Seeking advice regarding first purchase of truck

FYI...I was just quoted the following for an inspection, and I'm a former Cummins tech.
Dyno/blowby test - $325
Pre-purchase inspection - 5 hrs @ $120/hr
The "Spindrift" inspection - one way airfare, rental vehicle, three nights lodging, meals, tipping the mechanic doing the inspection, etc., etc. - $$$

Moral of the story? It costs coin to do your due diligence but every penny is worth it for the right truck.

 

I have had 5 trucks, old pre-emissikn and 2 emission. I'm back in pre-emission. If you can find a glider kit or an Olde pre emission truck do it. You can get it serviced ANYWHERE, parts are WAY cheaper. Turbo for a new mission truck north of 3k, a non emission 60 series $800. 1 example.
I have a 2012 Columbia glider I got from Schneider in Guelph Ontario. Had it 2 years now. Zero engine problems. The rest just the usual. Columbia parts are CHEAP Detroit 60series parts are CHEAP and as I said ANYBODY can work on it so your not tied to a dealer and $125+ an hour and a long line. ALL TRUCKS BREAK. New or old. Up here we have so much more salt and stuff to deal with that the US guys don't see, maintenence is key.
I spray my truck down with fluid film and a sprayer I have several times all winter. Good insurance. I have good dual purpose batteries and an inverter with a 55amp charger in it. Idiling kills the new trucks, it's not great on the older ones but it doesn't have the emission crap to cause problems. I may idle 10 or 12 nights a year. Have bunk heater and fans for the summer. Ask a lots of questions. Have a GOOD mechanic you trust look at the truck, have it run on the dyno and a blow by test. TAKE YOUR TIME.
Good luck. Ask any questions anytime. I'm Thru QC every week drop me line if you need help.

 

Your reading mostly US comments here. From experience I can tell you the dealers in the US are way worse than up here. The newer Volvo, 2013 and up, are not bad. Cup issues are mostly gone by 13. I had one bought new and put 730kms on it before I sold it. Not 1 engine issue. BUT. you pretty much have to go to the dealers and they are expensive. I wouldn't touch a Cummins isx with a long pole. Not much better than a maxxforce. Have several friends who are died in the wool Pete and kw guys and they pay for it. Pacca parts prices are 20% higher than fright liner or Detroit. I had 1 Paccar product, 2007 Pete, never again. Google ISX fuel pump issues. Have a friend replaces his every 2 years just to be safe.

 

Dead on about Cummins ISX and Maxxforce motors. I've had recent experience with both and IMO emission systems are choking the heck out of them. Spot on Dettroit and of course Cat, but every truck is different and needs to be scrutinized.

 

I am the opposite. Motorcycles can have a spot of trouble. We fix that right quit. Er Quick.

Anyway Ive cried over good trucks handed over to some ham fisted barely speak-en English new high.. er hire from Orientation full of good training methods on how to drive same to make a mountain of money with hardly any effort to put into making sure that truck will be maintained.

One truck in particular the 2000 Century. I got it at 16 miles on the clock coming out of winter and virgin everything it was my fourth ever brand new truck in my life and likely to be my last. Big Detroit 500 and over, auto etc. I know I loved my FLD 120 in her day and some others like you love certain females in life in the right season. If you are lucky as I am you are getting another new truck to lavish your love and affection on. Fixing something minor so it's 100% today.

I am expensive to the company shop. Make no mistake. I'll stay with it until she is factory new if necessary. Mechanics hate me. So I put the wife to the job. Down to the last scrap of whatever they know about the problem and the last penny paid. Only then are they finished. Not before. Twice we turned around and came back because it was not fixed. It's not us that they should fear, but now the incensed fleet owner. It is way better to have a incorperated board of directions angry at you rather than a individual owner. Trust me. It's not our fault you did a crappy job.

When I use the word You, it is not anyone on TTR personally. It's a collective pointing at the various mechanics who were not mechanics when we needed them to be. I celebrate the 18 year old who changed our alternator over with us standing over him asking stupid questions at 2 am on a saturday. You and I know darn well where he would love to be with his girl away from the GA FLA state line and enjoying each other in the woods. But no he was a certified mechanic and manager says fix this man's truck those apples are spoiling. (Mechanic has no idea with the apples but.. eh...)

That was the very last alternator replaced that year and three extreme weathe seasons. You are looking at 15.5 volts at 10 degrees some days in the raging ice and snow. There were times the batteries quit and died in that cold and the natural airbreathing desiel, as long they had fuel, warm fuel off the return feed into both tanks (And not icing over...) you ran off that alternator a thousand miles if you had to with the batteries in the cab warming up. (Never mind the gases, that was what the windows and vents were for.)

And you wonder about your cloistered and pampered life dealing with a company shop that cannot be bothered to put down the bondo on a elcamino out back long enough to tend to your honest by god professional DOT Pretrip failure report to fix before you can take the load out Mr Professional driver.

 

I am not a very experienced owner operator. Been driving for 4 years and all I can suggest anyone buying a used truck is either go for pre-emissions (a c15 if u can) or buy a brand new one. Thing with used trucks from 2008-2011 was very bad dpf system. And when they came up with DEF later because of new technology those trucks were not reliable either. From 2017 onwards DEF has been doing good and again depends from truck to truck and how much repair and maintenance was looked after by the previous owner. I, myself bought a used Volvo 2013 after selling off my freightliner century 2007 for electrical issues (biggest regret), I was never in peace. Therefore long story short, instead of spending 50-70k or whatever on a slightly used truck and other 25 on dpf, get one for cheap (about 20-25k) and spend the rest of money on basically fixing everything and you wont regret.
Or buy a brand new one.