Posts Tagged ‘short bus for sale’
Store on wheels for sale are primarily intended to help retail businesses reach out to customers with a proactive approach. This is a new trend in retail marketing and the idea is to aggressively reach out to customers rather than passively wait for them to walk-in into a store. Buyers, consumers, customers, clients, end-users, etc call them with whatever names form the bedrock of all economic activities. These are people or a group of them with cash in hand and an urgent requirement that needs to be fulfilled. Any business that fulfills the requirements of these people or groups gets rewarded with cash in return for their excellent products or services.
The success of any business enterprise depends on the amount of cash or profits they make in a financial year. Keeping this simple logic in mind it is essential to eliminate or at least reduce all obstacles that block the path between a customer and a retail store. For example, studies have shown that a store on the leveled ground will attract more customers than a neighboring store that has 3 stairs to climb at the entrance. Just 3 stairs at the entrance door can lead to a decrease in sales and more profits for a competitor next door. That’s how important it is to eliminate or reduce any hurdles that stand between a customer and a retail store. Similarly, a restaurant may offer delicious recipes for lunch at the cheapest price in town but employees from a nearby industrial center will not be able to visit the restaurant because its located at a considerable distance, and traveling alone will consume a sizeable time of their lunch break, moreover they will have to wait in a queue and wait for the chef to prepare the order. In its entirety, there are a lot of hurdles between the restaurant and the office employees in the industrial park. As a result, the restaurant loses customers thus losing a golden opportunity to make more cash despite having cheap and delicious recipes on its menu. On the other hand, the office workers miss the opportunity to enjoy a tasty treat at low prices. Both the restaurant and the office employees are at a loss and a certain disadvantage. There is supply as well as a demand but there are no means or tools to deliver and fulfill the demand. How would it be if the restaurant owner thinks out of the box, buys a minibus for sale, converts it into a food truck, stocks it with ready to serve food, and stations it outside the industrial complex or better still outside the office building at lunchtime??? Now the dynamics have changed completely. The office employees will have to simply step out of the elevator, walk out of the building, locate the food truck, pay cash and get the order delivered right away straight into their hands, and bam! Consume it, on the spot, thus fulfilling their appetite as well as enriching the restaurant with more profits. This is how a Mobile Store on Wheels completely revolutionizes the retail industry. Moreover, the restaurant can increase the price of its products simply because office employees have more spending power compared to other groups of customers. The Mobile Shop on Wheels has helped the restaurant reach out to a high paying group of customers that were previously beyond its reach.
Just like the restaurant reached out to more customers and increased its revenue, there are more than 50 other niche businesses that can benefit from a Mobile Retail Store on Wheels for Sale, for example, Mobile Barber Shops, Coffee Shops, T-Shirt Business, Beauty Parlours, Nail Salons, Animal Rescue, Animal Transport, Clothing Stores, Welding Shop, Pet Groomers, Fast Food Centres and several other specialty businesses like artists, jewelry makers, beauticians, soap manufacturers, candlestick makers, and so forth. Every retail business should include a Mobile Shop in its business plan to increase its customer base and annual profits.
We live in a world of Calamities, Civil Unrest, Disasters, Emergencies, Hurricanes, and Pandemics
We live in a world of Calamities, Civil Unrest, Disasters, Emergencies, Hurricanes, and Pandemics
When the path between the customer and a retail store is blocked by the uncontrollable forces of nature like hurricanes and pandemics, conducting business as usual becomes impossible. Both the customer as well as the store is forced to close their door and stay inside for personal safety and security. The CoronaVirus pandemic of 2020 forced the Government to declare a nationwide lockdown for more than 6 months and people were forced to stay indoors. Many retail stores lost their tenancy because with virtually no customers walking-in they could not sustain themselves and pay for the high monthly rent. As a result, many entrepreneurs closed their business and started a new life. Even when the lockdown was relaxed, people were advised to keep a safe distance of at least 2 meters from each other. People stepped out of their homes but did not walk into retail outlets for fear of getting infected. Due to the changing economic and political environment, many small business owners got creative, they kept their stores shut and purchased a used bus for sale from their savings and sometimes on credit and converted it into a mobile shop thus offering their services by visiting the customers rather than wait forever for social distancing laws to be removed. Many businesses like barbershops, beauty salons, clothing boutiques managed to stay afloat and dodged the law with this new strategy. Once again the demand for several products and services existed on a large scale but retail store owners could not satisfy those demands because law enforcement agencies had forced them to shut the business indefinitely. For example, men need barber services every 6 weeks, women need them every 8 weeks, people, in general, need something to eat once they step out of their homes. Even though there was massive demand in certain industries, business owners lost their livelihoods and were going bust because they were not allowed to open their brick and mortar stores to the public. The CoronaVirus pandemic was not the only natural calamity to disrupt business and economic activity. There can be other natural disasters too like Earthquakes, Landslides, Wildfire, Volcanic Eruptions, Hurricanes, Floods, and much more. The US coastline has been battered with devastating hurricanes almost every year since 2000. Pandemics are becoming more frequent and have become the new normal; there was Bird Flu in 2005, then Swine Flu in 2009, and Corona Virus in 2020. A mobile bus store on wheels for sale not only adds new revenue channels for the small businesses but also acts as a strong backup when disaster strikes because the demand will always exist, the business owner will have to find a way to reach out to customers near and far to fulfill their demands. With this enhanced flexibility a business will never go out of business and stay afloat during economic or political chaos and uncertainty.
How can a Shop or Store on Wheels For Sale rescue a sick or struggling business?
One example has already been discussed above where a restaurant increased its revenue by reaching out to office employees in a distant industrial park. Here are some key takeaways by owning a Store on Wheels For Sale, the business can:
1. Reach out to customers in distant locations and fulfill their demands.
2. Eliminate the high cost of Rent.
3. Eliminate the cost of insurance, property taxes, and other utility bills related to hiring a brick and mortar shop.
4. A mobile shop is a mobile billboard providing free advertising for the business wherever it goes – This feature alone is priceless in the field of advertising and marketing.
5. Increase brand awareness.
6. Build Networks and Relationships with new people at distant locations.
7. Sale, sale, sale – Skyrocket the profits chart.
8. Get more customers with referrals and word of mouth advertising from satisfied customers.
9. Create a unique experience for the customer that cannot be easily forgotten.
10. Dodge the barriers and difficulties created by natural disasters or calamities.
11. Conduct surveys, gather feedback, provide education, and offer a live demo of the products or services being sold.
12. Market Research – Discover customer needs in distant locations.
13. Create a list of high paying clients from different locations in the city.
14. Always be in business because there are people with demands everywhere.
15. Outmanoeuvre the competition with a mobile department or branch.
16. Less Upfront Investment compared to Brick and Mortar Stores.
17. Get started on a limited budget with a focus on do-it-yourself practices.
18. A Lower barrier to entry because starting a business is faster and more affordable compared to traditional storefronts.
19. Travelling retailers are hard to miss, whereas storefronts introduce you to your customers first.
20. Test the waters before committing to a permanent location with a vast inventory.
21. Create a sense of urgency in potential buyers using the “Now or Never” tactic due to the limited inventory in the mobile store, forcing them to buy impulsively for the fear of missing out.
22. A perfect solution for DIY entrepreneurs.
The popularity of Shop or Store on Wheels For Sale is increasing every year
The Mobile Store on Wheels For Sale industry has grown to nearly 1,000 vehicles across the USA, according to the American Mobile Retail Association (AMRA). Established brands are using trucks, vans, trailers, buses, and even recreational vehicles as a more cost-effective solution to launching a traditional storefront. Food Trucks, Fashion Trucks, and Mobile Barbershops are a common sight these days but small businesses from all types of non-food related industries have started picking up on the idea. These include financial planners, full-service grocery stores and most recently even Amazon launched its Treasure Truck that connects people on mobile phones with its mobile shop. There are many reasons why people shop online, it can be for convenience, or to stop being conned by local retailers and pay highly inflated prices, to avoid purchasing contaminated products that can lead to hospitalization, avoid being followed by strangers, deliberate food poisoning or to simply avoid becoming a scapegoat of rival factions and much more. What’s more, convenient than rolling the entire store up to the customer’s door? Brands can stop near parks, events, and almost anywhere they can find a crowd of people and immerse them in a retail experience that appeals to all their senses. Research has shown that more than 30% of Startups reach their break-even point within 2 years, you definitely don’t want that to happen to your dream business. Other studies have shown that starting a traditional storefront can cost up to $100,000, whereas a Mobile Storefront costs less than $20,000. Obviously mobile is the way to go when starting a new business or opening a new branch.
Adopt a new proactive approach to conducting business
Adopt a new proactive approach to conducting business
Can you imagine women step out of their house and go to an office, party, or event without putting on some makeup? Of course, the makeup will be quite basic within professional etiquettes when going to the office but will be intense when attending parties, marriages, and other social events. Makeup artists can offer on the spot makeup solutions to women attending upscale parties and events when they have a mobile beauty shop. Even if social, economic, or political disturbances put their brick and mortar salons out of business, they will always be in a position to cater and satisfy the ever-growing demands of clients by reaching out to them at a time and place of their convenience. Female professionals can use these services on-demand at parking lots, roadside, gardens, or wherever there is someplace to park the mobile beauty salon. Moreover, they will be glad to pay a premium price for being available at a time and place of their convenience. People make deep and long-lasting bonds with their personal care specialists and if the artist can go the extra mile by being available anytime, anywhere, it will take the relationship to new levels that are unparalleled and never seen before in the industry.
Similarly, if you have a new business idea or a new product and don’t know where to get started, buy a short bus for sale and convert it into a mobile shop. Fill it with tables, chairs, cabinets, other furniture, and the inventory. Then set out to visit locations where you can find crowds of people. Hire funny jokers to dance on the roof or put four big-screen LED TV’s each facing different sides to form a cube, then show live sports events or any popular TV programs. This will force people to turn their heads and look towards the mobile store even in the dead of night. Distribute free samples of the product, educate the customers, and give them a hands-on live demo of its functionalities, then gather feedback. Rinse and repeat this process until you have a strong database of potential customers and a list of genuine feedback. The product can be upgraded accordingly to provide customized solutions and meet the expectations of the buyers.
Buying a used bus for sale is simpler and easier than ever before
Buying a used bus for sale is simpler and easier than ever before
When the leg traffic goes down, it’s an immediate warning sign of the things to come. With reduced customers walking in, paying for rent, employee compensation, and utility bills will be difficult. It’s time for the business owners to sit down and figure out why the foot traffic decreased? All measures should be taken to restore and even increase the number of customers coming in, but when things don’t improve, it’s time to go out and reach the customer with a proactive approach. This will not only increase the number of people the business interacts with but will also help them collect feedback to know exactly what went wrong with their brick and mortar storefront? Once they have a solid set of feedback and recommendations from the prospective buyers, the business can implement their suggestions not only to improve sales in their storefront but also in their mobile unit. If a competitor was the cause of the problem then the business is now equipped with a shop on wheels to outsmart them and reach out to their customers before they can walk into the competitor’s store. This drastically changes the dynamics of conducting business as usual.
But there are times when the competition is not the problem. Uncontrollable events like the CoronaVirus Pandemic caused millions of people to lose their jobs overnight without warning and businesses were forced to shut down for several months in a row. People were literally fed up with the long almost never-ending vacation and craved to get back to work. During these hard times, the smarter ones were able to float towards safety and get back to normal lives by purchasing a bus for sale and using it as their mobile branch. They dug into their savings and purchased a small bus for sale to get their business back on track. The demand for various products and services existed but the social distancing laws blocked everybody out. With a new mobile shop on wheels, entrepreneurs were able to reach out to customers and deal with them on a one to one basis. Doing so they managed to keep their long list of clientele intact and even got new customers onboard because their traditional competitors were still closed.
Buying a shuttle bus for sale with one previous owner is cheap but many did not have the budget to purchase them outright, so they got financed by third-party financial institutions at attractive interest rates and made their dream and necessity of owning a shop or a store on wheels for sale a reality.
Instead of waiting for the next calamity to hit the business community, why not start a mobile branch right here, right now before the zombies come?
Where to buy a second-hand bus for sale that is reliable and affordable?
Major Vehicle Exchange is a bus dealership established in 1985 and specializes in purchasing aging, worn-out used buses and fully reconditioning them from bumper to bumper to a point where they are almost hard to differentiate from new buses in appearance as well as performance. All vehicles we purchase have one previous owner, are accident-free with clear Auto check reports, are less than 10 years old, and have less than 150,000 miles on their odometer. This unique criterion makes our buses, the best pre-owned vehicles in the market to start with. Once the reconditioning process is complete they even get certified ready to hit the road in the USA by the Department of Transportation (DOT). Our unique process of reconditioning every bus involves the inspection of more than 300 parts and equipment of the vehicle. Any component that fails inspection is either repaired by experienced technicians, or replaced with better performing parts. As a result, the bus gets a new life ready to serve its new owners for years to come. Majority of the buses we stock fall under the mini and medium-sized bus category with seating capacities for up to 15 passengers or between 16 to 29 passengers. When a buyer purchases our commercial bus for sale with the intention of converting it into a mobile store on wheels, we simply remove the passenger seats (if requested) and deliver the empty vehicle straight up to their doorstep anywhere across the United States. The empty space is more than 225 sq feet and up to 1500 cubic feet which are perfect for conversion into any shop or store on wheels. We are a dealership specializing in the sale of reconditioned shuttle buses and do not undertake the actual conversion process. This task is left to customers’ discretion once the vehicle has been delivered to their respective locations.
Throughout our 35 years in business, we have sold numerous buses that have been converted into a shop/store on wheels for barbers, beauty parlors, nail salons, Animal rescue and transport, full-time RVers, campers, and several other specialty businesses like artists, jewelry makers, beauticians, candlestick makers, and so forth.
For more information about purchasing our used buses for sale and converting them into a shop on wheels visit our website at www.GetAnyBus.com and call the owner Charles Kaufman at (516)333-7483 today!
Bus For Sale | Call 516-333-7483 | How to inspect, buy, and dispose of a used bus?
Bus for sale are expensive and their price depends on several factors, one of them is its seating capacity and total size. Obviously, the larger buses are more expensive than smaller buses and are likely to be more durable. This cost differential should be obvious because the more equipment and parts there are, the more expensive the vehicle will be. Buses have a multi-wall cage construction and this alone with the frame will be reinforced in the larger ones because they carry more passengers. The additional seats along with the weight of the individual passengers and their luggage will add several tons of weight which have to be protected and kept under control during transit. When purchasing a bus for sale check out its weight both in gross vehicle weight and net weight. A midibus will always be more expensive than a minibus for sale and even more durable. Buses with a higher passenger capacity are more profitable as well because success in the commercial transportation industry depends on the number of people being carried in a single trip. The more people being moved equals more profits. The bigger motor coaches have powerful diesel engines as well, which permits the additional weight of the passengers during transit. Frankly speaking, there is no alternative to a powerful engine in commercial transportation. If you are purchasing a bus with the sole intention of moving people around, then you should consider a more powerful engine because the more power you have is directly proportional to the number of people that can be transported onboard as well as being able to safely handle mountainous terrain. If you have to choose between a small V-8 or a V-10 gasoline engine bus, then try your best to go for the V-10 even if it means extending the budget on fuel. In larger buses, diesel power is typically the only choice. If your budget is limited then check with the dealer to see if they can get you financing and make a customized payment plan that suits your cash flow plan. However, if purchasing the larger engine is still not possible then try to go for the next best that will often be a V-8. The idea here is to own a bus that has a powerful engine to transport the maximum number of people on a single trip and will outlast other smaller engines that have to work harder to cover the same mileage. Overloading is a big issue with transit buses and the more passengers they carry puts more stress on their body, frame, and their engines. Research has shown that a fully loaded bus will burn more fuel and emit more nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxides compared to a bus that is empty or partially loaded. The emissions can increase by up to 9% as a result and the engine is subjected to more wear and tear, the additional stress thus affects its performance and longevity. However, on the flip side, a startup transportation company should consider starting its operations with a short bus for sale that seats a maximum of 15 passengers. Though it is lighter in weight, has a smaller engine, and is less durable than its bigger counterparts, it is good to get started and off the ground in the first place. Most first-time buyers have no idea what it’s like to own a bus and a small bus for sale will go a long way in giving them hands-on experience of owning, managing, and maintaining a bus fleet rather than directly jumping into a large shuttle or coach bus. Moreover, one of the greatest advantages of smaller buses is that they do not always require a commercial license to be operated due to their lower passenger count. This is one of the primary reasons why people opt to purchase small shuttle buses. Other reasons include, they are more affordable, easy to manage and maintain, easy to park, maneuvering them through busy streets is easier because they have a shorter turning radius. If the number of people you transport is going to be limited to less than 15 at any given point of time in the year, then small shuttle buses are the way to go and there are obvious financial benefits to it. However, if you anticipate a growth in the size of your group in the next 3 or 6 months then you need a bigger bus, then perhaps a midsized shuttle bus that can seat anywhere from 16 to 29 passengers in a single trip is the best choice. Purchasing a bus requires a comprehensive plan that would provide solutions and solve problems during every step of the ownership process. This plan should include the growth factor, what would you do if the size of your group increases beyond 15? If it’s a one-time increase, then that can be adjusted or supplemented with a rental van, however, if the increase is permanent then your business or organization needs a better and more permanent solution.
All the facts that we have discussed till now, primarily refer to used shuttle buses because they are the only vehicles that fall within the most affordable price range of $10,000 to $50,000. When we talk about mini and midi buses, we are referring to used pre-owned vehicles because a basic 15 seat new bus for sale will start at $50,000 to $75,000 before tax which is not affordable to a majority of new businesses and organizations. A new bus will depreciate up to 40% in just the first year of being on the road even if it was not used frequently. Hence, it’s better and wiser to let the better-financed companies with deeper pockets endure the depreciation hit. After a bus has gone through the initial stage of “early depreciation”, its depreciation slows down in the following years and when the vehicle is put up for resale, the second owner will get a chance to own a bus that will not only be much less expensive but will also depreciate less when compared to its newer counterparts. The average life of a shuttle bus is 15 years and websites in the USA are full of used shuttle buses for sale that vary greatly in age and mileage. There are vehicles that may be just 2 years old from the date of manufacture while others may be 7 or even 10 years older. Depending upon their age and the extent to which the previous owner had maintained them, every bus will have varying degrees of rust or scale underneath it. While some scale is expected, rust spreads on a bus from the ground up and from the inside out. The undercarriage or the chassis is affected due to the high quantity of salt present on the roads during snow seasons and its interiors can be affected due to several reasons like condensation, rain water, leaking roofs, or just by the passengers walking in with wet feet. In any case, the buyer has to be very careful about rust because it only grows with time. Just because a vehicle is a late model and is being sold at a comparatively cheaper price does not mean it’s a good deal especially if the owner did not maintain it properly and allowed rust to eat up its chassis. Most rust issues are hidden from immediate sight. Buyers should ask owners if the bus for sale had undergone any rust work in the past and request the necessary paperwork. The braking system of a bus is made of several steel components, once rust has deeply penetrated the vehicle chances are high that both the brake lines and metal discs inside the brakes have been affected too. There is no way this will easily be visible to the eye so buyers should take a trusted and experienced technician along with them to thoroughly inspect the vehicle or hire third-party inspection companies to get a detailed report on the condition of the bus. Buyers should always make their purchasing decision based on the report provided by the inspectors and not let their immediate requirement or a “deal” cloud their decisions.
Make inspections an integral part of the buying process. The inspection company should be able to give you a detailed report on each and every major component of the vehicle. For example, transmission, chassis, radiators, engine, body, tires, brakes, dashboard, air conditioning, heating system, transmission oil, engine oil, lubricating oil, fuel analysis, fuel performance, and much more. Though it will be an additional cost to hire 3rd party professional companies to do the inspections that may not necessarily lead to a definite purchase but will go a long way in choosing the right vehicle that will not break down frequently or result in unexpected catastrophic repairs that will be financially difficult to fix, potentially making the vehicle unworthy. The primary objective is to buy a bus for sale that is good to transport groups of people safely. If the report shows that the vehicle has damaged parts but it can still be certified ready to hit the road and transport people efficiently then the buyer can ask for a dealer to make repairs or request a discount from the seller to fix the damaged parts. This is a legitimate negotiating factor and demands a substantial allowance. However, it will be best to cut the long journey short and buy the bus for sale from a licensed and bonded bus dealership because they tend to fully recondition their buses thoroughly before delivering them to the next buyer. Moreover, dealerships are in for the long run and want to maintain a long and healthy relationship with their customers rather than complete the transaction and disappear into thin air. They are interested in the bus till the last day it’s in your possession because they may want to buy or accept a trade-in vehicle when you don’t need it anymore. Of course they will purchase only if it was well maintained and at a reasonable price that is profitable to them. However, it should be kept in mind that this is the fastest way to get rid of a vehicle that is no longer needed. Owners can waste several months finding the perfect buyer and until then the bus will be gathering dust in their yard or by the side of the road, plus there will be additional marketing cost and effort that owners might be spending listing their bus for sale at various online market places across the internet. The distraction, time, and attention they will be spending with unqualified buyers just isn’t worth it in most cases. Avoid all the hassle, just pickup the phone and ask your dealership to pick up the vehicle. That’s how simple the bus disposal process is when you have a licensed dealership to work with.
For more information on buses for sale, call Major Vehicle Exchange at (516)333-7483 today!
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Short Bus For Sale | General Advice on buying a mini shuttle bus from private sellers as well as licensed dealerships
A short bus for sale is a shuttle bus small in size. They can be configured to seat up to 25 passengers plus a driver and if it is equipped with a wheelchair lift then it may have double flip seats to accommodate up to six wheelchair positions. The cost of a short bus with basic features starts at approximately $50,000 and can exceed $75,000 plus tax fully equipped with a wheelchair lift and other accessories. Many individuals, businesses, and organizations do not have the money or credit for a new bus plus its additional operating costs and expenses including driver’s wages and benefits, insurance, registration, parking, fuel, regular maintenance just to name a few. Due to these factors, there is a huge and thriving market of short buses for sale that have been used by at least one previous owner. These short buses are also called mini buses, jitney buses, tiny buses, shuttle buses, or simply commercial buses. All these terms can be used to refer to the same bus that is short in size and seats up a maximum of up to 25 passengers. The cost of a used bus for sale is typically 50 – 70% less than a new one. Operating costs as described above for a used bus are similar although additional maintenance costs should be budgeted. As a result, these vehicles are more affordable to individuals, churches, senior centers, assisted living facilities, group living centers and transportation operators in the USA. Keep in mind that used vehicles have been on the road for several years and may have significant wear and tear and as a result they may need maintenance and repair before going back on the road.
A buyer can either purchase these buses from former owners, private sellers or from licensed short bus dealerships. A licensed dealership should be responsible to recondition the bus thoroughly and give it a fresh appearance so they are ready to use immediately. Alternatively, if the buyer decides to buy the bus from the original owner, private individuals or random sellers on the street then he or she needs to be prepared to fix the vehicle before using it. Rarely is a used bus for sale in excellent condition from a private seller. Why would they want to dispose of a serviceable vehicle otherwise? This could potentially involve many additional costs that can run into thousands of dollars and not be easily accomplished by local repair shops. Good advice is to hire an independent inspection company to thoroughly inspect the bus from the outside, inside, and underneath. The inspection should include a drive, photos, a complete checklist and a vehicle history report. Then, based on the detailed report provided by the inspector, resolve the issues that are problematic. Some of the parts that may need replacement are alternators, water pumps, starters, pulley bearings, power steering pumps, steering stabilizers, and brake calipers, ball joints, and other front end parts, air conditioning problems and wheelchair issues. It will be good to make these repairs before purchase so that the buyer knows that their bus will be safe and serviceable and last a long time. Other smaller parts such as, engine mounts, axles, motor mounts, and rotted floors or rusted side walls should be replaced as they are needed. Cutting corners is not an option when buying a preowned vehicle because it can risk the lives of passengers and drivers. The buyer shouldn’t need to do all the repairs and replacements as they are typically unqualified and inexperienced in bus maintenance. Ironically many buyers underestimate the time and expense required to make a used bus read for service. Bus repair is an expensive and time consuming hassle. Many buyers just don’t want to go through it. They are only interested in driving the short bus for sale and start transporting people right away. Therefore it’s better and safer to buy the vehicle from licensed bus dealerships as they should have already done all the difficult maintenance for you. They are obligated to make every used bus for sale fit to drive again and even get it certified from the Department of Transportation or Motor Vehicles in your state. What else could a buyer ask for? A used bus sold by a dealership is most likely to cost more, maybe up to 15% extra than a bus that is being sold by the owner as-is. It is well worth paying more and dealing with a dealership because it spares you the time, hassles, and headaches of repairing a bus. Most first time buyers simply do not have the knowledge nor the experience for reconditioning a bus and they can be financially abused by almost every person they encounter from the seller, repair shop, mechanic, parts retailer, and anyone else in between causing a lot of heartaches in their purchase. Why go through all this unless you want to be a bus maintenance expert in the near future? You need the bus to safely drive people around and that should be your primary concern.
Every buyer needs a bus for a specific use and period of use. Resale is a very tricky phase of the bus ownership process. Chances are high that the vehicle has been sitting idle in the parking lot for months or even years until the owner finds a good buyer. Until then, the bus will be deteriorating and draining money for insurance, parking costs, advertising/marketing fees, as well as maintenance. Dealerships can play a very important role in the bus disposal process because dealers are often ready to buy back their bus even after several years down the road for a reasonable price. This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to replace the bus right away. Simply pick up the phone and tell your dealer to trade the vehicle back and they will gladly oblige for a fair market price if the bus is operational or easily repaired.
When the buyer makes a purchase from an individual seller, the transaction, as well as the relationship, is over the moment money changes hands. But this is not the case with dealerships. They play a very important role in the bus ownership process and should always be available throughout the journey with the buyer. From reconditioning to financing, buying, regular maintenance, and finally disposal. Many dealerships will even offer maintenance advice on their buses which is rarely seen in the automotive industry. This can safeguard a buyer from unexpected catastrophic repair costs. Most used buses do not have any warranty available and even after going through the reconditioning process they do not have an all-encompassing warranty like a new passenger car or SUV where every part will be under warranty including the engine, the chassis, the body, entertainment system, air conditioning system, etc. However, the financial benefits of extended bus warranties should be carefully examined by the buyer before purchasing them. As a short bus for sale by a licensed dealer is normally reconditioned thoroughly and it should not require the additional expense of a warranty because many parts have already been inspected, checked, repaired, and replaced.
If a short bus for sale will be used for commercial purposes like offering a jitney service or a tour bus service, then it will need to look good to outsell the competition and attract the maximum number of passengers and clients. Almost every passenger chooses their bus depending on its external appearance. Once inside they will prefer to stay seated only if they are comfortable or else simply get up, walk out of the bus, and choose another that is more comfortable. Keeping these passenger behavioral facts in mind every dealership goes to the extent of fully reconditioning the interior as well as the exterior of the bus and not just its mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic composition. They repaint the bus to hide any blemishes and to safeguard it from oxidation i.e. rust. As a result, the vehicle has an excellent external appearance as well as comfortable interiors. A buyer will never be able to judge the difference between a fully reconditioned used bus and a new bus on its appearance alone and may wonder which is new and which is reconditioned? A dealership will not repaint a used bus if it is in good condition because why fix something that is not broken? As a result, their inventory will stock vehicles that are repainted as well as those that are not. Repainting is done only when there are blemishes or problems that are more than obvious to the common eye. The paint of a vehicle plays a very important role in preventing the metal surface from corrosion. Every vehicle including buses has several layers of paint on their bodies to prevent them from salt and moisture present in the atmosphere. A tiny scratch on the metal body will open a gap in the paint coating allowing moisture and salt to come in contact with the metal surface, this is called surface rust. If untreated it will soon spread and be called scale rust and if still not treated it will lead to penetration rust where holes will start appearing on the metal body, this is the most advanced stage of rust and equally time-consuming and expensive to fix. A fully reconditioned used bus for sale will neither have any blemishes nor rust on its metallic surface as it will be fully repainted from bumper to bumper giving it a like-new appearance, thus making it difficult to differentiate from a new bus for sale.
No matter who the seller is, always buy a popular late-model short bus for sale because its maintenance parts will be readily available in the local market either from Amazon, eBay, manufacturers, dealerships, bus supply houses, or through repair shops. It’s not unusual for owners to sell their vehicles just because they could not locate spare parts. If spares are not readily available then the owners are forced to let their buses sit idle for several weeks or months at the repair shop thus gathering dust rather than operating. Every buyer should avoid the old bus trap at all costs. They should avoid the lure of a good deal on a bus model that is too old, odd, or obscure. Parts for old and obscure brands of buses are hard to find in local markets or online sites and then they may no longer be available. On the other hand parts for out of business brands have to be retrofitted which requires a substantial extra time and labor which increases the total cost of replacing the parts. Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, International and Frieghtliner, Starcraft, Startrans, Eldorado, Diamond, Glaval, BlueBird, and Turtle Top, etc are some of the most popular brands of short buses for sale available in the American markets today. Buyers are advised to invest their money in these popular model buses rather than any other that can potentially put them in jeopardy several months down the road.
Remember, any legitimate used short bus seller will never have any problems in giving the history on the bus he is trying to sell. Ask for documents and title reports and check the history of the bus in detail before making a purchase. Ask for repair records, maintenance schedule, usage information whenever possible. View the title and registration stickers, and any other document that may seem fit in the buying process. Always ask the seller why he wants to sell his bus? Listen to him carefully and get detailed information on the vehicle because you never want to buy somebody else’s headache. A bus may look good at first glance but may have hidden problems under a nice new paint job. Just because a bus has a low mileage and is being sold at a low price does not mean its a good deal because chances are that the prior owner may not have performed required regular maintenance on schedule or let rust eat up the bus from the bottom up. Similarly, there is a big danger that the bus was in a flooded area and was submerged in a parking lot or nearby stream or bay for days or weeks in a hurricane-hit region and is now being resold to you as a partially repaired used bus. These flooded buses are fixed and repaired to the point where they may look good and be drivable but are a safety hazard for passengers as well as drivers. Their electrical and mechanical components have been exposed to a large quantity of water for a period of time thus triggering the electronic corrosion process which cannot be stopped or reversed. It’s only a matter of time when rust will take its toll on these vehicles and they will not be fit for operation and public transportation.
For further information on wheelchair bus options, contact Major Vehicle Exchange at (516)333-7483 or visit their website at www.getanybus.com.
