Looking to get a tour bus for father-in-law

[Ecky]

My father in law is looking to get a tour bus that will, when not in use, serve as a real bus to pick up senior patients for the family dental practice. A lot down the street has one of these that looks like it would serve our purposes pretty well.

This isn't the exact bus, but it's similar:
2005 FORD F-450 Super Duty for sale in Flint, Michigan - Commercial Truck Trader


I took a look at the truck in the lot and saw nothing obviously wrong with it. The ad says it runs, the tires look good, it has ~350k miles and they're asking $5500. On the phone the guy said it has two batteries, one of them is at the end of its life, and he believes the turbo will need replacement.

This is not something I've ever shopped for before. I have never worked with a diesel before, and don't really know what to check for on a vehicle like this. I suppose I ought to check all of the fluids and do a compression test before buying it, but what else should I do? How are the 7.3 diesels, and how easy is it to find parts and work on it?


It's not an ideal shape for long highway trips but I'm thinking it being a diesel, it will not be as horrible as a gasser.

Any feedback would be extremely helpful.

[slowmover]

The strong suit of vehicles like this is in their reliability. Not about FE, per se, just that it be predictable. While FORDs and the 7.3 are a decent combination you are looking at a vehicle at the end of it's "predictable" life. End of engine life, sooner than later.

For someone running scheduled service (clients to appointments) I guess they'd better be poor, patient, or both. With whatever arrangements folks have to make with yet other people in order to be ready for transport, unreliable service makes for headaches that ripple outwards. It is more than just a missed appointment.

Without some mechanical skills and the desire to always acquire more, running a vehicle like this can become expensive quickly due to reliance on paid work. And a headache to those relying on it (clients, not those who profit from them). For the owner it would be good to have a backup plan in place beforehand, and to understand the costs in all ways.

Be sure to understand insurance requirements. And licensing. Add to that air conditioning. Never put clients in a position for heat-related problems.

Sorry for the downer. Nail all the bad stuff first, because the per patient cost is higher than it will first appear. Liability is the nightmare.

.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

It might have the problematic 6.0L PowerStroke.

[Ecky]

Thanks for your input slowmover, you bring up some great points.

How would your answer change if we were going to use it for personal use only (tour bus/RV) with business advertisement printed on the outside? That is to say, if liability were not involved?

Anyway I took it for a test drive today and think I'm going to pass until I find one with lower miles, even if it's more expensive. 2-3 patients would pay for the vehicle, but one lawsuit would cost us a lot more.