How much is too much?

Edited *** never mind

 

I’ve always done older equipment.

Bought a 2003 Columbia for $16k. I averaged $8k a year on maintenance for 3 years averaging $1,111 a month and I’m going to sell it for $7k.

Bought a 1996 W900L. Truck plus making it pretty $30k. A 12.7 detroit rebuild is cheap. Plus a paint job truck will be mostly problem free for less than $50k and look brand new. Will run circles around a $50k purchase price used truck.

 

I would buy New Reman 35000. Your gonna put that in the truck next 3yrs . New Reman last you much longer than 3 yrs. Buy reman you can concentrate on the smaller stuff. There is a trucking company in my town has 125 trucks newest is 1998 . He keeps rebuilding engines rearends suspensions etc. Been in business since 1982. Refuses to buy Emmission trucks everything has a 12.7 detroit

 

Do you mind providing the name of such a company or url to his company?

 

I see the one you took out in the picture. Did you have to turn it in for a core or is that price no core needed?

 

Had to be turned in for a core or It was an additional $8k.

They said they would take anything that didn’t have a hole in it and the crank would make a full turn.

 

Only you can answer that really.

I'm not being funny when I say this, but I'm really curious what the previous owner spent $40,000 on. If you bought a truck for $25,000 that someone put 40,000 into it, I would think that you would have a lot of new parts on that truck. And that sounds like you did okay on the deal. For that amount of money I would think he at least put two new rears in it. What other big items were repaired 4 years ago?

You've got a couple choices. If you have the funds and the credit find an older truck that an owner-operator took good care of and has maintenance records and a recent rebuilt engine Etc. Or you buy a glider or a new truck and cross your fingers. Or you fix what you have and you know what you have.

If it were me, I would divide that expense you're going to spend into what is actually repair and what is actually maintenance. Any truck that you run is going to require maintenance, brakes shocks slack adjusters Etc. That's like almost a fixed cost on any truck you're going to run. Then figure the repairs that will give you however many years, like the 5th wheel, rebuilding the engine and the Springs Etc.

I don't know if I would sweat the repairs that you have to do now, but that yellow kitty with all the dollar signs around it, that is what I would think you'd be concerned about. Yellow gold is definitely not for me.

I'm sure you'll make a good decision. Good luck.

 

I've scene this truck, very well maintained. He invested money to make the ride work. He did this right, why waste money on a monthly payment for untested new.

I've been in the presence of a 2017 freightliner that motor ate itself at 250k miles.
Next truck was a KW 680 never made it to 200k before motor blew.

You can keep the drama rides they produce now.