Non-affiliated buses for sale - thread

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

Now that I actually Visited BGA lot.. (and bought a bus today)... I learned a lot more about them...

these guys dont just buy a bus at auction and throw it out there.. they do quite a bit of work on them too.. to get them ready...

there were several that they were fixing stairwell rust.. putting lights in them etc.. even before they are sold or placed on hold.. just to make the bus nicer..

they are a pretty much Full Service operation... if you are someone like myself that has no ability to do body work... they are VERY REASONABLE on pricing compared to body shops and pther bus dealers I have called...

my paint job is costing 1/2 if not less than what it would to go elsewhere.. and seeing their work, it looks pretty darn good!.. is it 100 point show car paint? no, but it surely makes your bus look great and they do a lot of prep work....

Greg will spend the necessary time with you to educate you and listen to what you have to say... we spend yesterday afternoon and today afternoon looking at many many busses.. starting them , talking about them crawling around in them... etc.. comparing them... so if I had a question about how steering should feel on a bus.. he took me to 15 different bussesand had me feel the steering...

he let me look at and take pictures of every air conditioner i saw i every bus to get ideas about how I will air condition mine...

if you are the type of person that needs to have service work done or body work done because you cannot or dont want to do it yourself.. they can and will do it... if you are looking for the cheapest bus out there... then you wont want to go there...

it all depends on your time, money, and abilities... for me it was a perfect fit... as is also the little 91 carpenter I bought today... I wanted a Nice older bus.. and thats what I got.. im sure some will say that a DT360 / allison 545 isnt the greatest... however its a mechanical engine / everyday trans I can work on.. (the DT360 is a pretty fresh Jasper)..

the fact you can put a bus on hold via telephone if you are out of town is a great thing.. many dealers wont allow this... my bus was getting a lot of attention.. therefore i put it on hold and it took me a week to get there.. i knew it wouldnt go anywhere... .. thats a nicd feature about some dealerships..

did I get the cheapest bus? NO
did I get what I think is a reliable Bus? YES (in fact its coming 'home' as it was recently driven from ohio to tampa... so its road worthy...)

i feel like my overall VALUE is high..

everyone's idea of Value is different... in my case im not doing a massive conversion so the fact my bus has a nice interior and good floors is a big plus...
-Christopher

Speaking of value, what'd they get you for? You didn't mention that.

[insanecandycane]

you have to contact kerlin to get a price even a 1991 bus does not have price listed. i think if price not given i not contact

[EastCoastCB]

Their CL ads have the prices listed.

[luza]

Congrats, man!

That sound exactly like the kind of thing I need. I just wish there was something like that a little closer to the midwest. I've checked dealers around here, and none of them do seat removal, re-titling, etc... Really don't want to go to Florida to do it, but will if I have to...

Keep us updated on your progress!

[EastCoastCB]

So you'd travel hundreds of miles to pay twice as much just to avoid seat removal and a trip to the tag office?
Maybe consider buying a completed conversion. Getting the seats out is the easy part.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by luza

Congrats, man!

That sound exactly like the kind of thing I need. I just wish there was something like that a little closer to the midwest. I've checked dealers around here, and none of them do seat removal, re-titling, etc... Really don't want to go to Florida to do it, but will if I have to...

Keep us updated on your progress!

I was thinking midwest transit would do some of those services for you.. it looks like they have some pretty decent busses at times...

don brown in new york says they will do services.. (though their cost for paint and body work was more than double what im paying at BGA.. so they may not really WANT to provide those services, therefore bid them high)..

if you can find the "local hot rod shop" you may be able to get some resources there.. and by that i mean literally find out where alot of people take thier classic cars and street-rods.. usually a smaller off-the-main-drag type shop .. often these guys are into people's custom projects and if they cant do it, will know people that can.

a small shop could easily remove your seats, and even disassemble them if you want them to.. (you will likely be required.. {or want} to disassemble your seats.. where you can scrap the steel frames for a few $$ and will have to pay to dump the fabric parts..)..

find out where the local Semi-truck repair shop is and they may very well be able to have the facilities to do body work and paint.. (or know who does).. most cities have shops that do paint work / lettering, etc for semis, box trucks, food trucks, etc.. and would probably be able to paint a bus.

BGA is close to the main interstate.. they are only 15-20 miles off of the route 75.. part of it is a 2 lane road, but nice wide lanes so driving a bus isnt an issue on that road..(55 MPH limit so gives you time to get used to your bus ). route 75 has plenty of places to stop along your trip that has truck / RV parking / Diesel fuel, and even motels with large parking lots. so stopping along the way isnt an issue.. in fact there are truck service shops along the way if you should be so unfortunate as to break down.

-Christopher

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

So you'd travel hundreds of miles to pay twice as much just to avoid seat removal and a trip to the tag office?
Maybe consider buying a completed conversion. Getting the seats out is the easy part.

some people might... I travelled hundreds of miles and paid more for my initial bus so i could get body work and paper work done.. just because I hate paperwork and suck at bodywork...

im good at mechanicals so for me, any seats i want to pull out are no big deal, nor fixing a flaky dash gauge or adding air conditioning...

but everyone;s area of expertise is different... and everyone's budget it different.. some are on a shoe string budget, others are not...

no different than at home... I do my own electrical work, service my own HVAC systems, paint my own rooms.. where others dont have the knowledge or the expertise to do so.. those people call an electrician to add a light, hire a painter to paint their walls, and use a service company for their air-con...

building a bus is no different...

-Christopher

[2kool4skool]

Originally Posted by johnbloem1974

Congrats on your buy! It all comes down to what YOU are happy with. Its your bus and no one else's! Sounds like you are happy with the value you got... way to go! Have fun with your bus. We've been having a blast with ours...as others will say too, please keep us updated on your progress with plenty of pics!

John

LIKE

[EastCoastCB]

BGA want 4500 for this.


Their nice stuff is like 8-10 grand.

I hate that they're all over my LOCAL CL, but Dan Brown has a MUCH nicer inventory and charge like half what BGA charge.
Dan Brown will sell ya this for $300 more than that turd above that's been sitting on BGA's lot for a couple years.


I guess I really don't mind Dan Brown posting, hell I would if I were them. I just hope their prices are truly that much lower and stay that way.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

BGA want 4500 for this.


Their nice stuff is like 8-10 grand.

if thats the bus I think it is.. thats actually a really nice bus.. I saw it...

-Christopher

[EastCoastCB]

Dude thats not a nice bus. A GMC cat with low headroom.
These are everywhere for cheap. Its also got the weakest tranny available.

I just saw this "gem" on CL... LOL they want $1100!

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

BGA want 4500 for this.


Their nice stuff is like 8-10 grand.

I hate that they're all over my LOCAL CL, but Dan Brown has a MUCH nicer inventory and charge like half what BGA charge.
Dan Brown will sell ya this for $300 more than that turd above that's been sitting on BGA's lot for a couple years.


I guess I really don't mind Dan Brown posting, hell I would if I were them. I just hope their prices are truly that much lower and stay that way.

brown has a lot of newer busses and their prices are lower.. however they charge double or triple for any work they do.. so if you are looking for something where you do everything to it, brown very well might be a better value... but if you want services performed as mentioned above.. BGA may end up being a better value...

I also pay attention to and read a lot on actualy fleet sites.. and when I see lots of low miles busses with VT365's in them.. it makes me wonder have the updates been applied to those busses or are they busses that a school system dumped so they didnt have to put the extra $3000 into fixing EGR / injector, etc issues.. or have some of those busses been run so long without the updates that they ran with a quart of diesel mixed in their oil due to failures.. no way to know.. but a cheap price isnt everything...

its all about doing your research... brown does get in some really nice busses at some good prices.. i have no issues with them as they are a dealer like any other.. an informed buyer will get the best value...

I personally Like Ohio Busses fresh out of school service because ohio is a Bastard when it comes to insoections and requirements.. if the DOT sticker on a bus is pretty current from ohio.. that bus probably runs pretty good... of course not All.. but in general..

-Christopher

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Dude thats not a nice bus. A GMC cat with low headroom.
These are everywhere for cheap. Its also got the weakest tranny available.

I just saw this "gem" on CL... LOL they want $1100!

lol i guess definition of "nice" is different to many people.. that Bird runs well and doesnt have a lot of rot.. I guess headroom is an issue for making a camper.. again everyone is looking for something different...

im sure people will tell me getting a short bus with a DT360 and a 545 is a turd too... I happen to like the mechanical diesel and on a 360 the 545 isnt overloaded.. then again I bought my bus partly for use but also for nostalgia.. I love old classics.. im not adding a ton of weight to it in a full conversion.. i dont need to drive 75 on the highway... I like the old metal dashboards and old style switches... I rode a bus much like mine to school...

Yes i couldve gone to brown and bought a 10 year old CE-200 I-Bus and performed the updates to the VT365 or DT466E , and ended up with a nice newer bus that would run 75 MPH on the highway for only a few grand more than I payed.. but it doesnt fit what I was looking for in the end...

-Christopher

[EastCoastCB]

I'm a HUGE fan of the DT360... And look at my bus I LOVE mechanical drivetrains. I paid $2150 and after a free trip to the tag office and a $100 rustoleum job, I guess its "worth" about ten grand or so!
Just not a fan of paying triple prices, but enough I've said my peace. Happy Sunday, and enjoy your bus sir!

[EastCoastCB]

FWIW if anyone crazy out there actually WANTS the rusty International heap, I know where theres a much nicer one for free. For real.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

I'm a HUGE fan of the DT360... And look at my bus I LOVE mechanical drivetrains. I paid $2150 and after a free trip to the tag office and a $100 rustoleum job, I guess its "worth" about ten grand or so!
Just not a fan of paying triple prices, but enough I've said my peace. Happy Sunday, and enjoy your bus sir!

i think threads like these are great because it helps to educate people that come to this site... show people resources andlet them know what the high points and low points of various dealers, busses, and services are...

to your point, was I not looking to have a lot of work done professionally? I most certainly wouldve likely gone elsewhere for a bus..

i'm probably having much more service work done than the average member here...

someone like yourself that is doing ALL of your own work.. I would indeed say stay clear of most dealers...

someone who knows how and has the time to scour the liquidators can very much get a great bus for MUCH cheaper than any dealer out there...

anyone reading this thread should EDUCATE themselves and take their time looking for the right bus that fits their Needs, AND ALSO their Abilities, and Budget...

Dont buy a bus with an electronic drivetrain if you have no clue how that stuff works.. Dont buy a bus with rotted out front steps and floors if you cant weld... dont buy a bus with short ceilings if you are 6 ' 2 and cant do a roof-raise... ie stuff like that...

-Christopher

[dgorila1]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

brown has a lot of newer busses and their prices are lower.. however they charge double or triple for any work they do.. so if you are looking for something where you do everything to it, brown very well might be a better value... but if you want services performed as mentioned above.. BGA may end up being a better value...

its all about doing your research... brown does get in some really nice busses at some good prices.. i have no issues with them as they are a dealer like any other.. an informed buyer will get the best value...

I'm guessing Brown's prices for extra work such as painting and fab work are higher for several reason:
1. They most likely subcontract the work out to shops that do the specific work where BGA has staff that performs it. This keeps the labor costs much lower.
2. NY is a union state, so union wages may very well factor into the labor costs vs. cheaper labor costs in FL.
3. They just may not prefer to do the work so they quote high and if you still want to pay then they'll have someone do it and make an added profit on top of the bus sale. We use machine shops that do this....they'll quote a bid unrealistically because for whatever reason they don't want the work, but if you accept the quote they'll be more than happy to make a huge profit.

Overall, it's as everyone has said: depends on your skill set and checkbook. All that matters is your satisfaction in the end!

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

i think threads like these are great because it helps to educate people that come to this site... show people resources andlet them know what the high points and low points of various dealers, busses, and services are...

to your point, was I not looking to have a lot of work done professionally? I most certainly wouldve likely gone elsewhere for a bus..

i'm probably having much more service work done than the average member here...

someone like yourself that is doing ALL of your own work.. I would indeed say stay clear of most dealers...

someone who knows how and has the time to scour the liquidators can very much get a great bus for MUCH cheaper than any dealer out there...

anyone reading this thread should EDUCATE themselves and take their time looking for the right bus that fits their Needs, AND ALSO their Abilities, and Budget...

Dont buy a bus with an electronic drivetrain if you have no clue how that stuff works.. Dont buy a bus with rotted out front steps and floors if you cant weld... dont buy a bus with short ceilings if you are 6 ' 2 and cant do a roof-raise... ie stuff like that...

-Christopher

I agree on the first part, but ANYONE CAN do this stuff.

Can't weld? RIVET! Or use bolts.
I'm glad you feel that way about this conversation. I feel the same way, and am glad to have civilized back and forth exchanges with folks.

I wish more folks lurked and figured more out before buying.

[WIbluebird]

To keep the thread on topic, here's a 2000 Freightliner FS65 school bus with a Bluebird body. Also has the 5.9 Cummins ISB. 136K miles, asking $3900

I work for the company selling this bus, although this particular bus is from a different terminal than mine.


2000 Blue Bird School Bus

[dgorila1]

Originally Posted by WIbluebird

To keep the thread on topic, here's a 2000 Freightliner FS65 school bus with a Bluebird body. Also has the 5.9 Cummins ISB. 136K miles, asking $3900

I work for the company selling this bus, although this particular bus is from a different terminal than mine.


2000 Blue Bird School Bus

Nice looking bus! Do you know why it was repainted? Accident damage maybe?