The Ultimate Buyer's Guide for Purchasing Bus chassis

For those who may be struggling to re-imagine ways to save money on campus service vehicles, this must-read guide will explain how purchasing a bus or fleet can save a university thousands of dollars in annual expenses. This guide also explains what features to consider, the right questions to ask, how to identify red flags, and how to determine what vehicles will be a worthwhile investment.

For those who may be struggling to re-imagine ways to save money on campus service vehicles, this must-read guide will explain how purchasing a bus or fleet can save a university thousands of dollars in annual expenses. This guide also explains what features to consider, the right questions to ask, how to identify red flags, and how to determine what vehicles will be a worthwhile investment.

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Campus service vehicles have a lot of different uses, as many administrators may already be aware. The Transportation Services department, in many cases, may have an existing fleet of cars, trucks, and vans that support smaller passenger capacities, and other official business uses. The university may lack the ability to transport larger groups of staff, students, and other campus visitors. The wisest administrators will see the cost savings obtainable when comparing the purchase or lease options of a front-engine motorcoach with the amount spent on bus charters, team travel, and additional marketable activities that will help increase student enrollment. Owning or leasing a bus comes with an abundance of benefits that many campus decision-makers may not have considered.

The most obvious savings for universities that decide to purchase a bus will be in athletic travel. A cost analysis will show the clear numbers. By pulling budget data from previous charter rentals, hotel stays, and airfare for further destinations, then comparing the total to an annual lease-purchase cost or total acquisition price, the savings will be clear. Having a lavatory on the bus can also reduce travel time and increase convenience.

Public transportation is the most used transportation for college students in localities that don’t have a well-developed public transportation system. Campuses that don’t have such transportation options could be missing out on student enrollment numbers. Public transportation, however, has its disadvantages when it is the only option for students. It can become costly, inconvenient regarding class schedules, may not offer accessibility for students with disabilities, and comes with a risk of harassment and violence that can be avoided. Universities with buses can offer shuttle services to frequent off campus locations and common visited sites, such as grocery stores and laundry facilities. In colder climates, a bus could assist with off-campus student housing.

Additionally, universities that host an abundance of events but don’t have the parking infrastructure to support the additional traffic on campus can ease the hassle of transportation by owning a bus or fleet.
Not only do students and their parents look for a quality education when determining which university to attend, they also consider what campus life is like. They consider whether the university offers activities that support social connections and interactions. Not only are students interested in attending on campus events, but they also enjoy also off-campus group outings that lead to overall increased satisfaction in the educational experience. Sure, fraternities and sororities can be an important part of the college experience, but for other students to increase connection, having the means to provide other forms of social activities for student engagement, such as a motorcoach or a fleet, will increase the overall well-being and happiness of campus life.

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Overall, the visibility of the sports team and college branding is extremely important to the communications department. The exterior of the bus functions as a billboard for all new students, competing schools, and community members. Everyone can appreciate the sleek look of the buses and how they represent the university.

Here are some examples of ways campus service vehicles can be used:
• Athletics travel
• Off-campus transportation
• Academic events, on and off campus
• Campus life activities
• Educational day trips and travel
• Marketing/collegiate branding

Those considering the purchase of a motorcoach for a university should look for several, often overlooked features. Without knowing all of the considerations, buyers could easily end up with huge repair bills or not enough space for sports gear. First, buyers need to research on service centers. If a motorcoach has only a few service centers in the United States, requiring hundreds of miles and hours to arrive, this lack of available service centers is a sign that repair bills could be outrageous. Additionally, when the bus is out of service, the towing expenses to the service facility would be beyond imaginable. Choosing a front-engine motorcoach built on a common chassis allows access to thousands of service centers nationwide.

A quick look at the total cost of ownership can give prospective buyers a good idea which type of motorcoach would be best for the university. Front-engine motorcoaches not only offer a large network of service centers, but they also have low acquisition costs that are a fraction of the cost of traditional motorcoach acquisition. In comparing features of a front-engine motorcoach to a traditional motorcoach, prospective buyers will find better fuel efficiency, easier part replacements and availability, fewer underbody parts on the chassis that can be damaged on the road, fewer axles, tires, brakes, lower insurance premiums, and lower toll fees.

Front Engine vs. Flat Nose
• Low total cost of ownership
• Thousands of service centers nationwide
• Enough storage space for large equipment with no obstructions
• Full composite no wood construction
• Fuel efficiency
• Easy to find parts
• Few exposed underbody parts
• Fewer axles, tires, brakes
• Lower toll fees
• Ceramic window coating

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Here is a list that I've compiled so far for E/Js.   Apply as needed to what you are looking at.

1) What brakes does it have? DLisa and EX225 are good.  Other brake types: ask your local coach service company about parts and local knowledge working on them.

2) Does it use gold bricks or multiplex system?  Gold bricks are hard to find and expensive.

3) If it is a DPF equipped bus, get the service history on the DPF and SCR.  Has it been washed?  Replaced?   Deleted?  Then pull the codes on the engine to read how plugged the DPF is and when it was last regened.  If you can, force a manual regen and read the plugged percentage after.

4) Check engine oil pressure at idle when hot.

5) Drain a small amount of oil out of the crankcase when the engine is cold and has been sitting.   Check for antifreeze.  Send some away for sampling.  This is especially important on the Cat C13, which is know to leak anti freeze into the oil which causes crank issues if not caught.

6) Watch engine blow by when at idle and at max RPM when cold and hot.

7) Inspect tires.   Note the tread depth, condition, size and date codes.  Make sure the bus has the right size tires (11s and 12s versus 315s) and make sure they are all the same.  Verify which ones are recaps and which ones are virgin.  Note any abnormal tread wear, especially on the steering tires as that often indicates steering or suspension issues.

Note when the bus last passed a commercial vehicle inspection.  See if the inspector's notes are available.  Search the bus's DOT number if it is available.

9) Inspect under the radiators and hoses for coolant leaks.  Squeeze the radiator hoses when cold to see how pliable they are.

10) Inspect the shock absorbers for leaks, rust, etc.

11) Inspect hubs for leaks.

12) Check that all lights on the bus work.

13) Time how long it takes for the bus to build air pressure.  Shut off the engine.  How fast does it lose air pressure ?  Walk around the bus and listen for air leaks.  Best not to do this near a freeway where it is noisy.

14) Check all the windows in the bus.  If it has dual pane windows, check for condensation.  Replacement windows are expensive.

15) Check the baggage compartment and underneath for rust.  Most E/Js will be entirely rust free in this area.

16) Jack up the front axle.  Get a bar and pry the bottom of each steer wheel up and down.  Note any play.  If there is play, it is probably the kingpins, which will probably need to be replaced.   Pry the wheel side to side.  This is steering gear play.  It will need to be fixed to pass inspection.

17) With the engine running and the bus stationary, turn the steering wheel to get a feel for free play in the steering system. I think 1.75" is allowed.  Not sure.  The less the better.

17)  Check the disk brake wear indicators on each wheel.

18) Check the condition of the air bags.   Look for leaks and dry rot.

19) Check that both alternator lights go out when the engine is running.  Check the battery voltage at idle to make sure charging is happening.

20) Inspect the batteries. Note the date codes.  Wouldn't hurt to do a hydrometer and/or load test.

21) Check the ABS light goes out.  If not, pull the codes using the dash board.  The bus probably won't pass inspection with an active ABS error light.  Any errors will need to be fixed.

22) Inspect the front and rear bogies.  MCI calls bogies the steel that the front and rear axle are mounted to.  Bogies are made from mild steel, not SS like the baggage compartment area.  Look for excessive rust, cracks and repairs.  Visually check all the suspension bushings.

23) Check that the coolant heater fires up.

24) Check that the bus has a spare tire in the spare tire holder, date code, air pressure.

25) Check the brakes and steering on a test drive.  Watch for smoke when accelerating.  Watch engine coolant temp.

26) Inspect all the engine accessory drive belts.

27) Inspect the fan clutch for play.  Look for oil leaks on the fan angle drive gear box. 

28) If it is an E with a steerable tag axle, check that the tag axle steers properly when the front wheels are turned.  Bus probably has to be rolling a bit to allow this to happen.

29) Remove the air cleaner.  Reach through the filter canister to the air intake hose going to the engine.  Is there any dust ?

30) Observe any new paint on the engine to get clues for what parts have been replaced.  Idlers, turbocharger, water pump, head ?  Look at the engine cradle bolts.   If they are new or super clean, the engine/transmission assembly has probably been out recently.

31) Check the engine and transmission serial number against what MCI has on file.  Unmatching serial numbers mean they have been replaced.

32) Check if the OTR A/C system works.

33) Thoroughly inspect the bus wiring for hacks.   You want it to be all stock and working.  Nothing worse than fixing someone else's hacks.

34) Pull ECM fault codes.  Verify that the ECM mileage matches the odometer mileage.

35) Get any and all services records that are available for the bus.  If it is being sold at a used bus yard, find out who last ran it and call them to ask about the bus.

36) Check that the tag axle lifts properly.

37) Crawl under the bus (while safely blocked up) and check for oil leaking out of the flywheel bellhousing.  Oil leaking here is probably due to a bad rear main seal on the engine.

38) Inspect the drive shaft for play and any obvious issues. 

I left out testing the transmission.  This is an evolving list as I learn more about these buses.   The MCI maintenance manual is really good at explaining things.  It's available free online.

Good luck.