Looking to purchase my first rig, need recommendations/advice

How long have you been driving?

 

I'm 591 k Miles for 53k seems high . That maybe where the market is though.

 

At least your going to do the right things with oil analysts, dyno, ecm dump before you purchase. Seems lots of people don't do that.

When I bought the truck I have I went online searched for the same truck with nearly the same mileage as the one I was looking at but at a cheaper price. I printed those out and took those into the dealer with me and used them as part of my negotiating to get the truck price down.

It definitely helped me get a better price on the truck I ended up purchasing. I would recommend doing the same.

What type of APU is on the truck and does it actually work?

 

You’re at the wrong place asking for advice.
Those who either never owned a truck or have failed at their “lease” will be the ones to type paragraphs of nonsense.

And don’t believe the you should drive for 30 years before you buy your own truck bull. Becoming an owner operator is like becoming a dad. You can never really prepare for it. You just do it as long as you’re financially stable.

Trucks with that milage are around 50-55k and have been for years. That’s just how the dealer work.
I suggest on any truck you buy get a dyno done and a print out of the ecm history etc.
a lot of smaller dealers like aarow roll back milage and scam people. ( I was one of those)
Nothing we can tell you here that your brothers can’t or haven’t already lolz

 

Nothing wrong with trying to gain additional knowledge/opinions to go along with what you already have. Doing something such as buying your first rig, to me, would qualify as a great example of a situation where gathering as much guidance as possible would be your best bet. @S M D pretty much summed it up though. There are some great folks on this board who are "in the know" when it comes to things such as this, but like anything, you'll have plenty who will chime in, to tell you how you are just a delusional fool for thinking of doing such a thing without x amount of years worth of experience.

While driving for a length of time can, and will be beneficial before taking on such an endeavor, having at least some experience, a good head on your shoulders and knowledgeable people in your corner with a little bit of business sense can go a long way. It's obviously more than just driving a truck, but if you have family members that have been around, then you know this. Best of luck to you, and don't pull the trigger haphazardly on a rig.

 

I would research motors and emissions. You want something that you can work on if need be. The only manufacturer that I know of that an owner can do that on is a Cummins, as Cummins supplies the step by step guide to actually repair and or diagnose their motor. They offer Cummins Quickserve for free, I in framed my motor in a driveway using my iPhone and a bag of tools with that service. Try that with a Detroit. Also, the ECM programming is pretty much open source, with a large group that knows how to keep these Cummins motors running and profitable, they are out there and ready to help.

If you plan on depending on a dealer to keep your truck up and running, don't be a fool. These new trucks will eat you alive when they start their downward spiral. Learn the electrical systems, schematics are out there for some brands, International has their BodyBuilder Schematics out there for free, saved my bacon more than a few times. Also, you will want to be able to do at the very least, engine diagnostics. Again, back to Cummins, an Inline 6 reader is available with everything you would need to look into the motor for around $300. This includes software for programming too.

It would be good to invest in tools, here are two of my stories... Just bought this truck, bitter cold winter, had a coolant leak, a bad one. Took to International dealer, they said EGR Cooler. I asked WTF is that? They pointed to the side of the motor and said that, it is leaking internally, needs to be replaced. Well, $2500 later, plus three days lost revenue and hotel expenses I was on my way... Next morning, a gallon of coolant missing... Took to another shop, it was discovered to be a hose clamp. $10. I now own the tools to properly diagnose a leaky EGR Cooler, and know how to do just that.

Second story, my head had failed, fretted liner, took out gasket and scored head. I knew little about this stuff three years ago... But, I knew it needed an in frame. I took the truck to the dealer, certified Cummins mechanics on staff, lots of training certificates.

I told them my issues, need an in frame, and knew enough to tell them to machine the block for the liners. They did not and two years later I was in framing the motor again. This time, I did it myself with the help of Rawze and Mr Hagg down in Griffin GA. (Atlanta). We went to order the new parts and discovered the DEALER installed the parts for a Cummins 450hp CM-2350 into my 600hp CM-871. They installed the WRONG in frame kit, pistons, injectors, etc... They skipped some major steps, screwed up installing the Injection Timing gear, it was ready to fail. It was darn ugly.

Rawze helped with disassembly, setting of the head, piston instal and machining the block, the rest was up to me. That little adventure was another $30,000 even after the dealer sent $14,000 in the correct parts, which took a month to resolve. Which Mr Hagg, (Jerry) of Haggai Automotive and Diesel repair was a great help with, dealing with these guys. You will want to look him up no matter what you buy. Trust me on that.

Bottom line, all of these motors are throw aways, 500,000 miles is their normal lifespan due to the emissions. You feed 500,000+ miles of soot through a motor, bad things happen. If you plan on keeping the emissions, install an oil bypass filter, Amsoil makes an inexpensive one.

An in frame on theses modern motors is running around $28,000 to $40,000 +, these prices include labor, deepening on the parts which will run close to or around $20,000 to $35,000, deepening on what is found and or needed.

You will need to be able to figure this stuff out, especially if you are going to keep the emissions and play Russian roulette with your livelihood.

The emissions, 500,000 miles is getting near its end of life. Emission systems are not inexpensive to repair, they can easily cost upwards of $20,000 to fix.

No matter what you buy, it is going to be a crap shoot. Do your homework, dyno, ECM dump, DO NOT buy anything that has had a delete. You have no clue what was put on the ECM, a bad programming job can and will cook a motor. Mr Haggai makes quite the living repairing all of the damage from all of this butchered programming floating around out there.

Whatever you do, do not go into this blindly. Do your research, and do not trust a dealer to tell you the truth. They are there to move equipment, once they get your money you are on your own. These are not the trucks I grew up with, not even close. There is a very steep and expensive learning curve in your future if you do not do your due diligence. It will break, and do not depend on a warranty to save your bacon, many times they will not cover repairs, seen it all to often, don't waste your money.

I would head over to Rawze.com and ask for an invite if you want to educate yourself on the emissions and what you should be looking for. Watch his videos and take a look at his book, the information there is priceless.

Used Truck, Buyer Beware...



Don't be a victim.

Good Luck!