THE first truck???

First of all, know what you want. Engine, transmission, rear gears, tire size, suspension, wheel base, and any other spec you consider to be important.

Decide which of those specs are "set in stone"...as in this is what you want the truck to have and under no circumstance will you buy anything less.

Decide which of those specs are "negotiable"...as in willing to change IF the deal is right.

Truck salesmen will always try to talk you out of what you want and into what they have. They won't get any of your money if they don't succeed, because their commission is based upon what they sell and they can't sell a truck they don't have.

You may not find the "perfect" truck...but you should be able to get reasonably close to your desired specs. Just know what you want, and what alternatives to your "ideal" specs you are willing to accept....and don't let the salesman talk you into a truck you don't want.

 

Keep looking,if the former driver,owner,whatever treated the interior like that how about the rest of the truck. If you want a 13sp. and 3.55's tell the salesperson to make it happen. They can get that stuff way cheaper than we can so beat them up a little bit or go to a rebuilder who also does R&R's get some prices. Use those prices against the salesperson and either way roll the costs into your truck purchase. Not only do you get what you want,you should wind up with some warrenty. Whenever i bought used the 1st thing i look at is the interior,if it passes inspection i move on to the fuse,breaker panel. If someone has hacked the wiring,i pass. I learned that from a guy who used to go to Goodies in Toledo buy 2-3 rebuilders and build himself a truck and when he got done it was a work of art. Just to make myself clear if you can't get togeather with the dealer on a trans & rears,you tell the dealer you want to take the truck to someone else to have what you want done and the dealer is going to send those people a check and roll that amount into the deal. It is done all the time.

 

Jump right into the deep end and order a glider or new truck. Get just what you want. Never bought used, but you should probably trust your first impression of the truck if it's negative.

 

Contrastly, it is not the truck so much as the owner you are looking for. Went through this a few years ago. Whether you happen to stumble across a o/o selling/trading or just start showing up at dealers near where you live & tell them what you are looking for. They will call you before a unit hits truck paper(with a trail back to the owner trading it in) & you probably know the reputation of the nearby dealers as it stands.

Something to keep in mind trucks are much higher today than they were two years ago for the same thing with identical miles. Though have been hearing they are starting to level off, but have noticed $10-$20 thousand dollar spike in prices the past few months.

 

When I was looking at a class8 truck I went and seen a seller I used to buy parts from aka junkyard,
And he said if you're going to buy a used truck with higher miles buy a Peterbilt or volvo.
The freightliner columbia's are plastic junk. I rememeber when I worked on them regularly the Pete's, KW's and mack's seemed to hold
up the best and longest. The trim and wiring seemed better. Some people seem to like volvo's but they just seemed
cheaply made to me.

 

I will admit that I "lucked" into my 1st truck as a great buy and truck. I foolishly went to the truck auction to buy a truck with $30,000 cash. I bid on all kinds of trucks but got outbid on every single one (this was 2003 when things were good, before the HUGE jump in fuel prices) and once the auction was over there was only 1 truck nobody had bid on so I tossed in an offer of $20,000 and they accepted it. I wound up with my FLD that I drove for 7 years without a single problem and avg 7.3mpg. Every truck since then has been a different story.

I would just say to look for what you want and keep your stand on those points. Engine is the #1 factor, trans and rears are easier to change in the future. Look for a truck that is very clean inside, and that will help show that the pervious owner took care of it. I would stay away from fleet trucks personally, tho many have had good luck with them. I like to buy one owner trucks if I can.

Mostly, just trust your gut instincts and you'll be fine.