What is the best newer semi truck to work on yourself?

By the time you add the maintenance ( added repair) cost, downtime, difference in resale or residual value over a 3-4 yr schedule, it’s cheaper to buy a brand new one. I’d like to see an average repair/maintenance cost on your Truck. I recall you got a great deal on it. Did all the work yourself, the right way. Total average annual cost of Ownership including purchase price has to be very low. One of the best examples of doing it right that I’ve ever seen.

 

Yet I get laughed at when I say That

I’ve got over 30k under my truck last year

 

Seems like it gets past a lot of people that 25+ year old trucks have 25+ year old truck issues that every ####ing component that hasn’t been replaced. So you have #### thats dried up and weakened and just let’s go.

Wiring that the insulation crumbles, metal thats been worked (and in many cases pushed to the absolute limits)
And that’s in addition to all the cobbed together ######## repairs people do to “get themselves back to the yard” and then they never ####ing fix it correctly





Im 14 years into a very well maintained ‘95
I bought it for $30k and in my ownership I’d bet I’m $300k deep in it on the light side.

 

When I had my 92 WS, mechanics would comment on how they were their favorite Trucks to work on. I started asking mechanics about their favorites. Most common answer was Freightliner Classic or FLD, and WS. Followed by 379’s and W9’s. I’ve watched them work on Centuries, Cascadias, aero Paccar Trucks. Everything is so much harder to access. The question then becomes, is the added fuel economy of a aero Truck worth paying more for Labor, or if doing your own work, is it worth your extra time and effort? On a newer Truck, probably. Fuel savings can go a long way towards a monthly payment. Add less downtime, assuming you’re working steady. On an older Truck, thats going to need more maintenance repairs, probably not. The costs end up being more than the value of the Truck itself. That’s when you decide whether to keep throwing money at it, or cut losses and apply it to another Truck. Right back where you started from.

 

doesn’t even take that long, my old reefer was full of Mickey Mouse #### when I bought it, guy never greased it so s cams started spinning in the spiders, circuit breaker tripping from lights grounding our etc, had 9 hours and a 5 gallon bucket full of 14/16 guage wire hooked to a blue butt connector, to another piece of wire, to a red but connector, to another 3” piece of wire, to a regular wire tie, to another piece of wire either the bare end electrical taped to the light, cut the main harness on each side and wired it into a junction box for both rails, and of course I just get it to where I trust it and it gets totaled…

 

My dad's first truck was close to 15 years old when be bought it back in the early 90s. Lets just say half the reason I became a mechanic was because hanging around the truck with dad on weekends was the only way I'd get to spend a lot of time with him.

Off the top of my head, in 4 years that truck got:
-New front springs
-Rear suspension work
-All new U-joints
-Both diffs
-New cab floor
-New clutch
-Engine rebuild
-Brakes
-Exhaust
-Lots of electrical repairs/rewiring
-Rebuilt door linkages and window winders
-Compressor

That's just what I remember from almost 30 years ago. He was always fixing something on Saturdays. Very rare that all he had to do was just wash and grease it.

 

I bought my for 67500 3 years ago and fortunately is still worth something.
Depreciation will be around 15k/year for that time and if you calculate the fuel economy only (my old one have 6 mpg and now 7.2) the truck is almost for free!
I calculated 3 different variants:
1. Continue to use the old one
2. Buy brand new one
3. Buy 3 years old

Number 1 is no go because of high fuel and repair cost and long break down times.

Number 2 is no go because the high financing and insurance cost.

Number 3 is the winner! And it was a big relief because you just driving and nof continuously fixing...

 

I don't know I guess I am used to the laundry list of things, it grows this time of year because I am less willing to deal with it unless it is actually a problem, but as far as down time because it is old, I have less actual down time then most people I know with brand new trucks. %90 of my stuff is wiring related, dealing with cobbled together old #### gets old, Im guilty of cobbling crap together on the road, but it gets fixed when I get home. You couldn't trade me straight up for a brand new truck of any make, I feel like they are just as much of a head ache as the old crap, this spring will be all new springs and bushing in the front end and air riding the front axle, and rebushing the rear suspension, and relocating my fuel tanks, along with that goes relocating the air tanks, and probably all new air lines, including the air lines to the brake cans. I enjoy some of the fixing because I get to update it and make it more of what I want. The last 3 1/2 years of ownership have brought new rear ends re geared to a highway truck, new transmission (twice), mostly rebuilt rear suspension, driveline completely rebuilt. New turbo and injectors, exhaust manifold. I am probably in over $70,000 just in general maintenance and updating stuff, add in 2 different sleepers and all the crap it didn't need and it goes over $100 pretty easy. Hopefully when I am done I am satisfied with the result and if I am I will probably move to finding the back up truck that I want and working on that on the side.

 

An old truck won’t be sitting at the shop for weeks on end while the mechanics scratch their heads.

An old truck won’t develop the same issue 15 miles down the road after spending $2000+ dollars replacing sensors and what not.

An old truck (in the proper hands) only requires a tow truck for a major breakdown. All other repairs are roadside and quick.

My truck is a 98 FLD120 that was abused in Louisiana it’s entire life. Baked in the hot sun. Should have went to the scrap yard, literally. Even with the engine rebuild debacle which never should have taken so long and been so bad, I haven’t hit 100K invested in 3 years. And I’ve replaced A LOT of stuff that didn’t need it.

Wiring and airlines haven’t been that bad either. And yes they are dry but not bad. This truck has such a small amount of wiring to begin with.

I have been running the oilfield for the last 12 months. Out of all the trucks I run with, it’s always been the new trucks on the tow hook. The old ones are hardly ever down. Quite a few of us out here with old trucks. I had to replace the differential but that was a weak point since I bought the truck. So it lasted 3 years when I was told it was weak and to replace.

Other than MPG, ride, comfort level and noise….there is no comparison IMO.

Yes, people have this same experience with newer trucks but it’s not the norm and repair wise there is an enormous difference. I doubt anyone is carrying a spare Onebox next to their spare starter and alternator. Or one of the 97 different wiring harnesses.

 

Yeah, if I had to pay shop rates to have other people work on my junk buying new is the only way to fly.

I think I’m right at ( or just over) $100k total in my truck, purchase, repairs, maintenance and upgrades. In 850k miles and 7 years. It would easily be double $ that if I had to pay others to do the work.

23 was a good year. 2 steer tires, both front unit hubs ($3200 for the hubs alone), drag link and tie rod ends. About $4600 in repairs over the last 140k miles.

I’ve been lucky, done a lot of preventative maintenance and only try and fix things the right way with quality parts.

it’s leaking oil from the rear structure currently. So next month it’s getting that and a front main seal, new motor mounts and maybe a clutch?

Problem is it’s all labor. Maybe less $1000 in parts but probably $4000 in labor? I don’t count the labor in my end of year number. I’m on salary so it’s all the same to me.