How To Pick Out A Good Used Tractor

I have one uncle that has bought serveral trucks from auctions. I actually bought one from him. He has had good luck out of most, with no major problems. It is a down side that you can't drive them but sometimes this can be to your advantage. You need to have a pretty good idea about what brand and model truck you might be interested in and do some research. See what the trucks are bringing in the used truck lots(where you can go drive one). Then, if you don't have much knowledge about the mechanics of trucks, I would definately suggest taking someone who does. I mean, you can't tear the engine down or do oil samples, but you can check a lot of things to tell how well the truck has been maintained. First, check and make sure the engine runs and idles smooth with no engine miss or a lot of smoke. Then, check for oil leaks from ANYWHERE! You don't want to buy a problem child from the start. A lot of peolpe or companies selling trucks at an auction will try to make them more appealing by installing new brakes, tires, fresh paint or about anything you can imagine. Just remember to take a close look at what could possibly cost you a lot of money down the road. The advantage is, you can buy a good truck for a lot less money than you would off a dealers lot if you know what you're looking for.

 

Personally, if I were looking to purchase a truck that I intended to use, an auction would be the LAST place I would look for one.

Much like auto auctions, something that I am experienced with, the vehicles that you find there are there for one of five reasons.

• The vehicle is being auctioned to clear a debt owed against it

• A dealer simply has too many trucks for sale and is attempting to reduce inventory quickly

• The vehicle is not considered to be in such a condition that it is not a good retail sale prospect (i.e. the truck needs expensive repairs)

• The vehicle will be sold after extensive repairs by an insurance company to recover claim losses

• An occasional owner will be simply selling it to be rid of it

Now in a couple of those cases above, you may find a decent vehicle, but who would take a chance, unless the purchase price was low enough that you could weather some additional repairs to get it in roadworthy shape? In my estimation, due to the fact that the costs of repairing a class eight truck are so astronomically high, that's a very risky proposition. If the engine is in need of rebuilding, you're looking at $10,000 minimum. If the transmission is bad, there goes another $3,000. A bad rear-end? $1,500. Clutch? $1,000.

In order to make that judgment, you would have to be very well versed in the average selling prices of trucks, and to be able to spot issues by sight, smell, and sound that may indicate a potential problem. Many of thse same conditions will not be evident on a lot, or by listening to the engine while not under a load.

Auctions are not for the novice buyer. I would estimate that around 85% of all vehicles sold through auctions will have problems. 30% will be one step short of needing to be parted out, because they are simply junk.

If you want to help your brother, consider looking for a truck through a reputable dealer, and have the truck THOROUGHLY checked over by an independent truck shop that offers for a fee to do those kind of evaluations, including a dynometer test that will confirm the condition of all driveline components. And be sure to do this BEFORE you buy it.

There are some very good deals out there. Seek one that was fleet owned, with maintenance records that you can view to see the history of the vehicle and how it was cared for.

http://www.truckpaper.com/

View that site for some idea on retail prices, and then search for dealers in your area.

Personally, I like Arrow Truck Sales and have bought several used trucks through the Atlanta, Georgia dealer;

http://www.arrowtruck.com/

The site was currently down when I posted this, but may be back up by the time you read this....

 

I was a O/O at one time and I agree with the posts above. One thing I may add is that you do research on cost of breakdowns and repair. You can do this by finding a good shop and ask questions. I am a maintenance director now and I always take a look what is going into the shops for breakdowns. This way I know what to stay away from. The bad part about a auction unless it is a major company with a absolute auction (everything must sell) you are buying a job or someone elses headaches.