I had a construction business and have 70K to spend on a truck.

Do we know if the originator of this actually bought anything?!?!

 

Think about this for a moment...those "newer trucks" that you are about to pay 120k for, in normal times would have cost about $60k with that mileage. And you are paying that much money for a HEADACHE. Think about it this way...I would pay Halle Berry $100 to sleep with me. But would I pay her $100 to bash me over the head with a hammer? Hell no. Paying $120,000 for those trucks is the same thing. Those people that paid through the nose because of FOMO will soon be regretting it. Either because their equipment will start giving them headaches or because the rates are so low that they can't make payments. And then, prices will start to get back to reality.

I almost fell for that trap but in the end, I looked at things objectively and I was able to come to my senses. My patience paid off. I paid $40,000 cash for a really nice 2009 Columbia with the Series 60. It had a complete in-frame done 65,000 miles ago. New suspension and turbo also. Lots of chrome and $800 leather seats inside. Only 2 owners. No accidents. Autocheck came back super clean. The thing doesn't even give off a puff of smoke from those twin stacks. The kid really took care of the truck. When you rev it, it sounds like a hot rod. No clicking, no hesitation. Can it turn out to be a lemon? Sure it can. But the point is, that truck will pay for itself in 2 months. After that, it's all house money.

The reason I'm telling you this is that if you are patient, it will pay off. Be diligent. The deals are out there. You just have to know where to look, and be ready to POUNCE with CASH when you DO find that diamond in the rough.

 

Super! How has it turned out for you? I bet you that sucker has paid for itself 20 times over at least.

 

Jesus! I just realized this thread is 6 months old! LOL.

 

Not really, I like the looks of old trucks and simplicity of the engines, and not having an eld, but dollars and cents wise it’s really not all that cheaper compared to buying new by the time you go through everything, you have to be kind of ####ed up in the head like I am

 

You're not alone. At least when the down cycles come I can park it without having a ridiculous amount of insurance and equipment payments hanging over my head forcing me to run when it's not actually profitable.

 

This is exactly my approach. If it gets too bad I will park it and go do something else for a bit.

 

Indeed. I have enough work around the house or things I'd like to do the truck to keep me busy for quite a long time.