Nine MCI 45' buses up for auction Feb. 23

[windtrader]

I read somewhere that those buses are being replaced by new MCI's with natural gas engines

Got my curiosity behind the sale. A few years ago Solano County awarded a new contract to company, National Transit Express, to run the buses
https://www.dailyrepublic.com/all-dr-news/solano-news/solano-county/soltrans-chooses-national-express-to-run-buses/

The fleet is pictured in their website
https://www.nationalexpresstransit.com/careers/

Some details on Solano County Transit
https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/Soltrans.html#cite_note-8

BINGO! buckle up you e-bus haters. lol
New electric buses replacing these older diesels
https://www.dailyrepublic.com/all-dr-news/solano-news/fairfield/solano-agency-gets-10-8m-for-regional-transit-upgrades/

[Geoff]

I have purchased from 1st Capital Auction for over 20 years and only recently are they getting fleet retired parlor buses.  All they used to get were city buses and Suburban buses geared for the highway.  Now that counties are providing commuter buses, we suddenly have highway buses that have used up their 15 year government subsidies and and are able to buy new buses.  These retired buses are well maintained and are better than buying a used charter bus.

[luvrbus]

I had a chance to tour the Las Vegas bus maintaince shop on Sunset while we were there a amazing complex,they can replace a engine in the double decker Van Hools in 3 hours and be back in service.lol after being around  and watching repairs to the Van Hool I have no desire to own one    by the way Vegas has no diesel buses 

[chessie4905]

All of our busses at the home of Penn State University have been Natural gas for 10 years now.

[kinson]

Actually, I'll keep an eye on them.  Fuel/flight to get it home would be another $1200-$1500.  They would have to go for a low price for me to bite just because I've had the worst luck with my first purchase... I'm still recovering.  I probably couldn't hang bidding against you guys.

I'm not exactly familiar with the CARB compliance.  Does this mean they have SCR/DPF?  A DPF delete is pretty costly correct?

[windtrader]

Found the actual fleet details for the commuter buses going up for sale; maybe not exactly but pretty close. this list is a couple years old so the listed mileage is now higher.


Understanding CARB rules - may as well have gone to law school - ridiculously complicated. DPF was one of the options for some retrofits but that was for some interim period when new regs went into force that required four strokes to be phased in. At this point i.e. 2019, basically all the two strokes are off the road except those listed as exempted (RV buses being one).

It'll be interesting to see if out of state buyers would bid on these for low usage/backup charter use. It seems unlikely that any commercial operator would want to put these older ones into their fleet.


No offense but to those who cringe at money needed to get a coach home needs to find another hobby. A thousand or two is lunch money in this world where a steering box, a couple fill ups, or a set of tires costs more.


The excitement builds.

[buswarrior]

These buses are exactly what the hard charging second/third tier casino charter companies love to have.

And anyone else in the cut rate market.

Niagara Falls is full of old commuters that have been tarted up, Vegas must the the same?

As for insulting people, maybe more people need to have more reality in their lives instead of participation medals?

If the flight and fuel to fetch one is a budget buster, stop the bus addiction before you become another "busted bus in a field" broke busnut.

Those DL's need $4800 worth of tires under them on a regular basis. Where's that money coming from?

Ask anyone with a bus for sale how many foolish calls they are getting...

These aren't insults, this is supportive financial advice.

Perhaps we should start billing?

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[kinson]

Found the actual fleet details for the commuter buses going up for sale; maybe not exactly but pretty close. this list is a couple years old so the listed mileage is now higher.


Understanding CARB rules - may as well have gone to law school - ridiculously complicated. DPF was one of the options for some retrofits but that was for some interim period when new regs went into force that required four strokes to be phased in. At this point i.e. 2019, basically all the two strokes are off the road except those listed as exempted (RV buses being one).

It'll be interesting to see if out of state buyers would bid on these for low usage/backup charter use. It seems unlikely that any commercial operator would want to put these older ones into their fleet.


No offense but to those who cringe at money needed to get a coach home needs to find another hobby. A thousand or two is lunch money in this world where a steering box, a couple fill ups, or a set of tires costs more.


The excitement builds.

I know first-hand how it feels to have a bleeding wallet.  Everyone's financial situation is different, especially mine as I've alluded to.  Some can throw money at a quick conversion and others can work slower as they acquire the funds(after initial purchase ofc).  Both can enjoy the hobby equally I believe.  Thanks for the info and general advice.

[Geoff]

I went on the 1st Capital website and if you click on the link for proxy bids you'll get individual information on each bus.  It seems most of them are CARB retrofitted and still legal to drive in CA, but there are a few that are non CARB compliant.  The last auction had three non compliant buses that went for 8k each.  So I imagine the 8k buses are likely to be what those non compliant are going to be sold for, but it's an auction and you never know.

However, the CARB compliant buses will undoubtedly go for more money.  And yes, there is a big market for 15 year old buses. 

[luvrbus]

All it takes for a 2004 model to comply with CARB is a PM muffler that is good to 2021 then it has to be replaced with a 2010 model engine 

[windtrader]

All it takes for a 2004 model to comply with CARB is a PM muffler that is good to 2021 then it has to be replaced with a 2010 model engine

2021 - pretty short fuse. how many commercial operators would be interested knowing the bus will be worth much less?

[eagle19952]

2500 miles to get it home or I'd be pretty interested.

The point (or hope) of owning a coach is to put miles on.
Just do it.

[buswarrior]

2021 - pretty short fuse. how many commercial operators would be interested knowing the bus will be worth much less?

All kinds of them. These are the last commercial operators that everyone gets warned about. They will run these buses with no maintenance, bailing wire and spit, make their money, then sell what's left over to unsuspecting busnuts as coming out of a commuter fleet only 2 years ago...

Watch for them to re-appear, along with all the others stale dating in 2021, many with barely a change in paint scheme.

A wild time of great deals and broken hearts will be upon us, as 2021 deadline approaches.

Lots of unwary busnuts are going to get taken to the cleaners, buying crap, and lots of good lower tier fleets are not going to get the value they thought was in their oldest equipment.

And the buses will be scattered to dealers across the continent in a desperate attempt to make some money off them.

Those in the know are going to make a few bucks, the rest are going to lose money.

Survival of the fittest, the way it should be...

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[chessie4905]

I wonder about flood busses. Are they removed from fleets and scrapped or sneaked through?

[luvrbus]

CARB is telling you the 14L series 60 is non compliance after 2021 in CA,the buses will need the DD13 engine to comply