New vs Used: some real life data for 2018

That's just it. If you got an old truck you better know how to run a wrench! If I had to pay all the labor over the last two years it would of been $85k instead of $45k.

I enjoy working on my truck and have not seen a shop I trust yet. Our company trucks are in the shop all the time and for the most part it takes them 3 visits to fix anything right.

 

I do just about everything by myself with the exception of heavy work and things that require a hookup to Cat ET.

I agree, it’s hard to find a shop that does things right. I’ve had more bad experiences than good.

 

I got old trucks and lost so much money during first 2 years due to downtime, it's not even funny. Now things are fixed and trucks are good for the next 3 years.
With new truck you run good first 3 years, then start fixing stuff for the next 2.
Pick your poison.

 

The problem is that the older trucks are dead reliable and the new trucks are often dead on the side of the road.

If you could buy a new truck that is dependable, that would be one thing. But as far as I'm concerned, new is junk. Older and dependable is better than a new shiny expensive turd, constantly in the shop while you pay expensive payments, AND expensive repair bills... while not working. That is the recipe for bankruptcy.

Looking for someone that has an older truck that kept up with it with service records, etc, is a better bet.

There are alot of older trucks that were well taken care of. You just have to look for them.

 

I think you are absolutely right for trucks between 2010 and 2016. From what I can gather, the last couple years it looks like we've sort of figured out how to keep these trucks running. Maintenance costs are up about $.07 over pre-emissions trucks, but at least we know how to maintain them.

 

Well with new and reliability it depends alot on what engine we're talking about.

I wouldn't run a Navistar as an O/O if you gave it to me. Navistar International's are selling on the used market at 1/2-2/3 of what a similar truck from another maker sells and there's a reason why. Funny thing is if you take a load to Laredo you can see that many of the Mexican carriers are buying these probably due to the low resale value then doing deletes on them. The US carrier got stuck all the problems on these then took an especially large hit on depreciation on them then the Mexican carrier buys them cheap does a delete winds up with a good truck afterwards and emitts the emissions right next door to the US anyway.

The Paccars are improving but they still aren't quite where they need to be. The ISX isn't great it was engineered to be a non emissions engine that emissions parts have been added to and reliability suffers. Cummins also is a pita to deal with over warranty work. There hasn't been a good engine in any Paccar truck since Cat got out and unfortunately I've avioded Pete's because of it. I'm rooting for the X-15 to do well however hopefully cummins got it right with that engine and if they did I might get a 389 in a few years when I'm done with my current truck.

For the most part if you're buying a new truck the DD's are the only real solid engines. I've the financial ability to spec a truck anyway I wish but running an Evolution isn't really the truck I want as an O/O It's more of a sacrifice I make for my business to be successful. You can find reliability in a new truck it's just may not be the truck you want.

 

See this and the post above sound straight off the KR radio show. Alot the problems with emissions trucks are blown out of proportion by people who profit off doing so, it's called influencer marketing and KR is one the best. Beware of who you listen to this is business and you'd better believe there's sharks in the water and that guy's one of them.

 

I don't think truck emission related problems are overblown.

The manufacturers were absolutely not ready for the Mandate forced upon them and they gave all of their customers an inferior product.

Thanks to the government sticking their nose of course where it doesn't belong.

Talk to some of the old timers who in the 60s 70s and 80s bought new trucks.

I know a guy that bought a brand spanking new Diamond Rio in 1984 with a Cummins big cam engine.

That engine and truck is not only on the road and still working today, every single day, but other than regular maintenance he has not put any gigantic amount of money into that truck all these years later. Those kinds of stories go on and on and on. I know others that have done that also and continue running them with no problems.

Flash Forward to 2018. There's a member on this board that bought a Peterbilt with a caterpillar, supposedly the best combination you could ever buy for the money you'll spend.

He has spent $23,000 so far and the truck still isn't fixed. If the government would let him, he could have put a mechanical engine in that truck a couple times over. He could have rebuild a mechanical engine I can't tell you how many times over.

There is certainly nothing overblown about that, especially when you compare it to the guy I know that bought that truck all those years ago and it's still in service today giving him no problem.

The new trucks give you problems as soon as you roll off the lot...

You drive off the lot and head straight to the shop that's going to repair it. Then you can dig in your pocket and pay for repairs on $150,000 truck you haven't even made payments on yet.

New trucks are simply junk and worthless to me.

 

I've heard decent things about Volvo/Mack too. Do you have an opinion?

I've also heard that the Paccar MX13 has been improved over the last few years - they pull better now.

This is just scuttlebutt. Take it with a grain of salt.

 

Buy a NASCAR Hauler