I dont know bout out there but i Fix these things for a living. And the BEST most reliable ones are the 1988-1994 E350s. The Best of those would obiolsy be the newere 94's.
The Older Gms are TRULY GUTTLESS and are a MAJOR PITA to work on. Thy have decent engine reliablity and GREAT transmishions but the rest goes down from there. If you find a Old GM Diesel that Aint leaking oil RUN AWAY cause the owner let it LEAK DRY.
The Ford E350 20 passenger schoolbuses have a 7.3L IDI Diesel N/A (NO COMPUTER, NO TURBO) and the later years have the E40D automatic 4 speed Overdrive Transmishion (NOT the greatest Trans but they average a 200000km life with NO SERVICE). The 86-88 E350s have the Venerable C6 Trans witch is TRULY bullet proof but lacks a overdrive. they average around 13-14mpg and the best i have seen is 16mpg
Places to watch for when buying a used Bus Especially a FORD. Check the OIL PAN as the fords have a HISTORY of rusting out and its a HUGE job to fix (IE. you need to pull the engine.. Ask when the last Transmishion was put in. Check Coolant DCA Levels (PM Me if you need more info on this IT IS IMPORTANT).
A Duel alternator kit can be had very easily from the abundance of Ex Ambulances for this engine. This would be a good investment if you plan to run extra batteries.
As for the newer buses i would advice staying aways from them as they WILL need repairs just as mutch as the older one with the exception that the newer buses repairs are MUTCH more costly.
Any more info you wish give me a shout.
P.S. i personally would not want to live in an EX school bus but what ever floats your boat. I would DEFFINATLY suggest a GOOD cleaning and sterilizing befor hand as you have NO IDEA how many times kids puke and piss all over em lol.
The Older Gms are TRULY GUTTLESS and are a MAJOR PITA to work on. Thy have decent engine reliablity and GREAT transmishions but the rest goes down from there. If you find a Old GM Diesel that Aint leaking oil RUN AWAY cause the owner let it LEAK DRY.
The Ford E350 20 passenger schoolbuses have a 7.3L IDI Diesel N/A (NO COMPUTER, NO TURBO) and the later years have the E40D automatic 4 speed Overdrive Transmishion (NOT the greatest Trans but they average a 200000km life with NO SERVICE). The 86-88 E350s have the Venerable C6 Trans witch is TRULY bullet proof but lacks a overdrive. they average around 13-14mpg and the best i have seen is 16mpg
Places to watch for when buying a used Bus Especially a FORD. Check the OIL PAN as the fords have a HISTORY of rusting out and its a HUGE job to fix (IE. you need to pull the engine.. Ask when the last Transmishion was put in. Check Coolant DCA Levels (PM Me if you need more info on this IT IS IMPORTANT).
A Duel alternator kit can be had very easily from the abundance of Ex Ambulances for this engine. This would be a good investment if you plan to run extra batteries.
As for the newer buses i would advice staying aways from them as they WILL need repairs just as mutch as the older one with the exception that the newer buses repairs are MUTCH more costly.
Any more info you wish give me a shout.
P.S. i personally would not want to live in an EX school bus but what ever floats your boat. I would DEFFINATLY suggest a GOOD cleaning and sterilizing befor hand as you have NO IDEA how many times kids puke and piss all over em lol.
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