firebird said:
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if he is set on a auto, most freightliners have the "smart shift" the WORST. but then again.. i never drove another except a 6 speed alison which was amazing actually. not my cup of tea but as far as auto goes.. amazing. drove like car but it was in a city columbia.
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Okay... I didn't know there was a different 'auto' than the smartshift type that the Columbia I drove (once) had. It seems he has no choice but to go with the auto, so... my comments might be out of place about taking the cheaper Freightliner. As I recall, I had to "flap the paddle" on that Columbia to shift... and it was REAL SLOW to respond! If there are other "autos" out there that shift like my car, well... that might not be so bad.
So... did you drive this "auto" in the city OF Columbia... or WAS it a Columbia? I'm a bit confused.
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the smartshift is next to impossible to back in with.
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That's what my brother said! Especially trying to get a good "seal" against a dock! [most of his trucks were autos, including that Pete.]
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hobo, a lot of people say they hate the 387. i'm considering building a glider out of one but never drove or sat in one.
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I KNOW you must be kidding.... talk about overweight pigs! My brother dubbed the 387 as "Snoopy" and the 378 (is that right?) as.... Bullwinkle!
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as far as the 770 goes, in my opinion its major flaw is its weight. if it wasnt such a pig i'd get one in a heart beat. being you drive one i have a question, how uncomfterable is the "bed" on the bottom? when you fold the table down?
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WHAT bed? lol! Okay... the question is do you drive SOLO or team?
IF you drive solo, I would leave the table set up, and sleep on the top bunk! OR... I would bring the very thin mattress from the top bunk down and place it on top of the "cushions" that serve as a mattress on the bottom bunk. By themselves.... they are not very comfortable to sleep on (UNLESS... as I did once before... you put a layer of memory foam UNDER them!) You would not believe the difference!
On the other hand.... I can sleep on just about anything! So... I don't have a problem sleeping on the "cushions" that constitute a mattress in my Volvo... EVEN while bouncing down broken highways!
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back to the orginal post, if you could manage with the manual for a first truck i highly recomend a columbia. i love mine.
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I think the O.P. said an AUTO was mandatory due to his knees. If there are better shifting autos than the Columbia, I retract my concern for the cost, and my recommendation. However.... I was VERY pleased with the manual Columbia I drove for nearly 3 yrs. I've seen 4yr old Columbias at about $20k or so. THAT is what I plan to start out with when I make the jump. IF I see that I'm making good money as an O/O.... I will plan for a W900 with a "studio" sleeper or, at least a Volvo 770 for my second truck. But, my main concern is to keep my truck payments as low as possible until I see how things go.