389 pete for first truck

I suggest a Freightliner with a Detroit. Parts are inexpensive and TA's can do quite a bit of work on them which you'd have to go to a dealer for with other brands. Andt there's also separate Detroit authorized repair shops in case the Freightliner dealer is a bad choice, for example if you're near Chicago where the Freightliner dealers repair shops get (and deserve) horrible reviews, you can often cruise right on over to an Interstate Power Systems, which is still factory authorised by Detroit plus offers much shorter wait times as well. Then get your dream truck once you're established and have a better handle on what your finances can sustain.

 

I have a 285” wheel base w9 and 53’ reefer in the north east and I do just fine, most of the people ##### about turning because they can’t touch the trailer to the sleeper corner and spin around destroying tires/bushings.... turning sharp does nothing good for the equipment. We have several in the family and my 97 is still easy to get parts for, actually last time I called kw, they had parts in stock for my uncles 1976.... after the parts guy stopped laughing at me for still having a 1976 in the yard.

OP buy what you want, the number one rule with the truck is if it’s going out to make money with it and for it to be 100% safety first, on top of that, it’s all a write off anyways and you don’t get to take any of it with you in your 6’x3’ box when we are gone.

i would put a extra couple grand away for fuel though before going out though

 

As for taking it with ya.....depends. I plan to have myself burried in the seat of my truck middle finger up and all my crap in the trailer just to annoy as many people as i can. Plus the look on the archaeologists face 2500 years from now will be priceless.

 

Here's the thing. You have to first determine if this is a truck you are going to keep long term or not. If you are, Pete and Kw are the only answer there. Fact is, all others are throw away trucks. How many 20 year old freightliners or volvos, etc do you see going down the road? Not many. They produced alot of those trucks vs pete or kw. So where did they all go? Exactly. I have a 99 379 and like it. I miss my 359, but dont miss the flattop. So if you are going to trade in every few years, go with the cheaper and still effective freightliner. If not, go paccar.

 

You need to repair any and all trucks so that’s not as big of an issue and with a new motor you might actually be in a better place than a used 579 with 300k on the dial
I love the hoods but have a new 579 simply for the fuel mileage
My fuel bill savings over a 379/389 is pretty substantial
My truck is a hammer in the tool box and my Harley a toy in the garage

You really need to see if you can hook your trailer to it and go for a drive
You will love it or it will intimidate you

 

The tool argument is kinda a BS one. Everything in life is a tool. You could say that about a bike, a house or whatever. You need that thing to perform a specific task. They will all perform that task, some better than others. However at the end of the day, you are the one paying for it. So do you want to ride in and look at and work on which truck day in and day out? Get the one that makes you happy and make it work if it is specd to your liking. Because if not, every time you pass one, you will wish you went the other way. It's called buyer's remorse and it is very real.

 

I somewhat agree with the tool thing
I call mine a pig with lipstick
I would rather have a hood but my truck does the job and leaves me a little more cash on the table and it’s still a decent looking pig

 

If it does a job, it's a tool. If it makes you happy, it's a collectable tool.

I think half the reason hoods last longer is because they are more often regarded as collectable. That puts them in the arena where someone might fix one up even though replacement might be more economical. Heck, look at cabovers. Most of them aren't cruising around because they are so durable or economical, but rather because someone saw sentimental value beyond raw numbers.

 

Maybe, maybe not, honestly couldn't say one way or the other. However, the facts still stand. You see 20 year old hood trucks, you don't see 20 year old other trucks. Or not very many outside the ports anyways....lol. heck, you don't see very many 10 year old aero trucks in good shape. I would love a new glider....if they still made them. There is alit to be said for today's newer trucks. I would love a volvo with a dinette and a 3406. Honesty, I'm going to look into newer trucks. Get a new one and trade in every 4 years before it starts to suck the life out of my bank account. Who knows what the future holds.

 

I don't think newer trucks are ugly. Yours looks nice. I think they are just different. Plus, I'm a nostalgic kinda guy. I was trying to find a K100 with a stand-up aerodyne. I looked everywhere, but they were all junk or high dollar. To each their own. At the end of the day, as long as your happy with it...that's what counts.....right.