Incredibly Beautiful 99 Gillig Phantom High Floor PEERFECT Motorhome or Skoolie

Sale price: US $10,800.00 Make an Offer

Condition: Seller notes:
Used
“In the finest imaginable condition for a 22 year old commercial vehicle. The most perfect platform for a Skoolie RV "build"! Excellent mechanical condition, lovingly restored and updated, absolutely IMMACULATE. SO quiet! Detroit Diesel reliability and durability. Flawless interior and excellent high gloss paint. Gillig is one of the finest brands on the planet, and this one is exceptional. Check out the videos, the pictures, and the information. The Phantom ws the most popular bus of its kind, ever!”
Fuel Type: Diesel Model Year: 1999
Make: Gillig Type: Transit Bus/Skoolie Candidate

San Bernardino, California, United States

Vehicle description

A picture is worth a thousand words. Here are a bunch of great videos to help you get familiar with this remarkable Gillig Phantom. . Since doesn"t allow "clickable" links, please just highlight each one, copy and paste on to your browser. The videos will help you get to know this wonderful bus fast!
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Gillig Bus Corporation in Livermore, CA will be celebrating their 131 st year in business, this summer. Founded in 1890, in Hayward, CA, Gillig has been a premium bus brand longer than any other manufacturer. After WW II, two famous bus manufacturers, Gillig and Crown, pretty well took over the school bus market in fast growing California. Vintage Gillig and Crown school buses were absolutely beautiful, lasted for decades, and have become extremely collectable as of late. They’re now rapidly appreciating in value. A maintained Gillig or Crown Coach, no matter the age, can easily cross the country, reliably, even at 40 or 50 years of age! As the 1980’s came to a close, the west coast school bus districts finally accumulated enough buses to meet their needs and new bus sales started dramatically tapering off. Since both Gilligs AND Crowns lasted virtually forever, there was really no need for districts to replace the buses they already had. Sadly, Crown Coach Corporation went out of business in 1991. Gillig, however, made a smart move and modified their fabulous new Phantom school buses into city transit buses. Gillig Phantom buses were head and shoulders ahead of the competition, both in quality and in drivability. Very quickly, the Phantoms became a legend, and were easily the most successful single model bus ever built, up to that time. From 1980 to 2008, Phantoms ruled the road. And, a very similar Low Floor model is still a huge seller, world wide. Gillig is also famous for their all USA sourced parts and labor, making their brand not only the oldest, but the most all-American motor vehicle brand in existence. As the millennium rolled around and emission requirements created more and more complications in engine and exhaust design, literally ALL diesel powered buses and trucks have become very difficult to maintain. Particulate traps, catalytic converters, exhaust gas recirculation, electronic computers and sensors and warning lights, and every imaginable electronic control, has rendered modern buses and heave trucks to what I would call un-reliability. Compressed natural gas is the norm, nowadays, but it isn’t practical for non commercial users, since it is hard to get and is very expensive, dangerous and the tanks expire (cost more than the bus to replace). This 1999 model Gillig just missed all that sturr, and was originally a San Luis Obispo bus, where air quality standards are not a problem. It’s a straightforward Diesel engine with electronic fuel injection. Not much to go wrong, considering how bad the buses were just a year or two later! It’s frankly about the newest bus a private individual would want to own, since the newer ones are so expensive to operate. And this particular Gillig is so remarkably fresh and nice! Phantoms were incredibly popular with districts, drivers, mechanics and passengers, alike, for several important reasons. First off, like all Gilligs, the entire bus is designed for the comfort and pleasure for, first the driver, but also the passengers. It turns on a dime, compared to other vehicles of its size. It rides like a giant Lincoln Town Car. It handles and corners remarkably easily for its weight and size. It is designed to take off from a stop and to complete a stop without lurching the passengers. The full air bag suspension rides remarkably smoothly. Everything is a light touch. Steer with one finger. It’s easy to work on and doesn’t require a lot of repairs. Parts are readily available. Driver comfort in Phantoms is legendary, and it doesn’t tire out the driver and passengers like other big vehicles do. But first and foremost, a Phantom is a very comfortable place to travel a lot of miles in! Phantoms came with both Detroit and Cummins engines. They also offered a number of different transmissions. Early Phantoms were mostly 2 stroke Detroit 6V92 powered. These buses are rare and highly collectable. Later Detroit powered Phantoms (including this one) were often powered by the later model Detroit Series 50 and 60 diesels. These Detroits have a worldwide reputation for durability and reliability second to none. A true million mile engine. They’re quiet, smooth, they pull hills reasonably well, and get better fuel mileage than other motors. The Cummins 8.3 was another popular motor, although noisier and no more powerful than the 50. Some had Cummins 8.9 liter diesels, and they were considerably faster than the others, but cost more to operate. The Series 50 Detroit in this Gillig is a first choice engine choice, and is outrageously quiet inside the bus. This motor is in outstanding condition. Allison and Voith transmissions seemed to be the most common in Gilligs. Both drive very well, but Allisons last longer and are WAY WAY cheaper to fix than a Voith! This bus has an Allison 5 speed automatic, model MD3060, and it’s in great condition. We just replaced the starter and checked everything carefully. Although you can’t expect a warranty on a 22 year old vehicle, this Gillig was in the best condition we could find, and we’ve been through it carefully to weed out any remaining issues. All tires have good to very good tread depth and brakes are good. It has a retarder, which assists the brakes in stopping, and it works flawlessly. It has factory air conditioning that works. The upholstery is virtually flawless, and the entire interior is WAY nicer than you could imagine in a vehicle of this age! All glass is good. Body is remarkably straight, and the shiny white paint looks wonderful! All insignia are removed. The front destination sign is customizable, and could be great fun as a party or converted tiny home bus! I have placed several similar Phantoms in the hands of Skoolie and Tiny Home converters, and they come out SPECTACULAR! First off, the bus is wider than a school bus. And, this particular bus is a full 40 feet long. That gives you over 320 square feet of living space! The rear side entry door is incredibly helpful for installing furniture, sheets of wood, and other big objects, that can’t be twisted around the front entrance. It then becomes a fabulous shower enclosure, with room underneath for a separate tank or a step down tub/shower combo. There’s lots of under floor space in the high floor models like this. The ceiling is a full 6 foot 6 inch height, and is relatively flat. So there’s plenty of room for storage and cabinets. It has picture window size glass and it’s deeply tinted for insulation and privacy. The ride comfort and extremely low noise level make this a true luxury traveler and a spacious home away from home. My name is Al Jennings. I have restored dozens of vintage Crown and Gillig buses, including quite a few Phantoms. There’s no more comfortable bus anywhere near this price. I put a tremendous amount of effort into making every bus as sound and reliable as humanly possible. Most old buses like this turn out to have long repair lists waiting for the new owner. I try to fix every single issue I can. Handing you a “turn key” ready to travel bus, is my passion. I would love to pick you up at the Ontario, CA Airport in YOUR “new” 99 Gillig Phantom,. And teach you how to drive and maintain it. Then, watch you drive off, as your new adventure begins! One final note: Many converters skimp on the bus they buy, to allow more money for the conversion. Then when the bus breaks down and all the undisclosed problems start popping up, the dream can be shattered. Start with the finest bus you can find! Do not cut corners on the platform! Buy quality and buy from someone you can be confident has gone through your new bus over and over, until all the hidden issues are smoked out and FIXED! And start with quwlity. Detroit Series 50 and 60 bus/truck engines are considered the very best. The MD series Allisons are remarkable. And, as you can tell from the pictures, this bus is in WAY finer condition, both cosmetically and mechanically, than most buses you’ll find. Our lives are short. It is becoming more and more difficult to find “the good life” in many major metro areas. City and suburban life are becoming more and more challenging. With telecommuting and home schooling having become “do-able” realities, why not get off the grid and live the life most people only dream of? Watch the videos, study the information, check out the pictures, and call me with any and all questions you still might have. Al Jennings. 310-500-6574. Perhaps this is the most important change for the better, your family will ever experience! Think about it. Talk soon?