Stay away. Don't bother. The pre-egr ones were okay, but as soon as egr came in they were among the worst engines. I'll second GMANS recommendation for a former schneider truck, but make it 2003 or older. 2.64 gears, with a 12.7 DDC4 detroit should get you the best fuel mileage possible. Those trucks are good for around 60-65 mph.

I don't those gears will be good for local drayage. Try for 3.73s.

I have spoken to some who say that they get better fuel mileage with the Mercedes engine than some of the others on the market. They have also said that the engine doesn't pull as well as Cummins, Detroit or CAT. Repairs are likely to be expensive since you will usually need to go back to a dealer for parts and possibly service. I can't ever see me buying a truck that has a brand specific engine, such as Mercedes, Paccar or International. I used to only own Detroit engines and they are reliable and do well on fuel. I would try to find a truck with one of the other engines. If you go with Freightliner then you are more likely to find one with a Detroit than any other brand. Parts and service are easily available and they are proven reliable. If you do decide to buy this truck with the Mercedes engine then come back and let us know how you like it and how well it performs.

I think I'm going to stay away from it, I just can't afford to risk it. The truck is beautiful and it's in great condition but I hear too many negative things. Some people on other message boards and reviews and such praise it, say it gets better mileage than anything else, say it'll run forever if you just do decent PM. However, everyone else is saying basically what you guys are. That they don't pull for ****, the engine break is a joke, etc. My price range is about 15k so I'm having a little difficulty finding the truck I want. Over anything I would prefer an 03 or newer Volvo with autoshift (going from where I live to NY/NJ ports is lots of stop and go traffic) but I'm flexable and willing to travel. The Schneider trucks are pretty nice like you guys reccommended but I just can't get over that god awful color. I'm very particular about things and I'm going to search the world over before I fold and get a truck with that ugly orange. Of course I could just get it painted but I don't have the money for luxury expenses like that. Anyway, I really appreciate the advice guys. I'm gona make sure it wasn't for nothing.

2.64's with a direct 10 speed is almost identical to 3.55's with an overdrive 10 speed. It's just more efficient.

You can always drive the truck for a few months until you can save to have it painted. Just put a big "T" on the side and people will think that you are a Tennessee Vol fan.

Just to give you a heads up. I just had my daycab Mack painted. cost me 2200.00 Thats with no door jams. Cuz the r model macks dont have paint in the door jams

Can you explain this to me?

Found a pretty nice Volvo with autoshift for a good price but the color is even worse. It's purple. I'm too picky.

Yes I can. The 2.64 or 3.55 is the "final drive ratio" which is the ratio of how many times the driveshaft turns vs. the tires. 2.64 turns of the driveshaft, and the tires turn once.

Primarily transmissions come in a "direct drive" or "overdrive" flavor. Here's some ratios:

Transmission Manual HD

Compare the direct drive 10 speed (final ratio 1:1) to the overdrive 10 speed(final ratio .75:1)

In first gear:

14.8 X 2.64 = 39.072:1
11.6 X 3.55 = 39.263:1

In final gear:

1 X 2.64 = 2.64
.75 X 3.55 = 2.6625

If you took these two trucks there's no way you could tell a difference just by driving them. They would shift exactly the same.

So, one isn't better than the other? When it comes down to it they're basically the same? Do people prefer one ratio over another and if so why?