Newbie To The Community Looking For Help

[Kalauver]

Hi everyone !
My name is Katie and my husband and I are getting ready to purchase our first Skoolie!
We are going to test drive and look at a 2007 Bluebird Short Bus today/tomorrow. I have been looking high and low for a place to price out the bus online like a KBB database, etc so we can make an offer on the bus but cannot find anything. Does anyone know where I can get the value of the bus? I have the VIN information.

Other than that, we plan to search to forums for information on titling, insurance, etc. If anyone wants to point us in a specific direction for the state of VA let me know! Looking to see how to insure this thing the cheapest way possible while we are converting her and then what to do after she is ready to go insurance wise. Also -- do we need a special license?

Thanks so much for any help you can provide. We are excited!!

Hugs,
Katie

 

[rossvtaylor]

Hi Katie...and welcome! This is an exciting time, for sure. But I caution you to not get so excited that you jump on the first bus you find. It might be the exact right bus, but it might also have things that can be warning signs...so I encourage you to share as much as you can here, so that others can provide input. What engine and transmission does your bus have? How many miles? Is there an hour meter? What rust is visible?


To my knowledge, there is no KBB equivalent for buses and the prices are pretty volatile right now anyway...so info from last year may not apply to this year. It seems that selling prices are going up in some places, as demand pressure increases. But in California, where older buses cannot be used in commercial service, there seem to be more affordable options available. If you share the asking price and as much detail as you can, here, you'll get some good feedback on whether it's a decent deal or not.


As to the license. Technically, yes, you may need a CDL to drive these home. But that's a bit of a gray area. Most folks buy their bus and drive it home without issue. Once it's registered as an RV/Motorhome, then you can legally drive it with a regular Class D license. But while it's still a registered bus, you could *potentially* be cited for not having a CDL. In reality, though, that's almost unheard of (as long as you're not carrying passengers for hire and you have insurance).


Insurance on a bus, pre-conversion, may be your biggest challenge. Some of the places that happily insure converted school buses won't insure it prior to conversion, because of all the seats and the potential to carry lots of passengers...even if you're not carrying them. Pre-conversion, you may need to (temporarily) get a "commercial vehicle for personal use" policy through Progressive of someone who does that. It will be more expensive than your RV insurance will be, once you've re-registered it as an RV or MH, but it will make you legal for the trip home.

 

[musigenesis]

Call Kelly Newsome at Allstate (352-326-9300); she's in Florida but if you're in a different state she will connect you with agent who can help you. From Allstate, you can get RV insurance that will be liability-only until the conversion is complete, at which point you can get full RV coverage. Allstate knows all about skoolies and has a specific policy for them - you do not need to lie or conceal anything from them. Like all insurers, they will not cover vehicles with wood stoves or roof decks.

The general advice on this site is to avoid buses newer than 2003 because of the extra potential expense and reliability issues with emissions-control systems that began being added to (diesel) buses in 2004 (if the bus is a gasser this is not relevant).

 

[rossvtaylor]

From Allstate, you can get RV insurance that will be liability-only until the conversion is complete, at which point you can get full RV coverage.

This is good to know - thanks! We've used three other companies, but not Allstate. We'll check into them, as well.

 

[Kalauver]

Hi Katie...and welcome! This is an exciting time, for sure. But I caution you to not get so excited that you jump on the first bus you find. It might be the exact right bus, but it might also have things that can be warning signs...so I encourage you to share as much as you can here, so that others can provide input. What engine and transmission does your bus have? How many miles? Is there an hour meter? What rust is visible?


To my knowledge, there is no KBB equivalent for buses and the prices are pretty volatile right now anyway...so info from last year may not apply to this year. It seems that selling prices are going up in some places, as demand pressure increases. But in California, where older buses cannot be used in commercial service, there seem to be more affordable options available. If you share the asking price and as much detail as you can, here, you'll get some good feedback on whether it's a decent deal or not.


As to the license. Technically, yes, you may need a CDL to drive these home. But that's a bit of a gray area. Most folks buy their bus and drive it home without issue. Once it's registered as an RV/Motorhome, then you can legally drive it with a regular Class D license. But while it's still a registered bus, you could *potentially* be cited for not having a CDL. In reality, though, that's almost unheard of (as long as you're not carrying passengers for hire and you have insurance).


Insurance on a bus, pre-conversion, may be your biggest challenge. Some of the places that happily insure converted school buses won't insure it prior to conversion, because of all the seats and the potential to carry lots of passengers...even if you're not carrying them. Pre-conversion, you may need to (temporarily) get a "commercial vehicle for personal use" policy through Progressive of someone who does that. It will be more expensive than your RV insurance will be, once you've re-registered it as an RV or MH, but it will make you legal for the trip home.

Thanks so much for all the information this is very helpful ! Here is the back story on the bus :
My best friend is selling it to me. She bought the bus 2ish years ago and never converted it . She drove it to Vermont one time but other than that it's been sitting. She has had it looked at by a mechanic and all is well it seems although I would have it looked over too.

It's a 2007 bluebird with a 3500 Chevy duramax diesel engine in it. I will attach some images of thr rust I found but in general the bus appears to be in good condition. That being said...I know nothing about buses. It's not set in stone yet for me to snag this one but if all checks out well with it I will be purchasing from her. She paid around $4200 for it and would like to get her money back on it but is not looking to profit.

Let me know your thoughts!
Thanks again!!

 

[Danjo-SKO]

I have a five window ‘07 Thomas Minotour on a Chevy Express chassis with the 6.6l Duramax with 131,000 miles. It was a wheelchair bus in Hollywood. It has zero ZERO rust. Even under the floor is bright shiny like the day it was built. I got it at auction, out the door for $5050. It ended up needing a turbo that cost another $2500. So I’m in $7550 for a really nice platform to build on.

That bus you are showing has a LOT of rust. That’s just the rust you see. I’d run away. It’s your friend, so be nice running away, like “I must be coming down with something (cough cough cough) it’s really affecting my judgement and (insert name of significant other here) has threatened to have me committed (cough cough cough)

Edit: That’s a skinny bus anyway. Don’t do it even if it were clean.

 

[musigenesis]

Thanks so much for all the information this is very helpful ! Here is the back story on the bus :
My best friend is selling it to me. She bought the bus 2ish years ago and never converted it . She drove it to Vermont one time but other than that it's been sitting. She has had it looked at by a mechanic and all is well it seems although I would have it looked over too.

It's a 2007 bluebird with a 3500 Chevy duramax diesel engine in it. I will attach some images of thr rust I found but in general the bus appears to be in good condition. That being said...I know nothing about buses. It's not set in stone yet for me to snag this one but if all checks out well with it I will be purchasing from her. She paid around $4200 for it and would like to get her money back on it but is not looking to profit.

Let me know your thoughts!
Thanks again!!

The rust is pretty bad on that bus. You would have to spend a great deal of time and effort on rust remediation, probably including welding patches over holes in the floor (the bases of the seats are all rusted, which means most or all of the steel floor underneath will be in the same rusted condition). The passenger door is shot from rust, and while the door can be repaired or replaced it's a sign of a great deal of water leaking into the front end of the bus, which means the area around the driver's seat is probably badly rusted.

Check out my build thread if you want some idea of what dealing with a rusty bus is like (your bus is probably not quite as bad as mine, but you won't know until the seats and plywood are out). If your goal is to learn how to be a fabricator, there's nothing better than a rusty bus to practice on, but if your goal is to quickly build a cost-effective motorhome, a rusty bus is a catastrophe.

 

[CHEESE_WAGON]

I echo the sentiments expressed. Read the threads linked in my sig, they will help you get a better understanding of what to look for and just what you are getting into.

 

[Native-SKO]

Short buses are usually in higher demand and thus have a higher price attached. $4200.00 is a decent price for a shorty in good condition, but not this one for the rust alone.

 

[peteg59]

Welcome to the site.

Hopefully your bestie doesn't realize how much rust is on the bus she's trying to sell you!?

The rust is absolutely concerning but if you are not looking to spend an eternity in the bus, a quickie conversion and "patching" of visible rust might get you by for a few years?

If it was me in your position, I'd pass on this one due to the rust.

Good luck and post pics if you do get a bus...

 

[Kalauver]

Update on the bus purchase!

Hi all --
Thank you SO much for such speedy and incredible feedback. You all ROCK. Happy to be in this community. So this was a big bummer. I had a feeling the rust was a little much and I'm not sure how much work or expense it would take to fix up. That being said -- what would you offer for this beast if you were gonna need to fix all the rust? She was looking to get around $4200 I believe. Are we thinking offer low dollar amount because that bus needs that much work or are we still thinking this is work $3k+ ? Thoughts please!

next step -- where do I find my skoolie now haha AND someone said this is a skinny bus? How do i find a standard short bus that isn't "skinny."

Thanks !!!

 

[Danjo-SKO]

Don’t buy it. It’s not worth it even if it were free.

The rust you see is just the start. If you were to climb around under that thing you are likely to see that it is so severe as to be structurally unsound.

Consider the amount of money and effort you will put into a conversion. Having a quality platform to start is key.

 

[Danjo-SKO]

Someone on this forum mentioned those skinny buses. I didn’t know what they were talking about then I saw 3 in my neighborhood. They are a foot narrower than most. It may not sound like a lot but it’s half the isle width of your conversion.

I suppose the good part is that they fit the standard parking space width so if the intent is to be an urban camper, it would be a little less conspicuous.

 

[BeNimble]

There was a low miles v10 fiberglass shuttle bus in Maine for $3200 I posted in another thread. That said, take a close look at the chassis and all the attachment points, if those are ok, you could make it a metal-tent camper with minimal work. Anything more, you want a solid base.

The skinny thing is look at the cab, the box is not any wider than the cab. Look at a shuttle bus or box truck, the box part extends out from the cab sides.

 

[Oscar1]

Hi all --
Thank you SO much for such speedy and incredible feedback. You all ROCK. Happy to be in this community. So this was a big bummer. I had a feeling the rust was a little much and I'm not sure how much work or expense it would take to fix up. That being said -- what would you offer for this beast if you were gonna need to fix all the rust? She was looking to get around $4200 I believe. Are we thinking offer low dollar amount because that bus needs that much work or are we still thinking this is work $3k+ ? Thoughts please!

next step -- where do I find my skoolie now haha AND someone said this is a skinny bus? How do i find a standard short bus that isn't "skinny."

Thanks !!!

Please take emotion out of this equation, you are excited about this bus and support, love and trust your friend, we get that but this bus as a conversion project will put a serious strain on your friendship. Listen to what the others are saying, it's not a good candidate, even if free it will cost you more in time and money than if you take the time to shop for a better candidate. Figure out a way to politely excuse yourself from negotiations on this bus and save your friendship.
Good luck with the search.
Stay safe
Oscar

 

[Kalauver]

Please take emotion out of this equation, you are excited about this bus and support, love and trust your friend, we get that but this bus as a conversion project will put a serious strain on your friendship. Listen to what the others are saying, it's not a good candidate, even if free it will cost you more in time and money than if you take the time to shop for a better candidate. Figure out a way to politely excuse yourself from negotiations on this bus and save your friendship.
Good luck with the search.
Stay safe
Oscar

In yalls opinion...too much floor rust ?

 

[musigenesis]

In yalls opinion...too much floor rust ?

That rust is pretty minor - ospho and primer/paint is all it needs, doesn't look like any patching at all would be necessary. You'd need to also see what the floor around the driver's seat looks like, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy a bus with a floor like this. Almost all buses will have at least a little rust on the floor, no matter where they come from.

 

[Danjo-SKO]

That’s much more promising! Do you have more photos and specs?

 

[Kalauver]

Update on new bus!

That’s much more promising! Do you have more photos and specs?

It's a 7 window, '98 international bluebird T-444E Turbo diesel allison transmissions, midsize bus (we wanted a shortie so im worried this may be too big for driveway/ parking etc...thoughts?).

Has new brakes, brake lines and calipers on it. Hydraulic Brakes.

 

[ol trunt]

Some states may require a commercial drivers lic because of the 27,500 GVWR.
Jack