Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 04-15-2019, 12:08 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 17
What kind of body style is this? (Half dog nose fe?)

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/cto/6857947391.html


And also, what's the deal with the rectangular fronts on some buses? Are those also considered dog nosed?

elrayes is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2019, 12:15 AM   #2
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Greater Boston
Posts: 504
Those are oddballs, because they're pretty much in the middle of the two.

I would consider it a dognose.


There's not much of a dognose, but there is A dognose on it. That's a good 2 or 3 feet of hood.


Like a flat front, it does have a small doghouse next to the drivers seat (for the rear of the engine), but it's not that big.



(Also, you're still driving and steering it from behind the front axle - whereas most of the flat front buses, you're sitting ahead of the steering axle. While not technically a factor relating to the front, it will change the driving dynamics.)
Mark_In_MA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2019, 01:39 AM   #3
Bus Nut
 
geminusprime's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Rock Hill, SC
Posts: 255
Year: 1997
Coachwork: International
Chassis: Vista 3600
Engine: DT466E / AT545
Rated Cap: 72
The ad is mislabeled as a 3800, this is a Generation 2 International 3600 with a Thomas Vista body.

These are a hybrid that International made on a custom frame to fit in between the transit style (flat nose) and conventional style (full dog nose hood). It was essentially a cheaper alternative for transit styles.


The first generation models had many problems, many of which were remedied in the second generation (which is what is in the ad) and some that weren't.


It's a rough ride due to the driver being right over the wheel, and the engine essentially being in the middle of the front wheels making front suspension work a bit harder, and requiring it to be a bit stiffer. However as long as you stick to highways and paved roads, mine drives fine.

Some people like this type of bus, most seem to not prefer it, and a few despise it. Honestly I drove a conventional, flat nose, and this one and the only one I didn't feel comfortable driving was the transit styles (although it's just a small learning curve). The engine placement puts some components in harder to reach areas than a bus with a full hood. You also have part of the engine in the drivers compartment, which does make noise and heat. Very manageable, but still much more than a rear engine transit.


It does boast great visibility. You can't even see the hood from the drivers seat, and the bumper sits just over 2 feet from the drivers position - a hood shorter than most cars and trucks. The forward placement of the driver also makes it a bit easier to navigate and gives a big illusion of sharper turning radius (due to drivers position over the front wheels) while having a minor improvement in turning radius over conventional (due to slightly shorter wheelbase).

EDIT: Also that mileage looks super suspicious. The dashboards in the majority of these models (3600, 3800, and so many more) are notorious for having their boards go bad and getting replaced with another dashboard where the odometer isn't accurate. I may run up 200k miles of a bus, have the dash fail, and get it replaced with one showing 50k miles. 75k miles for a bus this old is incredibly odd, especially since it's not really the type that districts keep on hand as spares.
geminusprime is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2019, 12:53 PM   #4
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 17
What would you consider a fair price for this bus?
elrayes is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2019, 01:06 PM   #5
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Georgia
Posts: 2,264
Year: 2001
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: IH
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 14
I'm not a fan of the Vista body myself. I prefer a good and proper hood on mine. That said ...


I'd hazard to guess the mileage is between 150-200K. The dash has probably been replaced. A diagnostic on the engine computer will reveal the computer-logged miles (which I would accept as accurate, or at least "close enough").


Seller is asking about double what the bus is probably worth. It's 100% more than I would pay for it (since I'm not a fan of this type of body), but someone else may pay the asking price. It would be relatively easy to find another similar one at an auction for about half the price.
Brad_SwiftFur is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2019, 01:53 PM   #6
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 58
The posting has been deleted so somebody must have liked it.
Disastrogirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2019, 02:27 PM   #7
Bus Nut
 
geminusprime's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Rock Hill, SC
Posts: 255
Year: 1997
Coachwork: International
Chassis: Vista 3600
Engine: DT466E / AT545
Rated Cap: 72
IIRC it was $6500, which is far too much for a half length bus (or even a full length in good condition), and especially a vista. The whole concept that bore the Vista was the need for a cheap bus, and generally the price tags should either be at or lower than a transit or full conventional of similar quality.

To be honest I'm kind of proud to own the black sheep of the skoolie family. I love my frankenvista.
geminusprime is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2019, 02:40 PM   #8
Bus Crazy
 
Sleddgracer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: south east BC, close to the Canadian/US border
Posts: 2,265
Year: 1975
Coachwork: Chevy
Chassis: 8 window
Engine: 454 LS7
Rated Cap: 24,500
Quote:
Originally Posted by geminusprime View Post
IIRC it was $6500, which is far too much for a half length bus (or even a full length in good condition), and especially a vista. The whole concept that bore the Vista was the need for a cheap bus, and generally the price tags should either be at or lower than a transit or full conventional of similar quality.

To be honest I'm kind of proud to own the black sheep of the skoolie family. I love my frankenvista.
l kind of like that nose - if l find one that fits my needs at the right price, l wouldn't be adverse to getting one
Sleddgracer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2019, 06:13 PM   #9
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 17
He indeed was selling it for $6500. I felt it was a little high also.


Maybe someone can answer the second question too.


What's the deal with these square buses?


https://houston.craigslist.org/cto/d...863676051.html


I don't ever see them as conversions. Is there a reason? Why do they look so different yet they are from the same years as other buses.
elrayes is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2019, 06:38 PM   #10
Bus Crazy
 
Sleddgracer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: south east BC, close to the Canadian/US border
Posts: 2,265
Year: 1975
Coachwork: Chevy
Chassis: 8 window
Engine: 454 LS7
Rated Cap: 24,500
Quote:
Originally Posted by elrayes View Post
He indeed was selling it for $6500. I felt it was a little high also.


Maybe someone can answer the second question too.


What's the deal with these square buses?


https://houston.craigslist.org/cto/d...863676051.html


I don't ever see them as conversions. Is there a reason? Why do they look so different yet they are from the same years as other buses.
maybe because they are a bit more rare so there as not as many to convert? - i'd convert one if it fit my needs
Sleddgracer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2019, 06:44 PM   #11
Bus Nut
 
Rovobay's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Damascus, OR
Posts: 681
Year: 2004
Chassis: International
Engine: T444e w/ 2000 Allison Trans
Rated Cap: 35
I believe those are called workhorses. There is one that has been for sale near me. I think they have a single front end and not independent front suspension causing them to have a rough ride. seems like basically a bread truck that has been converted into a school bus more or less.

I liked the shortness of a vista and was considering them when I was hunting. Glad I ended up with a "regular" dog nose, just so I have the room to work on it when needed.
__________________
My Build: https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/sk...doo-22140.html

Follow our build on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/skoolie_doo/
Rovobay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2019, 07:31 PM   #12
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sleddgracer View Post
maybe because they are a bit more rare so there as not as many to convert? - i'd convert one if it fit my needs
Not rare. Just not very heavy duty and the chassis is sorta weak.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2019, 07:45 PM   #13
Bus Nut
 
geminusprime's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Rock Hill, SC
Posts: 255
Year: 1997
Coachwork: International
Chassis: Vista 3600
Engine: DT466E / AT545
Rated Cap: 72
Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
Not rare. Just not very heavy duty and the chassis is sorta weak.
In your opinion would the Vista have any issue with safety compared to conventional/transit due to the weaker chassis?


I never put two and two together regarding the weak chassis compared to other buses, and the fact the Vista had a custom designed chassis I assume they decided to cut back on in terms of durability.
geminusprime is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2019, 07:58 PM   #14
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Georgia
Posts: 2,264
Year: 2001
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: IH
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 14
Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
Not rare. Just not very heavy duty and the chassis is sorta weak.
Quote:
Originally Posted by geminusprime View Post
In your opinion would the Vista have any issue with safety compared to conventional/transit due to the weaker chassis?


I never put two and two together regarding the weak chassis compared to other buses, and the fact the Vista had a custom designed chassis I assume they decided to cut back on in terms of durability.

No, the Vista chassis are fine, same thing as the other IH frames.


ECCB is referring to the bread-van style buses being kinda marginal.
Brad_SwiftFur is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2019, 08:14 PM   #15
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by geminusprime View Post
In your opinion would the Vista have any issue with safety compared to conventional/transit due to the weaker chassis?


I never put two and two together regarding the weak chassis compared to other buses, and the fact the Vista had a custom designed chassis I assume they decided to cut back on in terms of durability.
Nah, vistas aren't unsafe. Neither are the p30's.
Just low-end. They ride horribly compared to any other bus I've ridden in or driven.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2019, 09:34 PM   #16
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Greater Boston
Posts: 504
Quote:
Originally Posted by elrayes View Post
He indeed was selling it for $6500. I felt it was a little high also.


Maybe someone can answer the second question too.


What's the deal with these square buses?


https://houston.craigslist.org/cto/d...863676051.html


I don't ever see them as conversions. Is there a reason? Why do they look so different yet they are from the same years as other buses.

They are rather odd ducks. I'm not sure they were terribly popular in the first place, so there aren't all that many of them to begin with. They have some issues - they're not a full-size, heavy duty chassis. They're kinda ugly head-on. Its got a full-size body, but you still have the engine half burried in the dashboard like a cutaway van. The suspension isn't great.


(Full disclosure : I'm looking at one anyway, but that's for a different thread.)

There have been about 10 different people on here who got one, or had one. . .and none have been finished. The threads all slowly died off. Here's everything I could find about 'em.

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f27/p3...one-22569.html
Mark_In_MA is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:07 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.