On the hunt in Denver

[rachelkae]

Hello Skoolies! My partner Brian and I (Rachel) are jumping into the DIY camper game. We're on the hunt for a short bus or shuttle bus to take on weekend adventures and vacations. We both love the outdoors and did not get enough time exploring and enjoying Colorado this year due to COVID. Thought having a vehicle ready to go and that we could park anywhere would be a great solution.

Would love to connect with other community members nearby and hope to meet some of you on the road in 2021 and beyond!

[rachelkae]

We drove this shuttle bus over the weekend and are still thinking about it. Our biggest question mark is the age (it's a 1999). It drove well and didn't have any signs of rust or major damage, just some patched fiberglass on the back corners. The guy has had it for a year and was thinking about converting it himself but decided to hit the easy button and get an RV. Would appreciate thoughts from this group on the vehicle, age, and price. Thanks!

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...18424065399379

[Johnny Mullet]

Here is a video I did on these models............

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itqFujdwL5w

[magnakansas]

I must question the veracity of the mileage.

Age? Twenty years does not seem like a big deal to me.

I am biased. I work on my own stuff. Most of my cars and
trucks are from 1990 or older.


William

[peteg59]

That shuttle looks okay from where I sit however, there is no substitute for a thorough in person inspection of the undercarriage, as well as the mechanicals.

Sounds like you've already checked out the mechanicals in testing over the weekend.
Although not clearly stated, it likely has the V10 engine in it. That is a plus, as that particular engine should get to 200K with basic routine maintenance.

As long as the undercarriage is not rusted/rotted, it might do you right. Johnny's vid above, should cover the areas you should look at closely on the bus you're interested in.

If I was in your place, I'd offer the seller half of his/her asking price and go from there...

[rachelkae]

Thanks everyone! The video was super helpful! We're somewhat lucky here in Colorado that it's so dry we don't see as much rust on vehicles, but still something to pay attention to from winter driving or out of state vehicles.

How would we check the accuracy of the milage? It's what the odometer read. Suppose we could ask for more vehicle history/paperwork.

We're still looking as this one was also a little bigger than what we ideally want, but it seems like a good option.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Age isn't the issue with these, nor the mileage, it's the engine hours. And quite frankly, for diesel power, the older it is, the more reliable. Diesel power is a problem for me due to asthma, but I'll take a 1999 diesel over a 2009 diesel every time. Any post-04 diesel is a crap shoot, 2004-2005 DT466Es excepted.

[Johnny Mullet]

I am not a fan of Ford, but the van chassis with the V10 is pretty reliable.

[peteg59]

[QUOTE=rachelkae;421065 We're still looking as this one was also a little bigger than what we ideally want, but it seems like a good option.[/QUOTE]

If there will be two occupants using the bus, size will come into play.
When it is finished off inside, there will likely be substantially less "elbow" room than what you started with.
I have about the smallest bus made without going to an extended van, (4 window), and it is tight with just me using it!

My suggestion would be get the biggest bus you can handle, as once you build it and then find out it's too small, its too late!

Good luck, and post pics if you go forward with something...

[rachelkae]

We did it! Saw a posting for a beautiful bus and went to check it out this past weekend. It met all our criteria, so after a thorough check and test drive, we nervously/anxiously/excitedly decided to pull the trigger. It's a 2009 Champion on the Ford E450 Chassis with a V10 6.8L engine.

The bus made it the 150 mile drive over two mountain passes with no issues which is a great start in our minds! We'll pull the seats this weekend then take it for emissions and figure out registration. Fortunately we have a spot to keep it until we get plates and can figure out longer-term parking.

The bus also has drop chains if anyone knows anything about those? We didn't, but after a little research they're an interesting bonus for any winter driving. However they don't currently work. The seller thinks they may have been disconnected when the bus was decommissioned last year. Will figure that out along with a couple other little things when we get it fully checked over by a mechanic.

We're excited for this adventure and I expect I'll be spending a lot more time here going forward. Thanks for all the input so far.


(I can't figure out why some of these photos are rotated? They're not like this pre-upload. Please help!)

[rossvtaylor]

Nice! And, drop (auto) chains can be good in some situations. The only set I had experience with is basically a spinning wheel with lengths of chain. These used air pressure to force the system down, where it rode against the inside of the tire...so as the tire turned on the road, the wheel of chains spun and those lengths of chain ended up between the tire and the road. Ours was on an ambulance we bought. They're pretty simple setups, so they should be easy to diagnose and fix. I wouldn't say they're as effective as regular chains in an offroad situation, but on the road they worked well.

[rachelkae]

Yep, that's what these are!