After today's adventure, I have a list. Not of what I want, but of what I *don't want.
I don't want:
Grass growing in the window frames
Rust on the inside of the window frame
Cracked, spidered windows (I know, I know, call me picky!)
Electrical wiring that consists of taped together extension cords
Bare headliner
Three to four different kinds of flooring, with gaps of up to one inch in between the flooring
Multiple different kinds of carpeting on the walls
I have no comments on the engine, the battery was dead and we couldn't start it.
PacNWNomad, that one had to be in a wrecking yard good luck
Flooring can be replaced and headliners can be covered. Now the electrical is something else entirely and that would be hard to fix.
I would be more worried about the mechanical condition of a bus as that is where the real money comes into play.
Now, I am not saying you should have bought the bus you looked at, but there are bound to be some flaws in almost every bus unless you drop big bucks. Interiors can usually have minor changes made for a lot less than having to rebuild an engine or having to replace all the brakes on day one.
Beifert, yes, I am aware buses will have flaws.
Just.... trust me on this one. Whoever did this conversion didn't put a lot of thought into it (the seller even said as much to me). There were far too many "rough edges" to even consider taking it on. Edges didn't meet, gaps in the walls and flooring, exposed rivets, and so on. No offense to the guy selling it, he didn't do the work.
In comparison, we went and looked at another bus further north, and while the price was a little higher, it was neat, clean, and put together.
Quote from: luvrbus on March 07, 2009, 06:50:46 PM
PacNWNomad, that one had to be in a wrecking yard good luck
LOL no. I think I still would have looked at it even if it was. We're looking at as many buses as we can before we buy.
BTW, a little rust under the window can be expected. Those windows are notorious for leaking. BUT that doesn't mean that a lot of structural rust is okay, a little surface rust is...
God bless,
John
Good to know, John, thank you.
I'm not sure this would be surface rust, this had actual holes in it. What would qualify as surface rust?
The glass should not be a deal killer on any intercity coach. Just about anything is still available, and it's not too expensive.
The rest of the coach sounded like a bad idea, but the next one might be good and just in need of a little glass and paint.
Really? Is nobody going to laugh at the grass growing in the windows frame? I should have taken a picture..... Hoppy and I were pretty cracked up about it.
I was wondering what kind of grass it was. Something that could be harvested and sold? ;D
In western Wa it doesn't take long before moss and other things start growing on vehicles. :) When we are down here in Yuma we can look at an older Wa. rig and tell if it is from the east or west side of the mountains due to the sun fading or the greenish tint or black streaks. :) We were gone from there for almost 11 years and when we came back we were going to buy a Bronco II as we had had one before we left and liked them. It was December and raining and every one that we looked at had a windshield leak.
Some had puddles of water on the floor, one had water dripping off of the rearview mirror, and most had mushrooms growing on the carpet.........we bought a Jeep instead. ;D
Quote from: bubbaqgal on March 07, 2009, 08:10:09 PM
I was wondering what kind of grass it was. Something that could be harvested and sold? ;D
Heh heh heh
QuoteIn western Wa it doesn't take long before moss and other things start growing on vehicles.
No, no, not ON. IN.
In, just like the mushrooms were in. :) With all the rain there this summer, when we left we has some mold starting to grow in the inside of the windows in the track for the glass......and we left in Oct. before the real rains started. ;D
The first bus I looked at was a professional conversion. A professional had hacked a hole in the side and installed a house type door complete with caseing and brick mold! Caulked up the spaces real good with some professional type caulk, so it would not leak. Jim
You guys sure are picky lol.
This thread sure makes me feel blessed. I bought my bus in western Washington state. No mold, no mushrooms, no grass, no moss, no mildew, no water inside, no cracked glass and no hacked holes.
I never thought much about that since I didn't look at any other buses from that area. I'm sure glad I didn't get up there and find something like that. Instead I found a great bus just as listed and the charter company owner and his wife were great people to deal with.
So, as you keep looking, I'm sure you'll find your gem.
Try #160320207532 on the E place. Hard to beat for the price. If I had to do it over again...
Good luck!
Pat
That's a nice looking shell and it seems to be in great shape. It is Prevost and it looks good, but $45K on a 17 year old shell in this market? It would be a great platform to build on but it just doesn't strike me as a hard to beat bargain. I guess it is all in what a person wants and what they are willing/able to pay for it. After all, it's only $42,000 more than I paid for my shell. ;D
yea and you could easily dump a another 40+ K into the interior and systems. In this market I would be looking for a good finished bus ....
Bobby is dreaming thinking he will get 45,000 for that bus I bought a 1998 - 41 last year with a series 60 and a b500 transmission for about 1/2 of that price didn't have the paint job or the windows blanked out ,it was a seated coach. Looking at the bay doors that is seated coach shell not a VIP motor home shell. good luck
Being as frugal as possible and saving every bit of our insurance settlement we can to buy the most appropriate already converted is started to sound pretty good...... And so is being as frugal as possible and saving every bit of our insurance settlement to buy a shell and do the conversion ourselves. Undecided? No, no, not us! lol.
sure fire thing about any vehicle if it needs to be jumped started walk away... nay run away very fast. but then again spending money is the name of the game.. it's only paper so why hold on to it?
Bobby is an interesting character and there are some very amusing stories about his operation, at 45K for that bus I think he is a little more than slightly optomistic lol, I did notice that the angle of the pictures did a lot to make the lower body damage less noticable tho, he is getting better with a camera lol.
Be aware if you buy a bus that Easter skinned at their shop. The twin to my bus was skinned at their shop and they used what appear to be regular old pop rivits. I suspect they will leak eventually.