Used Truck for Sale Guide - help choosing the right used truck first
Used Truck for Sale Guide
Used Truck for Sale Guide helps you choose and buy the right truck the first time. Adding a used tractor trailer to your delivery fleet? Looking for a truck conversion candidate or big rig conventional for a new contract? Follow these guidelines to ensure your used commercial truck purchase goes well, providing you years of success.
When choosing a used truck for use in short haul, long haul, flatbed work, heavy mountain driving, or day cab contracts, be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the particular platform you are considering. If you haven't read our Seven Commandments for buying any truck - read that first! These commandments of advice will save you thousands of dollars and a lot of headaches.
If you haven't seen our truck make and model quick reference chart - browse that next! It identifies many popular major makes and models, complete with a list of advantages and disadvantages.
If you are spending more than $10,000 get the help and advice of a professional salesman, used truck dealer or broker. See Truck Links for other dealers I know are reputable, experienced and intelligent enough to be worth every penny they may cost you in "markup". I say "may" cost you because usually they SAVE you money. They purchase the trucks wholesale, can mark them up for a fair profit, and still offer them to you retail for less than you will find on the street.
Whether buying from a school district, municipal government, or used truck dealer, you have a number of issues to consider. First you have to decide which type truck you want (see navigational links on the left that appear on every page) then you decide budget and begin research on the individual units in consideration.
Just because a truck is being sold at an auction doesn't mean it's a worn out piece of junk. Usually due to insurance reasons they have been maintained quite well. Many agencies have to sell due to decreased enrollment in a project or funding changes. Sometimes it's simply their policy - no trucks over 5 years old or over 200,000 miles, etc.
Trying to save a few bucks on the foundation is unwise. If you need to skimp do so on the cosmetics later. The church kids or tour group you are delivering the carnival trailer for aren't going to care if you are using a conventional or a cabover, but schedule a big event and have a breakdown due to faulty brakes, and they'll never forget it. Your spouse may not mind that the bed mattress you put in is lightweight foam, but if the truck won't start, you won't be using the bed at all.
So, you have access to an auction list or an inventory of used trucks, or an individual truck in mind. Ask for service records, original paperwork, and recent repair receipts. Everything in the paper trail will help you determine value and avoid potential problems. It will also reward you with some eye opening information.
Oh, you mean you didn't know an engine swap could cost $3,000? Surprised that a brake job with rotors and new lines was $1,400? Or that at tire mounted and balanced might cost $400? Receipts and paperwork are very valuable.
Carefully look through the paperwork and avoid the purchase of trucks with no paper trail at all. Look for weird situations. Finding a receipt for an AC charge might be good, if its recent. Come across receipts for an AC charge done three times in the last year and you have a problem. Of the receipts don't have the truck VIN on them how do you know the receipts are for the truck your looking at.
Rule of thumb when buying a truck for one third the original price. BUDGET for parts an labor on ANY mechanical part for which you don't have a good history, receipt trail, or ability to inspect. In other words if you can't verify it's condition then don't buy the truck unless you can afford to replace it, part by part. That means: AC, brakes, hydraulic lines, engine compression, transmission condition, steering and front end parts, electrical system from the wiring harness to the gauges, alternator and fuse panels, tires, body, and glass, air compressor buildup and recovery times, and many other items your mechanic can advise you about.
It is possible to buy a used straight delivery truck for $5,000 that originally sold for over $70,000 or a nearly indestructible tractor trailer for 10% of the original price. With such a great bargain to begin with, you really shouldn't purchase anything but the best foundation you can afford. You may later choose to spend $10,000 or hundreds of hours of your time on converting or customizing the truck or establishing yourself as a dependable long haul driver. Do you really want to build on a shell that has a bad frame? Do you really want to invest so much in a truck that has a bad engine or transmission that you must constantly fight with?
Rust - When buying a used truck remember - rust cannot be stopped. Rust does not rest. Rust MUST be taken seriously no matter how cheap your truck candidate is. If you think you can sheet metal and bondo your way to a permanent fix, think again. If the rust is just a little, it'll grow quickly by the time you're done investing a lot of your time and money. A little rust on the body surface may be acceptable for the price. Do not, however, accept structural rust, heavily flaking frames, rusting-out fenders or hood hinge mounts. Anything that would be a major problem when (not if) it gets twice as bad as it is now, will make you very sorry.
Service Records - If it's been in fleet use, it has one. If you're buying from a middle man and he can't produce it, you may have problems, possibly serious ones. If not, he'd be proudly displaying the records. Check how long since the engine rebuild - they last about 100 -150,000 miles, depending on whether they are driven stop and go in the mountains or over long stretches of flat highway.
Leaks - Look for ANY signs of leaks, particularly from Automatic Transmissions. Some really old Allison transmissions used in trucks have weak front seals and leak when the transmission gets really hot. Don't buy a truck with a leaky transmission. A replacement Allison can cost $5,000 parts and labor. Leaking brake components or hydraulic systems can be expensive to repair also.
Transmissions - try for an automatic unless you have a real preference. Older standard shifts are becoming harder to sell because the new automatics seem to get better fuel mileage. Allison makes the best transmission systems.
Engines - get the biggest engine you can afford, especially if you are adding conversion weight to the vehicle. There is NO substitute for size (raw cubic inches) I don't care what the ads say. My
car has a 440 in it why would you buy a truck to pull heavy loads long distances with the smallest engine available? - Used Truck For Sale Guide
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