Pepe- If you are a Citibank customer tell the bank what U R planning on doing and they may have a relationship with the auction house to get the payment to them. Only have enough on you for the deposit, way safer them having your checks, drafts, cash all on you. Also when you get to an auction check in point advise them on the payment plans and I am sure they will have a procedure. Also remember if you register the truck in California you will be hit for tax at DMV on the sales price. A final suggestion is to take a truckpaper or other printed listing of prices to compare what you are bidding on, sometimes an auction price isn't also always the best price you will find. A big crowd, with big bidders will drive up prices. Just a question between LA and Sacramento you can't the type of truck you like?? There's like a thousand between Sacramento and Fresno alone, Heck there's a 1000 in Stockton, Frecnh Camp and Modesto. Good Luck, Bill

Say Bill thks for the input, yeah tried to get Citibank to work with me on this,but they fell way short of me being satisfied with them.
Hmmm yeah sure I can find trucks I like, but not for a discount price I want, and I am a real bargin shopper. I want to put a big emphasis on paying the least possible amount, and saving as much as I can for possible repairs, just taking a beating from the dealers out here not wanting to come down much....at auction could be a good deal to be had and worth the trip since RB had a big one out here a litte while ago and the Sacramento one they will have looks lame so far as far as variety. Hate to go so far, but the selection they have looks to easily justify the trip.

You may want to give them a call before leaving and ask them the type of payment method they will accept.

I paid for my truck with a cashiers check and cash. They still had to call my bank to make sure the cashiers check was real then they went to the bank to make sure all the 100 dollar bills were real!!!

Pepe, it seems to me if you are traveling halfway across the country to buy a truck, you may want to calculate your traveling expenses, and then add them to your optimal purchase price, and just stay in CA and buy something there for that amount. Does this make sense?

For example, if you want a purchase price of $30,000, but traveling to Pennsylvania and back will be ??$2,000?? plus the cost of your time to do it at ??$15/hr?? or maybe ??$1.50/mile??, then add all that to the thirty grand and you have your bid for a truck in CA, which is a heck of alot closer to home.

Although, if you are saving many thousands of dollars buy traveling, then it certainly seems worth it. Good luck.

Yup, I agree. Cost me a plane ticket, fuel, tolls, food and hotel for 3 days coming home because I didn't have a bed or anything else at the time.

Yes thks, yeah I've calculated it all out and if I get a good price then its been worth it easy, a good price being 10k-15k less then here.
Been to lots of dealers here, and they just wont come down and some of the prices are to high to begin with, my biggest expense will be the feul to come home, wish there was a good auction closer, but the only close one I can find is an RB in Sacramento, and there selection is lame. RB is a good auction for day cabs I've noticed but Adesa has them beat hands down on sleeper trucks. Although the RB auction in Dallas looked good, but thats well over now. I am only spending 200. to greyhound for the trip(some people say fly...nope just looking to save $), time I got plenty of since I am not working a steady job now, and just looking to cut costs. Hmmm esxpensises look like the ticket 200, motel one night 40 and the rental car probably 200-400 one day....another hmmm 1,000 for feul home.
Yeah I can't get crap here for 30,000........I would have thought so but they wouldnt take an offer of 37,000 on a 2002 Pete and wouldnt take 32,000 on a 2002 columbian, no dealer will go down much here so auction really seemes the way to go since its the bottom line is my emphisis.
Now the max I will spend is 30k....hoping to actually do better then I am saving over 10k. Hmmm it would come to 2000 if I go to both the coastal auction (Charloette N.C.) and the Adesa auction in Mercer Pa good selection there too) but i am looking to save a minimum of 8k (hope to do better, but my first auction n dont know), and my times not a factor, that i got plenty of :-p
By far the hardest think to work out is payment, coastal wants payment that day, so any overnight is out, payment in hand only. So Going to take bank notes, in various denominations, and there is an Citi bank atm so I have acess to another 5 k to do the smller denomination....say I bid 21k and win....got two drafts for 10k then pay 1k bills.

If you are going to be in Charlotte, you may want to check with the Freightliner dealer. They are one of the larger dealers and I have known of a couple of owner operators who told me that they have gotten good deals from them. You might even call them in advance to see what they have in stock. They may have a website you can check.

True G-man, but I am such a cheapskate I am more looking to just buy if I can get a real bargin, and most likely I want to get a possible 10k-20k off the going price and take my chances with the possible repairs.
Yeah its been my experience freightliner doesnt really want to come down on the price much....n auction I have a chance to possibloy get lucky since I am paying cash.
For example I made an offer of 36k, to a freightliner dealership out here on a 2002 Columbian they wanted 44k for (real low miles why the fiqures high price, it had 480,000 miles on the ecm they said); they wouldnt even consider the offer(didnt even take my #). The same truck I would hope to buy at auction for 30k.....or pass till I can get 1 that people ran out of $ on to bid....well I can hope to get lucky huh? Kinda like going to the club and saying you only want to go home with the bombshell lady you can find lol....or your going home alone lol Sure its a gamble on my part, but I am such a cheapskate I like doing business this way, try for the big savings if you can, n hold out till you can.

Dealers in CA are more ruthless than the rest of the country. At least, that's been my experience.

Remember the Gaitlin brothers said "CA is a whole new game".

Woooa went to their website n took a look, the managers special looks nice! Since I am there think Ill pop in and make them n offer of 18k cash. Its a nice looking frame and suspension either way even if I have to rebuilt the engine in about 200k miles ( could get the engine and possibly tranny rebuilt with the money I saved...hmmm just a thought.

http://www.charlotteselectrucks.com/...3/Default.aspx

The nice thing about buying from freightliner is they will dyno it for me; usually free of charge, n with the auction the only test I get before is, 'buyer beware.'

Thats a lot of miles. However, it does have a new trans. Plus, since its from a "moving company" aka HHG, it never came close to pulling 80K loads :wink: I bet they'd take 18K for it out the door if you had cash in hand. I'd have to se a few more pics though...

Whew just got in to Charloette n woke up from my nap :-P Well I got a room with wi-fi so I am back on the net :-) Yeah that trucks gone already, but heading over to the auction in the morning (figured that one would be gone before i got here) he sent me a link to the newest mgrs special.
This is their new mgrs special n it would easily justify comming this far is its about 10k off the prices I was getting in so cal
http://www.truckpaper.com/listings/d...9BB16F2F7069A6
hmmm wonder if he would take 20 or 21?

Wow- Pepe if U get that you we can all call SterlingPepe, what a deal.

Yeah Bill if I can get it it more then justifies the trip, was pounding the lots at an enterprise truck lot (just outside of LA area), he had 15 or so, 2002's freightliner columbians listed all at about 600k miles, he was asking 39,900 and laughed at my 32k cash offer n said no way.
Hmmm I came here n will possibly offer 20k in the morning and hope he bites (a 1 year older truck, less miles for about 15k less (true columbian is a little better then sterling but 15k more???hmmm), but kinda want to go by that auction first, but dunno.
They had a lot of Petes n KW's listed at that Coastal auction so kinda wana go look b4 I bite on this 1.

Personal opinion,I would atleast go to the auction and see what they have,you made the trip don't settle on the Sterling,believe me it will still be there later.

Small wheelbase like that will beat the crap out of you and I think you can find a much better road tractor.