Truck from Heartland Express Fleet

I would venture a guess that they would go by the book on service intervals so they don’t screw up the warranty. So at 191k it’s probably been serviced twice if they did it at the Detroit recommended interval of 75k miles.

 

Doesn’t say anything about that here.

 

Why post a question when you have all your own answers?

 

If I had to choose, I’d go for the lower mileage hands down. Well worth an extra 10k. Try to negotiate a lower price. If they have a lot of them, maybe more to come. Prices are dropping. They know that. Might need to sell, to get more. Old Heartbreaker Trucks used to hold up real well. They used to trade at 350k, had them set at 1800 rpm. Had decent maintenance, not the 5k grease they claimed, that rarely happened. They used it as a way to tie up a Driver at a Terminal. Trucks averaged less than 2000 per week. They’d buy a bunch, hundreds at a time, with a guaranteed buy back price at 350k That’s 20 yrs. ago. They’ve changed their operation quite a bit since. Still very profitable and debt free. My only question would be why such low mileage? Check the warranty history. Should still have engine and driveline warranty. All good things. Even if their oil intervals were extended, such low miles , should be fine. I’d change oil much sooner than suggested. Every 20k or less. Cheap Delvac 1300. Should keep it nice and clean. Go slow, hee haw around with them,let them know you’re looking everywhere all the time, till their axious about losing a sale. By the time you make a deal, they should hate your guts! Lol.

 

Don’t know how many hours difference. I’d probably still go for the longer warranty. Less of a chance of a high cost repair. In the latter part of the loan. At least 1 yr. longer. I try to consider where I’ll be in 3-4 yrs. mileage wise, and money owed. Rather have 600k in 4 yrs. vs. 740k Resale wise you’ll get half of the extra 10k back. Maintenance wise, maybe a lot more. Especially if you have a warranty claim within the next 12-18 mos. on covered items. 36 mos. on 500k items. Remaining 750k warranties on rears. I think a 600k Truck is easier to sell than a 750k Truck. The buyer wants 4 yrs. or 1 mil. Not 2.5 yrs. still owing on the Truck. Not to mention less wear and tear by previous Drivers. Despite the idle time.

 

$130k sounds like an awful lot. I guess it isn’t in today’s market. Probably not much more than a normal market. Last time I bought a Truck like that, it was in June 2000, a 99 Classic with 170k miles for $69k. It was white. I really liked the blue one, it had 350k and was $67. But I went for the white one, it had extended 350k warranties added on for turbo, compressor, and A/C compressor. Turbo blew at 325k, Cost Me a $500 deductible. AC compressor was bad when I got it, they replaced it. They replaced it 2 more times, under the 100k Freightliner Shop warranty. Head gasket blew out of warranty at 540k. Since I’d been adding small amounts of coolant for at least 40k, I complained to the regional warranty rep. They bought new head and gasket, $2100, I paid Labor $1700. Head gasket blew again at 825k dropped a cylinder, had to inframe the engine for $23k. Good thing it was paid for. That was in ‘08. Bad thing, I totaled it 6 mos later at 875k. They gave me $21k. Good thing, bought a nicer similar Truck, a 2000, one year newer, with 875k miles, fresh inframe at 825k, for $21k. Ran it 12 yrs and 1.3 mil. Just inframed it again. When I bought the 99, it was a bargain at $69k. One year later 2000’s with less than 100k miles were selling for $59k. New ones at the time in 2001 were $89-$103k. What’s my point? I’d rather buy a 2 yr. old Truck, for roughly 70% of a new one. In today’s market, Assuming a new one is $160, at $130k your paying 81% of the new price. At $120k you’re paying 75% of new price. It’s a trade off in many ways. Buying used can save money, but not if it wears out before it’s paid for. I’d rather pay a little more, for longevity. It’s the last 12-18 months that’s tough. Payment plus higher maintenance. Add a major repair, it gets tougher. Trade in values are always low, barely enough for a down payment. Especially if it needs repair. Hard to sell outright as is. Dealers often the only option, using your old Truck as a down payment. Value only on paper to qualify for Loan. You can’t count on being Lucky. If so it’s a plus. At best, it’s paid for before needing an overhaul. Then you can decide to keep it or trade. If you have to overhaul it, while still owing a years payments. It will be tough, and you’ll have to keep it longer to justify money spent, or take a loss. All this assumes a 4 yr loan. Everyone’s experience is different. That’s mine, and that’s why I’d pay more for the lower mileage Truck, if I were in your situation. I ran for Heartland for 7 yrs. on a dedicated run, from 1996-2003. They took care of the Trucks. So did the Drivers. I just saw one of their old International Cabovers last week. Probably a 93 or older. Everyone I’ve ever talked to had good Luck with their Trucks. That’s been a long time ago. Wouldn’t hurt to ask a current Heartland Driver on their current maintenance program.