Basic Questions about Peterbilt 389

First question: why are they so much more expensive than your "common" trucks. I'm talking about ones with the same specs even. I mean there isn't a whole lot of difference between a 389 and a 386 it seems. Same interior, same sleeper, same engine and drive (we'll assume). The 389 just has the steer axle set farther forward, a long hood, and a little chrome. Still it doesn't seem like that justifies so much more money.

Next question, is the ride of a 389 smoother than your typical setback axle truck. We'll use the 386 as a comparison again, since that's a truck I'd consider too. It seems to me, with the steering axle farther away, you're going to be shielded from the bumps more. Kind of like riding in a boat, the roughest ride is when you sit at the bow!

Next, you just don't find 389's with sleepers on fleets. The used ones on the market will have most likely been owned by individuals, right? And if that's the case, they would have been treated much better, and probably maintained better too!

If I bought a used 389, it would have to be one with a DEF system. I live in Phoenix, and I get a lot of freight to/from CA. I heard 2010s are to be avoided, first year of those systems had too many issues. Do you think I'd be alright with a 2011? I want to keep my payments minimal so that I don't have to run too hard. I'm not into trucking purely for the money. For me it's sort of like living the RV lifestyle. In fact I was considering buying an old class A rv. But you know, an old Winnabego would probably get 8 mpg, and not even make any money to offset the fuel and maintenance costs.

I plan on pulling 53' dry vans or reefers. And I'd probably just lease on with a large carrier. I like having terminals where you can park your rig or drop a trailer. Plus the larger carriers have plenty of other drivers when you need time off.

Anyway I got off track there. Back to the Ppeterbilt questions, thanks!