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BarFly Jen
New Member

USA
1 Posts

Posted - 05/23/2001 :  6:40:57 PM  Show Profile  Visit BarFly Jen's Homepage  Reply with Quote
I'm doing some research on the costs involved in operating an old school bus as a funky tour bus in Portland, Oregon. What I've learned so far (mostly thanks to this excellent site) is that I should look for a DT466-equipt International chassis with a Thomas or Wayne body. My price range limits me to buses dating from 1978-1984, with 125-200K on the odometer. Does anyone have any:
A) idea of what the average annual maintenance costs might be for buses of this type?
B) general insights or feedback as to the models I'm considering?
C) idea of what would be a fair price range for these kinds of buses?
D) idea of what kind of fuel economy/mpg these buses get?
E) idea of what type of regularly scheduled maintenance should be performed, at what intervals (ie change the oil every 3000 miles)?

I'm new to this stuff, so I'd really appreciate any and all responses. Thanks for your time!





Jen Lane,
Publisher
BarFly Magazine
503/813.9999
http://www.barflymag.com

1983WardFord
Top Member

USA
1395 Posts

Posted - 05/23/2001 :  7:59:42 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I wouldn't exclude Blue Bird from your body choices. From what I've experienced, they make a decent body that holds together rather well. The district I drive for has a couple of 82s in regular service and they're in decent shape.

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B. Busguy33
Top Member

USA
3444 Posts

Posted - 05/23/2001 :  9:48:25 PM  Show Profile  Visit B. Busguy33's Homepage  Send B. Busguy33 an AOL message  Send B. Busguy33 a Yahoo! Message  Reply with Quote
I agree Blue Birds are great buses. The quality, reliability, and longetivity of them are great. Also, they are not too too bad as far as pricing is concerned.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Wayne is no longer in the school bus market. They did make a good product at a good price. However, since they are no longer in the school bus market, parts for them can get expensive and they can be very hard to find. Also, it may take a very long time before you find the part. So, it may be best to avoid them because of this.

Hope this helps you out!!

Bob
"B. Busguy33"
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thomas86_a
Top Member

USA
4413 Posts

Posted - 05/25/2001 :  12:53:01 PM  Show Profile  Visit thomas86_a's Homepage  Send thomas86_a an AOL message  Reply with Quote
Yes I agree Wayne did make a good product at a good price, but they are out of business, and parts are harder to find-you can't just order them from the manufacturer.

Blue Bird does make a fair body, but I have noticed they don't hold up a long as a Thomas. Especially the seats- When we compared our buses a few years ago that was one of the big things. Sounds weird but it was. The seats on our Thomas buses were in better shape than blue birds that were five years older. Leaks were another issue that Thomas did a little better on. Other than that the two have their ups and downs. If I was in your situation I would buy a Thomas, one because I personally feel I would be better off in the long run, and second because I love Thomas buses.

Looking at your situation I would find a diesel because of gas prices, and because those older buses with gas engines are gas hogs.

You said 1978-84 I would go with at least 84-88.

Other than that good luck with purchasing a bus. As for used buses- we have an 86 Thomas/International, it has a gas engine- it ***** gas big time, has a manual transmission, and the clutch needs to be replaced. Other than that the body is in great shape. I wouldn't sell it to someone who wants to use it as a tour bus though. It has lots of miles, and the engine is just wearing out the bus went through hell, but I enjoyed driving it

"Thomas Built Buses-The best buses on the Road."
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cowlitzcoach
Advanced Member

USA
325 Posts

Posted - 05/27/2001 :  08:55:10 AM  Show Profile  Visit cowlitzcoach's Homepage  Reply with Quote
If you are going to go into the tour bus business, even a funky tour bus business, you will have several regulatory hurdles you will have to jump over and through. One of those hurdles is the requirement to check emergency exits ever 90 days. So regardless of the miles, you will have to bring your bus into the shop every three months.

Average cost per miles is hard to determine as well as the cost for a bus. Spending $2K on a bus that doesn't have good tires and brakes is going to cost more than another bus with good tires and brakes costing $4K.

Purchaing a used school bus will cost anywhere from $1K to $100K all depending upon the age, condition, type, and the options that are on the bus.

If you are truly looking at touring blue haired ladies, a school bus is not what they are going to want to tour on. They are going to want soft cloth covered seats and A/C to keep them cool in the hot weather.

A/C is expensive to maintain and really expensive to retrofit. Figure on $10-20K to retrofit, $1K to switch over from R-12 to R-134A, and $200-300 per year maintenance.

Fuel economy is dtermined by so many variables it is hard to be exact. Most diesel buses will get 6-12 MPG depending and gas buses usually half that.

Thomas and Blue Bird would be the best choices for bodies if only because they are still in business and parts and service is available. Ward, Wayne, Superior, Crown, Carpenter, Gillig, Crown by Carpenter, and others have made buses over the years. Some have been great buses, some were junk from the day they left the factory. Depending on how much of the work you do yourself and how much you will have to pay to have done can determine what the best choice for you might be.

The IHC chassis is probably the best chassis on the used market more because there are more of them than any other. Parts and pieces are readily available almost anywhere anytime, something that can not be said about some of the other chassis manufacturers. The best power package in a conventional is the DT466 with the Allison MT643. It isn't quiet, it isn't smooth, and it isn't pretty but it is long lived, pretty easy on the fuel, and easy to work on.

If you really are serious about going into the tour bus business, give me a call (360-274-0385)or e-mail me directly (cowlitzcoach@kalama.com). I may have some insight that will encourage or discourage you in your endeavor.

Good luck.

Mark O.




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BusDiva
Top Member

USA
609 Posts

Posted - 05/28/2001 :  2:30:07 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Jen
If you are entering the market for any type of tour company, your buses in your fleet will tella lot of your company and the type of operation you run. A clean, shiny bus or coach will definitely look more appealing than the rusty used school bus you see the guy down the street running in his fleet. I would defintely recommend leasing a brand new bus. The main reason is cost.

If you are going to run this bus every day or every couple of days, then you will be expecting a lot of miles on the engine and a lot of money to be put into repairs no matter what year or condtition of the bus. Leasing a new bus will save you a lot in the long run. You can get a brand new school bus, with a shiny exterior and an interior loaded with ammenties to make the grumpiest travelerhappy.

You can have these buses spec'd out- ordered with luggage compartments below the floor, air conditioning and a great radio system.
Also, warranties will cover almost all of the repairs and while the repairs are doen, most dealers will have a spare bus that can be used while the bus is down.

I would have to know more about your situation before a final recommendation could be made because of so many variables.

Good luck


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gbusmech
New Member

7 Posts

Posted - 06/05/2001 :  05:43:11 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Avoid all buses that have a Ford chassis and hydraulic brakes! You could spend more money on brake jobs than you can possibly imagine.

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gbusmech
New Member

7 Posts

Posted - 06/05/2001 :  05:55:51 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Last year our school district purchased two used buses from another district. These were 1990 International 3800 series with hydraulic brakes, DTA-360 engines, Allison AT-545 transmissions, Thomas 71 passenger bodys. The mileage on these units was around 100k and we paid $4500.00 each.

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Admin
Administrator

USA
1662 Posts

Posted - 06/26/2023 :  08:22:06 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Considering a used school bus for your fleet? https://www.schoolbusfleet.com/10011607/how-and-when-to-buy-a-used-school-bus
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