Wow talk about a wishful thinking seller!

Busted Knuckle · August 17, 2011, 09:36:34 AM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1956-Bus-GMC-PD-4104-Mobile-Home-Tour-Travel-Band-Coach-/190561584003?pt=Buses&hash=item2c5e5b0383

artvonne · August 17, 2011, 09:56:51 AM

Wow. I didnt know Buses had appreciated so much since yesterday.

Busted Knuckle · August 17, 2011, 09:58:24 AM

Quote from: artvonne on August 17, 2011, 09:56:51 AM
Wow. I didnt know Buses had appreciated so much since yesterday.

LOL!

boxcarOkie · August 17, 2011, 09:59:04 AM

Quote from: artvonne on August 17, 2011, 09:56:51 AM
Wow. I didnt know Buses had appreciated so much since yesterday.

Curtain over the dash is a nice touch don't you think?

BCO

Scott & Heather · August 17, 2011, 10:12:18 AM

So, this brings me to a question. What is the current scrap value of a coach like that? A friend of mine just scrapped out a 1982 MCI-9 and they were paid $5000 and some change for it. This was Randy's Metal Recycling in Eau Claire, MI. I always sell my metal scraps there because they pay better than any other yard in the county. If so, then would these coaches not be worth rolling to the yard? Am I missing something?

artvonne · August 17, 2011, 10:14:39 AM

Quote from: boxcarOkie on August 17, 2011, 09:59:04 AM

Curtain over the dash is a nice touch don't you think?

BCO

Oh, thats a curtain? I thought it was one of those blankets they put over the dead body at a crime scene. My mistake.

artvonne · August 17, 2011, 10:26:16 AM

Quote from: Scotty on August 17, 2011, 10:12:18 AM
So, this brings me to a question. What is the current scrap value of a coach like that? Am I missing something?

Call them back after they crunch the numbers and see if they wanna buy another one. We wrecked about 20 some Buses back in 1988. We were lulled by the thought of 11 tons of aluminum, and had counted our chickens before they hatched. On a GMC, the engine, gearbox, and axles weigh about 6 tons. Then you have seats and glass and formica walls and cieling, tires no one wants, insulation, plywood flooring, rubber flooring, by thetime we were done we collected just over a ton of aluminum out of a 4104. Fishbowl Transits have about 1500 pounds of aluminum.

But, just like the mistakes we made at first, a lot of salvage outfits wrecked a lot of Buses before they saw the paltry profits. And everyone starts out thinking you have to pay for them. There is enough junk out there you really shouldnt have to pay to haul off a junk Bus. Maybe your Randy guy hasnt figured it out yet, or maybe there is enough stainless in a MCI to make some money. But I wouldnt pay $5K for one to scrap it. Heck, if your Randy guy would pay $5K for a roller I would just take them to him.

Scott & Heather · August 17, 2011, 11:18:33 AM

I'm going to do a little homework and find out exactly what they were given for that coach. It was in really solid shape (better cosmetically than my own coach) but had some burnt valves and brakes were shot (so I was told) so they scrapped it. Literally drove it to the recycler and scrapped it. Let me find out what they made and I'll get back to you on this. But FWIW, when I removed our copper condenser (side screened bay) it fetched $200 last year.

Busted Knuckle · August 17, 2011, 11:34:32 AM

I especially love the "larger than life" satellite dish on top.

BK

Singing Land Cruiser · August 17, 2011, 11:38:59 AM

That thing has got Texas all over it!

M&C

Busted Knuckle · August 17, 2011, 12:33:20 PM

Quote from: Singing Land Cruiser on August 17, 2011, 11:38:59 AM
That thing has got Texas all over it!
M&C

OUCH! LOL! Michael all I can say is with this crowd, better you saying that than me! LOL!

BK

Just Dallas · August 17, 2011, 01:10:00 PM

Interestingly enough, we've been guaranteed $4K to $4.5K for our PD4103 if we strip it out. Once stripped, we only need to roll it across the scales. Ours doesn't look a lot better than that as it sits, but is actually in a lot better condition.

All of those who are dissing this guys asking price, which has dropped a BUNCH in the last year or so since I first saw it need to think about the parts they will be needing and how much would you pay for a rear end? a spindle? a tie rod? a window?

Those rear windows are worth their weight in gold if someone wants to keep the original bus look.

It's an unfortunate truth that the Chinese and other Asian countries are paying premium now for scrap.

Brice should think about getting rid of those Setra's and Dina's before they rust beyond the salvage point!

demodriver · August 17, 2011, 03:12:56 PM

The last bus that I junked was a old city bus. We cut in half with a skid loader and we also removed all copper and alluminum. Such as radiators and ac parts. We left everything else alond and on the bus. We got $.15 a pound for the whole bus because we sold it as breakage. I believe it brung a total of around $5500.
This was a few years ago. I would give $3k for a coach any day as long as its complete. Heck I have gave $1000 for schoolies.

artvonne,
Every scrapper around has tried to BUY every junk car and bus around. Junk is high and so is the unemployment rate. = Lots of people trying to buy stuff for junk. Most all know what its worth and most all think its worth more then what it is.

Eric

belfert · August 17, 2011, 05:08:00 PM

Choo Choo in Chattanooga also dismantles buses for scrap. I imagine they wouldn't do it if they couldn't turn a profit. They also get more money I'm sure by separating the metals. They had an MCI that everything above the luggage bays was totally gone and they were working on the rest.

artvonne · August 17, 2011, 06:56:02 PM

IF you can sell the hard parts, yes, you could make some good money. But Aluminum is at about $.80 pound right now. A ton would only bring $1600. 5 some tons of cut up iron, if you simply scrapped the running gear/axles, you might make another $1500.

I knew a big scrap metal dealer in the Twin Cities who was buying GMC Transits from MTC, he told me point blank he thought he was getting 5 tons of aluminum, and said he would pay $4000 for a shell. This was back in 88 or 89 after we got out of it. I asked him if he ever actually weighed the Aluminum, and he said why, they weigh 11 tons and theres 5 tons of drivetrain, he just assumed the rest was all aluminum and he was making big money and never looked into it, just threw the metal onto the pile without ever weighing it.

We actually de-riveted all the skin, took each Bus apart piece by piece, and hauled every skin of Aluminum, iron, copper, and wire across the scale. If we could we sold hard parts, but most buyers want it for less than scrap lol. I know very very well whats inside one. Like when the garbage man tried to pick up the dumpster we filled with glass. Or seats. Or formica, wood, insulation, that guy hated us.

Again, I never tore an MCI apart. I do understand there is a significant amount of stainless in them, some more than others, and they could well pay out handsomely. But its an awful lot of dirty hard work. I think it was Cade who said the MC7 is completely stainless.