Found one...I think

[scuba44]

John - YES, that is exactly what just happened.

I posted that I found a bus that could be a good deal and asked for opinions.

Dave then posted to the forum that he knew this bus.

I emailed Dave to get more info right after he posted here - we chatted on the phone.  He told me about the bus. (he didn't mention anything about being in contact with the current owner of the bus).  How would he even KNOW about this bus on Craigslist if not for reading my original post to this thread presenting it to the group as a potential find?

Dave then called the seller of the bus from the Craigslist ad (and posted about it here) !

I don't know what he told him but he told me essentially what he posted here...that A LOT of money and work went into the bus.  I thought there might be a deal here but now....

[John316]

Scuba,

If that is the case, I find it very hard to believe. I really wouldn't have suspected that he would have done something like that. If he did, that sure wasn't something that a friend would do!

I hope you can still get a good deal on it. If right now doesn't work out, just sit back and wait a bit. Everybody knows it isn't worth it. You might just have to give them sometime to realize that themselves. There might be some good stuff in there, but I wouldn't bank on it. The tanks, for example, could be split. He might have left water in them, and the water would have frozen.

Don't be discouraged. You will get a bus sometime.

God bless,

John

[scuba44]

Thank you John.  I always assume the best intentions from folks but when you the rug pulled out from under you so to speak....

Keeping the faith...

[zubzub]

before this blows up... consider the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe Dave just got to talking about a big project he worked on/and was proud of.  Sometimes as we chat away about buses, we may not consider all the ramifications (or dinner getting cold). 

[luvrbus]

Scuba, one great thing about the State of Idaho he can not ask you to pay over the $6,000.00 that was advertised on Craig's List and if he does take the add and the new asking price to the Attorney General office downtown and he has to pay you the difference if he doesn't want to sell for 6 grand.
That law works in the State of Idaho I know Roundtree Chevrolet advertised a custom van I was buying in 1990 for one price in the Statesmen and when I went to buy it they wanted 4800.00 more.
They said it was a different van but the stock number was the same after a call from the Attorney Generals office they were more than happy to sell it to me even knocked off another 2 grand from their sale price.  



good luck

[Adarian]

I saw a bus on clist for 2k, the owner got a lot of calls about it and then decided not to sell it for 2k. He said that someone had offered him 20k.
He felt that the volumes of calls meant that the bus was undervalued.
Now you have to ask yourself why would you offer 20k for something a person only wants 2k for in the first place.
Rug pulled from under me.
The bus a 1991 RTS.

[NewbeeMC9]

good to have some history, but present condition is what matters now.

Get a mechanic  to check the shell, mechanics, and engine.   there still may be a deal there.   


Good luck, welcome, and keep us posted 

[Hartley]

In my defense.

I sent the guy my phone number. To help him answer any questions he might have.

After I talked to Jared ( Scuba ).

He called me to ask for help.

I posted further information AFTER Scuba ( Jared ) had already arranged to see the bus.

He called me back a couple of times for more info and help with
switches and batteries.

During the discussions the amount of work came up as well as the basic
money spent 10 years ago. We discussed what kind of history the bus
went through after it left my place.

I did make it clear that the gap of time between 2000 and 2004 leaves
questions about what kind of maintenance may or may not have been done.
And that whoever buys the bus will need to put new tires on and do needed service
that could be costly. ( These things you would do anyway! ). It was pretty much
stationary bewteen 2004 and now so sitting and not being driven might be
an issue from the maintenance standpoint. I simply don't know.

He asked about what he should take. I said it's probably close to his
asking or somewhat less given the interior condition and the amount of
cosmetic work needed to fix stuff up.

The market is what you can afford and negotiate for in these older buses.
I would NOT like to see it go to the shredder or be parted out just because
of a cheap price. You can buy the bus for a reasonable $6k and be ahead
if you get a better price then go for it.

Like I said, If I had the money, resources & health to go get the bus and drive it
home I would be there as fast as I could. I know what I started with and what I put into it.

So,
There you have it. If I seemed to be interfering It was not my intention.

If Jared or anyone else cares, I have always tried to answer questions
when asked about something I know about firsthand which is exactly the case here.

It would still be a deal in any case.

I didn't fire a single torpedo here.

Dave.. ( Gone back to my bunker now!! )

[Dreamscape]

Whew! This is one I'm not touching!  

Hope all goes well scuba, if it's what you really want. Take Cliffords adivce on this one, he knows what he's talking about. Who knows, there might be a diamond in the ruff someplace! It just doesn't look like it. If it were me, I'd keep looking while you think about laying out hard cash.

[luvrbus]

If it were me and it is not I would forget about this deal and move on nothing is going to come from this but hard feeling and someone leaving the board JMO


good luck

[Barn Owl]

Looks sells, and that is that. How many buyers will know the bus history from this board? Not enough. Regardless of the condition the bus was in back in 2000, it is horrible now, and it will look even worse in person. If it is such a diamond, where is the line of buyers? Too many emotions can cloud reality. There are better buys out there.

Scuba, how long have you been looking? What do you want, and what are your limitations?

Dave, Looking at the post you put a lot of work into that bus. You are a good man to be able to take a beating like that and watch the man drive away.

[Barn Owl]

Why spend $6000 on that, when $13k buys this:

35' MCI bus conversion M.H. - $13000 (Vail, Az.)

Link to Craigslist posting

1966 35' bus conversion motorhome all converted ready to use. It has a queen bed, neo angle shower, washer/dryer, microwave. It has a 8/71 detroit diesel engine that runs good and 15,000 miles on the brakes and clutch. Tires are good with a lot of tread on them. 160 gal. fresh water tank and 160 gal. blk/grey tank, 7k generator. $13,000.00 or will trade for a 24' car hauler trailer with a interior ht. of 8 1/2' or 9' Ben 520-203-1812.

[John316]

Jared,

First off, I am sorry about that. I can assure you, that usually doesn't happen.

Second off, if you still want it, and the guy isn't willing to come down to at least 2K, let him sit on it. He has already found that others think it is a POJ. Maybe it isn't, but I wouldn't bet on it. There are other buses out there. You don't want to sink your money into a monster.

Also, it would help if you told us what kind of bus you were looking for. What is your budget? What you were going to use it for (if you have a large family, you will want bigger...if it is just you and your wife, 35' is fine)...that kind of stuff. I know a nice looking GMC 35' that the guy has backed down to 13K on. Methinks you could get it for less...

God bless,

John

[scuba44]

Dave - Don't worry about it.  I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me yesterday.

As for my options/criteria.....I realize that there are other/better buses out there and I will keep looking.  My budget is about $5K (range)...I know it's not much.  I am new to this board but have been on others on the net for awhile and have been a "bus fan" for a few years now...just biding my time and keeping my eyes open for a "deal".  I am willing to put in the work as I am fairly mechanically minded and I have the time at the moment but I don't want to start from scratch unless I found an amazing deal on a shell with a good engine/tranny combo.

My purpose for the bus would be to use it primarily for our family of 6 (boys ages 14-6) to travel during the summers.  I know we can take a lot of squeezing because in '07 we traveled the country (22K miles) during 6 months in a 20-year old travel trailer (18 ft).  I am looking for a 40' bus.

[Barn Owl]

Scuba, a 5k will need more k's to make it work unless you do find the ultimate deal. Your budget needs to be closer to the 10 to 15k range unless you are willing to steel tent camp. Nothing wrong with that, and many have done it while they build there dream. But if you have growing children, do you have time to do that? I didn't.

I have six children so that makes eight in a 35' 4106. I have a great layout and we traveled over eight thousand miles in five weeks last year and had a wonderful time. The best part about a 35' bus is that you can go many places that a 40' cannot. There are restrictions on vehicles over 35' in many places. So if you do go 40' plan on pulling a toad that can transport everyone around and that means extra money. Also your budget at this time does not support a 40'.

Things to look forward to: