Found a Used school bus For Sale ? What to Look For...

Finding a used school bus for sale online is not as easy as driving down to the local auction house and kicking the tires of a potential school bus that has caught your eye. There is however a huge market available online with thousands of school districts all over North America retiring twelve to fifteen year old buses with a lot of life left in them.

The one thing most online shoppers may be thinking is how honest is the seller and how much of a hassle will they have to go through to get a great deal. With the diversity of the Internet buyers and sellers can interact with pictures, descriptions and email to make a great deal with confidence.

The following are areas on a used school bus for sale that you should check out carefully.
Most school districts have a strict maintenance program and every action performed on their school buses will be documented either in a log book or on a computer. This information is the bible on the school bus you're interested in. You can see what has been replaced, how frequent the servicing occurred and if it was a lemon with frequent breakdowns.

The maintenance log will also give you the mileage and the in-service date, if the mileage is extremely high [over 250,000] then caution should be observed. Diesel engines are very durable but they do have limits with high hours on bearings, pistons and rings. The advantage of a preventative maintenance program is regular oil changes and in some cases the analyzing of oil samples. Any repairs required are performed immediately because of the obligation of each school district to provide safe transportation for school children.

A close inspection of the interior and exterior of a school bus will reveal any rust that has formed. School buses must be washed and disinfected on a regular basis and one drawback is the floor with a wood base can deteriorate over time. The underside should be closely inspected for rust especially at the body crossmembers, the severity depends on how much salt and chemicals are applied on the local highways during the winter season.

Running the engine and observing for excessive smoke and unusual noise is important to determine the mechanical condition of the school bus in question. A cold diesel engine will run rough at first until warm with extra white smoke out the tail pipe. Check transmission shifting, brake performance and determine what is not working properly with the accessories and operating systems. Everything for sale is negotiable, don't walk away from a great deal because of a few minor repairs that may be required.

I hope this over-view on shopping for a used school bus for sale
has helped you.