Best questions to ask seller?

[QueSeraSarah]

Hiya! I'm so excited to start my bus conversion journey that I'm scared I'll mess it up by being over- eager. There's an ad on kijiji I want to possibly check out but the pic is from summer ( January in SK here). The add reads
2000 International School Bus
36 passenger
258712 km

What further questions should I ask beyond transmission type, engine make, service records? I want to email her before driving four hours to check it out! Suggestions? Is there a checklist or PDF to use for buying a bus? Also, does anyone also in Western Canada know where I can send an oil sample to be analyses if I do go look at it?

Thank you in advance for your help. :Thanx:

I know that getting the right bus for me includes an automatic that I can put a roof rack on, and is short enough to get in my front yard to work on it, my neighbours are great folks but the municipal bylaw dude will flip if I park on the street

 

[Puggy-ClassB]

I'd be curious what the last long trip it did, and how it went. If it had done a good long trip and did OK, you'd know it's got some legs in it. If the last long trip (or if it's never done one) was a series of disasters, you know it's not great.

Consider that if you have to drive 4 hours to go see it, you'll have to drive it for 4 hours to get it home - and want to make sure it can make that trip.

 

[CaptainInsaneo]

In canada, does it have chains, grit dispensers? Rust, how much rust? TIRES! What is the condition and age of the tires.......

 

[QueSeraSarah]

Thanks for the tip about the tires! In Saskatchewan they use a much lower salt ratio on roads, this is a rural use bus from what they're saying they used it just to haul stuff around the farm... Four hours isn't a long drive up here, I will go down and kick the tires! I'm expecting some rust. I also got in touch with my local bus service in town to ask them to help me look for a bus (small towns are good that way)

I have no idea what a grit dispenser is and I've never used chains on tires in my life! Huh. We just buy winter tires and change them out. Since the whole point of this is to avoid winters in Saskatchewan... At any rate, thanks for the suggestions, I'm checking my messages obsessively for seller to get back to me. I think the buying process will be long.

 

[Hank's P-O-S]

If SK is anything like MB, you will get a "bone stock" bus with out the "good stuff".
"good stuff" meaning the things listed like grit dispensers, under belly storage, automatic chains.
It will probably be slow, think the least H.P. engine and there will be no overdrive in the transmission.
There will be rust, the rear cap will be rusted to **** if it lived on gravel roads.

If you do buy the bus and you are planning on running around in the winters or on a "gumbo" field buy a proper set of tire chains.

Buses as they are built on 3 or 5 ton chassis, witch are a staple of most farms, generally do fine running on the back farm roads as long as they are gravel based not mud. Flat out at 100kmh they do fine on any road surface, paved or gravel.

The two buses we have were bought from farmers, generally they are both OK.

 

[QueSeraSarah]

If SK is anything like MB, you will get a "bone stock" bus with out the "good stuff".
"good stuff" meaning the things listed like grit dispensers, under belly storage, automatic chains.
It will probably be slow, think the least H.P. engine and there will be no overdrive in the transmission.
There will be rust, the rear cap will be rusted to **** if it lived on gravel roads.

If you do buy the bus and you are planning on running around in the winters or on a "gumbo" field buy a proper set of tire chains.

Buses as they are built on 3 or 5 ton chassis, witch are a staple of most farms, generally do fine running on the back farm roads as long as they are gravel based not mud. Flat out at 100kmh they do fine on any road surface, paved or gravel.

The two buses we have were bought from farmers, generally they are both OK.

Thanks! I'm hoping to take it on some crappy northern gravel roads in summer, as well as an eventual long trip once it's all done up. Possibly going down south to check it out next weekend, I'll post pics!

 

[QueSeraSarah]

Trying out photo posting

Just trying out the imgur here: this is my dog where I live in fall ( it's frozen now)

http://imgur.com/cInk81E