Buying my first truck, need help choosing 1of these 3 trucks

Its gonna cost money to get it checked properly. This isn't a situation where you spend 5 minutes walking around it and then signing the papers. Be prepared to spend a thousand bucks or so for a proper inspection, oil analysis and (if possible) a dyno run.

 

I get what you’re saying - and it’s certainly a better plan than most have.

I think that nobody wants to see you with a $30k yard ornament if your worst case scenario becomes reality.

You’ve had a CDL longer than me, driven for companies. In the last 10 years, what problems have you seen with these 3 vehicles, and - when did the company sell/trade said vehicles.

As I understand, 500k is now the turnover point with 10 year old equipment. That used to be 1 million miles with pre emission engines.

The ‘one box’ emissions on the DDEC could almost wipe out your 20k maintenance fund.

Is it possible to buy new or less than 100k miles?

 

I’d get the cascadia that looks like it came from magnum fleet. It has an apu so idle hours should be low which is good for the emission system.

 

As to the HP and ratio question, you’ll find many discussions here on the issue, with links to calculators.

You should already be familiar with the performance, pulling , start ability, and fuel economy with various setups over the years.

3:55 and 450hp gets most jobs done
3:70 to 3:90 in the mountains
2:70 with 13 can work for some applications

I’m not familiar at all with auto transmissions.

 

The ECM dump should also reflect that.

 

What @blairandgretchen said about the one box. I just spent right under 10k for a similar set up, but mine are separated. I have the DOC and DPF set up. My truck just had turned 700k on a 2014. According to Cummins,(other manufacturers are similar) the life of this set up are about 500k. I got lucky and got 700k.

 

And others who poo poo the idea of Due Diligence just don't get why you check out the truck, even if there is rock solid maintaince records.

Just because a few have bought a truck blindly, and got lucky, does not mean someone will have the same luck.

Dyno with a blowby is as important as the Oil Analysis (OA) of all fluids. If the oil has been changed, take a sample from sump after the dyno, it will stir up everything for an OA.

On the paper side, take the vin to any dealer and have them pull the original order and any work they did. This will tell you if any major componet has been changed. Don't take the maintaince records from an O/O if there is any as gospel, always assume it isn't accurate but close.

With more and more trucks coming online for sale, a lot of them are by marginal owners who skimp on everything to make anything they can.

 

3.08 gear ratios aren’t bad, will pull anything you want.
Been a while since i ran one of those,

mine has cummins, 3.36 rears, 10 speed manual, 6.0-6.5 at 65 mph pulling 80k.
Depending on terrain and wind.
It’ll pull good, but engine is turned wide open, so you gotta know when to let up.