How much is too much?

Gotta think about Def.. I had a 2012 Freightliner Cascadia.. I spent upwards of $15000 this year on DEF,DPF alone... and stuff just kept breakin down on it...Thats not to mention 8 drive tires I put on it plus 2 New steers... Sadly the truck blew up and bought a 2007 KW T600 from a friend on payments... Have you thought about a Glider?? You can get a 2018 Glider for like $90,000 used still with a warranty and NO DEF... That might be an option for you...

 

You my friend, are at the only YOU can determine point.
I have found that every 4 years is a $$ big maintenance year.

Ive been in your shoes before. Twice I spend the money. Wound up getting 17 years out of that truck. 14 of them with NO TRUCK PAYMENT. (Thats paid for my boys to go to college)
The third time I got a new truck. I love her, but every month when I write that check. I kick myself in the ###.

Most of the list you mentioned is really routine maint. That is to be expected.

However I wonder if you bought truck with a new remain 4 years ago. Why do you need new rods and mains and ecm harness?

Strictly from a bean counters point of view.
You have spent $25k +14k= $39,000 and need to spend another 20k this year.

That is $59,000 in four years. Or put another way $14,750 per year or $1229 per month.
Considering a new truck would have cost appx $2000 per month and still have breakdowns and routine maint.
I'd say your still ahead of the game. FOR NOW!
BUT If it was me id spend the money and keep your 07 Pete for another year. Unless other large repair bills start coming at ya.

 

Best answer (Which most comfortable guys wont give you)

1982-1993 truck, and a grease Gun- You wanna make money? That's how you do it.

 

The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t. Personally, with what’s been done and what you know needs done coming up I would keep it. Just for the fact that you know the truck. A newer truck isn’t a guarantee that you won’t have to put money into it.

A friend of mine back home got “new truck fever” a couple months ago and made up his mind that he was getting rid of his old 379. It was a good truck, it wasn’t costing him a whole lot, he was simply tired of it. He got a W9 that I think is a 2007. Has a Cat in it. Good looking truck. Everything seem to check out with it so he bought it. Now it’s getting an out of frame overhaul and he wishes he would’ve just kept his 379.

 

Keep current truck. Rebuild it one piece at a time. Do oil samples on high mileage engine, monitor oil consumption or coolant if it's slowly consuming it. All other repairs are cheap compared to engine rebuild. Avoiding emissions engines (legally) is worth a pretty penny.

Personally.... I would drive it until it needs rebuilt, then drive it until it gets close to needing another rebuild, then sell or use as a very local truck. Or a yard truck maybe.

Great line: the devil you know is better than the one you don't. Fits perfectly here.

 

I am not an O/O but here is what I've seen: my 2018 company truck has broken down every other month. When I am sitting at the dealership, waiting, all I see coming in for repairs are NEWER trucks. Inside the shop? NEWER trucks. Being towed down the road? You guessed it... Newer trucks.


That's all I have to contribute.

 

Your choice on whether a payment with warranty is less headache or more

 

In my option, if you’re going to run a older truck, you’ve got to go pre-2000. On my 1995 truck, I can pretty much rebuild the whole truck bumper to bumper, for what some people spend on just emissions on a later model truck.