I'm searching for good photos and descriptions of structural rust vs. rot before looking at our own buses to purchase. I've seen quite a few "bad" photos, but I'd love to see the entire range. I'm in Wisconsin, the heart of the rust belt. Any vehicle around here is going to be brown underneath. When I hear people say their bus has no rust, do they literally mean no amount of anything that rusty-brown color or just no serious rust? Please post a photo and comment on the level of rust in your opinion. I sense the level of tolerance is somewhat subjective. What does bad rust look like? What does a GOOD bus look like?
We are going to look at a 1992 40' Thomas high-top with 8.3 Cummins, MT647, 140,000 miles, air brakes, air suspension, under-carriage storage, tinted windows. Basically it satisfies our entire wish list AND it's within driving distance. But it's in MN (originally from IA) and I'm sure we are going to see rust and I don't want to scared away from surface rust if I'd find that just about anywhere. On the flipside, we are willing to wait and don't want to pop on a bus with a rust issue.
We are going to look at a 1992 40' Thomas high-top with 8.3 Cummins, MT647, 140,000 miles, air brakes, air suspension, under-carriage storage, tinted windows. Basically it satisfies our entire wish list AND it's within driving distance. But it's in MN (originally from IA) and I'm sure we are going to see rust and I don't want to scared away from surface rust if I'd find that just about anywhere. On the flipside, we are willing to wait and don't want to pop on a bus with a rust issue.
