I just got the flyer: Three 2003 MCI D4500 buses up for auction April 27th at 1st Capital Auction in Vallejo, CA. Google the auction for information, all I can tell you is that they are commuter buses and are non-compliance with CA EPA and have to be sold for out of state sales so they should go cheap.
Thanks for the post, Geoff. I did not know about that auction place so close. Those are Solano county transit buses. I wonder when they were last on the road as 2003 seems pretty old to be under the old rules. When I was looking for a MCI 102 series, it seemed most were 1995 as that was pretty much the cutoff for compliance except some exclusions for fleets but even those seemed to phase out by now.
Just noticed it says DEALER ONLY on the listings like this one
https://1stcapitolauction.proxibid.com/aspr/2003-MOTOR-COACH-D4500-57-SEAT-BUS-NON-COMPLIANT/41740383/LotDetail.asp?lid=41740383
I called 1st Capital Auction and the buses can be purchased by an out of state buyer as long as you can produce a bill of lading (look on the internet) saying you are going to trailer them out of state. After that, I've known people that get a one way permit from their home state and RV liability insurance to drive the vehicle home.
The handicap lift is nice if you need one that would be a deal breaker for me though
Bi-Fold access door could be an issue.
what sort of issue?
Ok, not really an issue but I think most people would want a single door than a bi-fold, I have seem many convert to a single or somehow merge the two doors into one.
This kind of bus is used as a county wide transport and they run on the freeway between more distant locations. Intra city, urban busses are geared for local streets. Would these be geared as an OTR, city bus, or some hybrid?
If you look up Solano Transit Authority on the web and call them I'm sure someone will know. My wife forbid me to buy one.
Quote from: windtrader on April 20, 2018, 07:42:14 AM
This kind of bus is used as a county wide transport and they run on the freeway between more distant locations. Intra city, urban busses are geared for local streets. Would these be geared as an OTR, city bus, or some hybrid?
They have a B500 transmission so it is geared for the highway a double over drive would be useless for a city bus
if anyone is interested in converting and registering as a motorhome in CA, here is the official regulations: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ii6mxygryu6hao0/CARB-diesel-smog-reg.pdf?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/ii6mxygryu6hao0/CARB-diesel-smog-reg.pdf?dl=0)
Personal use motorhomes are exempted from installing the DPM and any further emissions regulations.
You'd have to call the auction house to coordinate understanding about doing this. I've not come across any reseller being restricted to whom to sell to; Naturally, the buyer assumes the bulk of the responsibility to get the vehicle to standard to be registered in CA.
8k! good data point
Man, for $8,000 I might have considered buying one and doing another conversion. The D4500 would be a lot easier to get parts for as MCI still sells the same basic.
Quote from: belfert on April 29, 2018, 05:06:14 AM
Man, for $8,000 I might have considered buying one and doing another conversion. The D4500 would be a lot easier to get parts for as MCI still sells the same basic.
There will a ton of CA buses on the market in the next few years in 2020 all the buses and trucks will need to be 2010 models or have the 2010 engines the CA way
When I was searching for a bus last year while still considering doing the conversion myself, I checked out a couple '95 MCI 102D3. They were no longer CA compliant and the owner stated there was a market outside but as we can see prices are very weak. Remember, even in CA, you can convert and register as a motorhome to be exempted. As Cliff says, more will be coming to market. I'm sure the fleet managers are going to squeeze every last mile out of them but still ....Deals deals deals... lol
One thing to keep in mind with buying an ex service bus. From what I have seen, the service managers let the maintenance slip towards the end of the buses life span. Think about why. Why do pm, when you can save that money, and you are going to sell it anything?
We spent tens of thousands on deferred maintenance. A deal is only a deal if its a deal. More to a deal than a low price.
Quote from: John316 on April 30, 2018, 07:13:15 AM
One thing to keep in mind with buying an ex service bus. From what I have seen, the service managers let the maintenance slip towards the end of the buses life span. Think about why. Why do pm, when you can save that money, and you are going to sell it anything?
We spent tens of thousands on deferred maintenance. A deal is only a deal if its a deal. More to a deal than a low price.
Lol And I reaped the benefits I cannot believe the money that was spent on that bus,ps I am a still spending $$$ too
Quote from: luvrbus on April 30, 2018, 07:25:55 AM
Lol And I reaped the benefits I cannot believe the money that was spent on that bus,ps I am a still spending $$$ too
So what are you doing to it these days? It would be fun to see pics of it sometime. That bus was my baby and I'm glad its still being cared for.