Grant's Shuttle Bus Conversion

[GrantRobertson]

I just paid $4.95 for a basic VIN search on this shuttle. Everything came out clean, as in it hasn't been in a flood or recalled or anything. Here is a snapshot of the info about the vehicle type:

As you can see, it says the Body Type is "RV Cutaway" but the Vehicle Class is "Full-size Van." Any clue as to how insurance companies would see it?

 

[SoulRaven]

I've seen better rust free ones for under a grand.

I'd pass.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Grant,

The conventional wisdom among people who restore old, classic vehicles is that it is ALWAYS cheaper and easier to restore a vehicle with a good body and mechanical problems than it is to do one with a bad body but good mechanicals.  This theory comes from a lot of practical experience restoring a lot of old cars and trucks.

I, too, would pass on this one.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Regards
John

 

[ilovemyvan]

Hi Grant.

It's not easy to walk away from the first option you see...At least I think this is the 1st shuttle bus you looked at. I know from experience. It's like pulling teeth walking away. Just looking at the photos you kind of fall in love. You can already see yourself fixing it and moving in. You're emotionally already attached to it. All of this before you actually see the bus, so once you see it you try to not acknowledge it's flaws. Unfortunately they will not go away just because you wish them to. There must be a good reason why every one that looked at this bus for the last 2 months passed.

Try to see yourself in 2 years from now if you were to buy this one. How much time, effort and money do you think you would have invested, now knowing that rust never goes away NEVER!

I'm sorry your bubble got burst. However, from this point on when you go to see an other one you have something to compare it to. You are fortunate enough to live in TX where you can find a bus without rust.

I know it's not easy to use reason instead of emotion. Your patience will pay off in the long run.

All the best

Nicole

 

[psytechguy]

You're in Texas, no need to settle for a rustbucket. Most vehicles that have spent their lives in TX will have a minimum of rust. I didn't appreciate that until I saw used cars from the Midwest and East Coast!

First Class C I looked at a few years ago out by Bergstrom had been in a Central TX flood, though. The sellers tried to cover up that fact. There are quite a few flood vehicles on the market, too.

 

[Matlock]

Grant,
Just my 2¢

Before buying a Shuttle call several insurance companies. A policy for full-time mobile living in a Shuttle may not be available. And if it is, the price may be stupid high.

Early on in my quest for a vehicle I called my long time insurance agent at Allstate. They wanted $1200 a year for any modified vehicle and that wasn't for full coverage. He added that corporate may kill any deal they wrote once it was submitted. Any DIY conversion, regardless of vehicle type, by anyone other than an OEM may not be insurable by most companies.

I think many of us are on the ragged edge when it comes down to conversion vehicle insurance coverage. YEMV but worth checking it out beforehand.

Oh and I agree with the folks here that say you should pass on this one. (It lived in Ohio, salted roads = much rust)
It's all a learning curve so get yourself a big cup of patience and enjoy the process. You will find something that works for you.

 

[GrantRobertson]

Thanks to everyone for their good advice. You all hit the nail on the head about being emotionally attached to the first one.

I have two problems: I am under a time constraint of unknown duration. I know I will lose my current place to live soon. I just don't know how soon. There don't seem to be many shuttle buses available anywhere near me.

But I will take your advice. If I have to, I can just buy a cheap RV, or even a regular van, to live in till I can find what fits my needs without all that rust.

 

[Patrick46]

If I have to, I can just buy a cheap RV, or even a regular van, to live in till I can find what fits my needs without all that rust.

Best idea

Why only shuttle busses??

What about a box van?? You likely won't have the rust issues, and you can modify it to your own liking.


btw...I have a friend who has a shuttle bus for a great price...but it's up here in Oregon, so you'd have to drive it back down (or truck it)

 

[GrantRobertson]

Best idea

Why only shuttle busses??

What about a box van?? You likely won't have the rust issues, and you can modify it to your own liking.


btw...I have a friend who has a shuttle bus for a great price...but it's up here in Oregon, so you'd have to drive it back down (or truck it)

Shuttle buses have the most windows. I want to be able to see outside no matter which direction I look. I don't want a school bus because the windows are too small and ugly. But I want a smaller shuttle for driving convenience. The one I just looked at was just the right size, with 13' inside behind the cab.

Tell me about your friend's shuttle. I might be willing to drive it back down if it is a good fit and the right price. I'm gonna have to expand my search anyway.

 

[highdesertranger]

everyone has given great advice. I have one question, how does that vehicle report you posted show it wasn't in a flood? I am highly suspect of the vehicle reports because I know how people skirt them so bad things don't end up on the report. highdesertranger

 

[GrantRobertson]

everyone has given great advice. I have one question, how does that vehicle report you posted show it wasn't in a flood? I am highly suspect of the vehicle reports because I know how people skirt them so bad things don't end up on the report. highdesertranger

Well, I only got a cheapie report. However, in Texas, it has to say on the title. As far as I could tell, there were no other signs of flooding. I think it was just years of leakage and salted roads.

 

[GrantRobertson]

So how about this one:

Party bus: http://collegestation.craigslist.org/cto/5237497492.html

The owner tells me that half of the cylinders have low compression.

I think it is a pre-computerized-injection model.

 

[highdesertranger]

well did he tell you how he knows it has low compression. diesels are a little trickier then a gasser for doing a compression check. if it truly does have low compression are you ready to rebuild it? on a lighter note I wonder what type of business he was planning on using it for, it looks like a strip club inside. not that I know what a strip club looks like but I been told. highdesertranger

 

[Gary68]

if its every other way perfect and you are up to a rebuild,work the guy,it needs new motor thats big dollars,standing offer of $1500-2000 see how low he will go,sure the fiancee doesn't want stripper mobil around,if you can get it cheap have proper compression hope for bad gasket/valve and good cylinders

 

[GrantRobertson]

well did he tell you how he knows it has low compression.  diesels are a little trickier then a gasser for doing a compression check.   if it truly does have low compression are you ready to rebuild it?  on a lighter note I wonder what type of business he was planning on using it for,  it looks like a strip club inside.  not that I know what a strip club looks like but I been told.  highdesertranger

I assume he had it checked. Maybe he did it himself. Though, if he says half are low, I have to assume that they are low in comparison to the other half. Unless diesels are supposed to have half of the cylinders have a different compression ratio than the others, I would think there is definitely something up there.

No, I am not prepared to rebuild it myself. I would actually be more prepared to sandblast that last shuttle. I just don't have the facilities to rebuild an engine right now. I imagine getting an older diesel engine rebuilt costs upwards of $2k?

It is a party bus. He would use it to haul around groups of people who want to bar-hop and not have to worry about drunk driving. It is meant to have the atmosphere of a fancy bar. I know what a strip club looks like. This shuttle looks much better. People in a strip club are NOT looking at the decor.

 

[GrantRobertson]

if its every other way perfect and you are up to a rebuild,work the guy,it needs new motor thats big dollars,standing offer of $1500-2000 see how low he will go,sure the fiancee doesn't want stripper mobil around,if you can get it cheap have proper compression hope for bad gasket/valve and good cylinders

I think the problem with this owner and the previous one is that they spend a lot of money on them and then invested a lot in fixing them up (one in repairs and one in decorations) but didn't actually keep them for very long or get much use out of them. Therefore, they assign a much higher value to them based on what it cost them, instead of assigning the value based on what it would be worth to other people. They want to get their money out of them and don't want to accept the notion that the purchase may have been a bad idea and that they are going to have to loose a lot of money on the thing.

I have a friend who's father bought a $100k house (back when that was a big deal) and then promptly spent another $200k in expensive cabinetry, floors, and all kinds of other things. Then, less than a year later, he tried to sell it for $300k in a neighborhood full of $100k houses. Needless to say, he ended up being very disappointed.

 

[ilovemyvan]

Hey Grant,

Our van is dark blue and on hot days I wish it was white. I would hesitate to buy a dark colored vehicle to live in full time. It gets hot and suffocating real fast when you park in the sun.

There is one thing I know nothing about but got me curious. In both bus the millage was in the 20,000 mile range. Does the odometer only has space for 5 digits reading? If so what's on the front of the 20,000? A 1, a 2 or a 3. Both were older model and had very serious issues for this kind of low millage. Is it still true that you can get an idea of the millage by looking at the gas and brake pedals? If so what would be the difference between a 100,000 and a 200,000? Or is it not important because the engine is diesel. I'm not in a market of buying a diesel, but this is the kind of stuff I like to know, just because....I like to know this kind of stuff

You have to be some kind of patient driver to put up with a bunch of drunk partiers, unless you join the party yourself

Nicole

 

[GrantRobertson]

Our van is dark blue and on hot days I wish it was white. I would hesitate to buy a dark colored vehicle to live in full time. It gets hot and suffocating real fast when you park in the sun.

There is one thing I know nothing about but got me curious. In both bus the millage was in the 20,000 mile range.

Nicole,

I definitely would not have left it black. I would have either repainted it white or buffed the black off. Cause you know there has to be white under that.

I think you misread the mileage. The first one has 250,000 and the second 200,000 miles.

 

[Matlock]

Therefore, they assign a much higher value to them based on what it cost them, instead of assigning the value based on what it would be worth to other people. They want to get their money out of them and don't want to accept the notion that the purchase may have been a bad idea and that they are going to have to loose a lot of money on the thing. <sniparooski>

I agree completely.
I'm not looking to bail out someone because they got themselves upside-down in a vehicle.
I tend to not listen to the sellers words and let the vehicle and my mechanic tell me what its worth and what it needs.

Last night after you posted the party bus (missing the brass pole) I checked Craigslist in Georgia and Arkansas for a Shuttle. I had spent some time traveling through those states back in 2013 and was looking to buy a no-rust used Sprinter at the time. Anyhow, from what I saw on-line, the shuttles bought new by churches were in the best shape by far but that was reflected in the price. You still need to be careful of ones that have been parked awhile.

 

[ilovemyvan]

Nicole,

I definitely would not have left it black. I would have either repainted it white or buffed the black off. Cause you know there has to be white under that.

I think you misread the mileage. The first one has 250,000 and the second 200,000 miles.

:blush:

Oh boy, I went back and re-counted the number of zeros...and blushed! Then had a good laugh at myself.

Are you planning to make a very low offer and see what happened?

It's such an exciting and yet so over whelming process to buy a vehicle. It's pretty cool how you don't seem intimidated at all when it comes to painting a shuttle bus.

I wish you to find exactly what you're looking for, you deserve it.

Nicole