| Author |
Message |
Mike (Busone)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 11, 2006 - 10:27 pm: | |
Has anybody had any dealings with Smitty's Bus Sales or Interstate Bus Sales? I am about to buy from them and would like to get some feedback from anybody who has had dealings with them. |
Marc Bourget
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 12, 2006 - 8:12 am: | |
On pre-purchase inspections.
Your caution is good, but the bottom line remains the same, there's no substitute for a thorough, competent inspection by a knowledgeable person. Even that typically will not be "enough" in the long run. (see below)
There are some conditions that won't be "discoverable" in a seated version of a MCI 7-9, three in particular, simply because the necessary degree of disassembly won’t be allowed as part of a pre-purchase inspection.
First example, the fiberglass wheel well caps, inspected from the outside may look fine (and I thought I looked close). After I removed the floorboards, I discovered numerous fracture holes from rocks (probably) tossed from the tires. These tiny holes, over time, let in HUGE amounts of silt and water. The very fine silt (small rock holes let in much muck over time) piles up inches deep over the top of the wheel wells and air beams and with every wet surface the tires roll over, they "soak" the piled up silt, like a sponge, which hastens rust of the mild steel components of the "lower half" of the supposedly all stainless MCI frame. The supports for the fiberglass can be (relatively) easily replaced, but the Air Beams? NOT!
The second example with a seated coach is the air passages of the coach return air in the heating/AC system. Look at Gumpydog’s site for evidence of all the grunge, (real bacteria food) that piled up over the years.
The third situation is the “bagged” insulation inside the walls under the windows and the “unbagged” insulation under the caps. The windows and caps will leak, the insulation wicks up water better than any sponge I recall. This is typically "mild steel” portions of the structure. Problem is, these areas give significant contribution to the overall structure, the window area being between the outer skin and the inner shear plates and the rear cap area being the structural transition between the roof and engine “overhang”, both important structural features.
The soaked insulation contributes significantly in hastening the corrosion in that area. Both my MCI-9s had major corrosion in the “sandwich” and the rear cap. Because of the (relatively) recent replacement of the outer skins on one, via poor if not criminal workmanship, corrosion that no one would allow to remain was wide spread in one and isolated to one section (always a California bus) in the other.
These are things that no “expert” can accurately assess. They’re sufficient to make a major impact on the value of the bus. The issues effected by and relevant to a aeller’s “reputation” are better addressed by being a competent purchaser and exercising the “Caveat Emptor” (buyer beware!) caution.
Onward and Upward |
Ed Jewett (Kristinsgrandpa)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 12, 2006 - 1:10 pm: | |
If it has the A/C above th engine compartment, like my Neoplan AN 340, the moisture associated with A/C units causes corrosion/rust around/above the engine compartment. I guess the drain holes in the fiberglass tub, that it sits in, clog up. I've seen several coaches with this set-up.
My coach was from a state funded transit system (inter city) and although it had good maintenance facilities some of the cosmetics were left un-attended.
I got mine for about what the (Reliabuilt) 6V-92 TA and the Allison HT 748 were worth. The point being, if you get it cheap enough, you can overlook a few things.
Ed |
Alex Gajano
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 12:54 am: | |
Mike,
I hope you have better luck dealing with Smitty/Interstate than I have. In January of this year I contacted "Karl" from this company since I was in need of 2 buses for my business in Juarez Mexico. Their website claims to have extensive experience selling internationally and to Mexico in particular. It was for this reason I selected this them and proceeded to pay them on Feb. of this year. I was told the delivery would take no more than a week or two at best. Paying them in advance was the BIGGEST mistake I've made in a long time. After paying this scam artist 100% in advance, my "good buddy" Karl, who used to call me every day to check on the status of our deal completely disappeared! It was only after weeks of calling and harrassing that they got around to delivering the first bus. What a friggin disaster. Turns out the bus they delivered was deemed "unimportable" into Mexico because of the size, and this was the first they had ever heard of this Mexican regulation (clearly not as experienced as they claimed in this department). I still have not received my 2nd bus and although Karl promised to exchange the oversized monster he delivered, he has yet to make good on ANY of his prior commitments (still waiting).
My advice would be to 1) get all commitments in writing, 2) do NOT pay 100% in advance like I did (no matter how nice he seems right now) 3)make sure you have a good lawyer on standby since you may need one.
Long story short- it is now April 10th and I am STILL waiting for the buses I paid for back in Feb. Each time I speak with Karl it is one lie after another since they have yet to deliver as agreed. I am meeting with my lawyer tomorrow to determine the options I have for this blatant breach of contract and potential fraud. Feel free to contact me before you do business with these people since I can honestly say I sure do regret it.
Alex Gajano
Image Processing Center
Alex.Gajano@IPCamericas.com
Voicemail/Fax: 954.337.0513 |
Alex Gajano
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 19, 2006 - 10:12 am: | |
Ok....Smitty/Interstate finally delivered their buses and Karl made good on his promises.
It was an ordeal, but most of the logsitics problems stemmed from NOT understanding in advance the requirements for buses being imported into Mexico (max weight, max number of seats, etc.). I'm pretty sure that if this had been a straightforward purchase for used buses in the U.S. it might have gone much smoother.
This follow-up is simply a courtesy to Smitty/Interstate since the bottom line is...they did finally deliver the buses. Even though it took much longer than expected, the company IS honest.
Alex Gajano
Image Processing Center
Alex.Gajano@IPCamericas.com
Voicemail/Fax: 954.337.0513 |
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