Questions about buses

Haroldboy · January 12, 2015, 09:45:25 PM

Hello. I just joined this bulleting board service last month. I have been looking at buses for a little over a year, mostly trying to gather information about them. All my efforts have brought me to this service and from looking around I can see it is a real friendly and informative place to help me in my search.

I have looked at Flxible, MCI, and GM so far. The last person I talked to has a 4106 for sale; he is suppose to be sending pictures this month. He was telling me that Flxibles were known to have a lot of rust; the MCI stainless steel frame/chassis (in the rear) are prone to cracking, and he said the 4106 has some issues regarding the removal of the original air conditioning compressor that was driven off the fan shaft. Another bus owner who is selling his 4106 stated that his 8V71 had an in chassis rebuild about 50K miles ago and it was only using about a gallon of oil every 3000 miles. The only information I have been able to find about the oil consumption on a Detroit Diesel was referring to the use of multi-grade oils.

I know these old buses will have issues and after talking to these kind folks I thought there might be some bus specific information that might help me in my research. I know as I look around and kick a few tires, "the one" will appear, she'll be a real beauty in my eyes, and we'll drive off into the sunset, together. I thank you, in advance, for any information you may have time to share with me.

I hope this post hasn't been to windy. Like I said, I am new to this type thing so if I do something wrong or post incorrectly, please do not hesitate to tell me..

Happy New Year to All......

Scott & Heather · January 13, 2015, 01:09:07 AM

Welcome and enjoy

lots of good folks around here to guide you along your way and best of all, lots of shoulders to cry on when:

1. Filling the fuel tank
2. Trying to reprime
3. Replacing a tire
4. Overheating
5.

?

Really though, a great group of people here, so enjoy the camaraderie.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

oldmansax · January 13, 2015, 05:13:10 AM

Deciding how you will use your bus is a big step toward finding the right one.

We do a lot of dry camping so my bus has large water capacity, holding tanks, fuel tank (300 gallons, I cry at the pumps!), reliable generator, and big battery bank. No slide outs. At the same time, all those benefits make it heavy so now we are looking at selling ours and buying something smaller.

Others stay in campgrounds so their boon docking abilities are less but have/like other features.

Make a list. Decide what you like/need. Then buy the bus that most closely matches your list and is in your price range.

TOM

mung · January 13, 2015, 05:52:17 AM

The size bus makes a huge difference as well. Tag axle means more tires (tires are expensive). Longer bus means limits on where you can park or camp. Shorter bus means less space.

In my case I was limited by the space next to my house where the bus is parked, so I had to go with a 35' bus.

Vern

TomC · January 13, 2015, 08:32:26 AM

Buses are very reliable and long lasting. But they are heavy duty commercial grade equipment. Translated-when they break, it is expensive. Tires around $500ea, brake job around $1,500. Engine overhaul at least $10,000. Transmission overhaul around $8,000 etc, etc. If you can't afford to repair and keep the bus running in top, safe condition, then maybe a gasoline motorhome would be better. Good Luck, TomC

Cary and Don · January 13, 2015, 08:52:07 AM

If you want to own a bus and not spend a fortune every time some little thing goes wrong, you need to be willing and able to fix it yourself. This doesn't mean you have to be a mechanic going into it. You need to be willing to learn how to take care of some of it yourself.

Mechanically, they are pretty simple compared to new vehicles. You have to be willing to get really dirty, invest in some tools and manuals, do a lot of reading, and do it. You can speed thousands a year just on maintenance if you have it done. Knowledge will also help save you thousands when you do end up in a shop.

Don and Cary

Jon · January 13, 2015, 09:36:30 AM

What Don and Cary said times 10.

lvmci · January 13, 2015, 12:04:12 PM

hi Harold, as for the initial search, all buses rust, if its near water,especially salt water,there's gonna be rust, in places a newby might not look, on mci, look on the bay door latches, support structure beams above engine compartment, in the radiator bays look on top, look in the spare tire compartment behind the bumper,look up. bad rust in any of these compartments,,go on to the next bus. even simpler, if the budget is low, is rubber,learn to read the DOT tire age code, what week and year were the tires made, coolant hoses,frayed or corroded,fan belt frayed or cracked, used tires, hoses and belts for an 8 wheeler may run $2500. Stories about damage on the first trip home abound, tjres that blew, hoses that burst and fan belts that snapped. Most importantly, bring a bus nut with you when it gets serious,if I was able to, I would have saved a brake job. look at a lot of them, drive as many different kinds as you can. go to bus gatherings, good luck, lvmci...

mung · January 13, 2015, 01:06:30 PM

Yes, what area of the universe are you in? Maybe someone can help you, show you their, bus, or knows of a good bus that might fit your needs.

HB of CJ · January 13, 2015, 04:20:00 PM

Bus conversions are kinda a lot like airplanes or boats. Even if they are sitting in the garage or out in the weather, the basic costs are going to be quite considerable. Insurance, parking fees, upgrades, tires, do dads, etc., even if going nowhere, the monthly costs can and will be considerable. Did we talk about cleaning, washing or the monthly 2 hour drive?

But ... but ... but ... having said all this doom and gloom, be advised that it gets even worserer. Owning and operating a Bus Conversion is an extremely addictive fun cool hobby, endeavor or life style and be warned there is no known cure! Signs and symptoms include big smiles, giggles, laughs, fun, new friends ... and an empty wallet! HB of CJ (old coot)

busnut104 · January 16, 2015, 06:08:26 PM

My experience, you dump a lot of money it to them and when you sell if you can sell you take a real hit, I know, after trying to sell for two year and then finally did I figure I took a hit of around Hundred grand. Ouch, water over the dam. But it was fun.

Nel · January 18, 2015, 06:30:20 AM

Just remember some guys get sent to "the dog house" , we go to the "bus"

Haroldboy · February 23, 2015, 05:21:10 PM

I read all your responses a month or so ago and appreciate the time you spent to send me your thoughts.. Thank You!

At the moment I don't have too many questions. I will say, I don't know why I didn't in my first post, that I live in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. I do not find many busses around here to look at. I want to use the bus to take me wherever it will take me. I am retired and I simply want to go here and there for a while. I have done a lot of that riding my Harley Davidson but at the end of the day it is a rough way to travel. There is a lot of beautiful country to see and places to go.

I am still looking and I know the right bus is going to just be there at the right time. I will check in now and again to let you all know what I find. Thanks for your time and your patience.

All the best....

DW

RJ · February 23, 2015, 05:51:48 PM

DW -

You need to find one already to go, it makes absolutely no sense to spend the time/money nowadays to do a conversion with the market being so depressed...

Taking your Harley with you gives you the best of both worlds - your house, plus a runabout for the short sightseeing trips. Suggest an enclosed trailer for the bike, you won't even know it's back there.

Here are two trusted sites (that's important!!) with conversions for sale, in addition to the classifieds listed via the BCM Home Page tab above:

http://www.busnut.com/classifieds/

www.busesonline.com

A beautiful MCI has popped up on Facebook (if you're not a member, you'll have to register/sign-up, it's free.)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=346522238868932&set=pcb.796768057025852&type=1&theater

Do your homework, the right one is out there. . .

FWIW & HTH. . .

Gordie Allen · February 23, 2015, 06:46:33 PM

Go to bus rallies. Look at layouts and talk to a lot of people. Decide if you want a turn key bus, or a project. I bought a GM 4104 and rebuilt it from the ground up. Took three years. My blog will give you a blow by blow accounting of what that was like. As for the money, $75,000 to $100,000 will get you a cheaply built motor home with as many hidden problems or more as a conversion. My bus cost around $70,000 and everything in it is top shelf.

My log is http://this-old-bus.blogspot.com/