10 Steps to Finding the Right Church Bus

Step 1: What kind of bus do you need?
If you examine your needs rather than wants, you will quickly discover what the right church bus is for you. Take a moment to think about how you'll be using your bus. How many people does your Church need to transport? What kind of driving do you most often do? How long are your trips? Is it important that your next bus gets good gas mileage? Is it important your bus has a warranty?

In many cases people choose a bus because it has an eye-catching style or it is a trendy favorite. If you go in this direction, you may either break your budget or have to go bus shopping again soon. Let your needs, not wants, drive your decision.

Here are a few other questions to keep in mind when you begin your church bus-buying process:

• Do you need a heavy duty transmission?
• What safety features do you want?
• Do you require a lot of cargo-carrying capacity?
• Will you be doing any towing?
• Will the bus easily fit in your parking area?

Step 2: How much can we afford?
Regardless of whether you decide to buy or lease your next bus, establishing a realistic monthly payment that will fit into your budget is a crucial first step. How much should this be?

Estimate what your monthly church bus payment will be based on purchase price, down payment, interest rate and length of loan. Take the time to run the numbers now, before you go bus shopping. Write out the result and put this information into your church bus-buying folder. It will not only show you what you can afford, it will also help you control the numbers when you negotiate with a salesman.

Step 3: Should we lease or buy our next bus?
A lease requires little or no money up front and offers lower monthly payments. But when the lease ends your Church is left without a bus and a need to replace it. Buying a bus is more expensive initially and the monthly payments are higher. But at the end of the loan, you will own a bus you can still drive or sell. BusGroup offers Church bus financing options and also a Fundraising Assistance Program.