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Old 02-20-2018, 01:36 AM   #3561
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So, looking at several mid-size (22-27') buses. Which would be a less concerning drive train: a 2003 Caterpillar 6cyl 3126 207HP with an AD 2000; or an 1998 7.3 with likely an AT542 or 545? I know the Cat's are pricey to repair, I know the 540 series are dogs. Is Year 2003 getting into that emissions concern era?

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Old 02-20-2018, 06:54 AM   #3562
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Not winning anymore, can't spend more for a second bus
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Old 02-20-2018, 06:55 AM   #3563
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2004 or 2005 are the manic years for emissions
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Old 02-20-2018, 07:46 AM   #3564
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https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...270&acctid=898

Anyone know if this one has the 77-78 inch roofs? I see the bump in the roof, but didn't look like 12" windows
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Old 02-20-2018, 08:48 AM   #3565
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jjhwick119 View Post
https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...270&acctid=898

Anyone know if this one has the 77-78 inch roofs? I see the bump in the roof, but didn't look like 12" windows
I wondered the same thing. Has the bump but the windows don’t extend up past the door. I was just checking out the auctions, I was not/am not bidding.
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Old 02-20-2018, 09:27 AM   #3566
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Not winning anymore, can't spend more for a second bus
Yeah, got too rich for my blood too. Now curious how ridiculous it gets.
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Old 02-20-2018, 10:02 AM   #3567
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Most of these vehicles are still in bus barns. If you've paid for it, few will care if you need a few days.
Be careful.

When I bought my Bluebird we were approaching Thanksgiving. I contacted the seller and made arrangements to pick up the bus after the holiday. They had no problem with it.

Well Govdeals had a problem with this and banned me. I even forwarded emails from the seller and encouraged Govdeals to call and verify that I had made prior pickup arrangements with the seller. They wouldn't budge. I finally set up an account for my wife so we can continue bidding.
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Old 02-20-2018, 10:33 AM   #3568
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Almost like once govdeals secured some government contracts they didn't need to keep being good...
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Old 02-20-2018, 10:57 AM   #3569
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Sold for $3500 plus fees
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Old 02-20-2018, 12:02 PM   #3570
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Originally Posted by jjhwick119 View Post
https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...270&acctid=898

Anyone know if this one has the 77-78 inch roofs? I see the bump in the roof, but didn't look like 12" windows
Yes, it has the high ceiling.

Any Thomas you see with that bump has the same.
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Old 02-20-2018, 12:07 PM   #3571
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Be careful.

When I bought my Bluebird we were approaching Thanksgiving. I contacted the seller and made arrangements to pick up the bus after the holiday. They had no problem with it.

Well Govdeals had a problem with this and banned me. I even forwarded emails from the seller and encouraged Govdeals to call and verify that I had made prior pickup arrangements with the seller. They wouldn't budge. I finally set up an account for my wife so we can continue bidding.
How did GovDeals even know?

All GovDeals auctions have a TOS that is linked in the Bid Box. Those terms are broadly set by the seller. In any event, there are standard terms that give you 10 days to remove items and even then it's usually only 10 bucks a day storage until you hit the "abandoned" limit.

I am hearing an increasing number of complaints about GovDeals, including more than one complaint about their auto-bidding process.
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Old 02-20-2018, 01:04 PM   #3572
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Quote:
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How did GovDeals even know?

All GovDeals auctions have a TOS that is linked in the Bid Box. Those terms are broadly set by the seller. In any event, there are standard terms that give you 10 days to remove items and even then it's usually only 10 bucks a day storage until you hit the "abandoned" limit.

I am hearing an increasing number of complaints about GovDeals, including more than one complaint about their auto-bidding process.
When you pick up the seller notifies GD.

They were, with no provocation, really nasty to me in their emails.
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Old 02-20-2018, 04:28 PM   #3573
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Well this is the one that went for $3600 on publicsurplus last week, and I came in second on. Appears he was trying to resell it before he actually bought it, because publicsurplus has told me he hasn't paid and that its mine if I want it for my last bid. So I went ahead and bought it. (even though this effectively bided me up to my max by someone who didn't buy it) Now I am trying to jump through some hoops to get our there in time to pick it up in their 10 business day limit. Don't know if I am going to make it, I am leaving for business travel in the morning, and going on personal travel the week after. Ugh, I'm going to see if work will let me rebook my return flight. If not, I wonder how cool they are about storing it for me a couple of extra days.
You're not going to like this. There's a whole bunch of the Genisis, MVPs and TC1000s being sold here in Oregon and Washington in about a week on the 23rd and 24th. Don't look if you don't want to know how much money you gave away.

There's also a bunch of cutaway buses, both gas and diesel. Some need head gaskets but have sold for under $400.
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Old 02-20-2018, 04:35 PM   #3574
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Can you share any details on those sales? I've got a buddy looking for a TC1000 or similar size alternative.
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Old 02-20-2018, 05:26 PM   #3575
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Can you share any details on those sales? I've got a buddy looking for a TC1000 or similar size alternative.
They are on govdeals, A school district in Oregon is selling some Thomas and TC1000 which were all in the same category as what I just paid for. There may also be others as well from that school district/area.
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Old 02-20-2018, 05:40 PM   #3576
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You're not going to like this. There's a whole bunch of the Genisis, MVPs and TC1000s being sold here in Oregon and Washington in about a week on the 23rd and 24th. Don't look if you don't want to know how much money you gave away.

There's also a bunch of cutaway buses, both gas and diesel. Some need head gaskets but have sold for under $400.
Very true, might have some buyers remorse if those go dirt cheap. Or if the one I bought has issues.

I was specifically looking for midsize buses with handicap lifts, since I want that big door for loading motorcycles (my roadglide is fat pig). That district in beaveton had several Thomas buses that fit that, but they appear to all have a Diesel Particulate filter. PROBABLY removable since I think I think it was an add on rather than built into the ECU for active regen, but some muffler shops may not want to touch it, since it feels weird to be pulling emission stuff, so it seems simpler to just remove those from my list.

So that leaves the TC1000, which actually was what I was targeting as an example of what I wanted, but of the 4 of those, 2 of them have issues which I will not have time to solve before leaving, and that only leaves 2 buses for me to bid on. So if those two stay below $3k, it will suck for me, because the guy who didn't pay for them bid me up well above what the next lower bidder was at. I wonder if I can complain to publicsurplus about being bid up by a nonpaying bidder, I doubt they care though.
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Old 02-20-2018, 06:56 PM   #3577
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I agree. I dropped any DPF equipped and injured buses, but I believe one did describe the DPF as an addon. The years aren't right, in my understanding, for that to be factory. I'm sure someone else here will know more about that.

Yeah, I keep coming back to the TCs too. I like this flat floor. I'm not planning to bid, but if they're going at giveaway prices I may lowball a couple at the last minute if I figure I can get them the 50 miles home. At that beaverton location several buses sold for $500 last year. These were functional buses that were driven to ND and sold for the housing issue. The TCs likely won't be the cheap ones. I don't need another bus, but I do always have storage issues.
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Old 02-20-2018, 10:03 PM   #3578
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I agree. I dropped any DPF equipped and injured buses, but I believe one did describe the DPF as an addon. The years aren't right, in my understanding, for that to be factory. I'm sure someone else here will know more about that.
I asked that question in another thread, and several people believe its an add on they put on after the factory. I did some reading of the technology of those particular DPF that they mention, and they showed up as the ones that were very good at doing it at low temp, so that would support the idea that there were aftermarket, and they didn't mess with the ECU or anything, which shouldn't make it a huge deal to remove, but I am already taking risk buying without seeing them, and traveling to them and expecting them to be able to drive home, so I have to minimize risk somewhere, so they went off the list even though they were newer and I think had less mileage.

I liked that alot of those ads that actually listed all the major work done to them and when they did it. But just our of curiosity, whats everyone's gut feel, A bus with ALOT of major work done to it over its life vs very little. Was the one with all that major maintenance the good one because of newer components, or was that their Lemon, or the driver that always drove theirs harder? Not sure myself, but I'd probably go for newer components if I had the choice, hoping that what ever the problem was, it was fixed a while back.
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Old 02-21-2018, 12:10 AM   #3579
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I agree. I found that odd that transmissions were replaced at under 150k. Headgasket on at least one I remember. Sounds like they were being driven really hard to need that much major parts replacement, but on the other hand they have all those new parts with only 10 or 15k on the parts. Yeah, kind of gut wrenching isn't it. Especially when they are sitting at $1200 and less.

You kind of have to ask yourself if that DPF unit has any resale value since they are so expensive, and this one is apparently simple. I thought those descriptions were so well done that I took the time to send them an email saying how much it was appreciated.

I took the DPF buses off my list, but if they end up being really cheap I might try one. A guy can never have to many buses.

Knowing the repair history hasn't been a problem in the past because that information is usually simply not available to us. These auction sale listings are usually as accurate as possible, but they always list a disclaimer because these are used vehicles. I've found them to be quite honest. I'm a little shocked at how many major components and work is listed. You're right, it's kind of encouraging but could indicate a lemon. The mileage is about right for this age of buses. I'm feeling encouraged with practically new transmissions and stuff. At least it shows they were getting some serious maintenance. It's the ones that weren't fixed that bother me. Not worth fixing is a warning sign.
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Old 02-21-2018, 09:02 AM   #3580
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You kind of have to ask yourself if that DPF unit has any resale value since they are so expensive, and this one is apparently simple. I thought those descriptions were so well done that I took the time to send them an email saying how much it was appreciated.

I took the DPF buses off my list, but if they end up being really cheap I might try one. A guy can never have to many buses.
Might have to go back and look up the materials inside that DPF. If it is using exotic metals or something it could have a high scrap value like a cat on a car.

While they might be very valuable, I'm not sure if there is a market for them used. People like this school district probably want a fancy receipt from a known company if they are apply for a state Grant of something.

Btw I just saw some more tc fe show up on the Richie brothers auction sites. (When it rains it pours). No details yet but i saw several listed as 43 passenger. So maybe the smaller tc2000 or maybe tc1000. I think they were in Chicago.

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