New members and a new skoolie.

[mrlupr]

Hello everyone,

We are Luis and Maira. We purchased our first skoolie!
We have wanted to get into converting a bus for a long time. We finally bit the bullet and picked this up at auction from Tyler Texas ISD.

We paid $1,800 for it with 162,000 miles and 7,200+ hours on the odometer. It is a 2004 International CE200 with a T444E engine and an Allison transmission (model still unknown). We drove it home the same day to Lubbock TX some 450 miles away without any problems.

Can you guys tell me if this was a wise investment?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. We are just starting this journey. If all goes well we hope to get it livable by winter 2021.

I was able to get liability insurance for it as a commercial vehicle for non-commercial use from Progressive Insurance for $32.00 a month. Is this the type of insurance I needed and does this price sound reasonable? I really hope so because I paid a year in advance for it.

We do not plan on living in it full time. We are hoping to use it for camping and vacations for the family.

It drives great albeit no more than 58 miles per hour. if anyone has ideas on how to get it going maybe 65 would be awesome. We live in Texas and it gets a little scary driving down 75 and 85 mph highways and trucks are passing as if we are standing still.

[BarnYardCamp]

I think you got it for a great price. Looking forward to pics of your build.
Good luck!

[Oscar1]

Originally Posted by mrlupr

Hello everyone,

We are Luis and Maira. We purchased our first skoolie!
We have wanted to get into converting a bus for a long time. We finally bit the bullet and picked this up at auction from Tyler Texas ISD.

We paid $1,800 for it with 162,000 miles and 7,200+ hours on the odometer. It is a 2004 International CE200 with a T444E engine and an Allison transmission (model still unknown). We drove it home the same day to Lubbock TX some 450 miles away without any problems.

Can you guys tell me if this was a wise investment?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. We are just starting this journey. If all goes well we hope to get it livable by winter 2021.

I was able to get liability insurance for it as a commercial vehicle for non-commercial use from Progressive Insurance for $32.00 a month. Is this the type of insurance I needed and does this price sound reasonable? I really hope so because I paid a year in advance for it.

We do not plan on living in it full time. We are hoping to use it for camping and vacations for the family.

It drives great albeit no more than 58 miles per hour. if anyone has ideas on how to get it going maybe 65 would be awesome. We live in Texas and it gets a little scary driving down 75 and 85 mph highways and trucks are passing as if we are standing still.Attachment 44905Attachment 44906Attachment 44907Attachment 44908

Looks like a clean rust free bus for a great price.
Just be happy you got insurance for any price! Haha.
Welcome to the fun
Carry on!

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Doesn't sound like a bad deal at all. 2004 year model can be iffy, but if memory serves the T444E isn't a problem.

Here is some info on determining your transmission:

[mrlupr]

Thanks cheese_wagon.
Mine shifter has the R-N-D-4-2-1. So I guess I have the Allison 2000. I hope this is a good thing.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by mrlupr

Thanks cheese_wagon.
Mine shifter has the R-N-D-4-2-1. So I guess I have the Allison 2000. I hope this is a good thing.

Better than an AT545, the base offering. I'm not 100% sure if this applies to the 2000, but some of the top-shelf Allisons have the top gear locked-out on skoolies, have to have it 'unlocked' electronically with a diagnostic hookup. Again, not sure if the 2000 is one of these or not, but I would look into it, would greatly help highway driving, fuel economy, cooling, and long-term durability.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by CHEESE_WAGON

Doesn't sound like a bad deal at all. 2004 year model can be iffy, but if memory serves the T444E isn't a problem.

Here is some info on determining your transmission:

Attachment 44915
Attachment 44916

Not gonna be a 545.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by mrlupr

Thanks cheese_wagon.
Mine shifter has the R-N-D-4-2-1. So I guess I have the Allison 2000. I hope this is a good thing.

Yup. You got lockup and OD.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Not gonna be a 545.

When did these stop using the AT545?

[musigenesis]

Really excellent purchase, congratulations. Rust-free and a 2000-series transmission for $1800 is about as good as it gets. Even the tires look good - and a brand new set would cost more than the bus. I think your transmission can be unlocked to give you a higher top speed, so the only knock is that the engine is a bit underpowered for a near-full-sized bus. Just don't be in a hurry to get anywhere.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by CHEESE_WAGON

When did these stop using the AT545?

Some time around 02/03. But this bus is much too late. Its got the CE200 badge and later grille.

[Lubbock Jason]

Looking forward to seeing y’alls progress. Fellow Lubbock person here

[Placeholder Bus Name]

Every time I see a great bus like this, it just reminds me at how bad I got ripped off. lol Great buy!