Maggie's Milk

Large Family Life, Learning & Love

  • Home
  • About
    • Meet the Family Behind Maggie’s Milk
  • Freelance Writing
  • Homeschool Reviews

Buying a Bus: Bidding (and Losing), Insurance

February 28, 2015 Lisa

Well, we bid on a bus using a site my step-dad told me about (public surplus.com–thanks Steve!)

It was a beautiful 2005 E-450 with 12 seats and a wheelchair lift and spot. Just what we wanted. A surplus from a school district over on the peninsula.

While the auction ended up going higher than we wanted to pay, it was a good learning experience, and I know how the process works a little better now. I know how to factor in the buying fee, and how to not bid right away to drive up the cost when there are still a few days left on the auction. Patience, Lisa, patience!

I also learned that it’s important to factor title, licensing and travel expenses (when applicable) to the total cost so you don’t end up paying more than you have! Like I said, a great learning experience!

On a different note related to the process of buying a bus, it seems that commercial insurance on a private plan will be needed regardless of the number of seats, because the buses we are looking at are on a 1.5 ton base. Apparently many 12 or 15 passenger vans also require this. I didn’t know that!

Thankfully the quote we got for the E-450 base is not too much more than we pay annually for the Suburban, so it’s not outside of our budget. We were a little concerned over that, and it was a definite answer to prayer to see the quotes come in!

And who knows–if we find an E-350 base, it might be even cheaper!

The perfect bus for us is out there–it’s just a matter of tracking it down. I appreciate the help my brother-in-law and step-dad have provided! (Thanks guys!!) It may take time, and that’s ok. In the meantime, we will keep chasing leads and saving money.

Have you ever bid on a surplus vehicle? How did it go for you?

0Shares

Share this:

  • Email
  • Print
  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Family Life buying a bus

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Lisa! I blog about large family life, living, and love here on Maggie's Milk. You'll find posts related to homeschooling, homesteading, and doing life as a large family.

Let’s Connect!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • 85Likes
  • 2KFollowers

Want to save money? Try Ebates

Ebates Coupons and Cash Back

ARCHIVES

ARCHIVES

SEARCH THIS WEBSITE

CATEGORIES

Copyright © 2025 · The Tiffany Theme by Blogelina · Built on the Genesis Framework

Copyright © 2025 · The Tiffany on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

%d