Deal ratings
What a good deal means here
Some listings say Good deal or Great deal. It means the asking price is lower than similar buses other dealers are asking for right now. Here is exactly how we decide, and when we don't.
The two labels
- Great deal
- Priced at least 20% below what similar buses are listed for.
- Good deal
- Priced at least 10% below what similar buses are listed for.
Every rated listing says how many similar buses it was compared with, so you can see how much is behind the label.
What counts as a similar bus
- The same make and model, the same new or used condition, and a model year within one year.
- If there aren't enough of those, the same make, bus type and seating range, within two model years.
- At least 5 similar buses, from at least 2 different dealers. One dealer's price list isn't a market.
How mileage is counted
We start from the middle asking price of the similar buses, then adjust it for mileage: a bus with more miles than its peers is expected to cost less, and one with fewer is expected to cost more. Extra miles never make a bus worth more, and the adjustment is capped at 25% of the price, so one unusual odometer reading can't create a rating.
When a bus has no rating
- It has no listed price, or the price is a placeholder under $2,000.
- There aren't enough similar buses from enough dealers to compare with.
- It is priced at or above similar buses. We never label a bus as overpriced.
- It is priced more than 50% below similar buses. That is more often a typo, a deposit or a parts bus than a bargain, so we leave it unrated.
Most buses have no rating for these reasons. Today 28 of 565 priced listings are rated.
What a rating is not
- It is not paid for. Dealers cannot buy a rating or a better one.
- It compares asking prices, not what buses actually sold for, and it is not an appraisal or an inspection. Condition matters: ask the dealer, and have the bus inspected before you buy.
- It changes as listings come and go, so a rating can appear or disappear.