| Author |
Message |
John the newbie (199.232.240.185)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 6:44 am: | |
As a total "newbie", I am in need of some basic info. I
am looking at a 1982 TMC coach that appears to be in
great cond. Rebuilt 8v71 with an allison 730. The seats
have been removed, as has the air conditioner, leaving
the bathroom and floor vents to be removed. The tires
are about 30%. The guy is about to drive it home (2k
miles) to finish converting it, but will sell for 18k
now, for his quick profit.
What is the difference between a TMC and an MCI? Is a
'82 TMC generally worth 18k?
I wanted to keep my initial cost to a minimum and have
been looking in the 5-15 range for a partial conversion, or
one that needs remodeling. I've been more concerned
with external appearance and mechanical condition, since
interior remodeling does not scare me as much.
Any words of assistance are always appreciated!
Thanks in advance! |
Steven Gibbs (12.148.43.7)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 7:24 am: | |
John,
The only "real" difference between an MCI and TMC was how much was built in US. VIN numbers run diffrently so you have to be carefull when ordering parts out of the parts manual since many parts are referenced "prior to TMC yyyyy and MCI xxxxx"
However, just as there is a certain "snob" appeal to owning a Prevost, there is also (to a lesser degree) a tendency to consider a TMC not quite a "real" MCI. That can be fixed by replacing the TMC letters with MCI (ordered direct from MCI) and the horn button with a brand new MCI logo.
Now to the real question: is a 1982 TMC worth 18K?
No. Even with the "partial" conversion, you are still left with the hardest part--removing the bathroom. The seats and luggage racks come out pretty easy. The racks will net you about $100.00 in scrap aluminum and the seats can usually be donated (for tax break) to a church.
I received over $700.00 for my air conditioning components and the evaporator was in pretty bad shape.
There are now many good 1983 and newer MC9's out there in pretty good shape for under $14,000 many with 6V92TA's and everything after 83 came with intregal power steering.
You should also consider that large numbers of MC12's will start hitting the market soon. Greyhound was the primary purchaser of this model and has been waiting for the G4500 to get into production to replace. Keep in mind that these have been run long past the usual ten year cycle that Greyhound followed for so long. Although you many might not consider an MC12 ex-hound to be a good conversion canidate, consider the effect this will have on the price of many good MC9's still on the market.
Good luck and good hunting,
Steve G.
MC9
Pontiac |
BrianMCI96A3 (65.160.209.132)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 8:45 am: | |
While I agree with Steven that there is no real difference between the two, in the research I did prior to buying my MCI 96A3 I ran across a phenomenon that I found puzzling...
The asking price for TMC's of the same year and model and condition were at least a couple thousand dollars more than MCI's!
Having said that, unless there is NO RUST ANYWHERE and this is a well maintained bus with fairly low miles I'd have to say that 18K would be just a bit high.
I agree that prices for MC-9's are on the decline, and so are the prices for 102's and 96A3's but if this TMC is totally imaculate then it is worth the extra.
Brian |
John the newbie (199.232.240.119)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 7:07 am: | |
Thanks for the input!
Although this TMC has had the seats and AC components
removed (saving me the trouble) and I do understand that the
potty removal can be a "delight". But I had been considering the
potty to be more of a blessing, since it's easy to convert the
chute to a normal RV type connection for temporary use until
the rig's new bathroom is in place.
That aside - I will pass on this TMC based on both your
recommendations. The -firm- 18k price tag bothered me
and if both of you feel it's high, then it confirms my gut feeling.
The unit needs tires and isn't without cargo bay (outer base
lip) indentations. Not much rust, aside from the usual surface
rust inside the cargo areas, but I have no idea how the
mechanicals will turn out to be, once in service.
A further history was recently provided:
The bus was owned by a church. The engine had "blown"
and the church sold the bus to a bus company. The bus
company installed a "rebuilt" engine (it -is- painted green)
and offered it for sale because the company "needed money".
The present owner had been looking for an MCI to convert
and bought this from his bus company "friend". As far as
I understand, there is no paperwork to support any previous
work.
I have an aversion to buying what might have been owned
by a private, non-profit institution. I have this silly mental
block that tells me that such an institution probably waits
until something breaks before addressing the need for service.
Even the worst bus company I've part-timed for, managed
to have some semblance of a preventative maintenance
schedule. You can't afford to break down with a load of
customers on board; It's bad for business both short and
long-term, and damned expensive.
So thanks again fellas'. I'll be back out looking again. |
Phil Dumpster (24.16.243.37)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 26, 2004 - 3:07 am: | |
It's a good aversion to have. Churches tend to use "faith" in place of preventative maintenance more often than not. I don't mean to be harsh, but the majority of church busses tend to be in very poor states of repair.
The lack of paperwork should have you run away as fast as possible. |
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