SCHNEIDER CHOICE PROGRAM - FREEDOM AWAITS " YOU " by JAR-HEAD

I like the FL Cascadia Evo's..if they were O/O spec'd I would've leased one.
But like JH said it depends on what you want.
I waited almost 20 years before taking the plunge so I figured what the hell and went with the T680.

No regrets.

 

For you guys that put money down on a lease truck, I'm curious, what happens to that money? Is it ever used to put towards the lease payments on the truck, or are you just paying an extra amount to lease the truck that doesn't actually go towards anything other than using a "premium" truck?

Like JH said honestly it's just personal preference. If you're in a good position financially and would like to step up into a nicer truck, go for it. If you're a little strapped for cash at the start of the lease I'd save that for a rainy day when the truck might be down.

I was very happy with the Cascadia I leased from SFI but mainly because it was spec'd very differently from the others in terms of the engine, transmission, gear set, gauge package, etc. Because it was a Cascadia though it was not considered a "premium" truck.

I haven't spent any time behind the wheel of the T680s but I have seen the inside of them, they are nice. I will say (and this is not me knocking Freightliner because I own a Kenworth now, it's just the honest truth) that the Kenworth T600 I just bought with 1.3 million miles on it is holding together much better than the Cascadia I leased from SFI with 319k on it. Everything from the doors, the cabinets, the dash, etc., has a "tightness" to it that the FL doesn't have. However, if both trucks were built the same year, the KW would have cost a LOT more than the FL did.

Bottom line is assuming truck a and truck b are comparably reliable and maintenance costs are on the same page, is truck b going to make more money than truck a because truck b's cabinets don't rattle or the interior of the truck is nicer? Nah, don't think so. However if driver comfort (or hell maybe even driver ego) is on the line here, pay the extra and get the nicer truck.

 

My favorite truck is the Cascadia. About the only money I might put down on a lease - assuming it would be required or possible - would be to spec it out as if it was going to be mine.

OR

I might put money down on a lease depending on whether I might want to buy the darned thing at the other end.

 

Pretty sure you can't spec the truck as you want, even if you put money down - they order them in bulk from the factory. Now you can get a few things done differently such as the auto over the 10spd manual, or getting a diesel apu over the battery one, but since it's a lease truck that you might turn back in, they wouldn't want to be stuck with a truck with some odd specs that someone custom ordered then decided they didn't want to keep.

If they're still doing the used truck leases you can find some nice trucks that they may have taken in on a trade, though.

 

Pretty sure that the down payment will go towards the purchase price if you choose to purchase it after the lease term is up. However, if you turn it in after the lease period you forfeit the down payment.

 

Yes the money down goes towards your purchase at the end..plus half of it is doubled in the trac lease.
So it's like getting your money back at the end.
If you decide not to purchase it goes back to you after fees or towards another truck.

You can spec a truck the way you want if you repeat the leasing process..as long as you're in good standing.
At least that's what the rep said.

 

I've decided to drink the orange kool-aid (even though my favorite flavor is purple!) SNI-FI says they have plenty of new Evo's (no more DT-12's though) and at least one used T680. I've been in Cascadias for the past few years, and I think that the DD15 is a reliable and efficient engine. How about the MX-13 motor? I'm reading good reviews but "hearing" poor ones. Do you have the 13-spd, and what kind of MPG's are you seeing?