Eagles on C-List

[Norsman]

I am new at this, here are to Eagles in my price range that I am lookin at. If anyone have any info about this two Eagles, that would be great.

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/rvs/1803661504.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Dated 06/21

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/rvs/1785920572.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Dated 06/10

Thx Ketil

[Songman]

Hi Ketil, Welcome to the forum.

Obviously the bus in GA looks better on paper if they have the records to back it up. The Texas bus looks a little cleaner on the outside. Depending on where they came from, the TX bus might have less chance of rust.

Even though the GA bus is supposed to have all the new stuff, the manual transmission would be a deal breaker for me. I just gotta have an automatic.

[Dreamscape]

Whichever one you look at, ask for maintenance records. Unfortunately, church buses are not well maintained in some cases. I'm not saying it isn't, just beware.

The Texas bus does look better, but you will have to take a look at both to get a good comparison.

As Dale said, an auto is your best bet! A standard can be switched to an auto, but if you can find one with an auto it's the best way to go. Plus there is a lot of work converting it to an automatic. Clifford and others can give you a better idea.

Good Luck and Welcome!

[Norsman]

Thanks for the info, the TX coach I assume is a model 15, any additional ceiling height compared to the 10. ( I thought there was 2-3 inches).
The odometer has 490k and 287 on the hub, is it likely 1.490k on the bus and 287k on motor and tranny.

[Songman]

They are both Model 10s.

[SmoothJazz]

If I had to choose between the two, I would take the first one, the 1985 Model 10. The 1985 Eagles had the ugraded electrical systems along with other upgrades such as beefed up frame in the bulkhead 5 area, improved bus air conditioning if you plan to keep that in place. The most important thing I see about this coach, judging by the paint scheme, is that it used to belong to American Coach Lines out of Norcross, GA. They were one of the most reputable bus operators in the country and maintained there coaches like no other company I know. I certainly can't speak for the current owners maintenance, but if they bought it from American Coach Lines and put very little miles on it, then it is probably still in great running condition. Thats just my two cents worth.

[beltguy]

Ketil, welcome to the board!!

As I mentioned in the email from our site, there is lots of help available here.

Eagles are great buses, but you need to be very careful as you approach your purchase. There are some real "bargins" out there that will cost you a small fortune to get it ready for the road.

There are some Eagles that have bad structural rust. While that can be fixed, it is very expensive. One of our members (Gary LaBombard) has some of his rust remediation documented at: http://community.webshots.com/user/conv ... ?start=210" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (you have to poke around that site a bit to get all of the details). Gary used to sell a DVD about purchasing Eagles and the work he put into his bus. He also talks about buying from the heart rather than the head.

The other issue is the Torsilastic suspension. If these need to be replaced, they are very expensive (not available for 01 models).

Just about anywhere in the US someone will be glad to go with you to inspect the bus. DO NOT buy a bus without having it inspected. There are lots of good Eagles out there, and we want you to get one.

Lastly, go to the mall forum on this site and you will see a ton of Eagles for sale (by members and links to public sites - Ebay, Craigslist, etc.)

Jim

[Dreamscape]

A thought. While the torsalastics for the model 01 are not available new, Jefferson Bus can have yours redone. I leaned this at Busn' USA from a couple of Eagle owners. I did hear that Craig at Silver Eagle Bus was looking into having new ones made up for the 01, but have not heard if he has them available yet.

I sure hope this information is correct, you know about hearsay!