Spring Vs.Air ride

[Booyah45828]

I got title jumped when I bought my bus but I didn't even realize it for a few weeks. He paid a guy to deliver the bus to me, and that guy just handed me the title and then I dropped him off at the car rental place. Eventually noticed the name on the signed-over title was the school superintendent who sold the bus to my seller (whose real name I never learned - eBay) four years before.

Initially I was happy with this situation, because after discovering how rusty the bus was, I realized I could easily ditch it somewhere (like at the bus services company a block away that operated hundreds of school buses) without any hope of its ever being traced to me.

It's not a felony to get title-jumped, is it?

Nope, it's not a felony to get title jumped on.

If you purchased through ebay, you should have recourse because ebay should have records of the seller's info. There should have been some sort of paper work involved from other ebay transactions, unless the seller had no prior feedback. If that's the case, you're dumb, IMO, for buying from them in the first place.

Until it is traced to you. If you're going to dump the thing, take it to the shadiest scrap yard near you (not all are like this, but some are). As long as the title matches the vin and it hasn't been signed over, they'll pay you scrap price for it.

Worst comes to worst you yank the engine, making it no longer a vehicle, and then the title isn't important anymore.

 

[Booyah45828]

check out "operators insurance"

Thanks!

I'll have to check into this, because I'm in the same boat, and I always thought it was crap to be paying so much for insurance on vehicles that sit more days then they drive.

Something positive has come out of this thread

 

[musigenesis]

There should have been some sort of paper work involved from other ebay transactions, unless the seller had no prior feedback. If that's the case, you're dumb, IMO, for buying from them in the first place.

The seller had prior feedback. Still a dumb purchase on my part.

 

[BaconFarms]

The auction (Purple Wave, and a local equipment auction house) where I have bought a bus and a couple trucks through require the BUYER's name before releasing the title. The exception is for dealer's, I am not a dealer, so not sure what happens there, but from what I read they leave the buyer blank so the dealer can resell, etc., without having to send in the title to be put in the dealers name. One step for the dealer.

I don't know about GOV auctions or the others.

But, if a flipper (private party) is telling the seller(s) that they are a dealer and they are NOT a dealer, so the seller dose not fill out the BUYER's name on the title, well I think that there WOULD BE a crime.

Just sayin,

BaconFarms

 

[musigenesis]

My seller claimed to be a dealer, and the bus was delivered with dealer's plates on it (that the delivery driver removed). I suspect he was not really a dealer ... at least not the vehicle kind. After I bought the bus I found that he had listed it earlier on reddit on /r/SkoolieMarketplace. I checked out his reddit account and he seemed primarily interested in acquiring drugs from the Silk Road.

Here was the imgur album he posted: https://imgur.com/gallery/ZxxfBIi There's an aspect of my bus that doesn't quite show up in the photos. Hmmm ...

Was districts owned until recently, had an in frame motor overhaul 20k miles ago, really it’s a nice bus, no leaks, straits runs and drives as it should

"No leaks" is pretty hilarious, but TBF with the walls still on he couldn't have seen the rivers of water pouring in from the windows.

Edit: I just realized a good trick for hiding rust in photos. The pic of the rear end should have shown the bubbling paint all around the license plate indent, but the sun is hitting the reflector tape, which prevents there from being enough contrast to see the bubbles. I wonder if that was intentional on his part, because that was really the most obvious external sign of the rust situation.

 

[WIbluebird]

The dealer plate could've been a transporter plate owned by the guy that delivered the bus. Lots of driveaway companies employ contractor drivers that just slap transfer plates on whatever they're delivering.

 

[kidharris]

I switched my F-700 truck to air ride after one 3000 mile trip as a motorhome.
My F-700 based (Truck) RV had a 4000 pond per inch of spring travel spring rate. AND it came factory with NO SHOCKS on the rear.
It was the worst thing i have ever driven.
Now that it has the Air ride from the Freightliner it rides quite good. Like a late model pickup truck good.

So... how much does a "pond" weigh? 4000 pond per inch of spring travel spring rate. I can see why it didn't have any shocks, wpouldn' t do any good with springs like that. LOL

 

[kidharris]

My seller claimed to be a dealer, and the bus was delivered with dealer's plates on it (that the delivery driver removed). I suspect he was not really a dealer ... at least not the vehicle kind. After I bought the bus I found that he had listed it earlier on reddit on /r/SkoolieMarketplace. I checked out his reddit account and he seemed primarily interested in acquiring drugs from the Silk Road.

Here was the imgur album he posted: https://imgur.com/gallery/ZxxfBIi There's an aspect of my bus that doesn't quite show up in the photos. Hmmm ...

You think that he unloaded some cargo before he brought the bus to you?

The pics always look better than reality. Ever met an actress or super model in person?


That sun was probably his camera flash.

 

[cadillackid]

a loaded bus rides better than an empty one.. even with air ride.. dont get discouraged by the way a bus rides when you bring it home on its maiden voyage.. its empty and gpoing to bounce around pretty good.. removing the seats and plywood and interior metals indeed lightens it further, however your concversion will most likely add weight.. by the time you have appliasnces, cabinets, interior finishes, HVAC, tanks, posessions, etc, the ride will smooth out..



insulation and soft touch items like cloth upholstery, bed linens, etc will quiet the clang and bang of the bumps as well.. ..


air ride definitely makes a difference as ive mentioned before, but adding weight will help as well..


-Christopher

 

[Kaleth2]

This is complete lie. We did text at 1:00. He replied it was! Air suspension. We have the text to prove it. Didn’t get mechanics notes until just before we got to bus. Did miss it was 545 on those papers were focused on air suspension, and, still acting on Marc’s assertion that it was a 2000. Up until the above response from Marc we have been acting on the assumption that he made a mistake. Now that he’s lying about the above, we’re not sure, with the title jumping, and lying, that he didn’t knowingly misrepresent the bus to us. Again, we own our mistakes, and, would encourage the buyer to beware. Will make better choices if we buy another in future!

 

[EastCoastCB]

This is complete lie. We did text at 1:00. He replied it was! Air suspension. We have the text to prove it. Didn’t get mechanics notes until just before we got to bus. Did miss it was 545 on those papers were focused on air suspension, and, still acting on Marc’s assertion that it was a 2000. Up until the above response from Marc we have been acting on the assumption that he made a mistake. Now that he’s lying about the above, we’re not sure, with the title jumping, and lying, that he didn’t knowingly misrepresent the bus to us. Again, we own our mistakes, and, would encourage the buyer to beware. Will make better choices if we buy another in future!

He could tell the difference between a 545 and a 2000. He's been "educating" folks on that here for a while.
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f38/allison-transmission-29831.html

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f13/shift-patterns-for-each-trans-22905.html

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f9/identify-trans-by-shifter-22283.html

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f13/what-trans-does-this-shifter-work-29510.html

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f33/looking-at-bus-engines-for-the-first-time-27103.html

It's not that the 5.9 is a bad motor, it's just that 95% of them are backed with the Allison 545 transmission which make it the least desirable drivetrain available limiting your travel options. A 5.9/2000 would not be a bad set up.

Yes, the issue is the trans does not have a locking torque converter, so it is always working against the fluid , heating it up on high speed or mountain pass roads. You don't have the option of using engine backpressure to slow you down going down hills.

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/florida-spec-bus-27232.html

As Charlie says, most of the Fla. buses are really low spec buses, surprised that one has a DT in it. Yep, that's a 545 shifter.

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f13/2004-towing-questions-25862.html

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f13/seeking-bus-advice-thomas-cat-engine-22038.html

While Allison does make several bus transmissions, the AT545 is the least desirable for most conversions that plan on spending much time on the open road. It will likely only be able to go 55mph. It is not intended for long stretches of high speeds 60mph+, or for pulling the weight of your Skoolie over large mountain passes. I waited and found a bus with a Cat and a 3060.

 

[BlackJohn]

01 was to lazy to crawl under to verify the tranny.


Lock him up!:wink1:


John

 

[cadillackid]

John - too lazy to go out and look at the Dashboard to see that is says R-N-D-3-2-1(almost sure sign of a AT545 or MT643.. and NOT an AD2000)


Too Lazy not to disclose the fact the temp went up to 280 (or told the buyer that the gauge is busted without verifying)...



Too Lazy to get his ass on a plane with $$$ for airfare, fuel, and the bus price. and pick the bus up from the buyer instead of simply "oh ill give you your $$".. maybe he should give them their $$ asnd let them keep the bus so they can sell it to try and recoup some of the loss of their travel ...



or he should pay for the transmission to be repaired or swapped to an AD2000...



-Christopher

 

[BlackJohn]

John - too lazy to go out and look at the Dashboard to see that is says R-N-D-3-2-1(almost sure sign of a AT545 or MT643.. and NOT an AD2000)


Too Lazy not to disclose the fact the temp went up to 280 (or told the buyer that the gauge is busted without verifying)...



Too Lazy to get his ass on a plane with $$$ for airfare, fuel, and the bus price. and pick the bus up from the buyer instead of simply "oh ill give you your $$".. maybe he should give them their $$ asnd let them keep the bus so they can sell it to try and recoup some of the loss of their travel ...



or he should pay for the transmission to be repaired or swapped to an AD2000...



-Christopher

Christopher, I could not agree more with your post above. That is the very least he could do.
I would not be so forgiving as Kaleth.
His actions cost everyone as he dodges the tax man.

As they say, "Paybacks are a *****!"
9000 posts and he can't even start his own bus, he'll never go boondocking...not someone I would be taking advice from.


He is a national disgrace for all you Americans.

This will hit the media in Dawsonville GA, I am certain, not one of their favourite sons for being Mr NASCAR, know everything about everything.


Great to see some people agree with me and continue to call him out.
Bye the way where is the weasel that ain't afraid of anythang?


Great post as well CB, thanks boys! There is recourse available to these folks.



John

 

[Kaleth2]

After calling Todd and yelling at him for all the flack he said he was getting online and worrying about HIS reputation, Marc texted us that he has been kicked off of the forum. I’m Hoping that’s true!. We would seek legal help on this but, we’ve incurred plane tickets, repairs, hotels, diesel, meals.... Delay in schedule so we had to leave the bus in Phoenix at a RV storage place and fly home because husband needed to get back to work. We’ll fly back to Phoenix end of February to drive the last leg home. We’d end up paying a lawyer as much as we spent on the bus at least. Also, I’m not sure how much money Marc actually has! He said he already spent the money on guns and stuff to us. He never said he was sorry... just offered the money back, which was obviously not going to do us any good to drive a 55mph bus back 3 days to Georgia and buy plane ticket home. I wouldn’t say we’re forgiving. If he had offered an honest apology and tried to make it right, we could work on the forgiving part. Thank you to the folks who have contacted us PM. The support is heartwarming and advice will be taken into consideration. We’re not completely soured by this and are looking forward to salvaging her with an air cooler on the tranny and some gearing change in the back. We are still really excited about the build and think she’s got most of what we want in a bus....can’t wait to get her home.
I’m not sure who the moderators are? I was curious if I took the time to write our story, and all the things we would do different, or a list of what to look for when buying a bus and choosing a seller....(Gosh! You might already have something on the forum that I missed. So much valuable info here). If that could be a topic header or tacked to the beginning of the classified section. I feel like there is/was such a learning curve for even purchasing the bus. I’ve watched a lot of you who have the knowledge, post these are the things to look for, for which I am grateful!, and think it could be so valuable if all that info were collected in one thread. There could even be a newbie checklist form for buying a bus for the hardheaded ones like us LOL! Then it would all be on one sheet, front and center to check off as that buyer was working with the seller.
Thanks you all!!!

 

[Mountain Gnome]

So I gotta say at the very least he should refund to Kaleth2 any "profit" he made off the deal. If he paid the auction $1500, that's all they should pay him. He should eat his travel expenses.



But to be a totally honest ...ahem... "dealer" with integrity, he should refund all of the sale price and let them keep the bus for the cost of travel.

 

[WIbluebird]

This is why title jumpers suck. It's going to be hard to get anything out of marc in court since he never registered the bus in his name. Dealers suck too sometimes but at least you have some legal recourse in that situation.

Plenty of people on here do fine with AT545s, they would never be my first choice in most situations but the mods you're talking about will go a long way towards making it better.

 

[Mountain Gnome]

Kaleth2 posted the above posts as I was writing my last one. Wow. Glad he's gone. Tried to help him once (as well as post info that may help others reading the forum), all I got was bitching back at me that it wasn't what he asked for. Some folks got problems. Maybe he was hypoglycemic and needed sugar at the moment? Turns nice folks into nasty folks, I hear. May be he has a "brain disorder," one of many that can make people like that, even when they are good hearted folks.


But, alas, that does not seem to be the case, now it seems.

 

[cadillackid]

I guess I shouldve taken it as an Omen to the future when I drove however many hours out of my way back in april 2018 to help marc by picking him up in my red bus after he had been lied to by a seller and gotten the seller to take the bus back.. he was then in Nebraska i think it was.. I know there was a thread about it.. . anyway I was sleepy having driven from san antonio TX.. so he said he would drive.. I said "we drive at 65 in this bus"... I went to sleep on a seat.. woke up some time later to wipe my eyes and notice the windows of the bus vibrating... I peered up at the digital Dash and saw a big '79' in the MPH.. I jumped up front and was like WTF.. he simply said.. oh I just wanted to see if it would do 80...





really though it wasnt a big deal I suppose but im sure from the miles we travelled and how low the gas gauge was that we had been running 80 for awhile... he gave me a few bucks for gas.. prob enough to cover the extra we burned going 80 lolol



shoulda been a vision lolol...





as for the OP.. yeah legal action is tough.. im a business owner and have been involved in a couple Intellectual property (seems mine is a hot commodity).. situations.. the transaction occured in georgia so taking hium to court there is a real PITA.. and he would likely know it.. turning him into authorities? always a possibility there.. not sure how one goes about reporting title jumping from a non dealer...



Now onto the real issue here.. and that is getting the bus registered as an RV in oregon.. the transferor of the title is the School.. and if Marc provided a Bill of sale its likely the Bill of sale he created from himself to the OP.. if the bill of sale from the school was included by marc and has no buyer's name on it.. simply that X was due and X was paid for the bus then it might be easy.. assuming oregon doesnt want a signed notarized title with the name of the buyer on it..



im guessing oregon will want to see the Bus to title it.. (I know ohio does a VIN match in-person-inspection to make sure the vehicle you possess is the same VIN as the title)..


hopefully the papewrwork you got is correct enough to get it titled.. might be worth a trip to the DMV to show paperwork even before the bus is there.. the schools might be able to provide you anything you may be missing..


there really are a lot of nice classic Busses out in oregon... more than one of us has come out and bought them.. I flew out in 2018 and bought a 40 year old bus that had pretty much Zero rust and drove it 2700 miles home to ohio..



-Christopher

 

[Mountain Gnome]

I titled my bus as an RV in Eugene (Oregon to those who don't know) with no hassle. They did not ask for a bill of sale, however, I had a temp tag (and probably a title or something, I forget now) from AZ where I bought it from a school on auction. I think they did ask for a BOS in AZ; even if they did, not sure it was required.
They checked the VIN in both states.
The Oregon website said the vehicle must be inspected by the DMV to be converted to an RV, but when I asked her if it was OK that my bunk-bed wasn't bolted to the floor, the clerk I had just stopped, dropped her pen, looked me in the eye, and said "if you want to title it as an RV, we will title it as an RV". No inspection (except for the VIN). Still, all they require is a stove and a bed. $35 bunk bed (I had the matress, I brought it with me in a mini-van) and $40 fold-up propane 2-burner stove from wally world mounted onto a steel wire shelf from HD, with the shelf tied to the wall with parachute cord.