Any experienced folks willing to answer some questions?

[1Advanced]

I'm trying to find a bus 40 long. Preferably with engine in back but thats not critical. I understand best is to get Cummins and Allison yet some folks like Cat others say to stay away from it.

Biggest debate is that I want a reliable bus, I understand that post 2008 have at least DPF and often DEF, which is best to stay away from as if it breaks then there is big expenses, but do they break often is the question? I guess I'm trying to understand is it really best to get a bus prior to 2008, because it may have other issues and other things break, from what I see online people even sometimes replace engines on these, so do those 2 risks weigh the same or does DPF and DEF potential issues really outweigh the other potential problems? So simple question is it worth to stay away from 2008 and up buses, because I seen some really nice 2010 ones and some with just DPF and not DEF.

Second thing I'm trying to understand is... How good are those blood mobiles? I know the school buses are very tough and in case of accident they really protect those inside, can the same be said for blood mobiles? I know they also often use Blue Bird and have similar engines with Cummins and Allison. But ar the walls as though, are the metal sheets as thick?
Are there any issues registering these or converting to RV title? Thanks.

 

[nikitis]

I'm trying to find a bus 40 long. Preferably with engine in back but thats not critical. I understand best is to get Cummins and Allison yet some folks like Cat others say to stay away from it.

Biggest debate is that I want a reliable bus, I understand that post 2008 have at least DPF and often DEF, which is best to stay away from as if it breaks then there is big expenses, but do they break often is the question? I guess I'm trying to understand is it really best to get a bus prior to 2008, because it may have other issues and other things break, from what I see online people even sometimes replace engines on these, so do those 2 risks weigh the same or does DPF and DEF potential issues really outweigh the other potential problems? So simple question is it worth to stay away from 2008 and up buses, because I seen some really nice 2010 ones and some with just DPF and not DEF.

Second thing I'm trying to understand is... How good are those blood mobiles? I know the school buses are very tough and in case of accident they really protect those inside, can the same be said for blood mobiles? I know they also often use Blue Bird and have similar engines with Cummins and Allison. But ar the walls as though, are the metal sheets as thick?
Are there any issues registering these or converting to RV title? Thanks.

So to answer your questions.

Do they break often? (Post 2008). Often times those buses are being sold because DPF (Diesel Particulate filters) have to regenerate and often are not doing so any longer which is a reason for sale of the bus in the first place because replacing those systems cost as much or more than you would pay for the bus. If you did spend to replace it, it would work and last you a good 10 years easy without issues likely. It's just that some don't want to fork over the costs to replace the system with a new one. Some Buses have engine problems which are costly on any version of the bus but to have engine problems plus DPF issues, it becomes too costly for most to want to make the investment, especially since there are still non DPF buses in existance.

Most here won't know much about blood mobiles, but school buses are built to safety standards to protect children and is a high standard. This is one of the benefits of building out in a bus vs Vans.

 

[1Advanced]

What if to reprogram and turn off dpf, are problems avoided then? Someone is telling me they can turn it off without physical modifications.

 

[desrtdog]

2007+ engines have DPF; 2010+ are DEF. Note that the bus year is typically not the engine year, so if you get a 2007 bus, it is quite likely that the engine will be pre-DPF…same with a 2010 bus (pre-DEF engine)… something that you can easily check when looking at potential buses.

I don’t know what the bodies or frames of blood m9biles are made of, but they do look a lot more like motor homes than busses…

 

[nikitis]

What if to reprogram and turn off dpf, are problems avoided then? Someone is telling me they can turn it off without physical modifications.

Many can be turned off and run fine, however the legal problems you may run into driving in states that are CARB Compliant will see that the VIN it came with DPF, so if disabled they will cite you for removal of it. It's tied to the VIN forever on record.

I have a 94 3box (Sold as 95), and it doesn't have any of that on the VIN. If my engine were to die and I put in a modern Diesel engine into it I could legally disable all of the DPF/DEF stuff and just run a clean diesel. CARB would run my VIN at a stop and see it's too old and likely wouldn't be an issue. They go by VIN and Chassis, but for you this would not be the case because your VIN will always have that DPF stamped in the digital records forever and will require it.

 

[1dmpo]

Many can be turned off and run fine, however the legal problems you may run into driving in states that are CARB Compliant will see that the VIN it came with DPF, so if disabled they will cite you for removal of it. It's tied to the VIN forever on record.

I have a 94 3box (Sold as 95), and it doesn't have any of that on the VIN. If my engine were to die and I put in a modern Diesel engine into it I could legally disable all of the DPF/DEF stuff and just run a clean diesel. CARB would run my VIN at a stop and see it's too old and likely wouldn't be an issue. They go by VIN and Chassis, but for you this would not be the case because your VIN will always have that DPF stamped in the digital records forever and will require it.

Why are you so concerned about CARB? California Air Resources Board doesn't have anything to do with any of the other 49 states. It's only a California thing.

 

[Albatross]

Why are you so concerned about CARB? California Air Resources Board doesn't have anything to do with any of the other 49 states. It's only a California thing.

It actually does, since several other states will refer to California--and CARB specifically--for "guidance" on how to run their states.



And it's long been a thing that whatever California does, the rest of the states will do later. And they will actually push this on other states, too.

 

[DeMac]

Florida: the un-california state

It actually does, since several other states will refer to California--and CARB specifically--for "guidance" on how to run their states.



And it's long been a thing that whatever California does, the rest of the states will do later. And they will actually push this on other states, too.

Florida does not participate with California laws as it's against the Florida constitution. The citizens of the Sunshine State enacted a constitutional ammendment forbidding the adoption of California laws. The ammendment is commonly refered to as Florida Man rights, Ammendment 9 and the No Gavin law.

For 2025, the state of Florida is offering a $7500 incentive to convert EV cars to gas engines, although to reap the full value, applicants must install a US built V-8.

Sure it's satire, yet kinda not.





Fun Fact:
Jeb Bush eliminated Florida emissions & smog checks a quarter of a century ago. It's not coming back.

 

[Albatross]

Sure, but that's Florida.

Texas doesn't quite have alligators as big as they get in Florida, the largest I've seen in real life is probably only around 10-11 foot or so, and the largest I've heard of was maybe a 13-footer.

 

[desrtdog]

Sure, but that's Florida.

Texas doesn't quite have alligators as big as they get in Florida, the largest I've seen in real life is probably only around 10-11 foot or so, and the largest I've heard of was maybe a 13-footer.

I think you must be mistaken, because everyone knows everything’s bigger in Texas…