Did you start out in a beater?

It's really one of those circular type arguments.

The more you make, the more you have to spend, because the more you make the more Uncle Sam wants so therefore the less you get to keep so you try to make more then have to pay more then get to keep less, etc, etc, etc.

But anyway, on topic ...

I started in a P.O.S. beater without realizing that's what it was. LOL

One of the dangers of buying a "used" truck is that you don't have any idea if it's going to stay together or not. Didn't even have it a year and it was in the shop for an inframe.

That being said, it's still a beater and we spend (to us) a small fortune on repairs to keep it running, but we've paid everything we own off except our new 2013 pick-up truck.

 

I really did not consider mine a beater, when I bought it. all others did. except my neighbor who trained me to be a o/o it was only 4 years old with 400,000 miles on it. it was a walmart truck a intl coe. it was too embarrassing to others for any of them to drive. it had NO hood! it had no chrome. it had No payments either. at the time I bought mine, I looked for about 7 months. price, reputation on being dependable, m.p.g. e.t.c. 14 of us were running the same lanes. all but I had a nice truck with a nice payment. in fact when I got mine, the same year hoods, pete. k.w. were going for double, yep $30,000 for the same year & with more mileage. the first year never drove more than 100 miles from home. local runs. made 67,000 that year. well the 13 other drivers, all were forced out, most thru the recession in 2000 or there about. some got back in & were forced out a second time. a lot lost more than just their truck, some lost homes, wives, bankrupt, e.t.c. I was the only one of the 14 who is still in it with everything in tact. I live a frugal life. It does not bother me that others have a bigger hood, a bigger c.b, a nicer looking truck,more chrome. those peer pressure, gotta keep up with the other kid's day's were gone in grammer school.

 

Please, when posting, don't forget to include what type of truck. I enjoy hearing about the kinds of trucks people ran years ago, engines, transmissions, how much play in the steering wheels, or those worn out cab-over shifters, that took a real skill to shift.

 

The Volvo was ok until it got some miles on it. Then it was a clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous junk. The Pete was a work of art the whole time.

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4260512]Please, when posting, don't forget to include what type of truck. I enjoy hearing about the kinds of trucks people ran years ago, engines, transmissions, how much play in the steering wheels, or those worn out cab-over shifters, that took a real skill to shift.[/QUOTE]

I second that motion....

Owning a truck was not cheap or easy, but still it was easier to work on before all the EPA regulation blistering BS came into play.

 

Started with a Beater 97 shaker and still running it...Better the beater you know lol

 

i gross some weeks what i paid for my truck. that being said i put nearly 20k into it last year. considering any truck will probably cost you 10-12k in repairs per year. and this year my repair cost have been substantially less than last year. its not so bad. there is nothing wrong with a older truck but some are better than others and condition is everything.

 

I put a good amount of money into my equip too, but a lot is preventative maint. like putting a new turbo on last year. why? well I got a new one for $520.00 no core. mine was original over 15 years old ,over 1.4 mil miles on it. on the road if it went out it would likely cost me triple. I replace hoses, belts, on a time frame, not only if it breaks. if I think it has been on there too long, I replace it. inframe at my local shop for $6800 plus tax was good ins to me for having over 1.3 mil miles. preventative main is why I think I was able to go 10 years without ever being on a shoulder or ever needing a service truck. this is also when I was o.t.r. & when home would put my coveralls on & crawl from front to back,top to bottom,side to side, inspecting everything. found plenty over the years, that I fixed at home , that would of cost plenty on the road.

 

yeah im ruining a pretty similar truck to yours that's why i always remember what you run...lol im big on preventative maintenance as well. im under my truck every week greasing and inspecting everything, anything that looks like it may be worn or fail soon gets replaced. if im working on something else but have to take off a wear part to do the job that wear part gets replaced as well. like last year when i had my clutch done drive shaft laying on the ground, replace the u joints and carrier bearing new clutch linkage rear main seal input shaft ect. replace the air to air, put on new boots and clamps (old ones went under the bunk as spares just in case) replace a wheel seal do the bearings and races regardless of how they look (learned my lesson on that one the hard way) i don't mind spending more money up front on repairs if they save me in the long run.

iv found many things on my weekly grease and inspections that surly would have failed before i made it back home if i didn't climb under the truck.

 

If i had to do it over again i would get another freightliner century or columbia with a detriot 60 series, you can pick them up cheap and they are great trucks "mpgs,and ride good with the right tires" If you haul a load and someone else hauls a load with a new pete you get paid the same thing, the trick is to spend less hauling it.That comes down to fuel,payments and ins.Or you could buy a nice shiney new one and spend all your time running for a payment..