Opinions on bus purchase

[hannahmarievt]

I’m looking to buy my first bus. I’m working with a dealer and I have questions before I take the plunge.

1. CAT engines: should these be avoided? I was told only cat dealers will work on them.

2. No maintenance record. Should this be a deal breaker?

The bus I’m looking at is an ‘01 Thomas International with a DT engine (original), 100,000 miles, very little rust and runs well. Tires look like they’re in good shape, no cracks or extended wear. Asking price $3000.

Thanks for any assistance. I’m trying my best to complete due diligence but I’m also new to this, so I’m sure there are questions I don’t know to ask.

EDIT: Thanks to Robin97396 for letting me know what else to add to my post!

Engine: I know it's a DT 6.5 L but I need to ask for more specifics on it.

Here is a link to all the photos I have:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aR32odp5HHuE7IzGj4GmBU5s5kT7DDBY?usp=sharing

 

[Robin97396]

I’m looking to buy my first bus. I’m working with a dealer and I have questions before I take the plunge.

1. CAT engines: should these be avoided? I was told only cat dealers will work on them.

2. No maintenance record. Should this be a deal breaker?

The bus I’m looking at is an ‘01 Thomas International with a DT engine (original), 100,000 miles, very little rust and runs well. Tires look like they’re in good shape, no cracks or extended wear. Asking price $3000.

Thanks for any assistance. I’m trying my best to complete due diligence but I’m also new to this, so I’m sure there are questions I don’t know to ask.

Hello Hannah

It's good you came here before taking the plunge. From the information you've provided that doesn't sound like a bad bus. I hope you'll spend some time reading here to get an idea of what you should be looking for based on your intended use of the bus.

1. Cats are not a deal breaker. There are a good number of buses with cat engines that do fine. Yes they are expensive to have work done on.

2. Maintenance records are nice to have, but not a deal breaker for most of us. Knowing what was done to your bus prior to purchase reduces the maintenance you need to perform to insure any deferred maintenance issues are up to date.

You didn't mention what size engine that bus has. Most of us consider the transmission to be just about as important as the engine.

That's not a bad price, especially from a dealer, but there is to much information missing. The guys here will go over potential buses for you if you're able to post the information and photos here. You'll learn more that way.

Good luck.