Quote:
Originally Posted by Mackman
I say...
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I recently ran into an interesting tip concerning personal car purchase. This guy was recommending to buy used if you like cars, and buy new if you don't care what you drive. His argument was that those who like cars would like to change them often, so it makes more sense to buy used. Those who view cars as transportation and don't care much about their vehicles should buy them new and keep them for as long as possible.
As most truckers I like trucks and I enjoy upgrading/improving them and I bought my 2004 International 9400 used in 2007. Here's an incomplete list of improvements/upgrades/repairs:
headlights
wiper motor
clutch (Lipe, 2000 lb-ft torque rating)
a/c unit
air dryer
transmission upgrade (1650 torque rating to 1850)
starter
cooler tank
engine rerate 435 to 475
engine rerate 475 to 550
performance dyno (3)
driver's seat
sleeper heater
sleeper heater rebuild
roof air deflector (whale tail)
roof air deflector (full)
roof air deflector removed
batteries
half fenders
exhaust
muffler
exhaust stack
extrude honed exhaust manifold
rear axle ratio change: 3.70 to 3.42
under-cab chicken lights removed...
All in all, it's now a totally different truck than what I bought in 2007 for Cnd$64,000
But then you look at the new technology in the form of a International ProStar, and it's like a different ball game altogether. I like the new Maxxforce engine (even though it only has 1,700 lb-ft of torque) and I like the fact that you can spec a new truck from the factory exactly the way you want it thus avoiding expensive upgrades and improvements in the future.
When you buy used, you buy someone else's spec's that might or might not work for you.