Advice needed - 2001 Peterbilt 379 1,300,000 miles, $19,900.00 - to buy or not to buy

paperwork for the rebuild. you maight steer clear of this truck if a shadetree grease monkey rebuilt the motor. find out the gear ratio, pull an oil sample. get VIN# and go to rigdig.com and get a report. kinda like carfax. and have a good mechanic look at it if possible. dont forget to ask if the rears were rebuilt or replaced and if not, were they serviced on a regular basis? same with the tranny. price seems pretty fair though

 

You need to make sure about the condition of the engine, transmission and rears. Those are the most expensive repairs. It would be worthwhile to check the paperwork on any major repairs and have a mechanic to check it over. It is rare to find a 379 for less than $20,000, regardless of the age or condition. If the truck is in good shape then it would be worth the asking price. I would not buy it if there was a chance of having to start making major repairs such as the transmission or rears unless you can do the work yourself. If the owner doesn't have the paperwork on the engine and the overhaul was done at an authorized dealer you can take the serial number off the engine and they can tell you anything that has been done to the engine.

 

For a small fee you can gain a ton of info on the truck at most any dealer that has a system (can't remember the name) that allows the truck to be placed on a set of rollers and the entire suspension will be analyized. Then put the truck on a diagnostic and have the codes read (ECM). This will tell you what the spec's were when the truck was new. Any codes will tell you what may be ailing or need TLC. Finally, no paperwork on the overhaul, no overhaul was doen. No matter how much talk and story telling is done, no paperwork means no overhaul. Starting out you can't afford to find yourself involved with an in-frame situation. You're out of business before you get in business. Last but ceertainly not least, don't fall in love with the truck just because you sooo want a Peterbilt 379. Fact is trucks are all over the place and if this one doesn't pass muster you will find one that is right for you and the money you have to invest to get started. Just be willing to either keep looking or start wrenching. Good Luck!

 

put it on a dyno and see how good that engine is and of course paperwork,,, i would oil sample the engine and the boxes, find out if it was used to pull heavy or just 80k the rest of the truck as long as it isn't ragged it will be ok

 

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It's Ok coz the other day I was looking everywhere for the keys to my Pete. My wife asked me what I was looking for and when I told her she said their probably in the ignition since the truck was running!!!! Oh yeah, nice way to start the day!! lolzzzzzzzz