400,000...buy it or keep looking?

[Romoshka]

Newbie here. Skoolie wannabe - no, skoolie gonnabe. Entering the autumn of my life. Newly single and have decided this is my next journey. I’ve decided on the bus I want and have found exactly what I want, or at least what I think 8 want. My question to the collective regards expected engine life. This is a 48 passenger pusher engine advertised as having a Cummings isx with Allison transmission with 398,000 on the odo. Knowing nothing of Diesel engine longevity or varieties. Is this extreme mileage or not? Asking $7500.

 

[rossvtaylor]

They do last a long time...but that's a ton of miles for that price. For example, a dealer in the SW (which typically be more expensive than an auction sale) has multiple 2007 options with half those miles, new tires, new batteries, and for less than $7500. I've seen these in person and they're desert buses, so rust free and clean. I'm not pushing that option, as there are cheaper routes to take. But it does seem to demonstrate that your potential bus is priced too high.



And...welcome and Merry Christmas! We look forward to seeing where you go with all this. We're pretty new here in the forum (as we've usually worked with non-school buses) but we've found this group to be really helpful and friendly.

 

[Romoshka]

Wow. Thanks for that data. Does this SW dealer you reference have a website or other contact data ?

 

[peteg59]

If the engine and transmission are new or rebuilt recently, then the mileage shouldn't scare you away.
If there is any rust, along with that mileage, I'd pass.

Sometimes it takes awhile to find the "right" bus.
If you rush into the buying process and don't carefully evaluate the prospective busses both mechanically and body/undercarriage wise, you might find out you wasted a lot of your $$ needlessly on a bus that will be a proverbial "Money Pit".

Good luck...

 

[Oscar1]

Welcome and Merry Christmas.
That is a high price for a bus that is not in very good to pristine condition.
The 400,000 miles alone would make me look elsewhere, even with excellent service from a school board with a good budget that is an engine and drivetrain at or near the end of its life expectancy. Don't forget those 400,000 mile are on every component of that bus. think about transmission, diff, suspension, switches, pumps, seals, bearings and more.
Good luck with your search.

Oscar

 

[Sehnsucht-SKO]

Unless the seller can certify with documentation that the engine AND transmission has been completely overhauled professionally I'd keep looking. And even then as Oscar1 indicated that doesn't address the age and mileage wear and tear on all the other components. That mileage is end of life for those engines and the price is indicative of much better buses with much lower miles.

 

[Romoshka]

Ok, it seems that the collective has steered me away from this bus. I’m very appreciative. Is there somewhere on this site where one can look for buses? As in websites of sellers?

 

[Oscar1]

Not for certain a run away situation! Do some more research and provide more details. Is the bus rust free or minimal rust? As was mentioned can you confirm engine/ trans replacement? Can you see work/service history and major parts replaced? Tires? Many more factors. What if that bus has a brand new engine/trans(not likely) and is rust free and you could negotiate the price to $5000 then all of a sudden maybe it's looking a little better. What are your bus plans?build it to live in with no travel or expect to travel the country 5 times over? Look at the real big picture before jumping in on that first perceived great bus.
Cheers

Oscar

 

[musigenesis]

Ok, it seems that the collective has steered me away from this bus. I’m very appreciative. Is there somewhere on this site where one can look for buses? As in websites of sellers?

Check out govdeals.com and publicsurplus.com (among others) for bus auctions. Don't be reluctant to buy from an auction - often the buses you see for sale on Craigslist and from bus dealers are just buses somebody bought from an auction site for a few thousand and are trying to flip for as much profit as possible (and you're not likely to get anything beneficial out of their profit - they're unlikely to have done much in the way of maintenance after getting the bus).

 

[Ronnie-SKO]

Not for certain a run away situation! Do some more research and provide more details. Is the bus rust free or minimal rust? As was mentioned can you confirm engine/ trans replacement? Can you see work/service history and major parts replaced? Tires? Many more factors. What if that bus has a brand new engine/trans(not likely) and is rust free and you could negotiate the price to $5000 then all of a sudden maybe it's looking a little better. What are your bus plans?build it to live in with no travel or expect to travel the country 5 times over? Look at the real big picture before jumping in on that first perceived great bus.
Cheers

Oscar

Very much in agreement on this.

 

[rossvtaylor]

Wow. Thanks for that data. Does this SW dealer you reference have a website or other contact data ?

Yes, Las Vegas Bus Sales...and while I really like them, and they have probably 40-50 school buses to choose from, I wasn't trying to push you to a dealer. Obviously, they have a profit built in there. That's not bad...that's business. I just wanted to show that, even with the dealer's profit margin built in, you could find cheaper options in newer condition.


As said above, GovDeals is a great site and we've bought 2 buses through that auction process. We also really like PurpleWave, which is reserve free. And finally, Public Surplus. We even bought a bus through ebay Motors.


Would buying through a dealer be worth the extra cost? In some cases, yes. We bought a Freightliner medium duty ambulance through a dealer back east and, despite it being more expensive than through an auction site, it was worth it to know what they did and checked and replaced. I felt completely comfortable flying from Arizona to Pennsylvania and driving it home. Then again, I've done that numerous times with auction vehicles too...


In general, if you want to spend the least up front then an auction site (directly from the government seller) will be your cheapest route...up front. Good research and wise choices can help you keep that lower-cost route lower in the long run, too. Many of the districts don't have good communication between the maintenance department and the buyers. So you may find a bus with newly replaced tires or a recent rebuild that ends up for sale, just due to the rotation and replacement timing. Our Gilligs were like that. Some of the buses at Las Vegas Bus Sales (again...just for example...) still have the rubber nibs on the tires...then they were sold off for replacement.


I think we all urge you to keep looking. But keep running the options past the group here and you'll get some great knowledgeable feedback and learned suggestions (from others...not me...haha!)