I like the 8.2L Turbo in my 1986 Blue Bird All American FE. It gets fantastic mpgs, not that anyone believes me so I've just stopped saying what it got. I generally tell folks that the engine lives up to it's nickname of "Fuel Pincher". The EARLY YEARS of the 8.2L were the problem years. The engine was redesigned due to the head gaskets blowing. I do not know when this was. But I think I remember it being around '82 or '83. But it's reputation was already tarnished. It is not a speed demon bus. It will do 60 - 65 mph easily but at a loss of mpgs. It does slow down in the mountains (but you should anyway). If I were hung up on speeding down the highway then I would not drive a school bus. This engine also starts easily in cold weather.
A link to a post on someone who has actually had more than one.
8.2l fuel pincher???? | Arboristsite.com
BTW, the posts I have seen about the "bad" engines are generally either a poorly maintained, neglected engine and/or the story is told about an engine owned by someone's father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate.