When you are buying a used tractor or trailer what kind of things set off warning bells for you?

There are dozens of threads on this very subject..... Use the search feature of this forum, and if you have any questions after, please ask away.:thumbsup:

I"d stay away from a truck that's been sitting too long. I bought mine because it looked great and had very low mileage (2004 International 9400; 165,000 miles in April 2007). Then things started falling apart. If you have a choice with a truck that has been working without sitting and has higher mileage than the one that has been sitting on the dealer's lot - take the first one!

No maintenance records is usually the biggie for me, otherwise I bring bottle jacks, pry bars, coolant test strips, flashlight and other tools for poking, prying, etc. If the dealer/ owner balks, I walk.

When they say a little old lady only drove it back and forth to church on Sunday.

I know all about the search feature on this forum. But since you seem to be so much smarter than me and my search words and phrases did not yield me the informaiton I was looking for maybe you would bestow upon me your vast knowledge of exactly which words or phrases to use.

After all I have only been a member of this forum for such a short period of time and do not know how to use the forum features.

Initially, I look at how the interior was kept. If it is a newer truck and has a lot of damage, missing pieces, etc., in the interior then I feel that since the driver didn't take care of the area where he worked and slept that he probably didn't take care of the maintenance on the truck. I prefer seeing a truck before it is detailed. You can tell how a truck was taken care of to some degree by driving it. If it doesn't feel right then I move on to the next truck. If tires are not new you can look for excessive tire wear. That could be anything from an alignment to kingpins or other front end problems, if it is on the steers. The only way to be certain is to jack the front end up. You can check the fan clutch for wear. You can do these things without spending any money. If these meet your expectations then and you want to purchase the truck you can take it to a mechanic and have them check the ECM, pull an oil sample and do a dyno on the engine. These other things should cost around $300-500 for everything. Not all dealers can do a dyno. I prefer going to the engine dealer or distributor for the dyno, but some dealers can do them for you. I have seen figures for just the dyno from $150-300. An oil sample can cost from $15-25 or so. If you know a good mechanic you may be able to pay him to go with you to check a truck out before going too far with it. I would not start spending money until I found a truck that I wanted to purchase. These tests should be the last thing you do before signing on the dotted line. One thing to keep in mind when looking at trucks is the mileage. Just as a high mileage truck can be a good buy, a low mileage truck can be a bad deal. Mileage alone will not tell you much about the trucks condition. And don't be mislead by those who claim that they have warranty on the truck they sell you. With a warranty, some items may not be covered. Some repairs may need to be paid for when done and then get reimbursed by the dealer when you get home. What ever you purchase keep your payments low. You can weather slow economic times if you don't have big truck payments. Thousands of owner operators have lost their trucks this year. I would suspect most had big truck payments.

I'm going with Tracer 1st...that if a truck or trailer has been sitting too long..things start to dry up, rust, fall apart after getting back to work. if a truck has been sitting for a long time, chances are others have also felt it wasn't a good truck either and took something else off the lot.

Tractor= I like to get in and just sit there a while. Too many guys have said " if I a had only seen that BEFORE I bought it" Spend 45 mins to an hour just sitting in the drivers and passengers side seats. Play with things, pull things out, turn switches off and on 4 to 10 times each (this will tell you what has been superglued back together) Once you start to find bandaids on things...time to start back to the car and look for another place to shop.

Trailer= depends on type (to an extent) rust, welds, new bolts, new brake chambers, DOT bumper condtion,,,, the list goes on.

I try to get a feel if the sales department is pushing me to buy. Buying a tractor or trailer is something that needs to fit your hauling situation. You are going to spend a lot of money and several years with your new purhcase (hopefully) so deciding slow after asking hundreds of questions, taking digital pics BEFORE you buy are good places to start.