Ford E450 city transit bus

[[email protected]]

Hi everyone, 
I am currently bidding on a city transit bus on govdeals.com. My first question is: does anyone know about this vehicle? It’s a 2013 Ford Econoline E-450 transit bus with a wheelchair lift. Secondly, did I bid too high at $5000.00? Any information will be greatly appreciated.

 

[ByeBye]

It'd be tough to say without more details. I've found doing the research always works better before I enter a contract to buy. Not being critical.

 

[LoupGarou]

Run the VIN with your insurance company to see if you can get coverage. Sourcing insurance coverage on commercially rated vehicles can be problematic, but not impossible.

 

[jonyjoe303]

I use to drive those models when working transit. They are very reliable, many of the older buses had over 260,000 miles. We drove them every day, each bus in the fleet averaged about 150 miles per day. The one in the picture looked like the one we drove except lift was in the righthand rear and there wasn't a rear door. They average about 7 mpg doing city/hwy driving. 

As far as reliability, as long as you maintain them you shouldn't have any problems. I don't recall too many engine or transmission problems. I recall having 2 or 3 breakdowns from bad fuel pump relay which the mechanic changed out in the field in less then 20 minutes. The engines are very strong plenty of power to get on the freeway and over hills. Lot of room inside. 

When we got new buses we retired the older buses, the older buses were still operating every day up to the day they got sent away. 166,000 miles wouldn't be too much in a well maintained fleet bus. I can't say anything bad about those e450 gas buses. They were reliable workhorses in the fleet.

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks so much for your insight. Everything I read about them indicated that E450 owners were very pleased with them. You have made me feel much more confident about this!

 

[[email protected]]

Run the VIN with your insurance company to see if you can get coverage. Sourcing insurance coverage on commercially rated vehicles can be problematic, but not impossible.

Thank you for the great advice!

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks for responding to my post. Everything I read about this vehicle indicated that ford E450 owners were happy with its performance. I’m mostly unsure if I should go higher than $5000. Thanks again!

 

[Seminole Wind]

definately check on insurance first. in my case when i purchased a short skoolie it was registered as a truck and insurance was astronomical just for state (oregon) liability. to the tune of almost 4k a year. i went through the process to convert and get it registered as an rv/motorhome but then i had a hard time finding a company that would insure a private conversion. ended up with progressive and the price came down around 200 a year

small buses can be great, but dont jump blindly into a purchase.

 

[[email protected]]

Thank you so much. I am searching for insurance as we speak. Thanks for taking time to answer my post! I will check with progressive!

 

[highdesertranger]

I would be very cautious with any Ford diesel after the 7.3, 2004 and up. highdesertranger

 

[[email protected]]

This is a gas engine. Thanks for taking the time to answer my post!

 

[Jack]

What kind of gas mileage do they get? I was considering one myself. The space would be fantastic with the potential for a phenomenal build! I would hate the typical bus door though.

 

[rvwandering]

I deleted a series of unhelpful posts. Please read over The Rules of the Forum - https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=6554

Especially #4 -  Don’t be a know-it-all or dismissive of others. We’re family and we’re here to help and support each other. So before you hit the “Send” button, ask yourself if what you are writing is helpful and supportive or is it to make you feel better about yourself. Are you just trying to prove you’re smarter than everyone else and you’re right and their wrong? That turns into fighting and bickering over nothing and that makes this an unpleasant place for people who come here in need.

 

[Smitty716]

If it’s the 7.3 make sure it’s the power stroke. They made two 7.3’s

 

[TrainChaser]

Re: the wheelchair lift. If you get the bus, or something like it, and have no use for the lift, I've heard that it can be a PITA to remove. Check around to find local businesses that sell wheelchairs and those small electric carts for seniors and handicapped, and ask if they would have a use for it (or know someone who would). If they they're interested, let them have it for free as long as they will have someone remove it (without damaging the rig).

 

[Beeps and eats]

I managed to get a nursing home to purchase mine and then remove it because they wanted to make sure all the components were there. So look around you might make a little money back on it.
I figured why not I paid for it.

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