Anyone who why older trucks are costing soo much?

1.9m on a n14 is almost legendary status. Basically its the same 855 with a beefier bottom end and electronic.

 

Just rebuild that thing and you'll know what you have when you're done, unless the truck is shot.

 

I purchased the truck you see on the left new, a 2000 Argosy with an EPA '99 engine. It is exempt but I have run an ELD anyway. It has 1.8 million miles, a reman at a million, repaint at 1.4 million.
The drive train is not what will get me. All of those parts are rebuildable indefinitely. What will get me is stuff like electrics or an accident. I am a mechanic, have taken very good care of her. I don't think legislation will do me in, Calif came off the list years ago.
If you structure your operation accordingly you can run old iron. Problem is the combination of skills, companies who will lease you, and reliability problems will keep the numbers of these trucks to a minimum.
I still think I am doing better than late model(2007-2015) used junk.
The industry is losing owner operators at a high rate. The money just is not there to offset the high cost of purchase/maintenance of current emission trucks.

 

We are sitting at the shop talking about it now. Everything else has been replaced within last couple of years, new clutch and brakes all around just few weeks
It's funny, I just had my another truck getting another completely overhauled n14, because the original went down at 1.2 mil. Even block and crankshaft were bad.
This one at 1.9 mil has a crankshaft looking like new. I heard about it, but can now also confirm that 500hp don't last as long as 435hp ones

 

I’m into my 97 W900 Cat truck $30,500 with purchase price, and the repairs that it’s needed. For a 20 year old truck it gets the job done and then some. When I set out to be a truck I was looking for a Pete, KW, Western Star or Mack that was in good running condition for under $30,000. Lucky I found this one when I did. Those exempt prices are outrageous now. Don’t know why anyone would pay $45,000 for a 20 year old truck that has no history whatsoever.

 

Yea more ponies kills them quicker. You ever hear of an n14 set at 370 but kicks it up to 435 if you lose 5 mile an hour?

 

Well I think that if the new trucks weren't junk most people would lean towards buying something new.

But given the sad State of Affairs and the astronomical cost associated with the problems that happen, it only makes sense that the older trucks would be worth more. Add e logs into it and you can see why the value goes up even more yet.

I suppose it's true that Gearheads have older trucks, but any older truck even a truck from the 80s let's say, if someone really worked that truck over and it really was mechanically A1 and needed nothing and had a laundry list of repairs that were recently done, that's much more appealing than a newer truck that has a half a million miles on it and no real repairs have ever been done.

And if it had that laundry list of repairs done it would be worth quite a bit of money and it would be worth it.

Reliability and dependability are so important. That's why the older trucks are worth more.

Not to mention I hate plastic electronic junk.

 

Yea I'll take my w9 with an e model cat over any of the new stuff any day and I think it's getting close to needing some serious stuff thrown at it.

 

summer of 2015, bought a 96 classic with a fresh penn diesel rebuilt series 60, with 150,000 on it, new radiator, starter, clutch. I put new seals, drums, brakes and virgin rubber all the way around. new fuel lines, new shocks, airbags, cab bags, front cab mounts, alternator, air drier, rear torsion cross rods, new heater control valve, new door hinges, new door rubber trim, just had the hood redone and painted. only thing left is to fix the air cond, not the best blower. Truck has a super 10, drives like a dream and rides smooth, tons of power. I owe nothing on the truck or trailer and enjoy moving loads at my leisure.

 

This is only a problem, if you let it become one.

Getting your own MC pretty much kills that problem.