[allan5oh]

I was thinking about this, honestly I think for a first time buyer payments are essential. It teaches you how to budget properly.

It also teaches you what replacement cost would be in an emergency. For someone that's been in this industry for a while, no payments at all is best.

[Hawkjr]

well around here in central virginia in the richmond area, there's alot of paper mills and wood chip hauling is somewhat the cash cow.. there's also container companies that hire like crazy in the Virginia Area but i hear that's at the bottom of the barrel...

i was looking on truckpaper.com and i see 01-03 Western Stars run pretty low, between the 17 to 24 K range... not really high on mileage i guess..

are those western stars cheaply built?? they are nice trucks but they are mad cheap??

[flood]

Originally Posted by allan5oh

Yes credit is essential,

i tend to disagree with this. i have NO DEBT and i have never had a credit card, don't need credit.

[GMAN]

I don't think credit is essential, but could help in financing your initial growth. I don't think long term debt is good. I consider credit as short term, such as 30 days. I think of debt as going into years of obligation. You can finance your equipment and be successful. However, it is much better to have the money to pay cash for your equipment and enough to run it until the money starts coming in. Being debt free is always preferable to going into debt.

[allan5oh]

Originally Posted by flood

i tend to disagree with this. i have NO DEBT and i have never had a credit card, don't need credit.

The problem with that is, what if you blow your engine in the middle of nowhere tomorrow?

1) How are you going to pay the potentially $1000+ tow bill?

2) How are you going to pay the potentially $15k+ engine rebuild bill? Remember, they won't let your truck leave until it is paid.

[Cummins_444]

Originally Posted by allan5oh

The problem with that is, what if you blow your engine in the middle of nowhere tomorrow?

1) How are you going to pay the potentially $1000+ tow bill?

2) How are you going to pay the potentially $15k+ engine rebuild bill? Remember, they won't let your truck leave until it is paid.

Not necessarily…………I have an account with whiteford kenworth of southbend and westville, schilli in Remington Indiana, and a local truck repair. I’m billed for the work. So once the truck is finished I sign the invoice and drive off. They send me a nice bill in the mail. I use schilli’s breakdown while on the road. If I need a service call or tow I call them and they find the place and set it up and pay for it and they bill me later.

[flood]

Originally Posted by allan5oh

The problem with that is, what if you blow your engine in the middle of nowhere tomorrow?

1) How are you going to pay the potentially $1000+ tow bill?

2) How are you going to pay the potentially $15k+ engine rebuild bill? Remember, they won't let your truck leave until it is paid.

VISA debit card. 15-20k in savings (truck maintenance account) next

kinda like when i was out running around last year and i found the dodge ram my wife wanted color. 4x4, club cab, everything she had wanted so i just pulled out the visa debit card and drove home her PAID for truck.

it's all in the way you think if you feel that credit is good then you will ALWAYS owe someone,

look at it this way what could you do if you didn't have a houes payment, car payment, boat payment, 4wheeler payment, bike payment, how much money could you save...? btw i have all this and it's all paid for with cash. all but the house 10 year note and it's paid for now and no you DON"T need credit to buy a house.

[GMAN]

We have a very odd opinion when it comes to credit in this country. We are much too quick to use credit to finance purchases rather than paying cash. Credit and greed are the two primary reasons we have gotten into such a bad situation in this country. I saved my money and paid cash for my first truck and trailer. It can be done. All it takes is a little discipline. When I grew up and during my early years we didn't use credit or credit cards like we do today. Most people paid cash for most purchases. Many paid cash for their cars. It was rare to pay cash for a home. We got along just fine without having to borrow so much money. If you pay cash for your truck and have a major breakdown without money or credit then you are out of business. The advantage you have is that you can go to work for another company until you save enough to repair your truck. The other alternative is that you can sell your truck and stick the money in your pocket to save for your next truck or use it as a down payment on another truck. Most of us spend thousands of dollars in interest and fees each year for the privilege of using a credit or debit card. If we waited until we could afford to make most purchases we would be much better off and not have the constant pressure of making those monthly payments.

[Gunfighter]

Originally Posted by Hawkjr

i was looking on truckpaper.com and i see 01-03 Western Stars run pretty low, between the 17 to 24 K range... not really high on mileage i guess..

are those western stars cheaply built?? they are nice trucks but they are mad cheap??

Nothing wrong with a Star but check how they are speced out. I currently have two of them and find they ride well and are very well built.

Gunfighter

[tracer]

Originally Posted by Hawkjr

i was looking on truckpaper.com and i see 01-03 Western Stars run pretty low, between the 17 to 24 K range... not really high on mileage i guess..are those western stars cheaply built?? they are nice trucks but they are mad cheap??

western star is the same freightliner. both are built at the same plant. the only difference is western star has a steel cab so that it's somewhat heavier than a freightliner. when a truck's too heavy, you may be limited in your choice of loads. also, classic trucks have a long wheelbase (with the steer tires at the very bumper). aerodynamic trucks are easier to manouver in tight spaces (like truck stops, shippers/receivers warehouses etc.). despite their many practical advantages, aerodynamic trucks lose their value much faster than classic trucks: it's hard to sell them if you run into an emergency situation.