Bus Auctions

[TygerCub]

Just returned from the Suffolk school auction where they were selling their buses. I've never been to an auction before and found it a very interesting event. I loved being able to crawl over several different buses all at once and compare their condition, sound, and 'feel'.

Once bidding started, however, I found it alternately annoying and interesting. The annoyance was provided by the auctioneer's helper who continuously thumped on the busses and shouted "COME ON!", as if that sound would thump or bully someone into bidding. :? The interesting part was watching one fellow bid and win six of the busses for over 6K each. All I could wonder is WHAT was he going to do with all of them? :shock:

So... things I learned about local auctions.

• 
  1) Right now, a good full-sized bus will sell for anywhere from $3500 to $6800.
  
  2) Get to the auction early enough to listen to the bus run. I was there while they were running, but they were cut off once the auction began. When we got to the last one, the battery had died and it wouldn't start.
  
  3) Check the bus for the little things as well as the big things:
  [list:38stypck]a) ensure the blinkers and the lights work (one bus had a headlight pop out when it was started),
  b) check the tires for tread and cracks,
  c) check the undercarriage for rust, and
  d) check the windshield for wipers (the one I liked didn't have them still attached).

4) If they move the buses back and forth to prove they'll go into gear, listen for the air brakes... do they sound like they are leaking? Only one bus seemed to exhibit that problem.

5) Know the rules of the auction. This one didn't have a auctioneer's fee or buyer's premium, but I've been told many of them charge up to 10% of the winning bid (and that's over and above any license/paperwork fees).[/list:u:38stypck]

Most of you guys may already know these basics, but I thought I'd add my small part for anyone who hasn't been to one before. Can anyone else add to this?

How many of you guys bought your bus at an auction?
Would you do it again? Or would you rather buy from a private individual?

 

[bus-bro]

I was going to post about the maximum age a school bus can remain in service. Seems some states have a limit, some don't.

What I did find out is that districts are now keeping their buses longer, and that the price is going up on used servicable buses.

I do think that a 15 year old bus would be past up by most operators, and the price would then be affordable for school bus converters. It makes no sense to buy a bus for $6800, convert it, and have it worth $5000. YMMV.

Washington State autions buses that come from the school districts. Though I haven't bought a school bus from them, I've bought plenty of stuff from them, and looked at a lot of their buses. I would rather buy a bus that just came from a district than from a 3rd party.

 

[lornaschinske]

I would also suggest that you go a a few auto auctions before you bid. Register at each one (if free). We have bought 6 or 7 autos at auto auctions back east. The one in Blue Ridge, GA was where we bought most of our vehicles simply because it was closest and many of the dealers from Chattanooga sold their cars there. My Jeep was originally sitting on a used car lot in Chattanooga when I first saw it with a price of $13K. The second time I saw it , it was at the auto auction in Blue Ridge. I got it for $6K (plus $600 auction fee) when it was run thru for the second time. The fastest auto auction was in Gainesville GA. Three lanes are more confusing than three two we were used to at Blue Ridge. Also the bidding would start on a vehicle there and the vehicle would roll out and another would take it's place before the bidding ended. Very fast. Very confusing.

Also TAKE CASH! Figure your max bid amount, add in the auction fees and don't bid over your limit. Take someone with you who can stop you from getting carried away bidding.

Do not get your heart set on one particular vehicle. Be flexible.

LEAVE THE KIDS AND DISTRACTING FRIENDS & FAMILY AT HOME!!!!!!!!!

Bring a driver, a flashlight (that works) and some basic tools.

Be aware that you may need to add oil, coolant etc to these vehicles to get them home. Our worst was we had to put a water pump in an Aerostar van I had bid on ($600). We sold the van a year later for $600. I decided I did not like the mini vans. It was a good cheap test plus I put many miles on it in that year. I bought the Jeep next and I'm still driving it. Over the years we've had it, I had the water pump go out (a year or so after we got it) and we replaced a CV(?) joint. The jeep is a '95 and I think I got it in "97 or '98. All the vehicles that we have bought were driven for a while and resold for the same or more than we paid for them.

 

[putterspitt]

govdeals.com is a good place to find a bus, I got mine on Ebay though

 

[Diesel Dan]

I bought a Crown Victoria police cruiser at an auction a few years ago for under $2,000. My favorite car ever! It was a sad day when I let that one go. My auction strategy is to bid with confidence and no hesitation, acting like "I'm taking this car home at any price" right up to my pre-set limit - if it goes a dollar over, I'm done. Make the competitors think you have no intention of slowing down until you win the car!

 

[lornaschinske]

Don't be the first bidder. Wait until the bids are winding down before you bid.

 

[keith-SKO]

i found out to buy them from the bus barn from your school they are cheaper and u can get all the records on the bus,now that blue ridge auto they buy the bus's from our school here in blue ridge and than up the price about $2000.00 dollor,so it's best to go too the barn and get one,like mine,i got a 94 bluebird w/bay and only used on field trips and the bus only has 46,810 miles on it, all docamented with records. tenn ,ga ,ala,fla miss only keeps there bus's for 15 yrs and must sell them,no matter what the miles on them.i see that Cal has bus's long than that,some from the 70's. and on a southren bus u have no rust,like from tenn on up the east side of the state's....i know them alaska bus's have rust,i live there for 6 yrs....

so buy wisely

 

[bus-bro]

Hey Keith, that's my kinda' iron!

 

[chev49]

Previous post about Washington State having some cheap busses at auction. Last year a few like mine sold for less than $1000. (then almost all of the purchasers were reselling them, some were resold 3 times that i know of)

 

[TygerCub]

i found out to buy them from the bus barn from your school...

Unfortunately, that's not an option in this area. The schools make more money off the auctions, so they are tightly restricted to only doing that.

Good for the school... bad for me <shrug> 8)

 

[lornaschinske]

... that blue ridge auto they buy the bus's from our school here in blue ridge

Good heavens! Do you know how few people know where Blue Ridge is, much less lived there? Small world is even smaller.

Manchester TN, Franklin NC, Mtn City (TN, Not GA) now Blue Ridge GA. Either we move around too much or School buses are getting more popular!



Our price limit was partially determined by the school buses Blue Ridge ran thru the auto auction plus other buses we saw for sale. That is part of the way we decided nothing over $2K. Even at that we were shooting for a bit lower since we figured we would have to put tires on (we knew a couple of the local tire outfits and we could get some takeoffs at a good price). As it was, the tires of the bus we bought thru the Asheville Iwanna were only a couple years old. Plus the engine had been "gone" thru and had new filters/oil.

 

[keith-SKO]

MY bus .i got for $1,800.00 thought the bus barn and like i said it only has 46.000 miles on it and ellijay ga down the road from blue ridge sells theres for about the same...and to my understanding that 6 bus's are come up for sale in the spring

1-94 bb flatnose
5-95 96 thomas's conv. :shock: :shock:

 

[lornaschinske]

We paid $1400 for ours. It was a former whitewater rafting bus out of Long Creek SC. And you know how they drive those rafting buses!

 

[Tall Grass]

I have been to many auctions. You need to be on your toes or you might wind up bidding against yourself. Do not be afraid to ask who has the bid. The auctioneer sure won't like but heh; it is your money.(nothing wrong with it but it can kill the bid stream from rising) When possible i like to stand right up close to the auctioneer. You can help them out a bit and it can come back to help you. When you bid a little on something you don't want and the bid is rising and you very well know that it will sell a lot higher; throw in a bid or two. They will see this and might just help you back a little when bidding on your bus. This CAN BACKFIRE even if you are up to speed so don't get in over your head. I bid on an old boat once and got it dumped on me. For $35.00 i got an old in board 6 cyl boat that was only missing the left side of the boat! lol(the auctioneer wasn't the boss and a hand signal made him dump it on me. he felt bad about it but made up for it later in the day.) Might catch some flack for this but it is necessary to say. Watch who you are bidding against! I have never done well bidding against a woman. The women i have gone up against were determined to win no matter the cost! I have bumped three times and the walked away while bidding against a woman and the auctioneers see this and they remember it. Yes there are many men that do the same and Green bidders are the worst. Cold freezing rainy days etc are the best auctions to go to. Dress warm and be ready. Nothing wrong with being seemingly sure of your self, don't be afraid to throw your arm in the air and yell YO! to get your bid in. Watch about waving at friends etc. You might accidentialy bid $1600.00on a set of bleachers like i did once! Auctions can save you big bucks or cost you big bucks.

 

[roach711]

We got our Ford bus from the govbids site which is a lot like eBay. Be very careful about inspecting the bus of your choice. Some of the legal departments of the government agencies are having their people list the very least information possible to avoid litigation. The guy we talked to when we inspected ours was very up front about the condition of the busses he was auctioning but the auction description only listed the year, engine, capacity and mileage. One bus had a blown engine but there wasn't a word of that in the auction description.

It does seem that busses are going for more than they did a year or two ago.

 

[dirtygoat]

Lots of good info...


I've been to hundreds of auctions... I've been married for 18 years and have 3 kids and I've provided for my family buying and selling at auctions for many years... I've done auto, surplus, storage, antiques, you name it...

Hit as many auctions as you can... I've been to auctions where there were only two of us and we took turns buying everything... Also, hit the weekday auctions... Way less people, no weekend warriors... Keep track of faces... You'll start to see the same people over and over... Talk to the regulars, they will start to give up inside info and become friendly... I've had guys look over while bidding and back out because they noticed I was bidding on the item...

STAY CALM!!! It can get very exciting... Even after years of bidding I still get adrenaline rushes when I really like an item...

Always go with your gut...

And never bid on something you haven't looked over... I've bought more junk by doing this than you could imagine...

Good luck...

 

[lornaschinske]

You can find buses at the storage unit auctions.