Is it ok to buy a truck with high miles? Need some advice!

Not a personal attack at all, just the truth. If he doesn't have any business experience or knowlege, he will do like so many others and waste his savings and fail. That could well be devastating. He may be the best driver we've ever seen, but that won't make a business succeed.

 

Check out West for good deals on trucks. They are super cheap out here. I picked up a 99 International for $6,000 and spent $1800 on tires. The engine had an inframe at 900k miles. The truck has 1.4M miles, but ran great for over a year. I just pulled the oil cap the other day and found coolant in the oil. Could be a head gasket, could be an oil cooler. Ill have to pull the pan to tell for sure. If you are mechanically inclined, truck repair costs are less scary, but they take more time out of your schedule. I picked up my Freightliner for 7 grand and had to spend $3700 on tires. I have had to rebuild the air dryer and replace the governor, but that only cost me a total of about 100 bucks. Other than that stuff, its a great truck. I have found the best deals around the El Paso area. Check out companies like Quiroz or S&S truck sales. They always have low priced trucks with great maintenance records. You can pick up late 90s and early 2k model trucks for $12-18k.

When you check out trucks, dont fall in love with the truck.. fall in love with the deal. It is easy to find yourself dreaming about a Peterbilt covered in chrome and flames, but an ugly truck with a solid engine will serve you much better!

My best advice though, is to learn as much about diesel repair as you can. As an owner/operator, the more you can repair yourself, the better off you are. I also believe that the the more you know about the mechanical workings of the truck, the better you will be able to diagnose problems and fix them before they become large. While you are saving up, spend some time learning diesel repair. There are online programs, like PennFoster that you can take diesel classes online at your own pace, from the sleeper of your truck.

Study hard, save up and follow your dreams!

 

i was buying my truck a columbia 07,with 470k, c 13 in nov/09 for 35k with warranty,now i have 806 k,i spend little money for repairs i think lees then 9k in total(1 radiator,1 headgasket,1 turbo,1 alternator,1 airdryer,8 shocks.1 clutch,)nothing more for me was a very good deal,next year i like to sell my truck for 20k and buy a other truck with less milage and apu,you need only little luck iam not a mechanic i find my truck in truckpaper

 

i do everything in my mechanicshop in miami,the work good and have a good rate for $55,my mechanic is 35 years old and have more then 20 years experience in any engine(cat,detroit,cummings)

 

My take on the "cheap truck"


Go find a $5000 repair job.

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5184

 

+1 This is exactly my mentality!

 

i'm curious as to why there's only talk about engine overhauls.

what about the trans and rear ends? they don't last forever either.

 

True, but the engine wears out more quickly. Generally speaking, engines will have to be rebuilt twice as often as transmissions or differentials. If you have a truck around the million mile mark, its about time for an engine overhaul. Around two million, they will need engine and transmission/driveline. I think most trucks on the market are close to the million mile mark, so it is pretty safe to say that the tranny/diff are in decent shape still, but the engine needs to be checked well.

 

I agree to an extent on the motors needing a rebuild at the 1 million mile mark. I do know of a Cat mechanic who has done inframes on multiple 3406 and C-15 motors and has said that the sleeves, bearings, cam, all parts you would expect to be worn out or be showing some signs of wear were in almost perfect shape. These trucks are 1 owner trucks and have been very well maintained. He said from his experience and knowledge of these motors a few of the ones he has rebuilt could have gone 1.5-2 million miles before needing an inframe. PMs are a motors best freind!

 

Because it is relatively painless to spend a couple grand and put a new 3rd member in. Especially when you compare that to the cost of the in-frame.