Used Truck Miles

The reason people say what they do is that you can't buy back miles once they are put on the truck. However, I am a firm believer that if you walk into the deal with your eyes open, the miles are not the most important thing to consider. If the overall condition of the truck is okay, then I would not worry greatly about the miles on it, as long as they are reasonable for the age of the truck, somewhere in the ball park of 125-150 miles per year of age, which is the numbers to be expected for a solo driven truck.

What you need to do is after purchasing a higher mile truck, plan on spending some money and going through it and taking care of a lot of smaller items that my need replacement at that point in the trucks life. I would allot between 15-20% of the purchase price to spend on the truck at this point in upgrades and maintenance. For example, the seat may have 800k on it and it would be a good investment to spend the 5-600 dollars for an upgraded seat, since that is the interface between the truck and your butt. I would replace all of the hoseclamps on the various engine hoses, and probably replace most of the hoses as well, since the failure of one of them leaves you stranded alongside the road. And there are a bunch of little things like that I would replace before taking it out on the road and doing that maintenance gives you a better chance of avoiding small breakdowns that will cost much more to repair than the actual value of the part involved.

Second issue, is that once you got past about 600,000 miles, start planning for the eventual rebuild of an engine, replacement of a trans, and replacement of the rear end sections. They may all last a million miles without a hickup, but you have to make financial plans that they can fail once the basic warranty period expires. Some people plan to replace those parts as a matter of routine as they can afford it, but you still have to plan for the unplanned breakdown.

You can do well with an older truck and set yourself up well with a better cash flow because of reduced or no payments. But there is a higher ,maint costs and you have to plan ahead for them and do as much pre emptive maintenance as you can before hitting the road with the truck. The guy who fails is the guy who buys it on Saturday, goes to orientation Monday, and starts running on Wednesday. He will probably be riding the hook by thursday.

By the way, I drive a Mack, and we have a fleet full of them. I know of several daycabs we have with over 1.5 million miles on the clock and no serious work has ever been done to the engines. Properly cared for, driven correctly, they can last a very long time.,

 

Here is my opinion for what it's worth. AN older truck YOU need to know how to work on yourself. If this isn't you then buy a new one.

I wouldn't buy a couple year old truck with 400k on it. If you do you will most likely still pay enough that you will have a ayment on it plus you have a truck with higher maintenance costs. I say buy new or buy old enough that you don't have a payment. I'd much rather buy a truck with a million miles and a remaned motor(which you realy don't pay much more for, the previous owner eats most that cost) than a 3 year old truck with 400k on it, unless you have cash for it of course

 

Oh, and not all remans are created equal. Make sure you see paperwork for any motor rebuilds that have ben done so you know what work was done

 

You've gotten some great advice from 2 great people here.

Even an older truck 90-2000 can be a GREAT investment!

Use your brain, look the truck over from bumper to bumper/ top to bottom. and look at the OIL before you start the truck!!!

All the best in your life,
Matthew

 

Just to put the miles in a truck into perspective, my 2006 mack is currently in the shop and as a result I picked up one of our other trucks to use for a day or two. It's a 2000, and it has 882k miles on it. It has been maintained reasonably well, both by our shop and by the various drivers who have driven it in the last 7 years. It has a few minor rattles in it that with a little time and effort could be found and eliminated. It runs okay, with no signs that the engine has ever come apart, and despite the many miles it has accumulated, I would have no real qualms about driving it as far and for as long as needed.

So, miles don't always indicate the basic condtion of a truck. They each require a close inspection to determine if they are truly a "high mileage" truck, or merely a truck that has accumulated some miles.

 

i agree with all these guys BUT if you know nothing about buying a used truck TAKJE someone with you that has and knows what to look at and what to look for

Iam sure a few guys will tell you they got the truck they wanted at the time but when they went to replace hoses and what not found this found that wrong and they should have looked it over a little better and either pasted or tried to get the price further down

I havent bought a big truck but have a buddy that drivers for landstar and buys used every year and has a system with buying
Hes been driving O/O for 25 years and never replaced an engine/trans/clutch/rears

He buys and sells every year it seems to work for him

 

the truck i just bought has well over a millon miles.....1,105,891 to be exaxt
now dont get me wrong, i got a screamin deal...but after a very detailed DOT inspection, small fualts were found...bushings, hoses, cracked welds and other small miscelanious things...all to the tune of $1,100 at a discounted shop rate
did i make a mistake buyin this truck? HECK NO
the previous owner had a good maintence schedule
all major components have been remaned or replaced
truck is in great shape
would i buy newer if i could? no
simple reason is payment....not only is 2g a month scary but id hafta run alot harder to afford it
so i guess what im sayin is look the truck over very well or pay a shop to do it..$200 before you buy it is better than $20,000 down the road, either that or know the previous owner well/ have a friend who holds said owner in high regard.
we'll see how this philoficy works out for me over time...as for you do what you think is right, take every thing as advice and not gospel and be careful out there