What do you check before deciding to buy a used truck?

yes, hills mainly, thats all it is up there is hill,hill/ up down, up down/hump,hump hate that place. If its a good buy/gettin a good deal..you can always buy a new seat i guess.. Although a seat is very important as, if u cant sit in it u cant make money. u sit in that seat longer then u lay in ur bed..tell him to start it up and hold it at 2200 for 5 min and see if it doesnt come apart..lol I dunno, im not a mechanic or o/op just a driver. if any seasoned o/ops see this thread im sure theyll be able to help u , gl
you could stop by ur local heavy truck dealership, im sure the guy at the front counter could answer some of ur questions? Altho he might try and sell you an over priced trk too..lol

 

Do you plan on paying cash, if so I would try an auction. I recently became an o/o, truck I bought was a 04 with low miles ( 435,000) but right at 500,000 thats when you start having all those little probelms. Hope you find what your looking for.

 

block the wheels and release the brakes, make sure a booster isn't leaking, dump the air from suspension and make sure it goes all the way down and doesn't bind. doesn't matter to most but those are the few lil things i've learned in my past.

 

1. Look at the overall appearance i.e. paint,glass,frame. 2. I look for a truck with low miles if I can't find one I look for a engine and drive train warranty. 3. 75% or better tires. 4. Look at the interior. Doesn't have to be perfect but at least cleaned and detailed(most dealers will do this). 5. Has to have a sliding 5th wheel.6.Battery connections. In 2002 I purchased a 1996 379 ExHd Peterbilt, 550 Cat w/200000 mile Cat warranty, 15 speed and 3:55 rears. Gave 35000 for it. Yeah I had some minor issues with it but really nothing I couldn't fix. Fortunately I live in an area with lots of truck dealers so I can and did shop around. Oh yeah I drove the truck 3 times before I bought it.

 

Do a total printout of the ECM, not just a summary. There is a lot of information hiding in there. The report can be up to 40 pages long. If dealer won't do it for you, then move on. If you are buying from an individual, then ask them if you can take it to engine shop and have this done. If they have nothing to hide, they won't mind. While you are at an engine shop, have the engine dyno tested. Between these two things, you will have more than enough information to make a sound decision. Again, if a dealer or individual has a problem with this, then move on.

Also, take oil samples of the engine, tranny, rears and have it tested. Can tell you a lot about what is going on inside. Hardly any individual or dealer has changed out all the fluids before the deal is negotiated, so the odds of just testing new fluid is rare.

 

Try ebay! Seriously, I have seen some really good deals on there lately.

 

now youve go a lot of good advice ,BUT what most drivers seem to forget is blow buy, before i put money in any truck i start the engine and let it run till its good an hot , then look for blow by. if it has a lot of blow buy id walk on buy and find another one just starting out you dont need that kind of expense.---southernpride