Hello from LA!

[AJ Young]

Hi Everyone!

My name is AJ Young and I'm excited to join this community (online and offline) of school bus conversion.

My fiance and I are busy studying away on wiring, engine mechanics, and plumbing, but have no idea where to start looking for a bus to purchase.

I've browsed through the forums, but can't find any reliable resources. Do you have any recommendations for buying a used school bus?

[Dapplecreek]

Happy to have you here! Listen to the other guys for advice: I'm a noob. But I would take a six-pack of Pepsi to your local school district bus barn foreman and see if he has any thoughts. I did that with my local guy and was astonished at how good the buses out of his barn look. They sell through PublicSurplus.com (the other big one is Govdeals.com). Usually Craigslist posts are from folks who think their bus is worth more than it really is, but you might luck out. Do your research here and decide how big and what type of bus and which drivetrain elements you want... and start saving your dough. Likely costs seem to run from $2000 - $4000 though folks have been able to purchase for less (and some paying more have been quite happy, too, with the value received). Wishing you the best...

[BusFiend]

Welcome, AJ.

Start with your local Craig's List. It's easy to be able to inspect before purchase. EBAY is another source. The two real winners are govdeals.com and publicsurplus.com. Many of the buses you'll see on these last two sites will be a distance for you, I'm sure. Some of the best stories here are about owners getting their "new" bus home after having the winning bid.

Good luck!

[Carytowncat]

Hello and welcome to you both

Yep Craigslist worked twice for me. Yuuuuuuuuup.

Good luck!

[WIbluebird]

Your local Craigslist can either be a goldmine full of deals or a garbage dump where dealers spam links to their overpriced buses.

The nice thing about buses is that the general public has access to most of the wholesale auctions, unlike regular cars where you need to have a dealer's license to get in on the juicy wholesale action.

For me, Govdeals has been kind of meh lately. Seems like most of the good listings are over on Publicsurplus.

[AJ Young]

Originally Posted by Dapplecreek

Happy to have you here! Listen to the other guys for advice: I'm a noob. But I would take a six-pack of Pepsi to your local school district bus barn foreman and see if he has any thoughts. I did that with my local guy and was astonished at how good the buses out of his barn look. They sell through PublicSurplus.com (the other big one is Govdeals.com). Usually Craigslist posts are from folks who think their bus is worth more than it really is, but you might luck out. Do your research here and decide how big and what type of bus and which drivetrain elements you want... and start saving your dough. Likely costs seem to run from $2000 - $4000 though folks have been able to purchase for less (and some paying more have been quite happy, too, with the value received). Wishing you the best...

Originally Posted by BusFiend

Welcome, AJ.

Start with your local Craig's List. It's easy to be able to inspect before purchase. EBAY is another source. The two real winners are govdeals.com and publicsurplus.com. Many of the buses you'll see on these last two sites will be a distance for you, I'm sure. Some of the best stories here are about owners getting their "new" bus home after having the winning bid.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by Carytowncat

Hello and welcome to you both

Yep Craigslist worked twice for me. Yuuuuuuuuup.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by WIbluebird

Your local Craigslist can either be a goldmine full of deals or a garbage dump where dealers spam links to their overpriced buses.

The nice thing about buses is that the general public has access to most of the wholesale auctions, unlike regular cars where you need to have a dealer's license to get in on the juicy wholesale action.

For me, Govdeals has been kind of meh lately. Seems like most of the good listings are over on Publicsurplus.

Thank you, guys! I'll start looking at those options.

[EastCoastCB]

My bus was about two grand on govdeals. Woulda been 2-3 times the price at a dealer or on CL. My advice is educate yourself on buses, figure out a rough idea of what you need, and start watching the auctions. Be flexible a little and know when you spot a good deal. Be willing to travel for a GREAT bus.
Happy hunting!

[AJ Young]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

My bus was about two grand on govdeals. Woulda been 2-3 times the price at a dealer or on CL. My advice is educate yourself on buses, figure out a rough idea of what you need, and start watching the auctions. Be flexible a little and know when you spot a good deal. Be willing to travel for a GREAT bus.
Happy hunting!

I definitely am educating myself to a "T". Thank you for the suggestion.