I have the opportunity to purchase truck # 3 at a cheap price.... Truck is a 2001 Freightshaker Columbia with Cummins ISX 450, 10 speed autoshift (generation 2) 3.73 rears and mileage of 525333 matched by ECM.... Truck drives nice and runs good, interior in good shape, exterior in good shape, local truck. Need to get it Dyno'd and inspected though...
I can buy it for 19k....

???????

Good engine, okay transmission, cheap price. At least it isn't a Generation 1 autoshift.

$15k

Any truck with over 500k miles is risky. That is when most frightliners start falling apart and that 19k could turn into a much higher figure. Might be Ok to use only as a local truck and with a price of 14k or so.

I'd just as soon buy that one and dump $30,000 into rebuilding everything than spend the same money on a new emission engine in a late model used truck.

Having said that, if I was going to buy a truck that old, I'd be hesitant on buying a model that has a reputation of being "cheaply built." Then again, I've never owned one, so it's just hearsay.

Rebuilding an older engine can get expensive fast. You can end up spending much more than 30k due to parts failing prematurely within a 3-year period.

If it is really clean it might be worth what they are asking, but the autoshift would discount it in my book. I would try to get into it for somewhere between $12-15M in today's suppressed market. The autoshifts can be rather expensive to repair from what I have been told.

I just received an email for:

2005 International 9400i
Cummins ISX 435hp
10 Speed
3.58 Ratio
226 WB
Air Slide
ngine Brake
6 Aluminums
Mileage 390k - 475k

Cash Price $33,750.00

WOW!

It is clean and "feels" tight.... I am going to have it dyno'd and inspected at Cummins NW sometime this week. That will cost me 200 to 300 bucks but if it checks out I'll start my offer at 15k and see what happens....

Gracias for the others for their always sage responses...

Isn't anyone curious what that truck has been doing for 8 years besides rolliing down the highway?