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Old 07-31-2021, 01:56 PM   #1
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New Member, is this bus a good idea?

Hey Everyone,

My wife and I have recently decided we would like to convert a bus before building our tiny home.

We found one local to us for sale and we are just wondering if anyone would give their opinion on it. Thanks, this community seems awesome!

Any opinions would be welcome!

For sale for $ 3,500.

1990 Thomas
40’
334k miles
Rear engine, Cummins engine 8.3 liter
New tires
New brakes
New rebuilt transmission
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Old 07-31-2021, 02:40 PM   #2
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It's suspicious - looks like somebody bought it to turn into a skoolie and gave up on it (for some reason) after doing the demo. 334K is a lot of miles, so it may be facing some very expensive engine work.
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Old 07-31-2021, 02:44 PM   #3
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Her story is she had to move out of state and it needs to be taken off the property ASAP. the 334K is what concerns me. . .
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Old 07-31-2021, 02:54 PM   #4
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Her story is she had to move out of state and it needs to be taken off the property ASAP. the 334K is what concerns me. . .
It's a highly desirable configuration, possibly the best engine there is, and new tires (which don't look new TBH), brakes and transmission are all great. And it's completely rust-free. That's why the fantastically low price is suspicious.

If it's been listed for a long time, that's probably a good reason on its own to pass on it. If it was just listed and it's on the up-and-up, it will probably be snapped up before you get a chance to even look at it.
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Old 07-31-2021, 03:07 PM   #5
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You mentioned building a tiny home. Are you parking it on your land? If not planning to travel all over the US, its a good buy, for you. $3,500 is a low price for a clean chassis. Low cost up front is easier to recoup some losses later. But only if you are not adding milage & maintenance costs.

As a full time, traveling residence, it's not a secure living quarters due to the risk of being stranded while it's being repaired.

Check the hours. Looks like an activity bus from Stockton/Modesto. Maybe 10-12k hours, only. Then scoop it. Hours tell you as much as miles, can even contradict our first instincts.
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Old 07-31-2021, 03:08 PM   #6
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Stocking her facebook, looks like she was in over her head and moved out of state about a year ago. She has photos on her facebook stating she moved out of state and doesn't have a place or tools to work on it and seemed sad that she was leaving it behind.
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Old 07-31-2021, 07:09 PM   #7
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Stocking her facebook, looks like she was in over her head and moved out of state about a year ago. She has photos on her facebook stating she moved out of state and doesn't have a place or tools to work on it and seemed sad that she was leaving it behind.
If the engine is healthy, this bus is a steal. I think it's even a high-ceiling (probably 6'4") although that's tough to tell from these pics. A picture from the driver's side would show whether it is or not.
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Old 07-31-2021, 07:38 PM   #8
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Mileage along with the low asking price concern me. Do they know of issues, thus the low price? If that bus had 200k miles, apples to apples, that would be a $7-8K bus today. I'd need to see some maintenance records.
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