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Old 02-02-2023, 01:00 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2023
Posts: 11
1st Bus

Hi everyone, this is my first time in the forum world and it’s my understanding you all have the knowledge. So my wife and I are looking for our first bus and we found one that fits us perfectly. However there is a catch, it has some rust. The body is excellent but the frame has surface rust and a few of the floor braces have small holes. I usually would walk away from rust but it’s a 2005 IC 11 window. It has a DT466e with the Allison 2500 transmission. ONLY 80,000 miles. Purchase price is around 3k. I could take the time to repair but not sure if it’s worth it. We would love to be on the road asap but we have 2 year contracts to finish. We just hope to have it ready by then. So my question is commit or walk away? Sorry so long and thank you in advance.

N.Wilt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-02-2023, 01:37 PM   #2
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Central Alabama
Posts: 541
Year: 1998
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: TC/2000
Engine: 5.9 Cummins 12-valve
Rated Cap: 1
There are so many buses to choose from. Maybe not today but maybe soon. Be patient. I can't seem to find any threads here that recommend buying a rusty bus but you can find threads of some nightmare rusty buses. Unless you can verify mileage through documentation or from the ecm I wouldn't trust the odometer especially on an International/IC chassis. Can you give any idea of where you are located and where you are searching?
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Old 02-02-2023, 02:01 PM   #3
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Suburbs of Winterset, OH
Posts: 802
Year: 2005
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: FS65
Engine: Mercedes 6.4L
Rated Cap: just the 2 of us
Rust is kind of like an iceberg....the rust you see is only a small part of it.
Don't trust the odometer, some fail more than others.
Does it have an hour meter? Hours are just as important as miles if not more so.
Even with a solid bus (little or no rust) 2 years will go by quick...depending on your conversion plans you may need more time.
Good luck....keep us posted!
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Old 02-03-2023, 11:53 AM   #4
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,751
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
+1 on rust.. surface rust is no worry.. however holes even small ones completely through any panel means there is likely a lot more where that came from. in any International 80,000 miles is possibly correct, possibly not... the gauges on IH are notorious for freezing or working when they want... from experience the odometer is prone to stopping when the gauges dont work.. the true mileage is generally stored in the ECM computer... if you have an LCD panel odometer you have a better chance at correct mileage..


is rust a big deal? it all depends on your skillset.. if metalworking is in your wheelhouse then rust may be something not to worry about as you know you can just rip and tear , weld, rivet, and replace... but if you have never done rust repair then the learning curve can be steep to make a strong long-lasting repair.
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