Buying first truck. Thinking Pete 379

I just got a 94 W900L with a Detroit and 13 speed. I have been getting north of 6.5 doing the same thing as I was driving a 2005 Volvo with a D13 and 10 speed. I was getting less than 6 with that truck, so yeah, I'd choose what I enjoy driving rather than a truck I hate.

 

What kind of freight are you going to be hauling? A 579 bubble truck isn't going to get any better fuel mileage than a 379 pulling open deck. With a reefer or van it probably will.

I like CAT motors. Very reliable. Mine has almost 1.4 millions miles on it. In 8 years I've never bought any parts for it but I do know they are expensive if you have to.

I take that back. To be honest I threw away the junk stock manifold and put a good one on there and have also put a turbo on it twice. Those are parts. And they weren't kidding about the cost to inframe one either. Although it's more than likely competitive with the cost to inframe a newer truck like a 579. Though not as cost effective as a a good old N14 or 12.7 Detroit.

If you get one get one that has papers on the inframe. Check the rest of the truck over and make sure it is sound. And if you can find a good T600 with a CAT you can get those for much cheaper than the premium of a 379 or W900.

 

I didn't know you could get a 579 with a CAT.

A well-maintained 379 with a strong CAT under the hood is going to last a whole lot longer than one of those plastic Lexus trucks (how many 1980's 359's are still on the road?). And with a C15, getting into heavy haul is really easy. That's an industry where you have 2-3 fuel stops a day and it doesn't even bother you as an owner.

And the difference in fuel economy is meaningless as soon as you hit a hill. The Paccar motor and it's awful power-sucking DPF system is going to slow you down on every hill you hit, while the CAT will pull in the hammer lane and it's driver will smile and wave as they pass you losing speed in the granny lane.

 

First things first OP.....all C15's are not created equal. Better look into that.

I have a 1998 T800/M11/Celect/13 spd/22.5 LP/4.33 that gets 6.5 all day long. Also have a 1986 359/3406b/mechanical/15 over/24.5 LP/3.90 that gets 5. Also have had slippery looking trucks.....1995 T600 with red top N14, a 2000 Sterling with 14L DD60, 2001 T2000/6nz, a 2005 T2000 Acert, a 2008 T660 with a ISX and they all got or get worse mileage than the T800.

Is the old T800 the king of aero? I think not. More likely it's the engine that's ~3.5 L smaller. The point is, very unlikely to find the exact used truck he's looking for. There is going to be some trade offs better know which ones pay.

Oh by the way, the '86 359 is currently worth at least 10K more than I paid for it 4 years ago and hasn't had a minute of unplanned down time save for a fuel shut off solonid that failed. Figures....the only electrical part on the engine.

EDIT: To be fair most of the other engines were reliable too. The only ones I wouldn't buy again are the '08 ISX and the '05 Acert.

 

I know of a 1975 359 with a screaming 8v92 with a 13 speed. It would blow the mind of most of these drivers. That truck is not happy unless it is running 2100+ rpms.

 

Yes they were the first Acerts. But seriously you need to really do some reading to avoid buying someone else's problem. Cat got a class action launched against them it was so bad. And they weren't the only engine manufacturer to have that distinction.

 

That business is what he lives in and represents him. Emotion should play a part in it and I doubt very many drivers become O/O's because it's just a job. There is emotion in it. At least there used to be. There still are for the hardcore.

 

Like my dad always told me, if you're going broke because of fuel, then fuel is the least of your worries.

 

In our business (machinery moving and rigging) some of our trucks just don't get driven that much. The truck I drive mostly is a 1994 FL Classic we bought new. It's got less than 300K on the clock since new. We've also got a '95 379 and a '94 W900. The Pete and the KW both had over a million when we got them. Fuel mileage doesn't mean to us much as somebody running OTR.

In our industry, image also means a fair amount. I'm sorry but any of the aero trucks are ugly as sin to me. I'll never fault anybody for driving one but they aren't for me.

The resale value does have some merit too. A 20 year old 379 with 2 million miles will bring much more than a 10 year old 579 with a million miles.