Newbie needs help with picking engine,..

[Chariotdriver]

  I am just getting started in looking for a bus and have come across several in the last week and have wanted to jump in with both feet, only to find out later that I was glad that I waited.
I have now come across another "deal" and wanted to ask for some input from those in the know.
   It is a MCI9 and the info on it is 8V71 DETROIT DIESEL ENGINE WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION and I have not seen the bus myself yet.
I talked to a friend of a friend and he suggested I not go with this bus as the engine  could be a problem with mountains and the lack of a Turbo/jakebrake.
   I would like to show a few pics to get your opinion and also am sending one of the plumbing as he said that this could be a problem also as it looked like a home grown project.
I appreciate anyones input,..
Thanks,
Doug

[BJ]

Yes it would be nice to have a turbo and a jake but there are a lot of us out there that don't have either and get along just fine. Yes it is a little slower in the mountains and yes you have to plan those long down hill runs but that is not really a problem. I have spent many a miles in colorado without either, enjoying my trip and the scenery instead of flying past it. (as if a but fly's past anything)  If you like it and you get it checked out by a professional instead of a friend of a friend then go for it and enjoy what it has to offer..

[RJ]

Chariotdriver -

When talking to a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend, remember the childhood game of "Telephone".

When considering bus performance, remember the childhood fable of "The Tortoise & the Hare".

Buses are tortoises.

Drive them with that mindset, and you'll thoroughly enjoy the journey!   

HTH. . .

[littlehouse]

Doug
if you read back over the last two or three weeks there's a lot of talk about jake brakes and torbos on this size eng. if it's
a good deal you can do anything to it, watch for inside body fraim rust as that's a lot work. for one person, no shop, i
know
i hope you have a lot of fun with what ever bus you get!

ray with the littlehouse on wheels [ '77 mc8 seattle area ]

[Chariotdriver]

Thanks for the info, I"m not as scared about it as before.
  The bus that I'm looking at is on ebay and i'd like to ask if anyone would take a peek at it and let me know if it looks like something to take a look at, or run away, run away!

       Also, if it is wohth looking into further, what are the steps, is it possible to get someone local to give it a once over as far as engine trans for money?
    Sorry for all the new questions as I'm not familiar with this worls at all.
      We're from ground zero as far a Katrina was concerned and want to travel around a little and get away from the Gulf Coast for a while and are looking for something that will not give us problems out of the bag.
The bus is close to me, about 3 hours and what would you think is a fair price for this setup, considering all is ok as checked out from another professional?

Here is the link to the bus info and pics,..
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=220003749878&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=012

[TomC]

A thing about each picture.  If you did want to turbo the engine, there is plenty of room for the turbo above the engine like what trucks had.  Or just exchange it for an 8V-92TA-which would take the biggest radiators you could get into the coach, but no problem with the hills.
Second- the plummbing looks good, except soldered copper piping makes me nervous in a moving, twisting, rocking, up and down moving bus.  If you did get the bus, I would learn how to solder so to be able to repair any cracked joints.  Then again you may never have a problem.  Good Luck, TomC

[Chariotdriver]

A thing about each picture.  If you did want to turbo the engine, there is plenty of room for the turbo above the engine like what trucks had.  Or just exchange it for an 8V-92TA-which would take the biggest radiators you could get into the coach, but no problem with the hills.
Second- the plummbing looks good, except soldered copper piping makes me nervous in a moving, twisting, rocking, up and down moving bus.  If you did get the bus, I would learn how to solder so to be able to repair any cracked joints.  Then again you may never have a problem.  Good Luck, TomC

Thanks Tomc,
The one good thing is that the family business was airconditioning and I could fix that if it had a problem, probablt one of the fews things that I could fix, I was just concerned that it was not a pro job and may give hint to non pro install.
Thanks for the input,..
Doug

[Ncbob]

My offering is from personal experience but you may take it with a grain of salt.

My bus has an 8V71 and now, Jakes, with which I'm very satisfied (but readily admit I'm a fan of the 71 Series and not necessarily of the 92 Series)  I live in the Smoky Mountains and am happy with its' performance. But, my bus is only 35' long.  I don't have the weight of a tag axle and an extra 5 ' of bus.  I didn't want a Corvette and didn't get one.

We live life at perhaps a slower pace than younger people.  This will be my first and last bus.  I spent about the same amount of time selecting my bus as I did selecting my wife because I knew it would, like my wife, be a lifelong relationship.  I did very little in asking the counsul of friends, or friends of friends.  I read the archived for months prior to making up my mind....trying to learn from the first hand experiences of fellow BusNuts.

I determined ahead of time what amount of money I could and would make in this investment.

Once all the pieces were in place I made a decision (with the help of my wife, naturally). 

There's been a few bumps in the road, not unexpected, but looking back I felt that trusting my own judgement and my gut feeling in respect to the bus I chose....I (we) made the right decision.

We're still within budget and there are no more serious surprises we can't handle.

Whatever your choice, I recommend it be YOUR choice based on your research and knowledge....not necessarily the advice of others.

I wish you well.

Bob

[Chariotdriver]

 Thanks Bob,.
  I want to play ball with one of these items, but there are so many variables as to brand coach, engine, length, tranny, etc etc etc, the list goes on.
And with this being a major investment for me, I want to make sure that I don't dive in and find out i'm in shallow water.
    Hurricane Katrina tore this place up and we are selling our house since our business was deluged with water, looting etc, still fighting with insurance. We are selling our house due to this and with all the workers, and damaged housing, it's hard to find a place to land for a decent price. So I thought that I'd take a break and jump into a Bus until I decided what to do here locally.
   So when the house sells I have to have a place for me, my wife and 6 children.
  (just kidding about the 6 children, only 2, just seems like 6)
I said all that to say this,
    So I feel a little pressed for time to get something lined up so I can move into it when the time comes.
  Still looking for that dream deal.
Thanks for all the comments and help,
Doug,.

[Sammy]

Doug, the ad does not state the mileage - it says "0"
I recommend to have it mechanically checked out by a pro.
It's a big investment and certain repairs are big $$$$$$$.
Check the rear frame rails too, they support the engine/trans package -sometimes they develop cracks.
I'm sure you'll get tons of great info from the rest of the folks here.
Best of luck.
Sammy 

[RJ]

Doug -

Thanks for providing the eBay link.  I noticed in the listing that this is a Custom Coach conversion.  CC is the "granddaddy" of the professional bus conversion companies, and has always had the reputation of building a quality conversion.  When they were first getting started, they would often convert used shells, but later switched to only building on a new factory shell - which would be the case with this coach.  I also noted the "LandCruiser" logo plate on the rear of the bus - another Custom Coach identifier, as that's what they call their units.  Plus, they're still in business, so if you needed some customization for your needs, they could handle it for you.

More than likely, this is an all-electric unit, with a 12 - 15kW genset, as that's another Custom Coach identifier.

In the questions section, the seller says the auto trans shifter says D-4-3-2-1, which indicates to me that this coach has the HT-754 five-speed Allison in it - another benefit.  That extra gear really does make a difference.  Hard to tell from the photos, tho, if, in fact, it does have a Jake brake on it.  From looking at the driver's compartment area, it looks like the Jake switch is in it's normal factory position, but it's hard to tell from the engine pic, as the valve covers are obscured.  I wrote the seller, asking him to ID some switches - let's see what his answer is.

FYI, the fuel mileage will be around 5 - 6, depending on how heavy your right shoe is.

This could really be one heck of a coach. . . especially if it sleeps four comfortably!  (BTW, how old are the kids?  Might have some bearing on potential customization changes. . .)

Good Luck, and HTH. . .

[Chariotdriver]

 Thanks,
Kids are 4 and 7, boys, 7 is as big as 10, and I think had ADD and bounces off everything, but not certified, yet.
  Plan on having one of us certified this year!! 

    What would anyone think is the going rate for a bus like this?
Any takers on taking a stab at price?
Doug,. 
 I 
Here are some pics of the bus and some more closeups of the engine if there is a way to tell if it has a jake brake.
 
http://ebay.carad.com/viewItem/viewAllPhotos.cfm?listing=8482134&template=48

Second set of pics,

http://www.total-sales-solutions.com/82MCI/

   Really , thanks for any input, I'm in the dark here.


 

[DrivingMissLazy]

I would guess 50 grand minimum.
Richard

Thanks,
Kids are 4 and 7, boys, 7 is as big as 10, and I think had ADD and bounces off everything, but not certified, yet.
  Plan on having one of us certified this year!! 

    What would anyone think is the going rate for a bus like this?
Any takers on taking a stab at price?
Doug,. 
   

[Viking]

Hello Doug, 

I second everything Russ says. Of several conversions in our family, one is a '67 MC5, converted from new by Custom Coach. I don't think you will be disappointed in any way with the quality. We've had no problems with our 39 year old soldered plumbing. I belie ve this is a CCoach standard.

Some CC started out as 'day' or 'executive' coaches, which when re-converted to 'sleeper' accomodations can be clumsy.  But it appears yours has started out as a sleeper; all the appointments I see are 'pure' CC.

As Russ says, its probably one heck of a coach !

[RJ]

Doug -

The second set of pics link you posted answered the question:

Yes, it's got a jake. . . got heated mirrors, too - nice touch.  Plus a keyed ignition switch, rare in a charter bus chassis.

Yes, it's got an HT-754 five-speed Allison automatic.

Based on the interior pics, sleeping four is possible, as long as the boys get along - sharing the sofa

Might want to consider replacing the blue barrel chairs with a convertible dinette - easy to do.  That would give the younger guy his own space.

Another thought, from a conversion seen at the San Jose Bus Bash a few years ago: Twin beds in back for the kids, mom & dad slept on a large convertible sofa up front.  Reason?  Kids could be put down early, while parents stayed up to socialize, watch tv, etc.

Check all the "bus for sale" sites you can (Google search time!), looking for similar aged MC-9s converted by Custom, Angola, Liberty & Marathon.  These will get you a ball-park figure of asking prices, then bid accordingly.  (MAK, BNO, Yahoo Groups, FMCA, etc., too!)

If I was looking for a Nine, I'd be very interested in this coach!

But I'm not, so relax!  LOL 

HTH. . .