Asking questions before I buy

This is the smartest thing you said. 1st, never buy from a dealer, they took a bath on it on a trade, and pass the hassles onto you. Smith got rid of it because it began to have problems. Guess who gets that? I say, buying a truck now is a foolish venture, and a "used" one at that. I bought my trucks from the owner, they are usually their baby, and can tell you everything, with honesty. Dealers are vultures, and hope you'll come back needing service. $150/hr PLUS downtime, so be ready for that. If you simply must, I'd go with KW. The 900 has been around for 60 years, and a common truck for O/Os because they work. If I can save ONE person from the heartache of failure, I've done my job here. If you have a good company job, and a nice truck, please, don't fall for that O/O riches crap, it just isn't so. Thing is, most O/Os that fail ( or are failing)are too proud to admit it. "Cold dead finger from my gun" mentality. Insurance, well taken for granted in a company job, will absolutely ruin you, and for what? So those fatcats can live a cushy lifestyle through your misery? Taxes, permits, repairs, tolls, and of course, fuel all volatile issues in todays world, issues we never dealt with years ago, when an O/O could make it, usually on the sly. Chain drive wallets did serve a purpose, many hauls were cash. Can't do that today and you have little chance of succeeding.
I bought old trucks for a fraction of what a truck costs today, and worked on them myself, but today, a used truck is someone elses headache, and that's just the way it is. Good luck, pal.

 

I wouldn’t touch a used mega fleet truck with a 10 foot pole but that’s just me, greased once a year whether it needed it or not, maybe one oil change when the low psi light came on, and 10000 different monkeys beating the ever living fck out it, pass

 

Not sure. My past employer had just received 10, when I departed. My current employer has always been KW. However, judging by how little is posted here and the huge number on the road, they can’t be too bad. I really think Freightliner and Detroit have kept their nose to the stone, through the past few years’ BS, while others slacked off and have just used it as an opportunity.

The technician side of things needs a complete revamp. These dealerships with their exorbitant labor rates need to pass those bucks on to the techs and get new blood into the game. So long as they keep offering $20-$25 an hour for a new tech and topped out at $30-$35 a hour, the situation is never going to improve. And, all of us drivers will continue to suffer.

 

THIS is reality, right here. Great post!

 

Yep

a lot depends on the maintenance, and if they don’t have complete maint records , that’s a huge red flag.

my neighbor drives for a company that does regional hauls , has nothing but W-900s
They change the oil every 10k miles , and the tractor and trailer get an annual DOT inspection, every weekend.
They also get replaced with a new one when the warranty is almost expired .

when the warranty expires and they have to start paying for repairs , and the tax depreciation runs out and they are gonna have to start paying taxes on the profit , it’s time to trade .

 

It’s very tempting to buy a lower priced Truck. Only natural to try to get a hedge against cost. It’s a mistake. Even before emissions, a used Truck 4-5 yr old Truck ends up costing the same as a new one. If I were in the market, I’d try to buy as new as possible. 2-3 yrs old max. 350k miles max. All depending on price, Truck model, and above all, fuel economy. Making payments and having major repairs is disastrous. Better to bite the bullet, accept a slightly higher payment, and have longer before major costs start hitting. Right now, I’d wait and watch prices. Compare makes and drivelines. Prices will most likely fall drastically. Even more when Manufacturers get caught up. I don’t think there’s anywhere to go but down. Waiting will pay off. Knowing exactly what you want before buying. Being confident in your final decision. Then sticking with it, better or worse. Keep in mind your next purchase, and where you’ll be mileage, and balance owed. Setting yourself up for success. Instead of being short sighted trying to keep initial costs down. It will almost always cost more in the long run. I’m talking 3-4 year plans. Longer plans, doesn’t matter. If you plan on overhauling and keeping forever, go the cheap route. Knowing it will take years to pay off. Eventually it pays to keep forever, but usually not for 6-10 years.

 

You're buying truck into what may be the worst freight market in 40 years. If majors are stacking equipment in storage yards, (jbh barstow,ca) what happens to rates? What happens to truck prices? I'd hold out for 6 months at least, then get the 25% discount.

 

The above 2 posts...are both winners. .

-- Lual

 

Freightliner used to have good warranty through them.
4 year note, had 3.5 year warranty.
Had def cleaned before i bought it, and then the Parksmart AC compressor went out, warranty covered a new unit when dealer screwed it up, $7000.
For an $8000 3.5 year warranty.
A few sensors, truck AC compressor, ending up would’ve been around $9500.