New to Skool in Southern Oregon!

[Querkzle23]

Hello everyone,

Chris in Roseburg, OR, checking in to introduce myself!

Sarjé, my partner, Albuquerque & Cocoa Bean, our cats and I are brand spankin' new to the Skoolie community. We are quickly learning as much as we can before we buy our first bus and attempt to go full-time! I have gained a ton of knowledge just poring over these threads these past few days, and would like to thank everyone who has already contributed so much information to this fantastic forum!

I have seen lots of buses for sale, but so far, none of them have quite matched the particular set of features we have in mind.

To the best of my reckoning, our current goals include these specs:

2001 or newer
Fewer than 200k miles
Verifiable maintenance logs
8-10 windows
25' - 34' bumper to bumper, flat front (we think?)
Diesel Engine with Allison 600 or 3000 series automatic transmission
Air brakes
6 & 1/2' tall ceiling, 7 & 1/2' wide interior
Partial or unconverted is ideal!
Less than $9,000


Is this list of combinations even possible? Reasonable?

Any input is very much appreciated!


~Chris

[PNW_Steve]

Welcome!

Oregon is a great place to be bus shopping. We see a lot of nice buses (including mine) come out of Oregon and Washington.

While many of us buy at auction, there is a dealer in Oregon that I have heard good things about. Wolf Creek (541) 866-2509

I bought mine at auction on the Govdeals auction site. It came from Central School District. I picked it up in Salem. The "deals" generally come from the auction sites but sometimes you can get bit in the posterior buying at auction. It can be a gamble.

[o1marc]

With some aggressive buying techniques, $9K will buy you 3 of those buses.

[peteg59]

Originally Posted by o1marc

With some aggressive buying techniques, $9K will buy you 3 of those buses.

Or 1 through an overpriced stealer, er dealer.

Check all mechanicals and thoroughly inspect the undercarriage for rust/rot.
It sounds like you and your partner know what you need, but its always: "Buyer Beware".
Good luck in your search...

[mmoore6856]

living in the damp pnw i would have hydraulic disk as air brakes require daily inspection on my truck and that damp air likes to freeze up. thawed 11 frozen brakes last winter by laying under a trailer in miserable weather with a propane torch. do some research as you need to understand them and are expensive to work. one last note in all my years i never seen truck with hydraulic brakes on a runaway ramp.however its your choice