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Old 01-14-2019, 06:53 PM   #1
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Another 2003 Chevy question (with pictures!)

I've been looking at/for a bus like this for quite a while, now. Wife and I settled on looking for a 5-6 window handicap chevy gasser. Anyone looking at auction sites have probably seen a ton of these recently in New Jersey. We live 2000 miles away, but still very tempted by these because they're low milage and almost exactly what we've been looking for. (I've even seen a couple I recognized from these auctions pop up on craigslist 1500 miles closer and $3500 pricier.)

We may have gotten to the point of bidding on one so we had an inspection done today, and while they couldn't test drive it, this is what they said about it with some pictures they included. Would any of these be deal breakers for y'all?

They also said, "Vehicle has some minor mechanical issue, might need some suspension work right away bar bushing missing."

1) Rust.


2) Small leak in oil pan possible.

3) Said all the fluids are dirty (oil, break, power steering)

4) Pulley noise and exhaust leak.

5) Transmission and drivetrain: seeping.


6) Brake Rotors: rusted.


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Old 01-14-2019, 06:57 PM   #2
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New Jersey dumps their buses with low mileage because they are already rusted out or on the verge. So they dump them before they have to start putting money into them. Be wary of anything from anywhere in New England. Inspect heavily before bidding.
After reviewing your pics, that bus has a lot of issues to deal with right away for a low mileage bus. What are they asking for it? I probably wouldn't pay more than $2k for any bus from up there no matter ow nice it looked. Are you sure it is low mileage, or has it's speedo been replaced like 75% of the buses out there?
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Old 01-15-2019, 09:36 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by o1marc View Post
What are they asking for it? I probably wouldn't pay more than $2k for any bus from up there no matter ow nice it looked. Are you sure it is low mileage, or has it's speedo been replaced like 75% of the buses out there?
It's an auction, but from what I've seen these tend to end between around $3000. On top of it being 2000 miles away.

I think the mileage is legit.
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Old 01-15-2019, 12:03 PM   #4
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I know I'm a spoiled Calif boy, but I'd run from anything with that kind of rust. Dirty oil etc doesn't make me feel good either. Keep looking. My .02 cents worth.
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Old 01-15-2019, 01:41 PM   #5
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the rust doesnt look to severe yet.. but the dirty fluids and missing bushing make it sound like they just ran it into the ground knowing it was going away... id run from that one..


note on rotors.. if it rains or snow, your rotors will get a light coating of rust like that in a day or two.. even on your car..



-Christopher
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Old 01-18-2019, 06:37 AM   #6
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Rust.. where? That ain't rust.. If you can fit a basketball through the rust hole, then that would be rust.
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Old 01-28-2019, 10:25 PM   #7
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If you only wanted to make use of one of these buses for 6-12 months, would rust like this be a significant risk?
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Old 02-06-2019, 06:37 PM   #8
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My 04 Ford Shorty from Pennsylvania had similar corrosion. I was under it for several weeks about 2 hours per day scraping and spraying Ospho. It took a while to figure out why the “water in fuel” light kept coming on even after draining the water separator on the diesel filter every time it rained. It was the fuel tank had a hole in the top. Fuel couldn’t get out but water could get in. I bought it at an auction. Enough said......
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