cant figure out prices of buses?????

[Ncbob]

If you're dealing directly with the seller and he says, "I could get in this bus and drive it to Florida tomorrow...", providing it's up north somewhere....RUN to your car and LEAVE! I know from whence I speak...

NCbob

[DrivingMissLazy]

You also need to be aware of a bidding program called Snipe.

You determine the maximum you would pay for the item, regardless of the current bid and enter that amount.  In the last few milliseconds of the bidding, this program will submit your bid, up to the maximum you have previously established, in the proper amount to beat any existing bids. 

I really do not know what happens if two or three others are using it, but I guarantee that it has worked for me. The nice part of it is that although there is a charge for the program, you get to use it free the first time or two. I do not remember for sure.

Some people think it is cheating to use this, but for me, all is fair in love or war or when trying to buy something on eBay. LOL

Richard

Just enter snipe into your search engine to find several listings for free trial.

[belfert]

A running bus does not mean the bus is in good condition.  I was able to drive my bus some 1,600 miles home with only an overheating issue, but it required major repairs once home.  I had to have the brakes, exhaust pipe, and wheel bearings replaced.  The mechanic I choose said I was lucky one of the tag wheels hadn't falled off since the bearings were so bad.

[JackConrad]

Scottie,
    If you find a bus that is too far from home, and you are real interested in it, come here. Depending on where the bus is located, there may be a busnut close enough to at least give it a once over for you.  I have done this several times, looking at buses in FL for "out-a-staters".  Jack

[scottie]

thanks jack
thats a real nice offer!!
scottie

[Don4107]

I would agree with what Christy and others said.  I would add that unless you are the definition of DIY and  you have had years of RVing under your belt, I would recommend you should shop for a converted bus. 

That is what we did.  We paid 11K for a converted bus to see if busing was for us.  We learned what we liked, safe, rugged, made to last and what we really wanted for floor plan and how we really would use the bus.  We found that we really like the 35' bus for it's maneuverability.  Now we are a two bus family. One to convert the way we want it for retirement, and one to use. 

If you are not willing and able to do most of the maintenance and repair for yourself you need to double or triple your bus budget.

The other thing you should know up front, buses are a horrible investment if you think you will make money selling one.  The real payoff is the safety and the fact that they will outlast a lot full of S&S RVs.

Good luck

[Busted Knuckle]

Scottie,
    If you find a bus that is too far from home, and you are real interested in it, come here. Depending on where the bus is located, there may be a busnut close enough to at least give it a once over for you.  I have done this several times, looking at buses in FL for "out-a-staters".  Jack

Jack is 100% right Scottie, don't be afraid to ask about getting a busnut in such & such area to look at a bus for you to see if it's worth your time, I know! I myself and many others such as Jack are always willing to help when able and will go and look one over for a potential buyer! Ken/Frank/Slow Rider (whichever alias he's using this week) was even luckier than that as he bought one I'd mentioned was for sale, in the chat room one evening that I've been servicing for about 5 yrs now & I also know the previous owner that donated it to the church he bought it from! So I was able to verify it was a mechanically sound base, to start with!
Also just because a bus is located in TX, FL or CA doesn't mean it's in good shape or even from there! Bus sales people are pretty clever, about moving them from east coast to southern or western sales lots to fool unsuspecting buyers! And they also move ragged out Mexican/TX buses up to Jersey/NE locations and sell them like hot cakes because of lack of rust, then the buyers find out about the rode hard, poorly maintained, south of the boarder rigged fixes, put away wet issues to late because they thought that because it was rust free it'd be in mechanically sound condition too! WRONG!
So beware sellers location does not guarantee that's where the bus spent most of life! Get the VIN # and any previous owner info you can. Then do searches and phone calls doing checks with previous owners to see when, where and what shape it was in when they got rid of it! There are several members here on the board that have great resources for some of this info!
And Christy and the others all have good advice here too! I especially want to agree with what Christy said about a blown engine! I sent our 102A3 out on a charter headed to NC which I would've sent it anywhere as I was confident it was in great shape with a 2yr old documented "Reliabilt*" engine. Well to make a long story short the engine cracked a head and locked up 100 miles from home and gave dad no warning at all something or anything was wrong until it just died all the sudden! So even a good running engine can blow with no warning even when taken good care of! Not trying to scare you off, just wanting to reemphasise what Christy said, it can happen! Also a DIY could do a good running take out a lot cheaper than we opted for since we use ours in every day revenue service. But a "new re manufactured engine" from American Fleet Services in Springfield, MO , re-maned starter, re-maned air compressor, re-maned alt, and OUR labor (no $ figured in) cost us $16,000.00 to get it back up and running in what I felt necessary shape for revenue service condition again! Now like I said a DIY could probably do it for about $5,000.00 with a good take out, but keep in mind ya get what ya pay for! OK I've rambled long enough, good luck in your search and if ya need any advice or whatever DO ask! Remember the only true dumb question is the one you wished you'd asked after it's too late! My 2 cents worth!  BK  

[Green-Hornet]

Wow  What a bunch of great posts on this subject. I am still looking for a bus for myself. Now my brain is hurting. It is certainly not an easy choice to make with all the variables and options out there. On one hand I am thinking...buy the newest one I can afford....meaning a seated coach and convert it myself. I feel I am up to the task. On the other hand an older conversion, that I can use now makes sense too. There is a 70 Prevost Champion, I really like the look of that model, that I was thinking about a lil bit ago. Already converted but the owner sent me a quickie email saying it needs injectors. I have not looked at it yet. The good part about that one is there is a Prevost shop here in Stuart Fl,Liberty Coach, that can help out and a Detriot shop in Fort Pierce. I kind of like the newish MCI 102_3 series buses too....my heads spinning. 

[oldmansax]

We bought ours already converted and have never regretted it. We looked and looked for about 3 years at buses that were nice and over our budget, and at buses that were within our budget and a pieces of junk. I will add to the chorus here about listening to the current owner. They will tell you a lot.

KEEP LOOKING! We found our baby after it did not sell on Ebay. I thought it would be a nice bus but the pics were terrible  and there was not much of a description. Turned out the owner was not particularly computer literate and a little hesitant about selling anyway. We talked on the phone and then made a trip for look see.

When we arrived, we were struck by the owners very well kept house & grounds but saw no bus. They chatted with us for a while & looked us over very carefully. Presently, the owner said, "Well, I guess you would like to take a look at the bus"....

I had the distinct feeling WE were being interviewed to see if we would be allowed to own his baby.

We walked to the back of his farm and found a huge barn. When he opened the doors he said the bus had not been started for about six months and it would probably be hard to start. He turned on the battery disconnect and hit the starter. It fired right up with little smoke!

After pulling out into the sunlight, he proceeded to show us how to keep the stainless polished, what kind of wax he used on the paint, who the mechanic was that did the maintenance, how to maintain the floors, and about 3 hours of other related information. After the detailed story, I don't think he could have made all that stuff up AND the bus showed his pride of ownership.

We stole bought it for well under our budget and have driven it ever since with just a few upgrades and almost no problems.

KEEP LOOKING! Investigate anything even close to what you want. You will find "your baby" sooner or later.

Have Fun!

TOM