New couple 1st build rookies!!

[Yung2syck7]

Hii! My name is Johnny im a 29 yr old music writer and recording artist/ software programmer, my wife is the gorgeous reign she is a clothing designer and avid entrepreneur we have been watching and studying the skoolie world and lifestyles for a while now (her more than myself lol) we have a 95' four winds rv currently, we both had dreams of traveling the US in our rv then we came across the skoolie world and COMPLETELY fell in love with the idea, the skoolie world and how unique and different each skoolie can become. We are currently looking at a 2007 ic re300 40 ft DT466E and would greatly appreciate any and all tips comments advice and or help lol

[kazetsukai]

Welcome. First, may I suggest filling out your user profile to include things like your general location, as there might be skoolie.net members in your area that are willing to help out.


Second, "2007":

I have an 1999 International RE, its a great chassis that I love. Keep in mind however that later years (04+ through 11) some new emissions requirements were introduced, the technology of which was very unreliable at the time (almost regardless of manufacturer), often producing engines that would suffer catastrophic failure early in their lifespans. In some cases this equipment can be removed, giving you a great, reliable platform. If you are okay with more frequent and sometimes expensive maintenance, that is fine as well. I have an '08 F350 with a 6.4L diesel that will fail unless the oil cooler and EGR is replaced every 100k miles or so, which is roughly $6000 between parts and labor (they have to remove the cab in my case to get to the EGR).



Others here will have more to chime in on when it comes to this specific consideration. Don't let it scare you, but rather help you in selecting the best platform for your needs. IC RE's are my favorite skoolie platform.

[DeMac]

Hi. As stated, the more info, the better. Miles? Hours? Like the asking price, depending on what your spending, you may wait for the next one. I have one built in Mar 08, purchased 2 months ago, newish egr, paid $2K. Yes it has some expensive emissions crap. Good block, can be rebuilt in the bus. But if its over $2k or $3k, you may find one for less. If you don't plan on doing your own engine maintenance, it could get expensive + downtime. The home state of registration makes a difference. In CA, buy the '07 (if its cheap enough). There are several engines with the Maxxforce name, most have more problems. The '07-'09 isn't that bad. Something before 2004 with the 466 is top shelf. IC/Amtram is a great RE. (15 windows? Maybe 42')

[Yung2syck7]

Thank yu seriously i plan to update our profile today with much more info also I have noticed people saying more about the engines before 04 are better that's something I'll be researching today yu guys have definitely helped alot already we plan to b more stationary for the 1st year of skoolie living to prep the bus and ourselves for the oncomming year of traveling across the US we know the dt engines need to be used regularly to help maintain a good condition we are going 2 have it solar ready as well I have seen that engines such as Mercedes and caterpillar are more friendly toward sitting for longer periods of time will this become a major hindrance in our 1sr year? If so any help on that is definitely needed

[Yung2syck7]

We live in Atlanta currently but we are buying our bus in Tampa we spend alot of time in Tampa and Florida in general

[EastCoastCB]

Be careful buying in tampa. They're usually dealers and way overpriced. Also they often bring northern buses down here and flip em.

[novice]

Yung2Syk7, I can't attest to either of those engines, but there seem to be fewer mechanics who work on them, so consider those as your budget allows. There was a really nice Mercedes bus where I'm at, but I opted against it for a bus with more prevalent parts and online resources.


If you're gonna let a bus sit for a while, there are itemized checklists online you can go over to guide you thru various preventative steps and maintenance.

[Yung2syck7]

We really would rather buy our bus from the west coast, where did yu get yours @EastCoastCB

[EastCoastCB]

PublicSurplus.com it was a north GA bus. A backup/training bus with LOW hours.

[Yung2syck7]

I've been told about public surplus

[Yung2syck7]

here are the specs 4 the bus we are currentlylookingat

2007 IC (International) RE 300
DT466E Diesel
Allison 3000 Automatic
Air Brakes
13 Row - 78 Children - 52 Adults
14 Row Length - Extra Leg Room
Full Seat Belts
Air Conditioning
Tilt Wheel
Power Mirrors
Cruise Control
Air Door
Miles shown 206,562
GVWR 33,000
mph
Inside Height 77 in
Inside Length 30 ft floor
Inside Lenght 35 ft Inside
Outside Length 40 ft