I WANT A PRE-EMISSIONS TRUCK

Whether you get a gem or a lemon has always been the luck of the draw.

 

Bought this a couple months ago. Have not worked it yet only bobtailed it home 250 miles

Runs great doesn’t smoke and has no drips or leaks
97 I paid $15000 for

Clean original paint and interior. Motor has million 175 on it but has recent new heads

N-14 with a 13 speed speced correctly for overtheroad.

Could go to work tomorrow with it but I am sinking $5000 into steers,clutch,motor mounts
Brakes and chambers, hoses and fluid changes along with rebuilding 5th wheel.

This is with me doing all the labor.

I wasn’t looking for a International or a Cummins but this was a clean one owner well maintained truck for a great price.

 

I'm from Jersey. And here I am in seattle...but I really wanted a 770. And I really love cat power, so I didn't mind coming here. I missed 3 770 around Jersey.If you have money, just wait. Money talks.

 

1999 Volvo VN series

 

Yeah, I'm looking pretty hard. Getting to know the market. That has helped me in the past to have an idea of what the market will bare for what I want to spend. I am really comfortable in the 379 so my search is centered on those. The Cascadia and Volvos were not as comfortable for me. I haven't had the chance to drive an International (semi) or Mack so I can't speak to their comfort. I didn't hate the Cascadia I had at SNI, brand new, auto. In fact its transmission operated better than the Pete auto I had in the 2015.

 

Lol. Same as me when a bought a 99 9400 with a 3406e. Paid 5000. But lost track of how much I put on that truck. Engine, transmission,rears. All rebuilt now.

 

Buy something that you really like. I cant complain about my 9400, runs strong ,rarely drops a gear climbing the hills on the 80 in pa and gets decent mileage. But is not for me lol..I bought 2 trucks that I never liked just to learn that. Spent a lot of money on them but was never happy.

 

@Tug Toy has a good thread worth reading.

 

Just keep one main thing in your mind. Pretty much any truck you buy,.. be it from an O/O, a company fleet truck or from a dealer or auction. You are buying a truck that is going to need some work done to it,.. its most likely exceeded its useful mileage and will start needing some nickel and dime things that most dont want to fool with. No one sells a perfectly good money making truck that needs nothing unless your a leprechaun with the luck of the Irish,. dont count on it.

If you are not mechanically inclined enough to do most things yourself,.. like changing out the air dryer/assembly. Rebuilding/replacing the compressor,.. CAC,.. turbo/s, air lines, brake chambers, drums/shoes, clutch etc,.. then make sure you have the money set aside before you ever buy the truck to cover these things. They will eventually come as mileage increases. And they usually happen when you least expect it.

Learn to do as much as you can yourself. Learn to do or at least recognize when to do as much preventative maintenance as you can. When ever I'm home or my driver comes in,.. I will usually spend at least a full day going over each truck and trailer front to back,.. inside and out,.. looking for anything that may cause a problem while out on the road. The idea is to correct it before it becomes a money pit problem with added expenses of going down while under a load. Then your talking about tow bills, possible hotel expenses,. road side repairs, truck rental expenses etc. A $15 hose can cost you $300 for a mobile mechanic to come out and replace, plus adding coolant. Better to replace it at home than out on the road where it can hurt the motor if your not careful.

Going O/O will pretty much double your working hours compared to a company driver. If not,.. then you are not doing your job and will most likely fail at some point. Its a 24/7 process of keeping the truck roadworthy and finding business to keep everything going. Its not like being a company driver and coming in for home time and thats it. That truck needs to be ready and 100% before you head back out. You never know what you will find until you look for it.

Hurst

 

Not a big fan of the seating position in my International along with that Funky brake pedal.

I’ll run with and see if the upright steering column and pedal grows on me , otherwise it’s getting corrected

I do love the exterior looks and the huge sleeper