Cheapest Bus Finds

[escapingdrudgery]

Hey folks,
I did a little poking around today, still looking for a bus to start converting. I called a few of the school districts and bus contractors around my area to see how they sell off their old rigs. One district mechanic I talked to (who was pretty knowledgeable about some conversion laws in my area as well) told me he had sold a couple to folks for around $10,000! That seems way on the upper end for busses that are 10-12 years old with 200k on the clock, but apparently he puts new tires on and does the brakes and all sorts of stuff before selling.
This got me thinking, what's the most $$$ reasonable spot to buy a bus in good condition that you've found?
How many of you have gotten a cheap "find" on Craigslist or from a local school district, ebay or some auction site?

Regards,

-Blake

 

[bigskypc50]

I would check the auctions at Public surplus and gov deals. I found my bus for a really good deal at a dealer that sells new bus's and also takes them in on trade in.

 

[o1marc]

Cheap is relative. Most schools don't sell their buses directly to the public, but most often through auctions. The most "reasonable" spot to buy a bus would be the auctions. Most dealers buy the same bus we can at auction. Then they double the price and put it on the lot. Many of them do absolutely nothing to the bus from auction. Charlie got a shorty in decent condition for $1675. My Genesis I bought off Craigs List, I think it was a deal at $3500.Buses made after 2004 will bring more money for their better condition, but we stay away from them due to potential EPA issues.

 

[PNW_Steve]

I paid $2500 for a 5 window Thomas with 120k miles on it. It came from First Students in Seattle.

$3450 for my RE Bluebird with 8.3, MD-3060 , storage bays and 170k miles.

I think that I did OK on both of them.

Long story on the Thomas but I made $2700 when I sold it.

 

[EastCoastCB]

Hey folks,
I did a little poking around today, still looking for a bus to start converting. I called a few of the school districts and bus contractors around my area to see how they sell off their old rigs. One district mechanic I talked to (who was pretty knowledgeable about some conversion laws in my area as well) told me he had sold a couple to folks for around $10,000! That seems way on the upper end for busses that are 10-12 years old with 200k on the clock, but apparently he puts new tires on and does the brakes and all sorts of stuff before selling.
This got me thinking, what's the most $$$ reasonable spot to buy a bus in good condition that you've found?
How many of you have gotten a cheap "find" on Craigslist or from a local school district, ebay or some auction site?

Regards,

-Blake

Got my fancy short bus for $1625. It was on Public Surplus. Came with all sorts of nice features and will do 80.
The guy you were talking to is a flipper.