What to look for when buying an used truck?

Money.

you need money not just to buy the truck but also to get it road worthy and to have money aside when the thing breaks down.

So ... your Due Diligence has to be done when looking at them.

OH and never assume people are telling the truth, many of them, including O/O lie about what the truck has been through. SO back to doing your Due Diligence.

 

your posting in the new driver forum, are you a new driver?

if so, I would wait a bit and learn the trade.

if not,I would post in the owner/op section

 

actually if I was you I would check into Ryder or penske they have excellent maintenance records and for the most part experienced drivers and the trucks haven't run hard ( private company fleets ) plus they offer some Warranty and possibly financing ..... worth checking out

 

If they have a work history of what maintenance was done to the truck. I would have the bearings replaced to give me a idea of what I'm dealing with. If all possible by the truck from a person or company who stands by their word. Let you know what you're buying not lying to make a sell. As with any working parts things break. Have a dyno done. All the best to you.

 

I like older pre emission trucks. My biggest requirement is an overhaul recently WITH paperwork from a reputable shop. Not some overhaul done by farmer Bob in his overalls under the pecan trees. Its worked well for me usually you get some good trouble free running time before much major trouble

 

Also I wouldn't just cheap out because expenses can quickly end up being thousands of dollars. For example I know a man who bought a $10,000 dollar freightliner and ended up putting around $30,000 in it the first year. Yes he is back to running company trucks again. I like a truck around $35-40,000. You can get a nice truck for that price range. Also get something you'll enjoy driving. Freightliner equals noisy windy ride with lots of rattles. A pre emission Kenworth T800 is a fairly cheap very well built truck. If you want a nicer truck get a Kenworth W900 or Peterbilt 379 but they will cost a bit more