whats the story with volvos!?

Trucks vary, but the differences between them are truly meaningless if you are in the used truck market. What really matters to you now is how was the truck treated, maintained and what was happening to it service-wise. You want to rather find great Volvo (known as bad make) instead of ruined Peterbilt (great make). If you were into brand new truck - you would have to focus on all the other stuff that shouldn't bother you now all that much. Just find a truck driven by a good driver. How? I have no idea

 

Volvo or T2000,

buy a multimeter and a case of electrical tape.

Chances are you will need both !!!

Good Luck !!

 

A pack of heat shrink, wiring diagram book and fault code manual....
and wires of different gauge....

 

When it rains.... Dont plan on driving or plan on numerous gremlins in the wires. Just saying.

 

Yup. Electrics are really bad on Volvos. They also used brass push fittings for air linees. They have o rings inside that fail and will make your tanks lose air.
Dashboard circuit boards are expensive and do fail.

Other than that..lol. they turn on a dime, ride really good and very quiet cab.

 

While Volvos do seem to have issues with wiring, the documentation available to a Volvo owner seems very extensive.

I was in a Volvo shop the other day with a friend and saw many books about all the mechanicals. I remember trying to get these for my T600 and the cost was insane.

 

What model year are they? How many miles on each? Who owned them? Were they fleet trucks? What fleet? Do you have service records to look at? What differential ratios? Have you researched both of those models to know what you would normally expect to have problems with over time?

How new are the tires? Do they have virgin rubber or recaps? How new are the brake shoes? How new are the brake drums? What did the oil samples look like on the engine, transmission and differentials? What did the dyno run look like? Are there any other recently replaced components such as turbo, clutch or air compressor?

IMHO, only a few things are important in a used equipment purchase. Obviously it should be competitively priced for the age and within your budget. You should get the most as far as new brakes and tires. It should have a good dyno run and oil samples. The most important feature would be the fuel mileage.

With a low experience level the deck is stacked against you. The only way to put more money in your pocket will be to cut costs or run more miles in a mileage lease.

 

IMHO, soon every owner will have to make a decision as to whether California is profitable enough to purchase new equipment. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't see much retrofitting going on at the estimated costs I have seen.

Like many, I made a decision long ago that California wasn't worth the headache. As CARB continues to restrict operation I expect more will make the same decision. At that point hopefully rates in the state will support the cost of equipment needed to run there.