How many K's is to much..?

SnowT · Guru

How many K's is to much..?

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Depends on the condition of the various bits and what the price is.
Properly maintained they can last a very long time. Our OKA now has 500,000k on the clock. I have no intention of selling it, EVER.
Coaster mechanicals are both good, cheap and readily available. They are more common than Hinos.
A rusty body is a much bigger problem than a tired motor. Diffs and gearboxes can be expensive too, but are not as expensive as a rusty body and chassis.

Cheers,
Peter

oldbobsbus · Guru

Kls don't worry me and if the unit has been used as a school bus prior to you buying it there is a good chance it is in good buckle..
My current unit has 897000 on the clock and drives like it just cane out of the showroom..
The one we are selling has around 384000 on it and is also still going strong..

Like Peter said so long as there isn't too much rust in it then the Kls don't matter too much considering most of the prime movers you see on the highway have over 1,000,000k's on them without being touched..
Now IF you are going to get a LR licence that will open up a few more options to you..
There are some really good buys out there at the moment..

oldbobsbus · Guru

If you go with anything other than a Coaster you will get more usable space if you get one with a front door.. and a rear or mid mount motor for a nice quite drive..
If you go for a bigger bus your LR licence will allow you to drive UP TOO and including 8.00 tonne GVM..

There are some nice Fuso and Isuzu buses out there that also fit into that bracket. just be sure to get a wide bodied one..

hako · Guru

Juergen, there's a '87 Hino AC140 bus for conversion for sale in Crows Nest which is north of Toowoomba.
It says Good condition. Service history and garaged $8500

Sounds OK but then, they all do!
PM me and I can send the advert which has a picture.
Regards

Denis

oldbobsbus · Guru

Dennis, AC140's are very very prone to rust in the roof and floor they also have front motors that are noisy and are only 1900 inside and the door is behind the passengers seat..
There is one at Glen Innes as well for less than $4000 but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone even if I didn't like them..lol..

I had to cut 4" out of the roof above the gutter on the last one I had and replace it with new metal and even then there was a lot of rust in the framework inside the roof..

SnowT · Guru

Refresh My memory..

The Lower the RPM's at high speed[freeway] speed the better the gear ratio, therefor should have better economy.. [yes I'm talk'n economy]

minimum once a month, I do a Trip to the other side of the bay[Port Philip] and would like to do it in comfort and cheaply..

I found a metro bus with only 90k on it.. could be interesting..

Juergen

oldbobsbus · Guru

Just be sure it doesn't have a city diff in it and only does 90 flat out downhill with a tail wind..

You need something that does 100KPM at just on 2500RPM..and then drive it at 2300RPM should give you around 90KPH for max economy.
I wonder why they would be selling a bus with only 90,000k's on it... what year model is it and are you sure it hasn't done 1,090,000kls..

native pepper · Senior Member

In Tas there are quite a few buses for sale at good prices, some converted other ex school buses just of the run and some registered. Friend paid $4000 for their Mercedes bus before xmas and registered for 6 months. Shorter than ours at 8.5m and it goes well. They won't have to do anything to the engine or drive line, all they have to do is renovate it and the tyres will last many years.

Check out gumtree Tasmania to see what's down here, you may be surprised.

valiant81 · Senior Member

Hi SnowT;

I would think that instead of geating your LR licence, why not try and get your HR one and see what the cost differance would be. I got my HR in November last year and full cost was about $300.00 ( i think ) but i now have a health care card and ended up paying $65.00. That way you could drive the bus that you are looking at for now .......But, if you deside to up grade into a bigger bus, well you already would have the licence.

When i went for my HR licence the company that i did the training with had a big Volvo FH12 model and just loaded it up with about 8 Tonn on the back. The truck had a 12 speed full syncro box and was a pleasure to drive. Man i loved that truck. Any way something to think about

SnowT · Guru

I initially was going to go for the HR..

The issue is I might have a few issues due to health..

So If I can get at least my LR Maybe MR I will be a happy Camper..

I have my Eye on a bus out west and 1 up North I just need to see if I can get the License to drive them..

I also need to see who in the area does the compliance and find out what they want to happen to do the change over..
- Motorhome much cheaper to register when compared to a Bus..

Juergen

Wirroff · Senior Member

In relation to licences, don't bother with LR mate as it's not really worth it and restricts you once again. Better to go for at least MR (preferably HR), this then opens up so many options to you. Good luck in your hunt!

PS Coaster any day as it has the Cruiser engine but everyone else is correct - body condition is the most important as most things mechanical can be fixed at a reasonable cost (excluding full engine re-builds and drive lines!) wink

milo · Guru

i too have been worried about some of the k's in campervans I have looked at

Wirroff · Senior Member

Our Sprinter will be for sale soon and well under 100,000km with a private owner, service history, recent replacement of glow plugs and exhaust too!.............

Mike C · Senior Member

Just a point on the license..
I had an MR and reduced it to an LR.

If you have any medical issues in my experience an LR is treated the same as a Car.
MR and upwards have much more stringent requirements.

I have sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes.
On the MR I was required to see a specialist for both conditions every year.
on the LR its GP for the Diabetes and Specialist every three years for the Apnea.

My bus is 6.5 ton and more than big enough for us. The cost and Hassle of annual specialists made it a no brainer to down grade.

Good luck with what ever you do

Mike

Vic41 · Guru

milo wrote:
i too have been worried about some of the k's in campervans I have looked at

One thing to keep in mind Milo, is paying to have a conversion done (different for a handyman/tradesman who can do there own) for a vehicle with low kms, it is a very expensive exercise, I did this and in retrospect it would have been cheaper to buy a fully converted motorhome with no rust and if the motor has big kms, but passes a thorough mechanical inspection to buy that if the price is right.

If you need to replace the engine and/or drivetrain later it would probably work out a lot cheaper than the conversion which is astronomical.