Already overwhelmed. Need help narrowing it down!

[Roadschooldreamer143]

Yeah, he was very helpful with me. Between the time we negotiated on the bus and actually picking it up the turbo went out on it. They replaced it and knocked $1000 off the bus.

I'm actually emailing with them right now about my needs and he sent me a big ol list of what they will have coming this summer so far! Awesome!

I noticed they have mostly hyd brakes vs air brakes? Is one or the other "better"!?

 

[Scooternj]

Rear engine as well.

Need it to be as tall as possible but 6'3 is the shortest we will go.

Look for an 2000 or later Amtran/International 3000RE, or a Thomas Saf-T-Liner HDX. Both have 78" of headroom inside. Air ride is nice, air ride for the driver is even better; my 3000RE has a solid pedestal, so it was a pain in the ass driving it home. Best places to look around would be GovDeals and Public Surplus. And, if you know any when the local ISD starts rotating out their buses, talk to them as well. They might be able to hook you up.

 

[Scooternj]

I'm actually emailing with them right now about my needs and he sent me a big ol list of what they will have coming this summer so far! Awesome!

I noticed they have mostly hyd brakes vs air brakes? Is one or the other "better"!?

I like air over hydraulic. Better stopping power, larger brake rotors, and one less pump to fail.

 

[cadillackid]

be careful of air-Seats if you have short legs... your feet will bounce off the pedals... if you are long-legged you have a better shot..

id say for anyone travelling long distance air-ride suspension is a must..

driving my bus 1100 miles home was really nice with that air ride suspension..

-Christopher

 

[FlyboyHPD]

I bought my bus from them... they have a huge mix of busses.. some are definitely way overpriced, others not.. plus their work prices were less than others by a long shot.. I knew I wanted to have a bus painted, service performed etc.. so prisewise i ended up pretty good because their prices were easily half of other dealers for work...

if you just want a bus with no extra work, their prices can be on the high side... though some work they do to all their busses before they send them out the door...

I personally didnt want to deal with auction sirtes as i have no skills in how or when or what to bid and didnt have the time to do so...

I wanted to drive a bus, buy a bus, have any body work I needed completed.. and drive it home..

so a lot depends on your bidget and your skill level and what parts of the conversion you want to put effort on as to where you go looking for a bus..

a lot of BGA business are schools buying busses to run.. (secondary schools), churches, businesses, etc so their main customer is someone who wants a bus "Ready to drive".. this model doesnt necessarily fit the skoolie mentality as many on here buy a bus and dismantle it completely

for me it was perfect.. all the work I dont have the skills or tools to was done for me..

-Christopher

I also bought my bus from BGA and am completely happy with the experience. They can remove the seats for you, have a great layaway program, and can even re-title the bus to an RV before you take ownership of it.

EastCoastCB does not care for them, and that is his opinion. But I have heard nothing but great things about them and my own good dealings with them. Plus, if they were not a good company I'd doubt they would still be in business. Just my two cents.

 

[cowlitzcoach]

DO NOT pay extra if the bus has a coach A/C system.

Not only are they a maintenance nightmare but they cost a LOT of $$$$ to keep them blowing cold. And the worst thing about most of those systems is the cold air does not blow on the driver.

It would be less expensive to mount RV style roof top or basement A/C systems that can run off of a genset or an invertor while on the road.

When purchasing a bus from a dealer do not be afraid to make a ridiculous offer on a bus. Most of the time dealers have a lot more used inventory than what they would really like. Selling a bus for $1K over cost is better than sitting on it for another six months.

And most importantly, do not fall in love with a particular bus. If that one should sell there will be others that will come down the road later just as nice or nicer for the same or lower price.

 

[cadillackid]

DO NOT pay extra if the bus has a coach A/C system.

Not only are they a maintenance nightmare but they cost a LOT of $$$$ to keep them blowing cold. And the worst thing about most of those systems is the cold air does not blow on the driver.

It would be less expensive to mount RV style roof top or basement A/C systems that can run off of a genset or an invertor while on the road.

When purchasing a bus from a dealer do not be afraid to make a ridiculous offer on a bus. Most of the time dealers have a lot more used inventory than what they would really like. Selling a bus for $1K over cost is better than sitting on it for another six months.

And most importantly, do not fall in love with a particular bus. If that one should sell there will be others that will come down the road later just as nice or nicer for the same or lower price.

I agree on the A/C.. UNLESS you are going to be driving youre bus most of the time.. (like me).. but if you are going to be using it for overnight stays, a home, etc then coach type bus A/C is useless.. if its toy hauler and you are always running it on the road then A/C is great.. and you can EASILY duct it to blow on the driver...

However that said.. even ifyou want coach style A/C.. putting a new one in will get yuou the best results.. which is what im doing to mine... older units ARE a pain to keep working as many schools neglect them severely..

-Christopher

 

[Roadschooldreamer143]

DO NOT pay extra if the bus has a coach A/C system.

Not only are they a maintenance nightmare but they cost a LOT of $$$$ to keep them blowing cold. And the worst thing about most of those systems is the cold air does not blow on the driver.

It would be less expensive to mount RV style roof top or basement A/C systems that can run off of a genset or an invertor while on the road.

When purchasing a bus from a dealer do not be afraid to make a ridiculous offer on a bus. Most of the time dealers have a lot more used inventory than what they would really like. Selling a bus for $1K over cost is better than sitting on it for another six months.

And most importantly, do not fall in love with a particular bus. If that one should sell there will be others that will come down the road later just as nice or nicer for the same or lower price.

Thank you for the insight! I'll skip the AC and put in something aftermarket then! I'm definitely not in love with any one type yet. Honestly if engine and height requirements are met, the rest I feel could be adjusted. We are both very tall so air ride seats should be just fine, we planned on getting them anyway for captain as well as co-captain...the kids can suffer in their car seats lol.

 

[EastCoastCB]

DO NOT pay extra if the bus has a coach A/C system.

Not only are they a maintenance nightmare but they cost a LOT of $$$$ to keep them blowing cold. And the worst thing about most of those systems is the cold air does not blow on the driver.

It would be less expensive to mount RV style roof top or basement A/C systems that can run off of a genset or an invertor while on the road.

When purchasing a bus from a dealer do not be afraid to make a ridiculous offer on a bus. Most of the time dealers have a lot more used inventory than what they would really like. Selling a bus for $1K over cost is better than sitting on it for another six months.

And most importantly, do not fall in love with a particular bus. If that one should sell there will be others that will come down the road later just as nice or nicer for the same or lower price.

Was waiting for you to chime in on it!

 

[EastCoastCB]

I also bought my bus from BGA and am completely happy with the experience. They can remove the seats for you, have a great layaway program, and can even re-title the bus to an RV before you take ownership of it.

EastCoastCB does not care for them, and that is his opinion. But I have heard nothing but great things about them and my own good dealings with them. Plus, if they were not a good company I'd doubt they would still be in business. Just my two cents.

They sent you down the road on dangerous tires at 2-3x the price of the same bus from somewhere else. That's why I try to tell folks to skip putting the money in ANY dealers hands and put that money into a nice bus they got direct.
Not everyone can/will do this but they oughta try, IMO

 

[boojiewoojie]

Was thinking about your search this morning while running my routes.... It may be worth your while to negotiate on those buses in AZ. They have high hours on them but they come from a school district with their own maintenance department so they're probably well taken care of. And being on a heavy duty chassis they probably have many more miles left in them.

The main reason I was thinking they may be worth looking at some more: NO rust. It would be great to build a conversion on a platform that has no rust. Especially if it's going to be sitting unused for most of the year.

Like Cowlitzcouch was saying: Make a ridiculous but serious offer on it. They are too old for contractors in the U.S. to be interested in them so the only market for them is probably export and people looking to convert them.

 

[boojiewoojie]

That's why I try to tell folks to skip putting the money in ANY dealers hands and put that money into a nice bus they got direct.
Not everyone can/will do this but they oughta try, IMO

True. If you have the time to search auctions and call individual school districts you can end up with a real bargain. Unfortunately many districts trade in their buses to a dealership which tends to give dealers a pretty tight hold on the market.

Sure wish California wasn't so PC with the Crowns....

 

[Roadschooldreamer143]

Was thinking about your search this morning while running my routes.... It may be worth your while to negotiate on those buses in AZ. They have high hours on them but they come from a school district with their own maintenance department so they're probably well taken care of. And being on a heavy duty chassis they probably have many more miles left in them.

The main reason I was thinking they may be worth looking at some more: NO rust. It would be great to build a conversion on a platform that has no rust. Especially if it's going to be sitting unused for most of the year.

Like Cowlitzcouch was saying: Make a ridiculous but serious offer on it. They are too old for contractors in the U.S. to be interested in them so the only market for them is probably export and people looking to convert them.

What kind of offer should I come in with? I don't want to be insulting.

 

[Robin97396]

Be insulting. Are they going to kick you off the lot?

 

[Roadschooldreamer143]

Be insulting. Are they going to kick you off the lot?

Well...it will be over the phone...so he might laugh and hang up...

 

[boojiewoojie]

Since nobody has chimed in... If the bus is as represented what is the most you're willing to pay? What is the price that would make you say, "Ok, we're on our way to pick it up!"

Personally, I would be upfront and try for $4000 if that is your "right now" limit. If he laughs at you, well, it's out of your price range and move on to the next bus.

The buses are from the Peoria Unified School District in the Phoenix area. It might be worth it to call the transportation department tomorrow and ask about them. Their web site states that they use Public Surplus but they don't have any buses listed in closed auctions.

 

[Roadschooldreamer143]

Since nobody has chimed in... If the bus is as represented what is the most you're willing to pay? What is the price that would make you say, "Ok, we're on our way to pick it up!"

Personally, I would be upfront and try for $4000 if that is your "right now" limit. If he laughs at you, well, it's out of your price range and move on to the next bus.

The buses are from the Peoria Unified School District in the Phoenix area. It might be worth it to call the transportation department tomorrow and ask about them. Their web site states that they use Public Surplus but they don't have any buses listed in closed auctions.

How much I'm willing to pay and how much I have in my own back pocket currently are two very different things However my grandmother sold her house for a pretty penny 2 years ago and my mom is asking her lawyers if it will effect her medical insurance (her lump sum is considered her "income" and is essentially rationed out to carry her through her days) but if I can, I'm going to borrow the difference from her and pay her back a little each month so we can still start work on the bus.

Soooo say a little prayer because to me this bus in Arizona feels like it's the one and with all the positive comments about it I'm gonna go for it. Will definitely try to talk him down though!

Putting a deposit down today!

 

[Brad_SwiftFur]

If you want an air-ride bus, 99.9% will have air brakes as well. Consider this - tractor-trailers and heavy trucks all use air brakes. The vast majority use common parts which are easy to come by and you can shop around for fair prices. Air brakes work a little differently than hydraulic brakes, the most noticeable being a slight lag between "when you push the pedal" to "brakes actually slowing the bus", typically a few tenths of a second (maybe a second or longer on big trucks). Hydraulic pressure travels almost instantly, air pressure takes time to travel through the lines and to the brake chambers. This is not a bad thing, it's just the nature of the system.

 

[Roadschooldreamer143]

If you want an air-ride bus, 99.9% will have air brakes as well. Consider this - tractor-trailers and heavy trucks all use air brakes. The vast majority use common parts which are easy to come by and you can shop around for fair prices. Air brakes work a little differently than hydraulic brakes, the most noticeable being a slight lag between "when you push the pedal" to "brakes actually slowing the bus", typically a few tenths of a second (maybe a second or longer on big trucks). Hydraulic pressure travels almost instantly, air pressure takes time to travel through the lines and to the brake chambers. This is not a bad thing, it's just the nature of the system.

That's what I assumed I've just never driven them myself. I'm sure it is fairly easy to get used to. Makes sense now why semi trucks always leave so much distance between the car in front of them. Thank you for explaining it in more detail.

 

[jake_blue-SKO]

That's what I assumed I've just never driven them myself. I'm sure it is fairly easy to get used to. Makes sense now why semi trucks always leave so much distance between the car in front of them. Thank you for explaining it in more detail.

Plus the mere physics that it takes longer to stop when you weigh 25X as much as that car in front of you... And that's one thing you'll come to appreciate very quickly is just how ignorant, rude and downright deadly drivers can be around larger vehicles. It'll really change your perspective and hopefully make you a better driver when you're in a car around trucks and buses.