Top 10 Things That You Need To Know About Used Buses
1. Age: Newer is always better.
2. Mileage: Used shuttles come out of all kinds of applications. Churches typically accumulate 6 – 8,000 miles per year. Nursing homes will drive 10 – 25,000 miles per year. And it is not uncommon for transit and parking applications to rack up 35 – 50,000 miles per year.
3. Seating Capacity: A Commercial Driver’s License is required by federal law in order to operate any vehicle with seating for more than 15 persons including the driver. This includes wheel chair positions and any fold up seats over said wheel chair positions. Additionally, this is further dictated by the manufacturer’s placard stating the number of seats that the bus was designed for. Simply removing some seats will not change the CDL requirement per the placard.
4. Chassis: Most shuttle buses in the 10,000 to 14,000 lb GVWR range are going to be Fords. Ford has supported the bus industry since its inception; and through incentives and continual product development and improvement.
5. Engine: Gasoline V-8s and V-10, as well as diesels, rule shuttle bus power. Newer gasoline engines will give you comparable gas mileage as a diesel. Most common thought is that diesels give you better mileage. However, in the past 5 years or so, improvements in gasoline efficiencies have negated the diesel advantage. If you are insistent on having a diesel, look for a 2003 or older chassis with the 7.3 liter power stroke diesel. The newer 6.0 liter diesel has proven to be less than reliable. Additionally due to the initial added cost of the diesel engine, used diesel powered buses are and will be harder to come by.
6. Appearance: Since buses almost always sit outside in the weather, the older the vehicle, the more likely the weathering will be greater. Also, most lettering and logos over the past 5 years at least, are vinyl. Once removed, they will still be visible due to lack of fading under them.
Rear heaters should be under the seats. If they are in the middle of the aisle – this is an indication that the bus came our of a parking lot application and that some one has turned the seats around to make the bus more marketable. Parking lots are some of the most severe shuttle bus applications.
7. Flooring: All flooring used in shuttle buses are plywood. 5/8” thick is typically standard, while most transit agencies will spec ¾” thick flooring; and all buses are undercoated. However certain buses are prone to more leaks that others. Walk the floor of the bus. Beware if you feel soft spots (mushy), especially around the entrance and wheel chair doors and behind the rear wheel wells. Generally speaking you are looking at over $5000 to replace flooring.
8. Air Conditioning Depending on where the bus was operated, it will dictate the amount of rear AC and heat installed. A good bus dealer can tell you at a glance the size of the rear AC and heat and whether or not it is suited for you climate. It is always better to have too much than too little.
9. Prior Use: As with any used vehicle purchase, get a Carfax report. Any reputable bus dealer should be able to provide you with such a report upon request.
10. Values: New shuttle buses today list for more than $50,000. So please do not expect to find 2 – 3 year old buses with less than 10,000 miles on them for $10,000. They simply do not exist any more that you’d find a similarly aged and priced Lexus.
