Which truck should I buy??

I'll sell you my one working Cascadia for $25K. It's a working truck on Landstar's fleet. Very well maintained, new after treatment, 450HP / 10 Spd with APU.

Truck has missed 2 loads in 4 years.

Everything works, body is perfect.

No financing. You gotta da money, you getta da truck.

 

I just wanted to add to what I said that the problem isn't being able to fix the truck. The problem is that when you have an old truck it's going to need a lot of repairs and what ends up happening is you work for a month and then you're down for two weeks then you work for two weeks and you're down for another week then you work 3 weeks and you're down for another two weeks and then you work a month but then you're down for another week and then you work another month and your down for 2 weeks, or something like that.

And the problem again is not being able to fix the truck. The problem is that while the truck is not working you are paying insurance and bills are coming in and you're not making any money. And money is going out for the repair itself.

When That happens over and over again that's what bankrupts you.

Remember that if you have one emissions problem it might cost you $15,000. If you need a transmission that might cost you $7,000. If one of your rear end goes out that's probably going to cost you four grand. If you need a radiator that's 1500 or 2000 a turbo another $1,500, although in those engines that might be more it might be four or five thousand for that turbo I don't know. Then if you are looking at an engine rebuild what is that going to be? At least 25,000?

The point that I'm making is that old truck that is something cheap that use get you rolling that you feel like you can just fix it as you go could cost you more than just buying something good and keep working and making money.

My suggestion to you is to find a pre emissions truck if you want to be working on your own truck. Take a year or maybe two years before you put it into service and go over that truck from the front bumper to the back tail lights and in between make sure everything is 100% dependable. Whatever you spend, that is the best investment you will ever make in your whole life. Then when you have repairs to do 95% is just going to be very small minor things and it's not difficult to keep up with.

If you really want an older truck that's the way to do it and be successful.

 

It’s a regular cream puff. I’d buy it if I wanted a moneymaker. But I’m better at spending than making money. I’ll say, it definitely has a good well documented track record and maintenance. Whoever gets it knows exactly what they’re getting. With any used vehicle, that’s the main thing. Avoiding Surprises. I hate surprises. They’re just not good, like they used to be.

 

Hey!!! I resemble some of those examples and scenarios. Lol. Its all true. I ran mine, fixing things along the way. It’s not easy. Some years I ran 135-140k miles. Tolerated a lot of minor problems, that took too much time to fix. Constant planning, spending, and Steady wrenching, while working. Eventually things need to be done. They add up quick.The cost of parts is the least of the whole picture. Repairing it, while running it, has been hard at times. Down time is inevitable. That’s what costs the most.Its a real balancing act. No ideal or easy way to do it. I’ve been Lucky. The biggest help was having a dependable rebuilt engine to start with, avoiding major repair bills. The incentive is, I like the Truck, and also enjoy improving old items. Every dollar spent has to be worth it IMO. Expensive emission repairs and unreliable service, being at the mercy of the Dealerships is out of the question.

 

Drop the Pro Stars and the Volvo. Pro Stars with the Maxx Force engine are known disaster's. There is a reason why they are cheaper than the rest of trucks on your list with half the mileage.
Volvo's with high mileage are prone to high maintenance and repair costs, as well as parts availability.

https://www.preferredtrucktrailer.c...=1&accountcrmid=7994613&settingscrmid=7994613

 

I want to add to what @Dino soar said. I suggest buying directly from an owner operator. You can talk to the guy and see the truck. You will get a good sense of how the truck was taken care of by doing this. If the guy is a slob and so is his truck....chances are it will be a money pit and a headache. I am on a plane right now to south Dakota waiting to take off. This week I have flown from my house in Idaho to spokane to Phoenix to elpaso to Chicago to Cleveland now I'm back in Chicago waiting to goto south Dakota. All to look at trucks. I've talked to soooo many people and looked at so many trucks it wasn't funny. That is just this week! The last truck I thought was the one I took to a mechanic to check out. It was a 2003 w900 aerodyne flattop with a 1999 e model. It was the truck I wanted. What an eye opener. It had a brand new trans. However, there where so many things wrong. The biggest was both front engine mounts were gone. The motor was sitting on the frame! Be diligent, the right truck is out there. We'll, about to take off, good luck.

 

For the long run. Columbia is gonna be your best bet. It will out live and have the cheapest long term maintenance.

if you want to hang yourself at an early age but the maxxforce or Volvo.

My first truck was a Columbia with those same specs except I tuned it up a little. It ran like a dream never left me stranded.
Sold it 2 years ago and the guy is still running it in Texas oil fields. I regret not pulling that engine and building a glider.

 

There is a tremendous amount of savvy advice in this thread!

As has been said being a mechanic or mechanically inclined doesn’t equate to having a shop or space to work on it on the road. Things break away from home and all those tools don’t equate to shop space. Also are you able to inframe an engine at home?

Of all those trucks mention the three singled out would be what I would look most at (the older ones) or Dave’s. If it is out working now and he has the MX records for that price it is worth it.

Otherwise I’m an older truck guy. I’m leery about anything right now as far as old pending what this new green beewwwllllshat will bring us.

If you don’t have capital in the bank any of the options are not the best choice. Always check your insurance prices if you don’t have own authority yet.

best of luck

 

I would go with the Columbia as well. Upgrade to a 13 speed when you need a new transmission.

They are dumping those emissions trucks cheap for a good reason.

I'd just worry about frame rust and emissions laws becoming more strict.

 

They are basically all the same, I don’t get why people look at the common drivetrain trucks as they are special and unique, Mack and volvo have their own drivetrains generally speaking.

that said what matters and you know this as a mechanic is what the dyno/blowby and the rest of your due diligence shows. Pick out the best three of those and go from there.

If you are looking for long term performance with little downtime, I prefer cummins first, Mack second and detroit third.