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Old 08-15-2016, 09:30 AM   #1
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Hello from Colorado

Hello all.

My wife and I are in the shopping stage for an affordable ~30' bus to renovate and full time in with our two pups.

This site has already proven to be extremely useful, as we've been lurking for a couple days. Looking forward to being a part of this community and learning all we can!

We're not particularly handy people, and we've never tried to build a house (or much of anything) for that matter, but we're excited to get started and hopefully avoid as many mistakes as possible.

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Old 08-15-2016, 09:52 AM   #2
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You live in a great state for bus shopping.
Welcome aboard.
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Old 08-15-2016, 10:01 AM   #3
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welcome to the group!!

there is at least one person on here that sells buses in Denver. look up Chas, he has helped others here in state.

also an auction house to watch, Roller Auction. they have an auction with some buses wednesday of this week. some rtd transit buses, 2 schoolies, and some shuttle style buses.

Colorado Online Auctions - Denver Auctioneers | Roller Auctions

if i were in the market again, those transit busses look pretty sweet.

Roller and Associates, Inc.


30' would be the shortest i'd go for 2, my bus is 30' and a third person or forth person is possible but it would be tight.

good luck and have fun!
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Old 08-15-2016, 10:14 AM   #4
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welcome to the group im in progress of doing conversion in saldia co where are u?? and check velocity transport in commerce city. thats where i got mine from and they delivered it
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Old 08-23-2016, 02:16 PM   #5
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Hiya!

Hey man! I'm from Morrison, CO and am also new to the group. Cheers!
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Old 08-31-2016, 03:06 PM   #6
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Thanks for all the welcomes! Excited to be here. I'm located in Longmont if anyone wants to stop by for a beer

Would like to get some opinions...



1993 GMC with rebuilt 3116 Cat (20k miles), Allison 545, great looking tires. Looks like surface rust underneath? Also- looks like this is a retarder- can someone confirm?

[IMG][/IMG]

Buyer is asking 6k, but since it has storage bins on either side, so few miles on the Cat, and great tires I'm not sure sure.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks!
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Old 08-31-2016, 03:31 PM   #7
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The AT545 Allison transmission is not very liked for Mts etc. It sure looks like a Retarder to me. I think the retarder is great for going down hill but you still have to go up the hill first. I read at this forum that you can get some high temperatures irrc in the engine oil trying to force your self uphill. Cat parts are expensive and you only get them at a CAT Dealer. This a $2000-2500.00 bus. I want a bus i can use in the Rockies etc and i would pass on this bus. You can buy a very good bus with great tires just as easy you can buy a very good bus with bad tires.Buses with Retarders are harder to find.
There are plenty of buses out there. You can get some Super deals from Schools and Churches.

Better by far but over priced.

http://denver.craigslist.org/rvs/5755498025.html

2001 International 3800 School Bus - $6500 (Aspen)

-212,xxx miles on DT466 Diesel Engine 5 speed automatic Allison Transmission
-new air compressor
-needs new front tires
-functional for recreational or school uses
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Old 08-31-2016, 03:37 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Versatile View Post
The AT545 Allison transmission is not very liked for Mts etc. It sure looks like a Retarder to me. I think the retarder is great for going down hill but you still have to go up the hill first. I read at this forum that you can get some high temperatures irrc in the engine oil trying to force your self uphill. Cat parts are expensive and you only get them at a CAT Dealer. This a $2000-2500.00 bus. I want a bus i can use in the Rockies etc and i would pass on this bus. You can buy a very good bus with great tires just as easy you can buy a very good bus with bad tires.Buses with Retarders are harder to find.
There are plenty of buses out there. You can get some Super deals from Schools and Churches.
Thanks for the reply! Good to know for the engine temps. Wasn't sure how much a retarder should increase the price.
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Old 08-31-2016, 06:09 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Versatile View Post
Better by far but over priced.

2001 International 3800 School Bus

2001 International 3800 School Bus - $6500 (Aspen)

-212,xxx miles on DT466 Diesel Engine 5 speed automatic Allison Transmission
-new air compressor
-needs new front tires
-functional for recreational or school uses
Thanks- I saw that one. Just gave them a call. Only concern there is the height of the roof, but there's probably no such thing as a perfect bus.

Thanks for your help!
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Old 08-31-2016, 10:32 PM   #10
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lots of Colorado buses have the retarders on them. that shouldn't change the value of the bus much, however, the buses are mostly sold as scrap.
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Old 09-03-2016, 09:33 PM   #11
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Publicsurplus.com just an auction close for a bus from Academy district 20 in Colo Spgs. I don't think there were any bids on it at $800. You might contact them directly. It was a 91 Ward DT 466, in good shape. That would be a good deal.
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Old 09-07-2016, 12:25 AM   #12
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Ok guys, I think I've found her.

2001 International FE Special Needs. Dt466, Allison MT643. 34', 165,000 miles.

Arizona dealer (Canyon State Bus Sales)- doesn't look like it has any rust.

Size is a big consideration for us since we have to park it at our home in not-so-rural Colorado. Driveway is 32 feet long, so we can accommodate 35' tops with some creativity and sending some cookies to the neighbors. Plus a mid size should theoretically be easier to drive and maneuver into more campsites.

Here's the fun part:

Dealer was asking 6,900. After a short phone conversation they dropped to 5,900. I'm flying in this weekend to inspect and potentially purchase. Hoping to talk them down further. My thinking is that for the condition of the bus and the apparent scarcity of mid-sized buses with this engine and tranny combo-its not a bad deal.

Plus, we intend to full time in this bus for some years to come. I'm thinking I'd rather pay a higher price now for a newer well maintained vehicle fresh off the school route than save a lot up front just to have our house break down a little later.

Thoughts?

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Old 09-07-2016, 05:04 AM   #13
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You live in Colorado and can't find a nice bus?
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Old 09-07-2016, 08:23 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
You live in Colorado and can't find a nice bus?
That is app. 32 ft long, dt466 or better, rust free, Allison 643 or better, in good condition, and at a reasonable price? There are plenty of buses to be had, but most are way overpriced or longer that can fit in our driveway. Apparently a lot of people around here are getting the same idea and driving up the price and down the selection.

We found a great one with a retarder in Monarch but somebody bought it out from under us.

We've looked at several buses but there's always something- one was a dt 408 that we passed on, almost bought a great bus but passed on the Cat engine. Another we were totally misled by the craigslist owner and wasted 6 hours driving to Julesberg.

If you have any suggestions I'm all ears. In the meantime, the bus from Az checks all our boxes.
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Old 09-07-2016, 09:20 AM   #15
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A little on the pricey side but you are correct in that the engine/tranny combination is one of the best to be found anywhere. And in a smaller bus it should pull just about any hill with ease. If it fits your dream package...go for it.
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Old 09-07-2016, 11:04 AM   #16
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sometimes its not always about the money.. sometimes its about finding the right fit!

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Old 09-07-2016, 11:38 AM   #17
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you went past me if you drove to Julesberg, i'm almost that far out.

just watch the auction sites, Roller is local in Denver and they sell buses every few months. $2500 would have bought a nice pusher at their last auction. oct 5 and oct 12 they have auctions that surely will sell buses.

shopping on Craig's list is buying someone else's problem.
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Old 09-07-2016, 12:13 PM   #18
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Another member on here bought a bus from Canyon State, they seemed pretty happy with it.

It does say in their ads that they check all fluids and lights, which is reassuring if you're going to be driving the thing hundreds of miles back to your home.

They have some nice pushers that I like but that drive is a little too much for me lol.
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Old 09-07-2016, 01:48 PM   #19
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I have found some buses from a state back east that uses salt, at what point should we (the new-bies that are shopping) look past that?

I have been told to look at the wheel wells, the doors (front and rear), the windshield, and the friction rails...

These buses look to have some corrosion but, I would not call it bad by any measure. In fact the only place I can see it is on the bottom of the windshield and that may just be dirt. With a great tranny/motor combo and miles ranging from 150k - 250k is it worth keeping looking or do we make the move on this?

Living in UT (we use the brine = salt + water), I know auto rust. It makes repairs harder.

My DD is a Mercedes 240D, I am familiar with older 'Mercedes' diesel motors. But, how many miles should I expect to get on a 466?
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Old 09-07-2016, 02:00 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chad.nuesmeyer View Post
I have found some buses from a state back east that uses salt, at what point should we (the new-bies that are shopping) look past that?

I have been told to look at the wheel wells, the doors (front and rear), the windshield, and the friction rails...

These buses look to have some corrosion but, I would not call it bad by any measure. In fact the only place I can see it is on the bottom of the windshield and that may just be dirt. With a great tranny/motor combo and miles ranging from 150k - 250k is it worth keeping looking or do we make the move on this?

Living in UT (we use the brine = salt + water), I know auto rust. It makes repairs harder.

My DD is a Mercedes 240D, I am familiar with older 'Mercedes' diesel motors. But, how many miles should I expect to get on a 466?
If there is any visible rust, it might be good to just keep looking. There are too many other good buses to make it worthwhile.

I have long believed that a properly maintained DT466 will go a million miles. Of course many of these buses are geared down and run a lot of stop & go, so that changes things accordingly.
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