| Author | Message | ||
| PatKris5291
Rating: N/A |
Hello everyone, My husband and I are looking ot buy a 1973 MCI MC-7 already converted bus. I am hoping to get the scoop on what questions to ask and other important info. This is what I know so far: It has a rebuilt Detroit Diesel (V71- whatever that means) with 25,000 miles on it. Air clutch, recent brakes, new Michelin steering tires, less then 100 miles since mechanical safety certification,continuous on-demand Precision Temp hot water heater, 150 gallon fresh, 150 gallon waste tanks, 30 amp shore service, 2500 watt Heart inverter, 6 golf cart battery house power,and a whole bunch of rv stuff inside. This is what I am wanting to know from you guys: How many miles can we expect to get from a rebuilt engine? What questions come to your mind first when you read about it? Is there anything jumping out at you as missing or not right? What are the common problems associated with this model of bus? Can this model tow a vehicle,particularly, a minivan? I will be asking the sellers more questions soon, but I was hoping to go in with my "guns loaded" so to speak. Thank you for your time Kristine | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
What is the asking price? | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Buying a used motorhome is the biggest gamble of your life. Buying a used home-built motorhome is the biggest gamble that will ever occur in the history of all mankind. The beast is O-L-D. <--period And, the beast is old. You would want 50 amp service, not 30 amp. You would want at least a 4,000 watt inverter, not a 2.5. An air clutch can be a pain thy rectum and the absence of an automatic makes it harder to re-sell. Unless it's very inexpensive and a bus garage inspection deems it gratifying to the high tech bus aficionado, I'd pass on it. It's not it's a "classic" like a scenic cruiser or an early GM coach.... (or a Prevo that hasn't broken down mid-trip) (ah- HAR HAR) (sorry) | ||
| FAST FRED Rating: N/A |
How many miles can we expect to get from a rebuilt engine? +Depends on what the rebuild was , and who did it. An out of frame (engine removed from the bus) actual rebuild where the block is stripped chemically cleaned , examined and bored for crank & cam bearings with a good assembly will usually go 300,000+ miles or more . This is about $14,000 at the DD dealer although " factory rebuilt" engines can be had for about $4,000 and transplanted for another grand or two. An inframe , where just the cylinders/pistons and main bearings will be lots cheaper ($1,000 for parts) and should go 200,000 , of course depending on the condition of what was NOT touched What questions come to your mind first when you read about it? Is there anything jumping out at you as missing or not right? +He built it for his own dreams of ca,mping , if they match yours your fine. If you will be rebuilding and tossing most of what youre paying for , not as fine. What are the common problems associated with this model of bus? + Cost of parts and pro maint , same hasseles with brand new bus big $$$$ for anything. Can this model tow a vehicle,particularly, a minivan? No sweat , you will need a baseplate , tow bar and brake system for the van. Take it to a bus shop to have the coach looked at , but first go to any DD dealer with a chsasis dynomometer and spend $200 or so with a quick check. Have an EXPERIENCED bus nut(with that brand/model coach) go for a drive before purchaseif you can. Good Hunting, Welcome to a fun hobby! FAST FRED | ||
| Mark R. Obtinario (Cowlitzcoach)
Rating: N/A |
As ususual, FF hit the nail on the head straight on. Two issues he forgot to mention were issues one has to be aware of whenever you are purchasing an older vehicle. The first is rust. While the MCI coachs are not as prone to rust as the Eagle, an MCI can have some real issues of rust. Particularly on the air beams. The other is the MC-7 is more prone to overheating than any of the other MCI coaches that have the side radiators. Since the bus you are looking at has a manual transmission the overheating problem isn't as bad as those with automatics, it can still be an irritant on a long hard pull on a hot day. Take along an infrared temperature gauge to test the temperature drop from the top to the bottom of each radiator. Both radiators should be close to the same temperature. They should also have a 15-20 degree drop from the top to the bottom of the radiator. You didn't mention how old the conversion is. Since it has a 30 Amp service and a 2500 watt invertor one has to make the inference it is an older conversion. If the conversion used RV type appliances and the conversion was used full time for any appreciable amount of time, it could be the appliances are approaching the end of their service life. The bottom line is determined by the asking price more than anything else. If the price is right, if the conversion meets most of your requirements, and the power package checks out okay, you might just have found the RV for you. Just remember not to marry yourself to it. Every day there are new vehicles coming on the market for similar prices and conditions that might be a better "deal" for you. Good luck and happy trails. Mark O. | ||
| PatKris5291
Rating: N/A |
They are asking $26,200 for the bus. The gentleman who is selling it said the engine was rebuilt in the DD shop in Mexico (he traveled a lot in the Mexico area). I read a few of the other posts about the subject of amps and inverters; it seems as though 30 amps is suitable for the average coach, and most adaptable to all hook-up sights. And from what I read in previous posts about inverters, 2000-3000 watts seems to be the standard. Am I misreading things? The gentleman did say the clutch is "very stiff to push", but mentioned that changing the air compression can help. What do you guys know about that? Thank you for your insight. Kristine | ||
| Stan Rating: N/A |
The MC7 was MCI's first 40' design. Since they already knew about some of the problems that other builders had encountered, they built the most over engineered bus on the market. The structure is much stronger than later models and the bus weighs quite a bit more. It utilises the same basic design that MCI used for some thirty years. The factory clutch included an air assist cylinder. Too much air pressure to the cylinder will prevent the clutch from engaging and too litle will give no assist. Problems are usually mis-adjustment or lack of lubrication. The size of electric service and inverter is solely dependent on how much electric equipment you want to run at the same time. One hopes that the original coverter used reasonale care in the design. When it comes to buying an old bus, it doestn't really matter if it is five years old or fifty years old. You want to avoid all orphan brands (GM, Flexible, Eagle etc) unless you really enjoy seaching the bus boneyards for parts. MCI supports most of their models with just a change up in part numbers over many different models. Because of the huge voulume of MCI busses, aftermarket companies also suply parts. As others have said, find a conversion that you can use as is, and does not require major modification. The most important thing is the physical condition of the bus. A bus is expensive to repair, even if you do the labor. The more thoroughly it can be checked prior to purchase the better. Spending a few hundred dollars for inspection and testing can save many thousands later on. I would hope that this is not the first conversion that you have looked at. Shopping around gets you an idea of market prices and the final decision is what the bus is worth to you. | ||
| Earl-8-Ky Rating: N/A |
Don't be in to big of a hurry to buy. It is a buyers market in used conversions. Go to E-bay and look at the buses on there. There are some that might be a good buy. What ever you do get some one to check it out. Go to E-bay click on E-bay motors go down to the bottom and click on buses. | ||
| Jack Gregg (Jackinkc)
Rating: N/A |
Here is another 2 cents of general comments, I don’t have a MCI-7: The history of the chassis is important too. Where did it operate before it was converted? Southern busses have less rust. Who owned it? Generally (generally) larger bus companies take better care of the bus than non-profits (church, boy-scouts, etc). As previously suggested, when was it converted? Has it been garaged? How many miles on the chassis? Has it been used recently and regularly? Based on comments on this board, I looked for and purchased an older bus that was converted new so there were few miles on the chassis and engine (70,000 on a 1984 in my case). My bus had set outside unused for about ten years before I bought it. Sitting outside was not a problem but ten years weakened rubber and fabric components. Everything functioned OK when I bought it but time-related maintenance issues surfaced almost immediately. Also, if a coach has been used regularly and lovingly by the current owner, the coach will have lots of costly do-dads included – thermometers, water filters, neat gauges, great curtains, updated technology, fashionable floor covering, etc. | ||
| PatKris5291
Rating: N/A |
Do you know of a good/ reliable service shop that can check it out for us in the North Bay, Ontario area? We live in Alabama, but if this bus ends up being what we need/want we can travel up to Canada relatively low cost due to a relative's connections with Delta. However, we do not know anyone up there, any suggestions would be helpful. Thank you, Kristine | ||
| sylverstone (Sylverstone_pd4501864)
Rating: N/A |
kristine, good luck with your new purchase  that said, keep in mind that nothng is a total showstopper if it runs fine, you like the floor plan, and there's no rust problems. some things like the inverter aren't a big deal. it's not a huge issue to add a second one with a little forethought, if you find yourself in a bind (i.e. the current one won't run the microwave and the ac at the same time, etc) aims has a 5,000 watt one that i use in my van, cost me 500 bucks, and i run computers with it. i don't have an mc anything, i've got a 56 scenicruiser.. and we've got some unobtainum parts issues... (the radius rod bushings are unavailable anywhere, for instance) there's a whack of articles on this site you should probably read... they're here: http://www.busnut.com/articles.html in particuliar: http://www.busnut.com/artgm07.html http://www.busnut.com/artjs01.html http://www.busnut.com/artas01.html http://www.busnut.com/artgm03.html http://www.busnut.com/artbal01.html mostly to get the grey matter thinking in the right mindset welcome aboard -dd | ||
| niles steckbauer (Niles500)
Rating: N/A |
Patkris = contact the bossnut - bbs@busnut.com - or maybe BusWarrior has a tour going towards Sudburry - What do you say guys - Niles | ||
| Craig (Ceieio)
Rating: N/A |
PatKris - I have a 73 MC7 with 14,000 on an out of frame rebuild on the engine and auto trans. This bus was converted some time ago and was in pretty good shape. I knew buying the bus that I would want to redo the dining table to better match my family, but otherwise could live with the layout. With a change of curtains and such it will look more current in taste. Oak is oak and what you surround it with will change how modern it looks. I have had this bus for 14 months and have had zero mechanical issues with it. It runs strong and has very low oil consumption. The ride is comfortable and the bus feels solid. I use it for what I want, and in between times I update something inside to modernize the decor. I have been happy with it and think it will go some time. The previous owner was a longtime bus nut and this was his third bus. He owned it 14 years and decided at age 84 to stop driving a bus around. It was well loved and that was obvious in its condition. As a frame of reference, I have many hobbies and the bus is just one of them. I do not full time and can't imagine that I ever will want to. I also have jr high aged kids and did not want to uset his time in my life on a bus and miss it with them (Thanks Harry Chapin!), so that is where I am coming from. If your bus has had similar care, it should be a decent rig. Hope this is useful. Craig - MC7 Oregon | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Kristine- Don't let the glitter of the thoughts of owning a conversion boggle things up. And I'm sorry I dwelled on the "old bus" issue. It's not really a terrible issue. The 30 amp service will not allow you to run all appliances at the same time. Yes it's critical - Especially critical in the hot southern sun. 50 amp service will allow you use both air conditioners at the same time, 30a will not. Speaking of which..... I didn't see any roof air conditioners, but the ad claims an air conditioner is there? If it's the OE one, you're probably going to be needing expensive recharges! It's a Canadian bus.. when was the air run last? AC units that sit, leak freon. The seals dry out and they leak. I was quoted $300 for a recharge of r22. I tore the blasted thing out and installed roof airs. And my bus was in service the day prior to me driving off in it, and had been fully charged a month prior. And if the only AC is the OE unit, what are you going to do for air conditioning down south while you're camping? Running the bus to keep cool while in the campground, will cause food stains to appear on the bus exterior. If this is the first bus you've ever driven, and you've never driven a standard transmission bus, you will understand quickly just how much pain and suffering a "stiff clutch" can do to both body and soul. Ask "buswarrior" or any of the other drivers here, how the feel about driving/shifting with a stiff clutch. The shifting of a bus is an art in itself; it's all in the timing, and how fast you can depress and release the clutch. A stiff clutch, or one that doesn't perform as it was designed to, can really play with your temper. As a learner... well... not fun. With an older bus, you are not going to be able to enjoy some of the features of newer buses. The steering is very likely going to give you a work out, until you learn to ignore the likely 1/4 to 1/2 wheel slop. A newer bus with integral steering would be much nicer to drive,especially in the wind. The ad doesn't mention a generator? It's not a terrible issue, but for 26k, I personally would expect a decent genset. Be sure to get the thing inspected at a bus garage before you pay for it. Hire a bus mechanic to inspect it on premise, at the very least. And make sure you and your mate are fully happy with every interior and built-in design of it's interior. Tearing out someone else's work is a time sensitive and back-breaking ordeal. Above all, as mentioned by others.... Do Not Rush into buying a bus. Take your time, there are buses coming up for sale every day. Wish you well, no matter what! | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Rating: N/A |
Hello Kristine. I'm in Toronto. E-mail me directly by clicking on my handle up there in blue. Niles, in preparation for Arcadia, Bre wants to know if the satelite TV is performing well? happy coaching! buswarrior | ||
| niles steckbauer (Niles500)
Rating: N/A |
BW - Tell Bre not yet - Just tell her to bring some CD's and DVD's or VHS's - Now the real ?? - is she bringing a wheelchair or mobility scooter to get you home nights? - LMAO - Niles<<<<cheap shot | ||
| H3-40 Rating: N/A |
1.2 mill $$ bus conversion and NO satelite? Must be all in the paint! Ace | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Rating: N/A |
WHAT?!?! No TV? Mother is coming, I will have no need for a personal mobility device this year, thank you. However, have no fear, a sufficient supply of Molson Canadian has been secured. If Bre can remember her BNO password, she's going to get after you! happy coaching! buswarrior |