what are the disadvantages of buying an older truck

The maintenance is the biggest thing. Parts get old and need replacing and sometimes it can get spendy. First make sure everything is operational and I mean everything from AC, heater, switches, lights etc. Then take it out for a test drive with a loaded trailer if possible and then if still happy, then get an oil sample and dyno. G/Man has some good advice. I have a 2002 freightshaker classic XL and would still rather have this than brand new at this time.

 

I buy a truck for $10K.

I put in
$2K for brakes
$4K for a transmission
$5K for two new rear ends
$18K for an engine.

What have you got?

$39K and you have a truck with a 300K warranty for a new power/driveline compared to a $150K truck with a 300K mile warranty.

Go into it KNOWING you WILL be spending money on it and then figure out what you have to compromise on.

Personally, I'd buy an older truck and KNOW I would be spending money on it putting in the parts I WANT to put into it.

 

BTW, first thing I would replace is all the shocks on that used truck. Its cheap, simple and your butt and arms will thank you. MNdriver has a solid point.

 

I bought a 2007 truck with 708K miles on the driveline WITH an APU. Reality, that's more like a truck with 450K miles because it has 8050 hours on the APU.

That's like 400K miles wear that were never put onto the engine from idling. one hour idled is like putting on 50 hours driving.

The only time I had an EGR issue is the night I idled for 7 hours because I blew the AC/alternator belt on my APU. And that cleared itself after running it for a day or say from an EGR differential pressure sensor code. Talked with a service writer about it and he felt it was likely from the port plugging with carbon and then running it blew the carbon out.

I have had a bunch of little things to fix. Air line springs on the sliding tandem, light bulbs, accessory drive belts on the APU and engine, filters etc that have been getting me, replacing them a little bit at a time. This week I also picked up a full set of new bungee cords for the tire chains.

It's not going to kill you if you just plan for it.

I put away 14 cpm for maintenance items and also another 25% of that for stuff like lightbulbs, fluids and tire repairs.

It's a mechanical device and a vehicle. It's GOING to break and you WILL have to fix it so just plan on it.


All of those little things are going to wear out just as fast on a new truck as well.

 

Not too far off. Schneider has bought and built secure drop lots in Yuma, Kingman, and Sparks. They are going to have a "California" fleet, and the rest of their truck will treat CA just like Mexico... drop it at the border and let the locals do the slave work LOL

 

I bought my 2004 Western Star with 687,000 miles on it. I had the local peterbilt dealer do a dyno pull and oil sample before i bought it. The place i bought it, pulled it in and let me clawl all over the truck and under it. I brought up the fact it looked to need all new brake pads and kingpin's, which they replaced for me. Just do your homework thourghly as i did not about the motor in my truck. All I knew was it was a single turbo, pre-emissions motor... well, it wasn't exactly a "pre-emissions" motor and turned out to be the worst engine CAT ever made. I had to make some changes and now it's great, but I would never have bought it if I'd have done my homework a little better.

As for a Century class truck, they have a bad tendency for rusting around the bracket s that hold the farings on. I'm guessing it is a 12.7 Detroit, which is cheap on parts and good on fuel. I would just ask if the dealer will run an overhead on it for you and do a dyno run.

 

Get an oil sample, and if you can maintainence records. From those you can see if a truck has been a problem child. As far as having a truck dealership run the overhead, I would not. If its got a Detroit take it to a Detroit shop, Cat to Cat, and Cummins to Cummins. I look at it this way, if you have a electrical problem in your home, do you call an electrician or a handyman? I will call the electrician, because I want someone who knows what their doing and won't burn my house down.

 

It'd no different than buying anything else used. You avoid the large upfront cost, steep depreciation, and new product glitches. What you dont get is a nice warranty, new truck smell, and the "feel good" because everything is a new beginning and will last and look as nice as you treat it. Whereas the used trucks previous driver Maybe didn't care much about cleanliness and or maintenance and some things may never be the same again.



Do you like working on your own truck? Used trucks are excellent if you do. There will always be little things here and there that will.need fixing and the major components will all get cycled.through an overhaul eventually but all in all if you take precautions before buying, you'll end up with a nice reliable truck.


Oil samples are a must and the longer the oil has been in there the better. Although serious issues should shoe up In the uoa after only a couple thousand miles.

A dyno test is also a good idea some places make you pay others don't. Regardless a dyno.test will show you issues as well.

I agree with trying to test drive loaded. Fly down the interstate, beat it up on some rough roads and just get a good overall feel of the truck. It may help if you've never driven that model.truck to test drive others like it before hand so you know what to compare to.

after running it for a bit crawl all over it. Check the fluid levels, look for water contamination. Check all the gteaseable areas to see how well they have kept up in that. Check the brakes, air bags, and suspension bushings. Look for uneven wear in the tires. Check the wheel bearings and king pins up front. King pins can be expensive if let go for too long. Check the clutch wear. Look at all of the wires and hoses to see if there's much wear on them. Its minor but adds up.

Especially look for "repairs" . Botched wiring harnesses, missing bolts and clamps, mismatched pieces and many other things can give you an idea of how.the truck was taken care of and what.to expect down the road.


Get maintenance records if possible.


Then take all of the info you and your helpers gathered and pencil out what the truck will cost you after fixing it and such. And what it may cost you down the road.

Then you will be able to decide.

If maintenance records aren't available plan on budgeting for a full service on the truck right away. Change all fluids and filters, run the overhead and you could replace the shocks. These could also be a deal sweetener too.


Remember that while the new truck has a warranty , downtime is still downtime and the best warranty in the world can't fix a truck that.may.always.let you down. I know the new SCR trucks are running much better though now.


Some dealers.are a pita to deal with, others.are.good. our KW dealer is helpful with everything, in house dyno, local UOA lab at the cat dealer, 90 day "warranty "(its unofficial sort of, basically says they'll help with the costs of any major failures that soon). Anything you want to do they let you, any question, they answer or know somebody who does.

Finding a good salesman at a good dealer is hard, but if you can do it that makes some trucks worth a lot more money for peace of mind.


Good luck.

 

Lots of good advice and ideas here. Particularly buying a truck that was born with an APU without all the idle hours on it. I been looking for a couple of pre 2008 trucks that are well maintained, can pass oil samples and inspections and were born with APUs. Problem is that not many trucks were born with APUs before 2008.

 

If u are buying a 2003 freightliner with 600,000 miles for 5 or 6k and runs good,ok tires,ok trans,ok engine=Good deal.Maybe u have to invest another 5k in extra truck needs,go ahead.