Pre emission vs Emission engines

Definitely pre emission. I've owned emission truck. Spent 10k in parts over 4 years owning it, that's not counting 3.00/gal DEF

 

New or pre 2003. Those are the only 2 options worth entertaining for a 1 man band or a small fleet of 5 or less

 

Personally I'd rather sink 60k into old iron and then you'll basically have a new pre emission ride. Just finding a good base that isn't ratted out is the hard part. Rebuild motor/trans, rears if need be and go through the suspension/drive line components and you got yourself a reliable money maker. Don't matter if it's Cat, mack , cummins or a detroit. They're all rock solid bullet proof. If you can do the majority of the work you'll save half the cost of a shop doing it. Run it for a year to get your bank account padded then do a paint job.....boom you got yer self a glider basically

 

Just big nuts and bolts, it’s all rebuildable, 2000 and down or brand new are really the only way to go

 

Both options are good ways to go. The only losing option is buying used and still having to deal with emissions. It’s a money pit, unreliable, and they are laying all over the place. So plenty of slick salesmen looking for you to walk in and get baited. Your 60k budget makes you a prime target for you to be their tow truck driver for the hunk of junk they wanna pawn off on you. Be careful.

 

The last truck I drove was a 07 w900.
It had cat motor rebuilt. And it was time for another rebuild. NEW trans.

Rear ends replaced 4 times. Ac compressor replaced 6 times. Wiring is shot on that truck. Etc.etc. Quite a few things that consistently break down.

It literally bankrupted the company 5 times over. If that were his only truck.

He could have had a brand new truck. And he has some very smart ase certified shops that does his major repairs.

 

Sadly a lot of pre-emission trucks are ready for the junkyard. Frames and cabs only last so long. I'd say after about 20-25 years on a typical truck the frame is on borrowed time. Steel can only handle so many stress cycles before it gets fatigued and starts cracking. Rust takes its toll over time too.

20 year old wiring is usually on its way out too.

Unless you're handy with a wrench, have deep pockets and enough time to go over the whole truck, front to back before putting it to work I'd go new(er). Unless of course you find that rare pre-emission/pre-ELOG unicorn that is actually priced reasonably.

 

You can dump all the money you want in old Iron. If the truck don't want to work. It's time to trash it.

 

Did you mean $100k?

 

Ideally, a brand new truck paid for with cash upfront. Then get extended manufactures warranty for 500 000 miles/5 years including aftertreatment.
Still, I'd need cash reserves for at least 1 year worth of fuel and salary.
Yeah, dam it! That's what I think is a good way to start...