Buying Used Truck Advice

Hi everyone, I am new here and found this forum in my research process in becoming an owner operator. I feel like I have a good question in my search for buying a used truck. It seems to be the common advice to buy a used truck with around 400k-500k miles. I've notice most of these trucks range from $40k-$50k and up, and are in the 2012-2016 year range. Obviously this can vary significantly but this seems to be a fair range. It also seems like a lot of these trucks in this mileage range can have significant issues with the ERG/DPF systems since they were forced to rollout by government mandate and manufactures have had a lot of issues with these early generation models with these systems cause premature repairs like replacing a turbo at 300-400k instead of 600-700k for soot build up. This is just one example I have read about please feel free to add on or correct me if I am wrong. The 400-500k mileage range also seems to be a common range for fleets and other owners to "dump" off their trucks while they still have higher value and at the warranty expiration and/or at the point right before a lot of major repairs would likely need to be done. Because of all these variables I feel like there is a larger chance at buying a used truck in this 400k-500k mileage range for around $40k-$50k and having significant repair costs right away. I am considering buying a truck for much less (around $20k) with higher mileage (around 700-800k) that would more likely would have gone through more repairs and be mechanically updated instead of one with lower miles on the brink of mechanical failure or repair requirements. I would certainly expect a truck in the higher mileage range, or any used truck I am looking to buy, to be in need of some work. However, with my own due diligence I would like to be able to narrow it down to a very solid running truck (perhaps even from a private seller that took very good care of it) that would require much less maintenance and repair costs off the bat. I feel like this strategy could potentially save me thousands of my hard earned dollars. My goal is to run the truck about two years then upgrade to a newer one so I am anticipating putting about 200k-250k miles on it and certainly expect some unexpected repair needs. Then I plan on upgrading by selling/trading and buying newer, or possibly even keep and invest in rebuilding if I really like the truck. I know this is a lot but any advice would help, I am trying to take some time and research various buying options before I spend thousands of dollars and am hoping to find a truck to last me two years solid without major issues. Thanks ahead for anyone who takes time to reply to this!

 

I will look into that thanks for the feedback!

 

Thanks for taking the time to give your feedback. I actually have my CDL and have been driving with a family member who has there own company for about 4 months. I know this is a short period and most suggest to take extra time to hire into a large carrier, go through their training program, make rookie mistakes in a safer environment, etc. I certainly respect and understand this approach and still am considering it as I haven't pulled the trigger on the O/O route yet. I would probably be an O/O under the family company or look for a carrier like JB Hunt who only requires 3 months experience for O/O's. I actually plan on opening my own LLC and getting my DOT and MC for the long term. To be honest this has been a career change for me due to the pandemic and I have been a company driver for over 10 years, although not CDL I am used to being on the road. I have a technology and management degree and understand the business side and risks associated which is why I am taking this very seriously and doing thorough research and reaching out for feedback from experienced professionals. Those older trucks are certainly an option to be exempt from a lot of the modern changes and headaches in the industry but I think thats may be a better long term option where I could take my time and find a good one or rebuild it the way I want. Thanks for your feedback!

 

Thanks thats a really good point to keep in mind!