2 buses pre conversion

[neversayneverbus]

Question first and then some background:
Is there any companies out there with drivers that deliver buses from around Cincinnati, OH to Evansville, IN?


I recently tried the public surplus auction site after many months of looking for a bus to convert. I've had a few really bad experiences trying to purchase a bus, and was losing hope of finding one. So I wasn't really expecting much on this site. But I found some buses with what I was looking for and they only
had "fuel leak starting from tank" listed as wrong. Well I really liked #19, so put a bid in on it. I got outbid after a day or so, but kept bidding. #10 was also on there, and the buses are pretty much identical. As the bid kept going up on #19 I was getting panicked that I might get outbid for what the bus was worth, so I put a bid in on #10 as well. #10 auction ended 1 hour before #19 did, so I didn't want to miss it in case I was outbid on #19.

The auction for #10 ended and I was the lucky winner. But I had gotten tired of putting in bid after bid on #19 in $25 dollar increments, so just proxy bid up to $1600. After the auction ended, I found that whoever was bidding against me, had stopped at $1600, so I ended up winning #19 as well.

So now I have 2 buses, where before I had none. Due to auction rules, I can't pick them up until November 5th-15th. Starting the 3rd I'm on 12 hour shifts at work and have little time to pick the buses up. Just bad timing, but is there any companies out there who would have drivers that could bring the buses to me?

I know it would be much cheaper, just to get some friends together and drive them home, but just looking at options.

 

[o1marc]

What, in your mind, would be a fair price for someones time to buy airfare to the bus, probably a hotel room for that night. Leave early next day and deliver late that day. Fly back home?
What if it breaks down while enroute?

A bit of advice you probably won't need for awhile, never bid on anything at auction until the last 5 minutes or less. All bids coming in days before are meaningless. All they do is drive the price up.
And I'm sure you'll find out soon enough why we would not recommend buying buses from that area.

 

[neversayneverbus]

Well I was hoping to find someone local to the area. So no airfare or hotels. It would take 3 people. 2 to drive the buses, and 1 to drive the car that would get them all back. It's a 4 hour trip, so 8 hours round trip in a car. Not sure what that translates to in a bus for half of the trip.

As far as breaking down on the way, I would hope it wouldn't happen. But I see what you are saying. I would just have to get a tow truck to get it to a local shop.

And I'm sure there is going to be a lot of rust issues. I'm not in a hurry though. I wanted a good hobby, so will fix it all as I go.

As far as price? Not sure. I probably wouldn't want to go over 1k total. At an hourly wage if it takes 10 hours, that is 33ish an hour for each person. And then I would pay for fuel in the buses.

 

[o1marc]

That sounds more than fair. Too bad I'm not in your area. I have to bring one from Beaverton,Ore. to Atl on Fri.

 

[EastCoastCB]

What, in your mind, would be a fair price for someones time to buy airfare to the bus, probably a hotel room for that night. Leave early next day and deliver late that day. Fly back home?
What if it breaks down while enroute?

A bit of advice you probably won't need for awhile, never bid on anything at auction until the last 5 minutes or less. All bids coming in days before are meaningless. All they do is drive the price up.
And I'm sure you'll find out soon enough why we would not recommend buying buses from that area.

I always bid early and low. To each their own... None of mine were high priced. I've not even spent ten grand on this hobby in a decade.

 

[EastCoastCB]

Well I was hoping to find someone local to the area. So no airfare or hotels. It would take 3 people. 2 to drive the buses, and 1 to drive the car that would get them all back. It's a 4 hour trip, so 8 hours round trip in a car. Not sure what that translates to in a bus for half of the trip.

As far as breaking down on the way, I would hope it wouldn't happen. But I see what you are saying. I would just have to get a tow truck to get it to a local shop.

And I'm sure there is going to be a lot of rust issues. I'm not in a hurry though. I wanted a good hobby, so will fix it all as I go.

As far as price? Not sure. I probably wouldn't want to go over 1k total. At an hourly wage if it takes 10 hours, that is 33ish an hour for each person. And then I would pay for fuel in the buses.

Eric aka Kubla... Hit him up. He lives in Cincinatti and LOVES buses. He used to deliver bluebirds from the factory.

 

[cadillackid]

I live in columbus... if I had a way to get from evansville back to cincy a couple times i could drive them out. I have friends near evansville and in cincy but none that go between much..

 

[cadillackid]

what kind of busses are these?

 

[Kubla]

I delivered new international trucks, not bluebirds

 

[EastCoastCB]

I delivered new international trucks, not bluebirds

my bad- stoner memory...

 

[WIbluebird]

The Bluebird factory in Fort Valley GA is well worth the trip. I've picked up buses there for my company before, it is a skoolie's paradise. If you go in July or August the entire town is PACKED with buses in literally every shape and size since BB builds orders for the entire country there.

As for OP, I wouldn't bother traveling long distance to buy rust belt buses. 90% of the time they aren't worth the additional expense and risk of breaking down. If you're going to travel to buy a bus, get one from out West. They are WAY WAY nicer and actually worth the travel.

 

[cadillackid]

Evansville to cincy is only a couple hundred miles..

My little RedByrd has gotten so many thumbs up around fort valley..
Me being a bus enthusiast (I’m more into collecting and restoring). It is most definitely a really neat place to go. I need to get on a tour.. I’ve been told by more than one that just by showing up at the factory in RedByrd would likely get me the VIP treatment lol

 

[plfking]

I have to bring one from Beaverton,Ore. to Atl on Fri.

Pay close attention to the road signs, and your orientation to the sun, so you won't drive 300 miles in the wrong direction again.

And remember......flowerbeds and lamp posts are stationary objects, and therefore have the right-of-way.

 

[neversayneverbus]

Both of the buses are international with the dt466. Just doing a lot of research, it appears the dt466 are much easier to rebuild and work on than the CAT engines. I couldn't find very many with the Cummins engine in them.

I've not done much traveling in anything bigger than a car, but I really don't like driving much, so didn't want to take days of driving to get anything out west. Would rather fix the rust than drive halfway across the country for a bus without rust. Last big trip I took was to Atlanta, and someone in a big box truck hit me on the interstate so hard that it completely removed the trunk of my car. Put me in the hospital, and now I'm kinda gun shy of driving. But I'm guessing being in such a big vehicle will make a huge difference. Harder to run over.

@EastCoastCB was reading another thread of yours and saw how cheap you can get metal to skin the buses. That is awesome. $230 dollars for a 4x10 sheet here. Although I think I was pricing 16ga. I always thought that was what you used, not 18ga. But guess I was wrong.

I'm still waiting to see what days I'll be able to pick them up, and how my work schedule goes to see if I can do it myself. But it would be nice to come home from work and they just be there. lol

 

[Native-SKO]

Well I was hoping to find someone local to the area. So no airfare or hotels. It would take 3 people. 2 to drive the buses, and 1 to drive the car that would get them all back. It's a 4 hour trip, so 8 hours round trip in a car. Not sure what that translates to in a bus for half of the trip.

Or ... two people doing it twice.


Or ... one person taking public transportation and taking two trips as well.


Congratulations on winning the two! Enjoy!