Lone mountain story

Somehow everyone has forgotten what "Sold as is" means.

OP, it sucks that this happened to you first off. It sounds like this is your first truck? I'm NOT trying to put you or your post down, rather point something out to future first or second time buyers.

"SOLD AS IS" means just that. If you sign the line and drive it off the lot it's is your headache from that point on.

It is sad when this happens but it can/should be a lesson for dozens of people thinking about buying a truck and becoming an OO. You need capital to do this. That means deep pockets to cover all expenses that "could" occur when buying used (rebuild, hotel, towing, bills and everything else). Sadly you can get away with a little less when buying new but you still need capital. IMO it's the #1 reason people have these issues.

For others thinking about buying trucks remember, it isn't just having the money to buy a used truck that you need. You have to be able to pay for all the things that come along with it. Remember that you will have zero income while these possible repairs are happening and that you will be required to still make those truck, insurance and other payments while the truck could sit in a shop for a month +.

Again, I am sorry that this happened to the OP. But let's let others learn from the OPs experience. This is not any companies fault. And I won't even say it's the OPs fault (I do not know his exact circumstances) he just got into this under capitalized and is having to deal with that. But others be warned, trucking cost thousands to do and if you don't have deep pockets then you are buying on a hope and a prayer.

Hope this works out for the OP. If it dose I would only suggest that you take every penny you make after this and invest it back into your business until you have a $20-30k buffer. After that continue to reinvest your money but go ahead and start eating again. Good luck.

 

Not the OP's truck, he just posted the video for the benefit of others.

 

That's a commonly known issue with those cm2250.

 

This is exactly why I put off buying. I wouldn't have had enough left to put a crate motor in and or replace the emission system if needed. I'd rather wait another year.

 

I remember when I bought my truck. I really did a lousy job checking it over. It started puking coolant really bad not long after I started working it. I spent around $7,000 having the head replaced to fix it. Luckily I had about $15,000 in startup cash to burn thru. Which I did fairly quickly in fact I almost went out of business starting off with a paid for truck and that $15,000 in the bank.

Simply because I was ignorant and didn't know what I didn't know. I learned though. Some of the biggest lessons I have ever learned cost me several thousands at a time. I dunno why Lone Mountain or the bank is supposed to care about you. You know these things can happen. Everybody thinks it will be easy and have everything all figured out. Nice numbers on paper and a plan. A business plan... lol. My plan was when the money ran out borrowing was not an option to keep it going, hang it up and get out. Thankfully it never came to that here and we are almost 8 years later still going.

 

That's kind of like calling a plumber because your car won't start.

 

They dont do lemon laws for semis or something ?

 

Nope

 

The thing to learn from this post if you're thinking of buying a used truck is this.
If you plan to take your truck to a dealer everytime you have a problem, you will likely fail. Those shops aren't trying to repair your truck correctly by having a knowledgeable tech do a thorough diagnosis of a complex system. Rather, they are having a relatively inexperienced tech hook your truck up to a computer that tells them what is wrong. This process invariably leads to incorrect diagnosis, unnecessary parts replacement, a very large bill, and likely more repairs soon after.
This makes the dealer money. That's why they are there. To make money.
If you're unwilling to learn how to diagnose your truck yourself, or look carefully and find a reputable shop you can trust to do it for you, you will fail.
You'll go broke. The bills will kill you.
If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.
If you want to run your own business, YOU are responsible for making it a success.

 

I feel for the LandStar driver in the video for sure. But as others have pointed out Im not sure what reaction he or anybody else would expect from LM. They are a finance company. It would be like calling your bank/finance company to inform them you are putting on a new roof. Yeah and? Maintenance issues and break downs,large and small happen. I purchased a brand new truck from them in 2015. From June through December I was down 63 days due to 3 motor failures. With good clear communication they became more involved each time. This final time I was put into contact with regional Volvo big wigs that made things happen. Motor was completely swapped including bolt on parts. The regional manager (Volvo) oversaw things were completed and I was made whole. Bottom line is they serve as a finance company and when dealing with new trucks they have a stronger position in the market than I do with my single truck operation. By building those relationships my outcome was much more positive than it would have been by smearing them for something they were not responsible for.