Bus Auction Miami

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by mdbutler79

I know alota ppl like Blue birds but i am a Thomas fan. A few thoughts, i always heard to buy buses from the south are the best(?) i assume that means the Carolinas or Ga? I've also heard buses from FL are good b/c they run on flat grounds so transmissions are usually better. (lol) but i have heard Miami dade area is the total worst in bus maint. and breakdowns and not to buy down there! lol another thing, this happened when moving from NC to FL in 2010. I had to register my vehicle in FL which was expensive b/c it was coming from another state. Does this usually work with buses to i assume so, how easy is it to register a bus from another state? any thoughts, thanks!

You've heard wrong. Mountain buses and buses with big engines have the stouter transmissions. FL buses almost always have the 545 unless they're so new the 545 wasn't available.
FL buses SUCK. I live here, I see them. My shorty from Colorado is nicer than the buses I see driving kids around in my town.
FL, GA, and the carolinas usually have low-spec, cheap buses.
Look out west for the nicer buses. FL buses are just overpriced garbage.

[Brewerbob]

Moose,
Listen to ECCB. FL schools have crap funding. GA schools are little better. I wouldn't take an SC bus if you gave it to me. I don't know about other SE school systems. A few have bought MD buses and driven them further north. MD LOVES to salt roads. I looked online but never went to see one in person.

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

FL, GA, and the carolinas usually have low-spec, cheap buses.
Look out west for the nicer buses. FL buses are just overpriced garbage.

I have nothing to compare it to but WV buses seem nice. The district I bought from was great to deal with. Answered all my badgering via email before the auction was even done. Worked on the buses (I and another bought from the same auction). They spent 3 or 4 hours getting the other bus ready.

I looked at a few PA buses at a dealer. PA is in the rust belt. Looked at one VA bus. It was in good shape but it was from a third party (after the auction) and the original posting said it had a tranny problem.

If you're going to do a roof raise, the Thomas buses sides and rear slope inward BELOW the windows. Just be aware.

[EastCoastCB]

VA, WV, KY, TN, and MD are worth looking to for buses.

[Rameses]

NC has a law on the books that limits school buses to a top speed of 45 mph.

Plan on changing out the ring and pinion if you buy one from the Tar Heel state, unless you really like to take your time going places.

[cadillackid]

if you want a mechanically sound but possibly Rusty bus you look at Ohio, in ohio the inspectors actually examine the busses mechanically but as long as there are rust holes they allow them to run. so what you get are busses that run like a champ but may have some rust.

I Also see the floorida busses and it seems they run them till they die.. I see busses on used bus lots in florida that look better than the school busses carrying the kids passing by the lots...

most ohio cities have no hills on their routes so busses arent bought with mountains in the mix... cincinnati is hilly but noit rurally where you need fast mountain-capable busses..
-Christopher