220,000 is alot of miles 3208 or not

[Retread]

I am close to buying a '89 Crown with 220K on it. It was a daily driver CA skoolbus until about three months ago, this mileage seems insanely low for a 26 year old bus. Is this bus going to last? It has an Allison 4 speed MT644 and Cat 3208. Am I making a mistake with the combination or one of the two? There are 2 years of service records available. Is there anything I should look for in them? Also, I understand the 3208 is best suited for city driving, not highway running. It seems the water pumps crap out and bearing maintenance is common constantly with higher sustained RPM's. Is what I read bunk or is there some validity? I unfortunately am not at all familiar with diesel engines, so any help is greatly appreciated. Don't be afraid to tell me I am an idiot, I'll take it over flying 2,500 miles out to the bus and driving back. Thanks in advance! --Retread

PS. I do not mind at all driving across the country at 55 MPH if that is how it likes to be driven.

[EastCoastCB]

Man, I'd hate to drive 2500 miles @ 55mph.
I'd rather have a Cummins or DD in a Crown.
That's my 2 cents.

[Alan N]

There is MUCH misinformation about the 3208 on the web.
It is a fine engine for a bus.
If it don't use too much oil on your way home roll in new rod and main bearings and run it.

[Kubla]

Is it a turbo or non-turbo engine? My 82 blue bird wanderlodge with a 250 hp 3208 cat turbo engine will hold 65 all day, top speed is 72, yes it slows down on hills but weighs 30,000 pounds. 3208 cats were designed in the 50's as a non turbo engine producing about 200 hp at 2800 rpm. The one maintenance issue they have compared to more modern engines is valve adjustment which is supposed to be checked every 20K miles