New Project - looking for an EL3 shell (early year - affordable)

[Dlsnow]

I have been loving my MCI MC7 for the last 8 years traveling with family all over the US.
Now were looking for a more modern look and hopefully a little less break/fix.

I am looking for an EL3 and hoping to get some advice and direction from the experts.

About 2 years ago someone from California was selling one that was already a shell (no seats or bathroom).  But i cannot find his info.

I dont mind the extra work to remove seats but the shells seem to sell for a good amount less than the seated ones.

Found one on ebay from Cavello and a couple others on various sites.

Chime in with your thoughts

[Jim Blackwood]

I just bought a DL3 and there's a lot to like about it. If you can afford the EL3 it should please you. Mine's a '96, goes Historic in 2 years but has the DDEC3 Series 60, the B500 and the Eberspacher aux heater as well as overhead A/C units in the bins and came with 10ea 900w inverters and alloy wheels. Seats came out real easy and sold for a few bucks. Lavatory had already been removed. My bus was used to transport a marching band so it had a non-standard layout, ebay photos showed the rear bumper missing. I ended up buying it for $5250 plus about $1350 delivery fee. Very happy with that, engine has 140K miles on it. I could have easily paid over $10K for a comparable bus and got less. (Of course I put in a lot of time and effort to get that result.)

Jim

[buswarrior]

I never was afraid to boldly enter shopping mall parking lots with an "E" model.

Can't say the same for the fixed tag axle J or the H3 45...

However, the tag steering will break your bank account, if it isn't up to snuff, and if you don't keep it there.

The tag steering in an E is active, not a follower like the D. So, think in terms that there's pretty much all the same bits back there as at the front that have to stay tight and lubricated.

Same as a car, alignment and suspension wear issues will eat expensive tires in short order.

Price on the "E" goes up and down according to drive train mileage AND suspension/steering condition.

You MUST get it inspected by a shop competent in the E steering system, or learn it yourself.

There's also a whole bunch of software upgrades that the coach needs to have received, that suspension system is also computer controlled. Multi-plex will become a new swear word, or a twinkle in your eye, depending on your mastery of the electrons?

Again, I loved the maneuvering, but it comes at a price. If I was going to get into a 45 foot coach at this point in history, I'd have a hard choice between an older D or an E...

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[ktmossman]

I'm in the same position.  I've been watching the prices on the EL3s for a bit now and want to pull the trigger this year (I almost did a few months ago).  The big thing holding me back is that the prices are all over the map. 

The vast majority of what I have seen for sale have the Series 60/B500 drivetrain, so there is not much variation there.  For super low mileage (below 500K-ish) the prices jump considerably.   But above the 300K-ish mileage, there does not seem to be any consistency in prices. I have seen what would appear to be very comparable coaches with huge price differences.  So, I can't tell if it is someone trying to rip me off, issues with some coaches that are not being disclosed, or people just throwing a number out there, hoping it will stick. 

Is there an industry resource (like kbb for autos) that gives a "neutral" realistic market value for coaches?  I'm betting not, but it doesn't hurt to ask...

Another question...  Should buses from northern markets be avoided (or at least looked at with a more skeptical eye) due to heavier use on winter-treated roads?

[buswarrior]

Used bus sales no different than used auto sales...

Don't trust anyone. Inspect, or pay an independent to inspect for you...

Coaches move all over the continent to be traded, "northern" becomes hard to identify, where it is sitting for sale has little bearing on where it operated.

lots of high priced variables skew the numbers.  Tires are $600 each x 8?  seating  and flooring fresh or all tore up? As I noted, what's the suspension and tag steering condition? jakes, retarder or nothing? fit and finish of body panels? and finally, good old mileage on the drivetrain?

Any of these represent many thousands of dollars to make right, if they are wrong, and appreciate a good coach over a crap one.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[Jim Blackwood]

I agree, inspect if at all possible and if not only disregard for a ridiculously low price that you could clearly scrap and still make out.

I got unbelievably lucky but it does happen. The axle bag trunions had been plated early on and maintenance was generally very good. Apparently the owner had provided a band bus for his alma mater in Wyoming and treated them well. The bus was sold in Connecticut. There was nothing but photos to indicate that it wasn't a total rust bucket. 600K total miles, he replaced it with a newer bus and then used it for training until it was the oldest vehicle in a fleet of 1500. Turned out to be a Thermo-King subsidiary. Supposedly the transmission was also replaced but I can't prove that. Maybe once I can get the controller info downloaded there will be some indication.

Jim

[Scott & Heather]

I will say that I know some E owners and their coaches have some intense electronic gremlins sometimes with their complicated canbus architecture. But they are nice coaches. I love the spiral stairways in them. Mine is a wannabe E ;-)

[muldoonman]

Don't know about MCI but there is this one (2003   MCI   102DL3 ) on the GovDeals website. 2 hours left and minimum bid is $5302.