First Truck

You do have a point there, you could give me a brand new Cascadia and I would sell it without putting a single mile on it. I don't know why you act like Cats are so expensive to maintain, I doubt I have 30k in mine with the out of frame overhaul a couple years ago. 50k mile oil changes is just ridiculous, it use much at all in between oil changes?

 

Yup, but I'd just add that it's better to get started when times are good and give yourself a chance to build up a cushion for the lean times. Crashes are surviveable. Most of us survived the covid crash, and the housing crash, and the dot com crash too. And most of us will survive the next one. I don't think it's coming quite so soon though. There's usually several years between crashes. The DAT rates shrank a tad last week from the holiday, in line with expectations and historical precedent, but their projections are still solid. Especially flatbed right now. Lots of construction going on.

 

Expense is only one factor. You have to admit, they are somewhat more expensive than a Detroit. Maybe not a lot, but some. The other factor is finding shops and parts. Depending on which Cat, of course. Don't get me wrong. I like them and would like to own one someday. But for me right now, an important factor is ease of finding shops and parts. Or if I could afford to have a backup truck, drive one while the other gets wrenched, then I might be all about a Cat.

48,000 miles since my last oil change and haven't lost a drop. Manufacturer calls for semi-synthetic oil with the 50k schedule, but I just recently talked myself into upgrading to full synth and keeping the same schedule. I figure a couple hundred bucks extra every 50k isn't a big deal. I think they say 15k changes with regular oil.

 

$55k for emissions? Something doesn't seem right with that story. You could replace the entire emissions system for a lot less than that. Are you including lost revenue or something?

 

I’d never spend 30k on a pre emissions truck, think I paid 15k for my 97, and had I don’t just the one wheel seal, a brake can and a set of slacks that it actually needed to be dot legal, I could of had it running for under 20k, but I kept my company job for another year and went right through it, ran it a year and did a complete Cummins rebuild.
You other option is go buy brand new, used trucks are cheap for a reason, personally, I liked paying cash because I can work less, everyone has different opinions on “making money” but personally I don’t think you will truely ever make money with a single truck, you can make money with 10 of them, but that’s more baby sitting then I ever want to deal with
my uncles spare peterbilt day cab I stole while I was doing the inframe on my kw is an 89 with a 400 Cummins with a rto 13 speed and 3.70 rears, I was averaging 5.9-6.1 mpg running in MA, the driver makes a bigger difference in fuel then the actual truck, but when it all comes down to it at the end of the year, it’s all tax write off. If you want a pre emissions/hood, buy one, there’s no reason to walk out to a truck you hate every day, especially if you have to make 60 payments on it

 

I don't know if you've been looking much at Truckpaper or anything but you don't touch a wrecked 379 for 15k, and I mean tipped over, smashed to hell, wrecked. Am I missing the cheap used hood truck connection somewhere?

 

I agree with most of what you say, but you've gotta admit, starter companies are getting 9 and 10 mpg with rookies behind the wheel, and no matter how gingerly you feather that 13, you're never gonna touch that.

But I don't want folks thinking I'm going to talk anyone out of old iron. I play devils advocate a lot, but as far as I'm concerned, most trucks are good buys if the price is right. The big question is how to figure out what's a good price on any given truck, and what isn't.

And tax writeoffs don't mean free fuel. It only works out to like 10-20% off. Whatever the effective tax rate is you're paying, that's the percent discount that a tax writeoff gives. It's much better to buy less fuel, than to buy more and take a bigger writeoff.

 

Guess everywhere I run the old Cats are everybodys favorites, and it doesn't take a day just to get down to the valve covers. Parts aren't that much more, 3 to 4k more than an N14, I've never had much of anything to do with the old Detroits and have no clue what rebuild kits cost for something newer, don't imagine they're a whole lot more, it's all the same basic parts.
The biggest thing is there are a lot less sensors and bull that will derate you and leave you sit somewhere on the old stuff, easier to limp them home and not pay 150 an hour shop labor but first have to wait 2 weeks to get in the door.
I keep forgetting about the whole synthetic oil thing being a thing in over the road trucks.

 

Tows mostly. About 24-30k for the emissions the rest was all the gods #### towing. Paid almost 4k for a split tow off the hill on I64 for one for example. Mostly because they had to bring a trailer support with my non load supporting legs. Should have been more clear there, but i always include the cost of the tow in the repairs because its as much a part of the cost as the parts and labor.

 

We can't all drive old crap, ain't enough of it left, can hardly find a 359 for sale under 40k anymore that isn't all ratty looking. What those new trucks cost you need 8mpg to pay for the thing.