Choosing a Bus

[kwm2]

I'm hoping for some feedback as we work to choose our bus. We have a unique use case (it seems from reading) as we're a family of three scuba divers. That means tons of gear storage plus safely transporting six tanks. We're limited to about 30' due to our parking limitations at the house so we know we want a short or mid-size bus. We also live in upstate SC so the ability to make it through the mountains is a concern.

I found this bus fairly close to home:
https://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/d/2008-chevy-5500-commercial-school-bus/7155213049.html
2008 Chevrolet 5500 Kodiak school bus converted into commercial bus mfsab for assisted living program. 28 passenger us bus body. 8.1L Chevy gas engine, Allison transmission. Air conditioning. Passenger luggage racks, commercial seating. 158XXX miles

This isn't a configuration I've seen so I'm hoping for some feedback. Transmission looks to be an Allison 1000 or 2000 based on the manual in the pics (we'll confirm obviously).

Thoughts? Concerns? Thanks in advance for your help! :Thanx:

 

[musigenesis]

My biggest concern would be that it's a NY bus and there are some hints of rust and perhaps hastily painted-over areas (I've circled the spots I noticed in red):



Buses rarely make it out of NY without severe rust damage. This seems to be less rusted than is typical, but that could well be the result of some quick bondo and paint - which might not even hold up long enough for them to resell it - and a careful selection of photos. I wouldn't touch this bus without seeing some comprehensive pics of the underside.

 

[kwm2]

That is amazingly helpful--thank you so much! Now at least we know what to look for. The bus is only a couple of hours from us so we can absolutely take a look in person.

 

[EastCoastCB]

The 8.1 is the one later model engine I'd go for. That's a great drivetrain but probably a rust bucket underneath.

 

[musigenesis]

The 8.1 is the one later model engine I'd go for. That's a great drivetrain but probably a rust bucket underneath.

How much further can those engines go than 158,000 miles?

 

[EastCoastCB]

How much further can those engines go than 158,000 miles?

IDK. I'd buy one with that mileage if it wasn't rusty. In a heartbeat. I want that bus but a couple rows shorter.

 

[kwm2]

Thanks, guys! We're hoping to go see it in person Saturday and will be very mindful of rust indicators. Assuming we're correct on our length estimate from the pictures, this should be about the right size (though my ideal would be a TC1000 or short TC2000). I'm not feeling super hopeful given the red flags on the rust but it'll be a nice day trip and good practice for looking at busses. Nothing wrong with a day trip to Lake Norman