Buying Older Truck

That's all I do is Phx to LA & back every week, sometimes twice a week if there is too much freight to make only one trip. There are so many noncompliant trucks running around that there is no way they could take them all off the road, myself included.

I'll keep running over there until someone with a badge & a gun tells me I can no longer drive my truck across the river.

 

so what happens when you go through a Scale in California and you have an old truck?
they just let you go right through?

 

This is funny, I know a guy, friend of a friend, who still runs a mid 80's cabover with a dry van. He still runs into CA with it, and back to midwest. I won't mention names, but somehow he is still getting away with it?!?! At least til this yr. ends anyway. Not sure when CA will crack down on everybody with older trucks.

 

There are a lot of good old trucks out there, 10k might be a little on the low side to get a truck that will not come with headaches. We have western star with over a million sitting here if that interest you any. had a in frame a few years back, I can pull the paperwork and get mileage if you are interested

 

Remember a truck scrap yard will pay about $6500 for a truck. I bought my first truck for 11k and that was a nightmare. I have a 2003 and paid 26k and it's been the best investment ever.

 

IMO, it does not matter how little you pay for a truck or how old it is. If you know what to look for when checking it out thoroughly and it passes your inspection, then make a deal and buy it.

 

What A lot of the younger drivers do? They buy old trucks and strecth them and put lights on the because they have momey and they spend it on that because they can rebuild their engines and make show trucks

 

I have a lot of lights...don't have a fancy stereo...and make money get laid too...this preemies ions garbage people get hung up on is a crock though in the long run they're cheaper I suppowe but they still cost an arm and a leg to fix I had mine gone through by a mechanic. Year later spent 22000 overhailing the motor. It all depends things break over time and with a used vehicle any for that matter there was a reason it was sold. People don't just get rid of great running trucks if you know what I mean. You can buy a truck with 800000 on it and spend 50000 in the first year for repairs. Or buy a truck with 2 million on it and not spend more than 3000 for repairs it's luck of the draw and how it was taken care of. Small piece of advise stay away from the small piss ant dealers. Jmho been there done that seems like every other week I'm digging myself back out of the hole or wrenching on the truck fixing something else that has gone wrong or broke.

 

This is the Kevin Rutherford school of thought. Buy something pre-emission(1998-2003) and gradually rebuild it from one end to the other. Not a bad idea if your carrier is on board with the idea, you are a decent mechanic with a place and the desire to spend weekends fixing it and the occasional roadside demonstration(unscheduled maintenance). I would not recommend the practice if you are going to hire all the maintenance, it will not be cost effective over the long haul. If you leave the big heavy stuff to the pros and do most of the little stuff and are good at picking off things to be repaired in your driveway before they let you down out there do it.

 

CHP only enforces laws legitimately enacted by our representative government. They do not enforce regulations enacted by appointed bureaucracies like CARB. CARB cannot pull you over, though they can set up at scales, rest areas, and truck stops and initiate enforcement if you are already stopped.

But CHP couldn't care less.