Advice for Buying a Truck
I am in need of some advice. I am filing for my own authority, and am in the market for a truck. I have leased as an O/O with a company for the last four years, and am ready to go out on my own. However, the difference between leasing through a company and running your own business is proving to be huge (!). As I search for a truck, my main concern is the price relative to maintenance costs of older trucks (I’ve always leased with new trucks and am unfamiliar with the necessary upkeep of older units), and the second highest concern is fuel mileage.
My situation: I will be teaming with a, shall we say, “girly-girl” who requires plenty of space/storage and creates a gross vehicle weight issue. We are currently in a International Prostar and have a carrying capacity of only 42,500 lbs (not realistic running under own authority), but get great fuel mileage at 8.2 MPG. We run a reefer long haul. We are in the northeast a lot, run through the mountains, and want to be speced for Canada. I want to say below $40,000.00 for my first truck, but am willing to go higher if it’s worth the savings in maintenance over the long run. I am handy with tools and will learn how to fix/maintain as I go, but am a total novice at this point (so big mechanical issues that will cost thousands of dollars to get repaired need to be avoided as best as possible).
As far as I can tell so far, Pete 387, Freightliner Columbia and Century models are in my price range and seem to be on the lighter side. There is a lot of variation among them though and I am looking for information on the following details:
What is the significance between a truck with miles in the 500,000 range and 700,000? As the miles go up, are there updates on the truck that I should look/watch out for? (2006 – 2007 model year trucks usually have mileage in this range).
There seems to be thousand of dollars difference between trucks with slightly different specs, such as
horse power (435 to 515),
engine type (Cummins isx, N 14, or 15, or a Detroit),
transmission ratio (3.36 to 3.70) (I run at around 62/64 miles per hr).
What priority should I give to each of these features? (I know I don’t need more than about 450 HP and a 250 wheel base will keep my turns easier, but I have no clue about the rest of the specs). Are the maintenance costs better for one engine over another, does one pull better, is one lighter, how important is the transmission ratio to consider? Should I worry about this more with certain types of engines over others? Is a 13 speed worth more? Most tires I’ve seen are 22.5, when should I consider different tire profiles?
Between the Pete 387, KW T2000, Columbia and Century, is one better than the other in terms of fuel mileage and maintenance?
Should I care about warranties when looking at trucks with this high of mileage? What is a dyno, and how much do they cost? Do I need to buy and drive the truck for a while to get a proper oil analysis? If so, can I take it back if its bunk?
Upon buying a truck, should I get it tunned immediately, or watch its performance for a while? What tunning should I go with (EMC/LoNox; whats the difference?)
What about extras in the price consideration, i.e. if it comes with a fridge and an APU, should I consider a higher price or just focus on the basics of the truck and purchase these after?
I was also considering buying an old frame, and dropping a new engine in it. Is this feasible/recommended? The point would be to save on the price tag, would this be the case?
Thanks for your time and advice.
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