Help..looking at my 1st bus

[Cbd Guy]

Hey guys looking for a little help here I have a 1999 International 3800 t444e full-size bus diesel hydraulic brakes 76000 miles $2k just curious if that's a decent deal or not they're putting a new power booster in it right now tires are okay not great but okay no major leakes as far as I can tell starts right up runs fine

[Njsurf73]

Decent tires? What about date code? That seems like a fair deal if everything is as it seems... The engine is not bad, and parts are easy to find. But if the decent tires need changing soon... That's probably 1500-2000 for good name brand tires... You could cheap out on the drives, but in my opinion, the steering tires should be a good name brand.
Check a couple of things...
Check the oil when it's cold... Drip some on a white paper towel and see if a lighter "halo" forms around the darker oil... Sign of injector leaks...
Buy the coolant test strips and test for the long life additive... If it wasn't run it can lead to problems... Look at the rims... If they are rusty, they aren't cheap either... Look under the bus... Surface rust is normal, but scale rust could be an issue in the future if it isn't already. Ask for service records... And if it's not the original owner, ask who was and see if they still have them.. you can learn a lot from them and sometimes it's a pleasant surprise...

[Cbd Guy]

Originally Posted by Njsurf73

Decent tires? What about date code? That seems like a fair deal if everything is as it seems... The engine is not bad, and parts are easy to find. But if the decent tires need changing soon... That's probably 1500-2000 for good name brand tires... You could cheap out on the drives, but in my opinion, the steering tires should be a good name brand.
Check a couple of things...
Check the oil when it's cold... Drip some on a white paper towel and see if a lighter "halo" forms around the darker oil... Sign of injector leaks...
Buy the coolant test strips and test for the long life additive... If it wasn't run it can lead to problems... Look at the rims... If they are rusty, they aren't cheap either... Look under the bus... Surface rust is normal, but scale rust could be an issue in the future if it isn't already. Ask for service records... And if it's not the original owner, ask who was and see if they still have them.. you can learn a lot from them and sometimes it's a pleasant surprise...

Thanks for the great info! Wish I new a mechanic I could bring down here with me
My

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

Email black stone labs and ask for sample bottles.
Then warm the engine up and either do an oil change or pulled the plug long enough to get a good warm circulated sample and mail it to them.
Like 15$ and they tell you everything you need to know about the life expectancy of your engine.
Now do the same for your coolant.
And maybe tranny fluid.
Lot of info from them along with fluid change intervals or changes that will help it last longer
Good luck

[Cbd Guy]

Thank you very much!!

[Tango]

Excellent advice! Check it out via science!