Used TMC trucks?

5 or 5.5 MPG. is not a good way to start,be sure and get ECM. report printed out on all trucks, look at truck/paper.com. to ck. on other like trucks.

 

No it wasn't.

2003 was serial beginning with MBN. It was the last single turbo C15 they built for on road applications.
2004 was serial beginning with BXS. First Acert, followed by MXS & NXS.
Acert = Advanced Combustion Emissions Reduction Technology
& will have a twin turbo set up.
It was the serials beginning with SDP in 2007.5 that had the DPF system. Now that becomes a whole
different story at that point. Still can be fixed, but would not want one.

 

Thirty grand seems like a lot of money for a truck that has that many miles. Keep in mind you can buy a pre emissions truck in very good shape for half of that.

 

Also something to remember about ex TMC 387's... They had an enormous underbody muffler with catalyst, as well as two stack mufflers I suspect with catalysts as well. That's probably where a whole load of fuel mileage was lost...

 

I have a friend who owns a small fleet(9) of the old TMC Pete 387's that you are looking at. He has bought them directly from Scott the rep who is in truck sales for them. They are all 05-07. He has had good luck with them so far. He is going on 2 years since he bought the first one and just bought 2 more last fall. He kept the super singles and is averaging about 6.5 to 6.8 pulling vans but always very light or empty. Has a few that are at 7 mpg. but don't think I would expect that pulling heavier loads. He also took out any speed governor and so they will pull and run real good.

One thing he did was remove the catalytic converters as well as the dual vertical exhaust in favor of a single weed burner. The exhaust brackets on those trucks are all rusted out from being behind the headache racks and never really getting directly washed. I have flown to Des Moines 2 times to get trucks that he buys sight unseen from them. As far as the super singles, ask if they are still offering 8 virgin drive tires and 4 steel and 4 alum rims for like $3600 or something like that. They offered to sell him those at cost in exchange for the super singles back. He chose to stay with s singles.

The 1 thing you will find is that TMC does not do anything to there trucks for resale. What you see is what you get. They will fix obvious things that are needed for DOT annual but no frame painting or polishing or any dealer tricks. As far as the door seals like someone mention they found that you have to adjust the doors up or they leak air like crazy. He has not had to put a lot into them and has been making money since day 1.

I drive one part time when my truck is parked and would say make sure to look it over real good and go ahead and buy it. They are specd well and are comfortable. But like anything it will eventually need a rebuild. He could not get them to release any of there in house maint records. Better off the get VIN and try Pete or Cat to find out any history.

 

Melton Truck Lines has nice used trucks spec'd for flatbed and they have APU's.

 

What is the deal on companies not releasing the maintenance records? It is law that they keep detailed maintenance records on all trucks in their fleet, what is the big deal in releasing them?

 

liability, that's the issue with it. UPS won't even sell a used truck or wouldn't a long time ago because of it. They would cut em up and sell the scrap.

 

How is giving me the maintenance record a liability issue? Remember, I have integrity,, I am not a thief or a crook so, I don't think that way.