Buying a TRANSIT BUS!!!!!!

[Jipner16]

Hey all! So I am buying a 40 foot 1998 D40LF New Flyer bus with a Detroit Diesel 50 series engine and a B400 Allyson Transmission. 1 Million kms on it but runs really well. Went and looked at it and drove it around for 4 miles. Little bit of rust behind the back wheels where it salt got Kicked up but the rest of the frame is great. It was retired in 2020 and sold at auction with work having been done on it the year prior including: New radiator, idler arm ends, front radius rods, front shocks, front brake (drums, shoes, slack adjusters, chambers). I have done soooo much research on this bus, but also getting my Winnipeg Transit bus inspector friend to come out and see it along with a mechanic. It has a check engine light on that I need to get that code run. Trying to haggle down from 7.5k to under 7k Canadian. Planning on doing a shore power conversion where I will travel and park for a few months on end full time living.

1998 New Flyer D40LF 39 Passenger Transit Bus - govdeals.com


For more pics : https://imgur.com/a/TTYj590

[Jipner16]

This is a private sale bus that has been on a farm for 2 years undriven mostly, and stored outside. any thoughts? I do have a decent budget and have all winter to work on it, if I can avoid freezing.

[DeMac]

Researched...
found the sister so far....

The aformentioned bus (vin# 18379) was auctioned May 9, 2020.

This one vin #18381 was sold on the same day at the same site for $2,500.00. (Removed from service, days before the auction, May 2020, sold May 9, 2020) What has been done to increase it's value, three fold , while sitting in a field. New tires or just age?

Selling price may be fair, idk. Buyer knowing how much skin the seller has into it, aids with negotiating, especially if seller's loss remains low or mildly profits.

[Jipner16]

Originally Posted by DeMac

Researched...
I barely looked, found the sister so far....

The aformentioned bus (vin# 18379) was auctioned May 9, 2020.

This one vin #18381 was sold on the same day at the same site for $2,500.00. (Removed from service, days before the auction, May 2020, sold May 9, 2020) What has been done to increase it's value, three fold , while sitting in a field. New tires?

I think he is trying to double his money, but I for sure know he is in a full semi load driving 15 hours in Canada which might come out to 2 grand? I think he should have some wiggle room

[Jipner16]

Originally Posted by Jipner16

I think he is trying to double his money, but I for sure know he is in a full semi load driving 15 hours in Canada which might come out to 2 grand? I think he should have some wiggle room

Its actually 1120 miles of transport which at 2.5$ a mile would be 2800. So 2700+2800= 5,500. So if I get it for 6,800 he will have made 1300 dollars

[BarnYardCamp]

it's been sitting for 2 years, the seller has apparently lost interest in this project.
Seems to me that he doesn't have the "upper hand" to negotiate. It's not your problem if he takes a loss...I'd search the web, find similar buses to see what they are selling for.
Then negotiate from there.


Good luck..keep us posted

[TJones]

Personally I would pass on a bus with milage that high. I'm not familiar with the DD50 engine but it would be getting close to needing a rebuild with the 1 million km (620,000 miles). Keep in mind there is likely also additional idle time on the engine as it was in transit service.

Ted

[Jipner16]

Weeeeellll my Winnipeg Transit friend asked the mechanics who work on those busses and it was a unanimous no go from him. So I don't know how others find good Transit busses but I will take a friends caring well researched advice that it's a bad move for a number of parts and maintenance related reasons. I guess the search continues or ends depending on what I decide.

[BarnYardCamp]

Buy your friend lunch

he may have just saved you a pile of cash and who knows how many head aches.

[dbsoundman]

I hope you do find the right transit bus, I definitely want to try a transit bus conversion some day and those old Gilligs with the weird angled driver's window are really col!

[joeblack5]

So your Winnipeg transit friend physically inspected and road tested the bus and then talked with the mechanics who told him no?

Transits have a very hard life.. if they get discarded then that is because they are worn out by commercial standard....so every transit bus mechanic would say no go .
That does not mean that you cannot squeeze another 100000 miles out of them with being creative, diy everything to avoid going banktrupt and be prepared that all kind of stuff, starters , alternators, water pump, radiator will be about ready to fail at the worst time.

Even the much simpler schoolbusses have their issues after 160000 miles.

I think a running bus like that should be $3 to $4k and from there on you are on your own. If it would be $25k you still would be on your own. They are very complicated and not for everybody.
Good luck

Johan

[BriteLeaf]

Originally Posted by Jipner16

Hey all! So I am buying a 40 foot 1998 D40LF New Flyer bus with a Detroit Diesel 50 series engine and a B400 Allyson Transmission. 1 Million kms on it but runs really well. Went and looked at it and drove it around for 4 miles. Little bit of rust behind the back wheels where it salt got Kicked up but the rest of the frame is great. It was retired in 2020 and sold at auction with work having been done on it the year prior including: New radiator, idler arm ends, front radius rods, front shocks, front brake (drums, shoes, slack adjusters, chambers). I have done soooo much research on this bus, but also getting my Winnipeg Transit bus inspector friend to come out and see it along with a mechanic. It has a check engine light on that I need to get that code run. Trying to haggle down from 7.5k to under 7k Canadian. Planning on doing a shore power conversion where I will travel and park for a few months on end full time living.

1998 New Flyer D40LF 39 Passenger Transit Bus - govdeals.com


For more pics : https://imgur.com/a/TTYj590

Using the mileage that you have given, with the engine that you have stated, I would want to know if that engine has had an “In Frame” or “Out of Frame” repairs done.
I would say that it is getting close to the time you will have to do a complete overhaul of the engine (“Out of Frame”)
Either way, if you are prepared for the additional expense then you should have a fantastic Skoolie! ��������

[cadillackid]

ANY bus can have major issues.. I think the biggest issue between a transit and a school bus (pre 2008 ), is the fact school busses are similar to many medium-duty truck counterparts so parts are easier to get.. more competition amongst shops and more places to work on them..


transit busses often have pretty specialized systems that only a few work on.. so I think Jiohan has it right, learn to do lots of things DIY if you want a transit bus (or a coach for that matter).. well in fact DIYing a school bus too makes sense.. if for no other reason than being educated if you do take it to a shop.. an educated person can tell a lot easier if a shop is just trying to take advantage or if they are being fair about a repair..

[Jipner16]

He did not go and inspect it because he got some of the stats of work that it could take from the Mechanics. I am assuming that the work is city prices, but equally I think it would be a big challenge for me. I can do a lot of things and I love the head room and it drove like a dream for the 4 miles I got, but I want to do a lot of highway driving twice a year and I just don't think that it will be dependable. I have a lead on a Bluebird All American 2006 Commercial bus with 75k miles on it at an auction and it looks in pretty good condition. I thing it might be a better more standard deal than the New Flyer.

[Jipner16]

Yeah he just said that it would be too much for me, but he didn't personally go and inspect the bus. I think something more standard that could actually drive across the country at an okay speed will be nice. I am looking at this BlueBird All American 2006 Commercial bus with 75k miles on it at auction. https://www.rbauction.com/2006-blueb...gn=syndication Imported from Colorado Springs in 2016. It does have the air brakes so I would need to get that on my license. I will have a friend go look at it in Thunder Bay and see if I can get better pictures. Good Carfax info as well https://cdn.ironpla.net/inspection/A...x_11681338.pdf
Any thoughts?

[Truthseeker4449]

I've been working on transit buses full time for the last 9 months. I've developed somewhat of a specialty in getting neglected buses back on the road. The number one thing to remember about a transit bus over a school bus is that a transit bus is a much more complex and much more expensive vehicle. They are much more expensive to maintain. And the older the vehicle, the harder it is to get parts. And on transit buses, most of the parts that aren't suspension, brakes, or painted the same color as the engine are going to come directly from the manufacturer, who is well aware that you will be depend on them and charges accordingly. But they ride and drive so much better than a school bus. In my opinion if you have a choice, buy a Gillig. I've enjoyed excellent product support through them and they're well laid out to work on. Don't buy NABI or ENC (El-Dorado California), NABI is defunt after New Flyer bought them out for their Alabama factory and does not support them. ENC is just a huge pain in the ass to deal with and will not sell parts directly to anyone but a dealer.

This All-American you have here is interesting, having dual alternators, a massive AC compressor, and a Caterpillar C7. The hours are reasonable. Disappointingly, it's only 210HP, which is somewhat anemic compared to a modern bus but adequate to get you rolling to 65 mph with big gearing. To get more power out of it is largely going to require a full engine rebuild due to how Caterpillar uses different parts to get different horsepower ratings. She has also spent a lot of time on dirt and gravel roads so she's crusty and quite dirty, but doesn't look too bad underneath. Whomever you got to go inspect it better crawl around under it poking at rust and dirt to make sure nothing is rotted out. It is interesting it hasn't been inspected since 2017, makes you wonder why not.

[Jipner16]

Well I ended up getting the All-American and drove it the 10 hours home in -25C. The auction site manager was a saint and got it going earlier than we got there. It took me 16 hours to just get to the place driving from Eastern Canada and then 10 more driving to Winnipeg. Thankfully it drove well and took care of me. Only thing was that I couldn't get the heaters to really blast anything more than lukewarm air. I also got an engine stop warning heading past 2100 rpm. After getting home I got it gutted with the gf and now prepping for roof raise and slide out addition. Will make a new thread for the conversion. Got a couple questions and some things to work on but I am pretty happy with how its going so far.

[rossvtaylor]

Hey Jipner, send me an email at ross@rollingliving.com and I can send you a digital copy of the Series 50 manual.

[Jipner16]

Originally Posted by rossvtaylor

Hey Jipner, send me an email at ross@rollingliving.com and I can send you a digital copy of the Series 50 manual.

Hey! I ended up going with the charter bus that has a Cat C7 engine instead as its more noob friendly

[rossvtaylor]

Originally Posted by Jipner16

Hey! I ended up going with the charter bus that has a Cat C7 engine instead as its more noob friendly

Ah, sorry I missed that update! I'll go get more coffee and get up to speed...