The journey begins - purchased a truck.

My thoughts and opinions on buying older trucks. May not be worth much but nobody is paying me.

If ten people on here were to but a truck with close to a million miles on it there would be 10 different stories about repairs and cost. It could be the best used truck ever or it could throw a rod thru the block on the way home, no way to tell what is going to happen.Older truck require fixing things that you don't normally think of, like bushing, brake pedals,brake valves even the ECMs, most have a memory battery that won't last forever.

Before you buy a truck try to find a independant shop near home that you think you can trust, 80-90 a hour is way better than 125 a hr at the dealer. The dealer mechanic may be a 30 year veteran or the kid just off the street, you get no choice. My truck gets worked on by one of 2 mechanics, depending on the job, only one touches the motor. They know my truck and I can call anytime and get help. This can take time to do but it will save you money on the long run. I have seen more than one owner screwed over and bankrupt by a dealer, Know you truck , don't just take it in and say fix it, ask lots of question and get second opinions.

When you fix something fix it right, no short cuts, when things are apart see what new parts can go back in without more labor.

Buying a truck trust no one. Think of truck salesmen as used car salesman, they are no different. They say fresh overhaul you say by who and why. They have papers, check the serial numbers, many identical trucks have had the same overhaul thanks to a copy machine. Try to look at trade in trucks before they go to the detail shop, I was in a local truck detail shop and they were regrooving tires, legal yes, BUT, not on my truck.

There are many trucks for sale by owner and you would be surprised how many have sunk a lot of money into a truck then sell, (landstar.com has a for sale by owner section)
I bought my truck from the owner in KS, I went to his home and shop, you can learn a lot by looking around their place.

By the truck you need for your job, don't get something thinking you can make changes later. You can change from a 10 to a 13 but expect to get hit extra on the core charge, dealer has new caps on the drives, they look good but are worthless, make a deal for new tires or walk.

Cash is king, many 15 - 20 K trucks are hard to sell because of financing and the people that want them have poor credit, Offer low and work your way up, find out the cost to fix the things that aren't working, You can figure 1K for the AC, if signs of wheel seal leaking it could be a few hundred to a lot more if the cause is wheel bearings. APU's can be expensive to fix.Pop the dash open and see if the wiring has been cut and spliced or other wiring on the truck looks like it has been messed with, if you find a mess, walk away, you may never get it straightened out.

You business model should include enough income to pay for a new truck, if you have to keep playing with numbers to sorta make it work, it won't.Running on a mileage rate is dumb, you get the same amount as the guy that's been there 10 years, you need to work where there is opportunity to make more as you learn the business. Remember .95 a mile is .95 a mile no mater who is writing the checks, there is a limit to what you can earn, you can only run so many miles a week, if you get behind you can't catch up. There are legal flatbed and van loads out here everyday going coast to coast for 3-5 dollars a mile, you job is to associate you self with the people or companies that have it and will trust you with it.

More latter. Come on in the waters fine.

 

well said Old Man....

It is true, some wisdom does come with age.. and I thought all you old cats just got uglier with age... Hmmmm

 

Awesome post chief. Sums it up nicely. I'm a gettin my bathing suit on lol

 

Very well said lad. Thank you.

 

Had to beat the girls off him with a stick
last time i saw him - drives a Pete you see . . .[/QUOTE]

I drive a real truck, no plastic.

 

I thought about this post yesterday when I checked my settlement, apparently it was about a few hundreds higher than what it should of been.

Reason was? And LJ agent got me an unloading fee for $300 for a load 3 months ago, can you imagine that?? And I'll agree, most of the time an LJ agent aint worth a fart to deal with but this was neat...

 

Very much enjoying this thread. Thanks for sharing your journey.

"The Japanese perform 90% research and planning, and 10% actual work"

That got a chuckle since I'm sitting in Yokohama while reading this.

 

Does a "hotsie bath" count as work?