Auction

[BeNimble]

Sounds like there is a business opportunity to take a 40ft bus and shrink it down to a 28ft bus?

[Back To Skool]

I was watching this auction diligently. I live a half hour from there. Looking for my first bus to build and live in full time. Been looking for two months.

Did I make the wrong decision by not going down to inspect and/or bid?

Something told me these were rare to have come up in auction all at the same time, and with Klam retarders, but something also just felt off about it. "assembly line" photos and things in the description like "incomplete chassis" where one ad might say what was wrong but another didn't. People would ask pretty reasonable questions like "what is the interior height? Is there undercarriage rust?" and the seller would say "I don't know, I don't have time to look...you can come inspect it"
Plus, I thought 285k - 300k+ miles seemed high for some of these.

I spent hours trying to count the windows on those crappy photos and multiplying by 28" and dividing by 12" to get the foot length of these things. Then guessing on length of longer windows or sheet metal body areas around emergency doors.

How long is an FS65 anyway? 35'? 38'?
It seems strange that no one has compiled a list of common skoolie buses and their dimensions over the years.
I am looking for a max of 35', dognose, and it was tough to tell by the photos.

Also, it's really frustrating to see the same 5 or 6 people bidding on multiple units and driving the price up (guessing wholesalers or bulk buyers/flippers/shade tree skoolie dealers)

The winner of the prison bus is trying to flip it over in the classifieds section.
I christened my very first forum post over there. I called him out as gently as possible in that he just kind of failed to mention a few major mechanical issues with the bus.

Purplewave auction seems to have much better detailed photos and sellers who are accommodating and actually answer questions. Videos too.

Anyhoo, glad I'm finally communicating and not just lurking anymore.
Anyone have any other good sources to find a first bus?

[Back To Skool]

I heard the 3126 was a "problematic" engine? For this reason I stayed away from these units.

There was a 1998 Bluebird with an 8.3 Cummins and MT643 that went 25 minutes past auction end time and sold for $8k... (gulp)


edit: How do I delete this reply??? I reposted with the appropriate quote afterward

[Back To Skool]

Originally Posted by banman

Some of those FS65 Freightliners aren't showing any interest yet...

Any of the 3126 with MD3060 combo's will be a great bus for somebody.

Wonder how much they'll go for in the end -- following.

I heard the 3126 was a "problematic" engine? For this reason I stayed away from these units.

There was a 1998 Bluebird with an 8.3 Cummins and MT643 that went 25 minutes past auction end time and sold for $8k... (gulp)

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Back To Skool

I heard the 3126 was a "problematic" engine? For this reason I stayed away from these units.

There was a 1998 Bluebird with an 8.3 Cummins and MT643 that went 25 minutes past auction end time and sold for $8k... (gulp)


edit: How do I delete this reply??? I reposted with the appropriate quote afterward

Cat 3126 is one of my favorite engines. Love mine.

FS65 comes in any size. Mine's a 5 window.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Back To Skool

I heard the 3126 was a "problematic" engine? For this reason I stayed away from these units.

There was a 1998 Bluebird with an 8.3 Cummins and MT643 that went 25 minutes past auction end time and sold for $8k... (gulp)

I wouldn't hesitate buying a 3126 if it was backed with a 3060. Nothing wrong with that motor at all, not like others I've heard.

[TaliaDPerkins]

So this closed and I missed it. Dangit.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by TomDPerkins

So this closed and I missed it. Dangit.

You sure did. This auction got me crazy after coming back here seeing people interested in these buses for $6k-$9k, WTF. A bunch of these good Colorado, rust free, 9 window FS65's brought less than $1K. I bet a bunch of them will be the ones we see next month on the lots for $6k- $9k.

[Back To Skool]

Originally Posted by o1marc

You sure did. This auction got me crazy after coming back here seeing people interested in these buses for $6k-$9k, WTF. A bunch of these good Colorado, rust free, 9 window FS65's brought less than $1K. I bet a bunch of them will be the ones we see next month on the lots for $6k- $9k.

I went through this auction with a fine tooth comb for the two weeks or so it was going on. (it's still in my browser window). Bids were mostly under $1k until the final 20 minutes, then everyone went nuts and battled it out. The units that stayed under $1k had major issues (transmission failures, etc). Most went for $1500 - $3k

However, there were several that got a lot of attention throughout the two weeks leading up to the last hour. What really got my goat was seeing the same 5 or 6 bidders/names bidding on multiple units. Case in point, the "lots"/dealers you speak of.

I'm new to this auction thing so I guess I was getting a lay of the land, other than knowing what drivetrain I prefer and type of bus/length.

They were mostly 3126/643 combos with a few 5.9/AT545 or 643 setups.

Not sure where you saw 9 window FS65's. Did I miss those? The ones I counted were 12 to 13 window. (see my above long winded post where I mention the crappy photography and trying to do the hand grenade math ). I'm looking for a 10 or 11 window dognose. I know they exist...just not sure if they are so close to home (Colorado).

After lurking here for weeks, I used the info I learned here (and from other sources) to decide against the CAT 3126 and anything with the Allison AT545. Oh, and anything Mercedes.

The buses at the auction all had driveline retarders but I figured I could install one of those down the road?

I will retreat back to lurking for a bit...at least tonight. Just cracked a fresh bottle of scotch, and friends don't let friends drink and Skoolie chat.

Appreciate you people. Even though you are all technically strangers to me, it's interesting to talk about something that pulls us all together. I feel like I know some of your "personalities" already.

My lady and I are going into the skoolie life full tilt, and any and all help/criticism is always appreciated. Respect.

[gotjuice?]

I have a 99 Freightliner 5 window with the 3126 Cat and standard transmission. Love this combo.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Back To Skool

I went through this auction with a fine tooth comb for the two weeks or so it was going on. (it's still in my browser window). Bids were mostly under $1k until the final 20 minutes, then everyone went nuts and battled it out. The units that stayed under $1k had major issues (transmission failures, etc). Most went for $1500 - $3k

However, there were several that got a lot of attention throughout the two weeks leading up to the last hour. What really got my goat was seeing the same 5 or 6 bidders/names bidding on multiple units. Case in point, the "lots"/dealers you speak of.

I'm new to this auction thing so I guess I was getting a lay of the land, other than knowing what drivetrain I prefer and type of bus/length.

They were mostly 3126/643 combos with a few 5.9/AT545 or 643 setups.

Not sure where you saw 9 window FS65's. Did I miss those? The ones I counted were 12 to 13 window. (see my above long winded post where I mention the crappy photography and trying to do the hand grenade math ). I'm looking for a 10 or 11 window dognose. I know they exist...just not sure if they are so close to home (Colorado).

After lurking here for weeks, I used the info I learned here (and from other sources) to decide against the CAT 3126 and anything with the Allison AT545. Oh, and anything Mercedes.

The buses at the auction all had driveline retarders but I figured I could install one of those down the road?

I will retreat back to lurking for a bit...at least tonight. Just cracked a fresh bottle of scotch, and friends don't let friends drink and Skoolie chat.

Appreciate you people. Even though you are all technically strangers to me, it's interesting to talk about something that pulls us all together. I feel like I know some of your "personalities" already.

My lady and I are going into the skoolie life full tilt, and any and all help/criticism is always appreciated. Respect.

Other than slightly high mileage, what's wrong with this one that went for less than $1K, decent motor, great trans combo. 10 window.
https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...5&acctid=12246

I'd check the accuracy of the mileage on this, seems strange an 03 SpecEd bus would have that kind of mileage and be in that condition, worth checking out.
https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...89&acctid=1137

Mileage alone is not a dealbreaker to me, depends on how the bus was maintained and driven.

[Back To Skool]

Originally Posted by o1marc

Other than slightly high mileage, what's wrong with this one that went for less than $1K, decent motor, great trans combo. 10 window.
https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...5&acctid=12246

I'd check the accuracy of the mileage on this, seems strange an 03 SpecEd bus would have that kind of mileage and be in that condition, worth checking out.
https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...89&acctid=1137

Mileage alone is not a dealbreaker to me, depends on how the bus was maintained and driven.

The first one you mentioned had this: "**ALL SALES ARE FINAL. ITEMS ARE SOLD 'AS IS' WITHOUT WARRANTIES**
1998 Freightliner FS65 INCOMPLETE CHASSIS, 10.3L L6 DIESEL."

It's 11 windows. Perfect for what I need, but...

I posted earlier, anything that said "incomplete chassis" in this auction was synonymous with something really bad, like a transmission failure, so I was not sure what was up with it. And I also said earlier how the seller was not interested in answering any questions at all (probably cause he had 47 buses to sell). But being in sales for 20 years, I would always know and list everything possible about the product beforehand, as in taking many detailed photos and knowing the specs of each unit as much as I could. If I couldn't remember, I wrote it down. Not enough info, not enough communication to merit paying a diesel mechanic to meet me there on a random (insert day of the week here).

And if he isn't answering simple questions, I didn't even want to begin to ask for maintenance records as other auction sites I have seen offer up this info in their listing. Because at 293k miles, I would need some records.

Also, I learned form this forum that I should stay away from 3126 CAT engines.
(excluding EastCoastCB...I know you love it, dawg! Read all your posts on the subject)

The second vehicle you mention is in Georgia. I thought we were talking about the Colorado auction in Castle Rock? Either way, yeah...not driving to Georgia to buy something sight unseen.

9 windows...11-teen windows...it all equals HOME in the end, right?

Landlord is raising rent during a global crisis....sweet.


Back to lurking.

[EastCoastCB]

incomplete chassis doesn't mean anything bad at all. Its just nomenclature for "the bus started out at as frame and a hood and was mated to a bus body".

[Back To Skool]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

incomplete chassis doesn't mean anything bad at all. Its just nomenclature for "the bus started out at as frame and a hood and was mated to a bus body".

I just finally understood what you (and the auction listing) meant by this. It's a VIN decoding thing. I'm guessing the seller just copied and pasted what they saw from carfax or some similar decoding site.

It was only typed on some of the listings and some did actually have descriptive problems and that's why I thought it meant something "bad".

Now I know.

Thanks!

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Back To Skool

The first one you mentioned had this: "**ALL SALES ARE FINAL. ITEMS ARE SOLD 'AS IS' WITHOUT WARRANTIES**
1998 Freightliner FS65 INCOMPLETE CHASSIS, 10.3L L6 DIESEL."

It's 11 windows. Perfect for what I need, but...

I posted earlier, anything that said "incomplete chassis" in this auction was synonymous with something really bad, like a transmission failure, so I was not sure what was up with it. And I also said earlier how the seller was not interested in answering any questions at all (probably cause he had 47 buses to sell). But being in sales for 20 years, I would always know and list everything possible about the product beforehand, as in taking many detailed photos and knowing the specs of each unit as much as I could. If I couldn't remember, I wrote it down. Not enough info, not enough communication to merit paying a diesel mechanic to meet me there on a random (insert day of the week here).

And if he isn't answering simple questions, I didn't even want to begin to ask for maintenance records as other auction sites I have seen offer up this info in their listing. Because at 293k miles, I would need some records.

Also, I learned form this forum that I should stay away from 3126 CAT engines.
(excluding EastCoastCB...I know you love it, dawg! Read all your posts on the subject)

The second vehicle you mention is in Georgia. I thought we were talking about the Colorado auction in Castle Rock? Either way, yeah...not driving to Georgia to buy something sight unseen.

9 windows...11-teen windows...it all equals HOME in the end, right?

Landlord is raising rent during a global crisis....sweet.


Back to lurking.

All I can say is if you limit the areas you will look for a bus you will limit what you can find.
Think of all the bidders that saw "incomplete chassis" and immediately looked elsewhere. If you can't get to the garage manager, get with the maintenance shop. They are usually forthcoming with info.

[Back To Skool]

Originally Posted by o1marc

All I can say is if you limit the areas you will look for a bus you will limit what you can find.
Think of all the bidders that saw "incomplete chassis" and immediately looked elsewhere. If you can't get to the garage manager, get with the maintenance shop. They are usually forthcoming with info.

Appreciate the advice. I am looking all over the country. It just so happened this CO auction was in my backyard. I don't feel I missed out on any of these units as they had quite some mileage and not my desirable drivetrain. The ones that were decent engine/trans combos again were a bit more miles than I'd be comfortable with, but more importantly were too long of a chassis. I'm trying to stay 30' - 35' bumper to bumper to gain access to most national parks, etc.

Also, not long ago I managed a small mom and pop used RV dealership for a year (using my 20 years motorcycle sales/management experience to get in, I didn't know crap about RV's) and the max length I am comfortable driving is about 35'. The first time I drove a 42' class A in the parking lot, I think it took me 15 minutes to move in a 20 foot circle around a bunch of other vehicles.....it was a bit nerve wracking But I learned a lot about RV's, and how overpriced the market value can be, the plywood, balsa wood boxes on wheels that they are. I had people lining up to pay $15k for a 30 year old beater class C, when the book value was maybe $3k....I couldn't get anyone a loan and the banks didn't want to touch that type of collateral.

As far as the bus in The Peach State discussed above...I would think that's Rust Belt country, no?

I lived in NC for only a year, and man, if my body was that humid and rusty, I can only imagine what is going on with a 20-30 year old bus! I am from the Northeast US (PA/NY), so I know what the salt can do to vehicles out there as well.

I'm not opposed to driving far to grab something, but it needs to at least be appealing in photos and the seller needs to sound like they care even 10% of what they really do. Dry, western regions are where I'm mainly focusing, but for something with low mileage, I'll jump over to OK or KS.

I saw your other posts talking about wholesalers chowing down on these auction sites and flipping through dealers or just flipping on their own. I felt all that when I monitored this auction. Prices seem to be reflecting this area throughout the country, even though I happen to live in one of the most densely populated backyard RV areas. EVERYONE has one. (people have special garages, that cost more than my house, built for their $200k class A next to their mcMansion because their HOA doesn't allow it exposed in the open). I also happen to live where a lot of skoolie lovers reside. This all in turn, drives up the market. However, I have seen some auctions going for even more $$ in other parts of the country...so alas, I am flabbergasted.

I think it is persistence, hard work, calculated risk, and luck that brings the abundance/reward.

Thus, the search continues, and the ongoing quest to find the Beast, Sled, Torpedo, that I will eventually call Home.

I may be a greenhorn when it comes to skoolies, but I'm learning more every minute, and I've been dancing round the fire long as I can 'member.



Thanks again, o1marc...I am sure we could yap about bikes for some time.

[banman]

Originally Posted by Back To Skool

I heard the 3126 was a "problematic" engine? For this reason I stayed away from these units.

I'll say you DID miss out on an opportunity to inspect a bunch of buses visually (since you lived nearby) and see what they actually sold for after you had your hands on them and looked under them. Actually lay eyes on "what a little rust" means.

The School district rep or whoever writing the descriptions is not directly making a single penny from any of these sales -- they make NO money from answering your questions -- just distracts from their primary duties...

Most buses start as "incomplete chassis" from the truck builder, who sells the rolling chassis to the Bus builder that builds their bus-body on the truck chassis. The FS65 for example comes in whatever length you order it in...

A retarder is not a simple bolt-on item.

And not to make you feel bad but consider the cost of your going driving to Oregon, or AZ pick up a bus and driving it back. Airfare, time from work, fuel, possible breakdown in route.

I'd happily spend that $1000+ on travel plus another $1000 and put a fresh transmission in a locally bought bus if I got a local broken bus for only $800 like some of these went for...

Food for thought for when you're (and whoever else is reading!) really ready to get a bus.

[cadillackid]

driving to get a bus is no big deal.. my texas bus has no rust , i got it cheap, and its been fantastic.. it was kinf of expected that my AT545 would die so a swap was i nthe plans from the beginning..



its def worth a trip for good busses.. while there have been a few here who broke down bad on their maiden voyage home. the vast majority of people hop in the seat put it in D and have a ball on their first road trip in a bus


if you can find them close that are good then all the better, but defintiely dont rule out good busses because they are a distance away.. those of us living in the rust belt states pretty much travel to buy any used vehicles..


-Christopher

[banman]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

driving to get a bus is no big deal.. my texas bus has no rust , i got it cheap, and its been fantastic.. it was kinf of expected that my AT545 would die so a swap was i nthe plans from the beginning..



its def worth a trip for good busses.. while there have been a few here who broke down bad on their maiden voyage home. the vast majority of people hop in the seat put it in D and have a ball on their first road trip in a bus


if you can find them close that are good then all the better, but defintiely dont rule out good busses because they are a distance away.. those of us living in the rust belt states pretty much travel to buy any used vehicles..


-Christopher

Agreed --

but if you're already in Colorado like the OP, you shouldn't have to drive far...

[cadillackid]

agreed except he missed the colorado auctions.. I was thinking we were talking about how to get a bus.. either wait for more close by auctions, or travel to get a bus thats on sale now