Which truck would you take? HELP CANT DECIDE

I'm not sure borrowing money from family or friends is a good way to go about things. It's a recipe for disaster.

 

Buddyvuk Your attitude is the worst I have seen on here in a long time. When you take your truck to the mechanic and he tells you what's wrong with it are you going to argue with him like you're arguing with experienced guys on here? You say your repayment to your family is $400/month. That means you will be paying it back for 100 months. 8.3 years to pay off your truck is ridiculous !
Open your ears and listen to what the experienced owner operators are telling you. Your plan is not a sound one. It is fraught with the danger of losing your families house if you can't make the repayments. You're doing this all wrong and your not listening to the guys who know.
I bought my own truck last year and I am very similar in running costs/repairs to the post Mndriver made. So I can say this as well that youre doing it wrong.
Don't borrow off your family, save the money yourself and finance a truck so you're the one at risk not your family and their home.

 

Not many guys are forth right to the level I have been with my finances on the truck.

I have posted my actual revenues, my actual maintenance right from Quicken Home & Business. Those are "No ########" numbers.

Todays bill for my overhead was $397. Just the valve cover gasket today was $57.

 

These are the things this Buddyvuk doesn't realize. It's not all rainbows and butterflies! How many times do we see people come on the forum and say " my friends making this much" or "I know guys doing this" and think they can just waltz on into being owner operators and everything's going to fall into place for them and the money's going to roll in . I find it hard to believe that a guy with 5 years exp is so blind to the reasoning of the advice he is being given on here.
Everyday is a challenge when starting out and I give full credit to everyone who works hard to run a truck and try to achieve their goals, but to be having family mortgage a house to provide the startup funds is just plain STUPID!
This games all about risk vs reward. You risk your own money to reap your own reward , not risk your families money .

 

Unfortunatly this is just regular maintenance, you need to read lots of posts like this and learn! And do not rush into anything. As much as I know about trucks and this business and I still learn from the GOOD people on here daily. If you are going into this properly you should have enough down that the truck can be easily paid off a year before it hits 1 mil. Start witha very healthy escrow fund that is only for major repairs, breakdowns and tires. I put 10% of every settlement in mine and all my tax refund checks every quarter.
I am not comfortable unless I have at least 10k in cash in my escrow, I'm almost back there from the CRAPCADIA debacle and my Pete burning. But it's a lot of time on the road, and hard work to get back here.
i won't pretend to know your families finances but I would agree that mortgaging a house to buy a truck is not the best move and not one I would ever do unless your family can take the hit and know that it's a high possibility they will.
Most people who go into business for themselves fail at least once before making it, and trucking is not for the faint of heart, been there, done that. You can go from having a 5 year old , paid off truck, with a HUGE escrow account, and. All bills paid, to empty escrow, and 30k on your business line in no time and that's with a new truck and warranty. Down time is more expensive than the repairs my friend.

Example, idiot backs into my truck, I left the door open so his insurance company is denying the claim. $6700. The numbers work out like this

$5000 (deductable i have to pay) + 10 days off $4000 ( and I'm only guessing at his number, don't really want to know about it yet)= $9000 hit. THIS MONTH. So much for escrow account and my trip to Vegas next month.......

Good luck.

 

I wonder if he understands why it's cheaper to drop $830 on a bunk heater in early Jan than to just keep the money in the checkbook.

 

I just want to say if you guys cant offer good advise than shut the h e ll up....you sit here and put him down....yea family is not the best place to get a loan but thank about the good deal he is getting going that route. sure its long term loan but you can always pay off sooner. and with a 400 payment instead of a 1500 payment if or when he breaks down it will be alot easier to cover it for a month. you people want to call the trucks he is looking at junk. thats funny as these trucks are the best selling trucks on the market. pre emmision trucks are rising in price daily as everyone is trying to to get them. and as for where you can take a old truck well landstar will put it to work and i know lots of guys making real good money pulling dry van. cheap loads there are 2 bucks a mile all day long. nothing to see 3.50 loads the place i am leasing on takes any age trucks running flatbed. I truly think that most say these trucks are junk to try and find them for themselfs.

Also i seen parts/repair prices on here. one stood out and that was drive tires at 5500 min....are you freaking insane. i just put all ALL brand new virgin tires steers and drives on my truck for 3800 mounted and installed. i am not saying all parts are cheap but if people are paying what they claim to be paying than you need to learn how to shop for parts. how to not jump on the first place that has it or can get it. to call around and work them down on the prices. as for another comment about tools. your basic complete 1/4 3/8 1/2 drive socket set from sears about 400 bucks, screw driver set about 50 bucks, plyers another 50 bucks with those tools alone you can repair 90 percent of the truck you can test batteies real cheap with out that load tester to get buy. its call a multi meter and is about 20 bucks yea i would get the load tester at some point but two people and a multi meter hook up the batts one at a time and turn it over. a test light for electical but if you dont have one take off your rear plate light works just as good since i wont probe into a wire anyways. also prepaired repair plans go along way. what do i mean. well you know the basics that will need replaced. if you shop around over time and find things on sale and get them before you need it on sale you can save alot of money ie i just used a fifth wheel that i paid 650 bucks for on sale. curious i called and got a price on the same fifth wheel and off sale it was 979.99 buck. thats a big savings.....when i read some of your comments and negitivity i really think you need to get off the lease program your companies gave you and go back to being a company driver cause so many of you have no basic buss knowledge....good management of your money good planning and prep can go along way. will you always find that great deal no. sure you will have to pay high prices some times. but if you buy cheap/sale priced parts ahead of time and have on stock it helps alot. just like lighting. how many wait to burn out a light than have to run into the truck stop to get a bulb. i buy in bulk keep plenty in the truck so i dont have to buy them. sure again you may care 1 low beam 1 high beam and burn 2 low beams out that weak but you have already saved buy having the one.

to the OP dont let the clowns get at you. come up with your plan keep to it at best take the good advise and use it best you can. there is alot on here but you have to sort through the BS. i have put my 2 cent about the trucks as you have read. do i think family is the best to get money no but at that payment its a great deal. if you can cover 400 a month even with a break down than its time for a new company anyways. get your truck take care of it. keep it maintained repair it right but keep it out of the shop instead of buying shop time buy parts. thats how i have made it so long even in the worst of times. you have to spend the money anyways cause of taxes why pay the shop money when you need parts anyways....and there is always tricks to spend money on parts if you need the write offs....like you need new vents so get chrome ones. its still a truck part and is a write off. if you catch my drift. meaning if its good times and you have things under control money in the bank bills payed ahead dress it up and write off some money for taxes and buy other parts to when you find good deals. best of luck i probly wont read this thread anymore as to many negitive jeoulous IMO people here

 

sure thing carrkool.

Since you are "quoting" my numbers, you have no clue WHERE they are coming from. They are coming from going to different tire shops telling me it's $600 for a single Michelin drive tire. Care to tell me you'll get that kind of rubber for $3800 installed and where?

Yop, I can find chinese tires like Double Coins installed for $2900. I also would rather not run them. Especially when I can get a complete set of Michelin or BF goodrich cases with fresh bandag recaps on them for less than $2000. Which is really a better deal then?

I'd love to see you tell me just how much you are putting out on an alternator with just a DVOM. You can't. All you can tell me is the voltage.

You want premium tires, you will pay for them.

I am not buying my stuff in truck stops unless it might be a marker light I need a bulb for "right now".

I also don't use a stealership with $120+ shop rate unless I absolutely have to. I'd love to see your answer to diagnosing a bunk heater that needs to be plugged into a specific software to test it. One that is only had at a dealer. You can't.


You going to wait for a sale to go on for a filter wrench when you need it now to change a desiccant cartridge? When was the last time you were able to get by with a wrench that is nothing larger than what comes in that nice little $400 wrench set at sears? You can't. Go start pricing REAL wrench sets that are 1" to 2". Or even just buying them separately. Either way, they are pricey. Sorry, but I learned a long time ago, cheap chinese tools only make good paperweights.

I'd love to know more about this "lease program" I am in too.

 

I cant speak for anybody but myself, but all i was offering WAS advice, good sound advice, comes from doing it the right way sometimes and the wrong way other times,,,, and learning from it..... not criticising, as you have so plainly done to us. As I told the op already, there is lots of great info on here and a lot of BS, he can pick which catagory my posts.... or yours...... belongs in.......

 

oh dude sears sells wrench sets alot cheaper than 400 bucks for wrenches. a complete tool set that will cover most everything is 400 bucks which has wrenchs up to 1 in than you need a 1 1/16 a 1 1/8 and a 1 1/4 and yes a multi meter will tell you how many amps your alt is putting out it can also test how much load is being pulled off the batts if you know how to do it yes i would look for a way to test the bunk heater seeing that the trucks he is looking at and most trucks that i have ever seen have no specail program to test it. its called elbow greese test compant by compant. i dont buy chinnes tools yea my drives are double coins why cause i got better wear out of them than i did the mich but the steers are mich and i never buy ###### recaps.... and you didnt bother to read everything i wrote as most people dont know how to finsh something. i said yes there will be times you have to spend the money on right now things but to do your best to avoid it by planning for items ahead...like my fifth wheel...like i have 2 brand new alt setting on the shelf cause the where on sale for 130 buck and yes the are 160 amp alts not that crap 100 or 90 amp....but i would really really realllllllly love to know what cause you to need some special dealer only test for a bunk heater. seeing a bunk heater is a coil motor 12v system containing a relay sometims, a breaker or fuse depending on truck make, a switch, than you have you temp controler system which on older trucks could be air op, newer eletric with a temp sensor in the bunk area typicaly by the temp controller. so if you read the tag on the fan and find the amp settings and you run the amps to it direct and it doesnt work but you kick up the amps its works some than you have a bad coil packing in the fan and fan needs replaced. but than again its comments like yours you posted that lead this thread of topic so badly. the guy wanted opions on trucks not your buss plan or what you think about his. he came up with a plan he just wants to know about the trucks what people know of them and think of them. instead you all get on here and ##### and moan no no no when i have read alot of post buy the same guys in here looking for the same type of trucks.....but than again you think that every thing adds up to millions of dollars to buy which by your tool pricing of 400 bucks for wreches it does is out of this world.....and just for your info my wrench set goes all the way up 2 1/2 inches but i rarly use anything over 1 1/16 most of the time 15/16 or smaller and by all means the tools i have listed is not the best setup since it would be nice to include an air compressor and air guns like 1/4 3/8 1/2 3/4 and 1 inch guns dye grinders wiss wheel and many other easy way tools that make life better but the tools list would get you through 90 percent of the repairs. throw in a 3/4 drive set with the craftsman tool set for 400 bucks a feeler guage and you could do your inframe. all you need to do is rent the tourqe wrench to set the head bolts mains and what not your words make you sound like you need a state of the art garge to maintain your truck when in fact the tools listed will be a great start and again get you through most repairs.....