My point is no matter what the local used truck salesman says, trucks aren't a one size fits all business.

 

How is that possible?

 

Fuel prices have come down so long live the hoods. According to this board, hood O/O's get more cpm than Areo truck owners so that makes up the difference too. EX: look at what Rev gets compared to Pepe.

 

I always take a good, long look at the long hood trucks. They just have such class. :thumbsup: Might just be my prejudice, but I think they have a lot of pride in their ride.

 

Come on rev, you know **** well that's only half the story. True depreciation is purchase cost minus selling cost. Besides, what is listed at truckpaper is not what they're "fetching".

I'll admit the classics have a nicer interior, but even that has gone downhill. A friend of mine bought an 06 w900 and his 96 had a much better interior.

Other then the interior, is there really much of a difference? Same engines, trannys, differentials, driveline, brakes, brake chambers, air lines, starters, alternators, coolant, front axles, batteries on and on....

Truth be told, take the hood and cab off, and you'd have a hard time telling what kind of truck it is.

 

I like the perspectives here. I find it fun and insightful! Hard to find in trucking in general? Musicman is a friend and told me I’d like it!

Well, I've run both Hood’s & Aero’s pulling reefer's (379Exh, W900L & 387's) and all I can tell you is the mileage difference is provably different (especially into head-winds). Otherwise, no...I didn't say that heavy haul had any bearing what-so-ever on the issue. MPG has nothing to do with a small niche application. Yes, T-6’s are doing well too…

Will hoods be around for a while? Of course...All I'm trying to place a perspective on here is that as a part-time dealer and running under my own authority, the market place has changed. Is it currently supporting hoods again? Sum what? When fuel goes back up again, we'll see?

Additionally there are bigger problems, as more O/O's return to company driving or leave the business (which they are) it's having an additional impact on resale values. If you doubt my perspective take a quick search on ebay for Pete 379's. I've never seen so many on there! Then run 387’s…big difference!
…Yes, and truckpaper is asking a lot for hoods. So, they aren't selling for near those prices, if & when they do sell! There’s too many...Russia was buying and taking trucks (hundreds at a time) out of the country for the past 3 or 4 years. They've stopped buying because their economy is in bigger trouble than the U.S. is...

The day of "we finance all credits is over!"...Have you seen the average credit scores in trucking? I have, and I can tell you paying too much for chrome & chicken lights is over too! The credit-crunch is hitting trucking just like the housing market… More and more good business minded O/O’s are surviving in trucking...NOT the hobo-cowboy O/O’s of yester-year. The survivors will be folks like I read on this blog! Who understand business?

Yes, I love the 379 Exhd classic look too. It’s not about style anymore; it’s about a business formula that works! Fuel mpg is no small issue any more…Perception is 9/10’s of what drives any market. If they are financable…the first question is how many mpg’s dose it get? And, finally they ask if you have an ECM printout to prove it? If not, they want one subject to buying…

 

Name a well built aero truck.

I average around 6 mpg. I know guys with W900's that get upwards of 7 mpg. I know guys with Century Class trucks that get 5.5 mpg.

Does a hood cost $30,000 more than an aero? It sure as heck didn't when I bought my truck in 2005.

So the 05 Century Class that was listed for $30K less than the comparable 379 probably isn't "fetching" that either.

There is a huge difference. Everything from how the truck is assembled to how the components are designed to fit to the truck. You'd be surprised how much of that engine is not manufactured by the engine manufacturer. Huge amounts of my 379 engine are PACCAR products rather than Cummins products.

 

The one I'm sitting in! My '06 T-600. The T6 was originally designed as a modified W900 back in the '80s. The drivetrain, interior, sleeper, frame, etc. is the exact same as a W9. Same truck, with the exception of the nose. I have no real experience with the T2000s or 387s, so I can't say about those.

I have also known people who swear by Volvos. Haven't spent a great deal of time in one, but the one I drove sure drove nice.

Honestly, I agree that the columbia/century trucks are built cheaply, but they can last quite awhile. Couldn't believe it, but I was next to a pumpkin driver earlier today, and he had over 700,000 miles on that truck. I'm sure it took lots in repairs to keep it going for that long, but how much did they save in fuel over that 700k? For that matter, how much less money did they dump into that than they would have on a "well built" truck?

 

Compared to some of the current offerings, a T600 isn't even an "aero" truck.

Volvos are great trucks that are a PITA to work on, and are notorious for electrical problems.

 

Only major electrical problems I have is ABS wiring, and I just changed it all with some good quality wire. There's not a single truck out there that is immune to that. I've seen a lot of w9's with ABS lights on, for some reason.

How much did you pay for your truck rev?