I'll let you know on the repairs from hell with my 1995 925,000 mile truck.I do know one thing,....I have had plenty of vehicles, and plenty of warranties, and only once was the repair covered 100%.(a 1976 VW campermobile with a leaking heat exchanger).

I expect to have to repair, or have this truck repaired at a shop when I'm not home,.....that said,

I feel a lot better knowing that when I break down, I have already paid for my truck in full. I just didn't think I could handle a payment, not knowing how this going back trucking thing will go.

 

Steve...The way I look at it, by doing that "elective" repair, you just saved yourself plenty of Moola and headache.


Oh yeah..if most repairs are made when they are still minor...they may never have the opportunity to become major.

 

You mean like the time I was riding down the road minding my own business and my motor decides that I had an extra $12,000 that I needed to get rid of?

I had a truck the last 2 years that was paid off and had around a million miles on it,each of the last 2 years I had over $16,000 in repairs,considering the extra taxes I was paying and on top of that the repairs it just wasn't worth it to not have a payment.Now I have a much nicer truck and my tax liability is much easier and I don't have as many down days(loss revenue).

I thought it was a good move to have a truck paid off,but for me it didn't work out.

 

If you cant turn a wrench and dont know a slack adjuster from a seatbelt adjuster then you should not buy a used truck. New trucks are nice especially after you work out the bugs, but I cant justify the payment to haul the same freight I can move with a used truck. Someone said to each his own and I agree with that. But each needs to understand the costs associated with new and used. Our economy is going to double by the year 2020 and we are going to have to move this economy and I personally want to put as much profit as I can in my pockets.

 

You gotta remember, Bandit has his own truck now. '06 T-600 Studio sleeper...

And, on the whole house hold movers and weight issue...I don't see what the difference is? Other than our trucks are HEAVIER at any given point than a typical freight truck. If my LIGHT WEIGHT is 46k lbs.....and my buddies w900l with his spread axle reefer is 34k...who's heavier? I am, by 12k lbs. Now...I go and load up 34k lbs. of furniture...and, I'm at 80k lbs. He goes and picks up 46k lbs. of produce...he's at 80k as well...I don't see where orangetxguy's argument comes in to play at all. If anything else, a big bunk 379, or w900 is going to bring an empty weight of around 50k lbs. to the table, if not more...household loads typically fall in the 24-30k lbs. range, occasionally heavier....I'd a LOT rather yank that around than 45k lbs. of tomatoes or what have you...because even a light household load is going to blow your best paying dry van, flat bed, reefer load out of the water pay wise. IT doesn't matter if the loads themselves are lighter, our trucks are a good 10-15k lbs. heavier than a typical freight truck...I've sat right around 80k and still had room for more in my trailer, before.

 

I may not be driving in 2020, but I will have freight moving in 2020. I'm not going to argue the new vs used point. You have a new truck, I guess and are okay with the payment, for now. One day the light will come on.