Before buying checklist? First Truck.

Im buying my first truck.

I will be hauling scrap trailers within a 100 mile radius. No mountains.

I've narrowed potential trucks to:

2005 Mack 900,000 miles
Or
2012 Volvo 800,000 miles.

Both are $15,000 trucks.

Mack is pre-def, looks cosmetically beat up, 350 HP, CXN613, sold by a Mack dealership with a good oil analysis, sounds great, drives great, shop goes over every truck to make sure they are decent.

Volvo is clean, from a grocery store fleet, def, runs and drives good, dealer only sells volvos but said when the trucks come in they aren't really looked at by the shop, 450 HP.

Both have good tires and brakes.

Is it worth $350 to have a dyno done and how much should I pay to have a mechanic look it over?

 

Luckily there's a Clark Power Systems near my house. $300 dyno and maybe $50 more for a couple other diagnostics.

He told me about 10 times that if the truck breaks while on the dyno, it's not on them, lol.

 

The salesman said I can have it dyno'd. If it blows up on the dyno , the sales dept will be on the hook.

 

I'm probably going to take the 2012 Volvo to have it dyno'd next Wednesday/ Thursday.

Something inside me is telling me to go with the pre-emissions Mack but I want to give the Volvo a chance.

They're both $15,000 trucks. I hope to get six months put of the truck before having to put money into it. Lol.

 

Dyno is $350. It tests the rear end, transmission, and engine. Any weakness should show.