First Time Truck Buyer 2021 Peterbilt 579

Right now is not the best time to enter the industry as an owner operator. Between the rates, operational costs, your personal expenses, and that engine, it could sink you financially. Wait these times out no matter how tempting it might look.

 

It's a PACCAR. Run from it, at top speed, against the governor. If it had a Cummins, I'd say consider it. But remember, 500k is the end of the warranty.

I knew a guy at Ozark bought the same truck, a 579 with a Paccar. Nice truck, good condition. I told him that PACCAR will eat his lunch. He said "Nah, it's well maintained and runs great." I said "Ok, talk to me in a year."

Six months later I see him climbing out of a company truck. I asked him what happened he said "That #### truck cost more money to keep on the road than it ever made me." I said "What was your biggest expense?" He said "That PACCAR engine you warned me about."

Yep.

 

No, but I know people who have.

PACCAR engines have a TON of problems. They seem to have a much worse reliability rating than the Cummins or DD. They also seem to have poor driving characteristics and are very slow off the line. Their resale value sucks, nobody wants a PACCAR so those trucks sell cheap. I also heard that they don't offer an extended warranty for PACCAR engines because they are so bad.

I'd also avoid the A26 in the Internationals. The engine in the Volvos is a volvo engine, and not available in any other truck. I've had ZERO trouble with mine at 200,000 miles. I don't even have a check engine light.

IMHO, the best engine out there is painted yellow. But you won't find these in any truck made in the last bazillion years. I've got years behind DD's, Cummins and Volvos. The Cummins was really good until it went to #### all at once and left me in the middle of the desert in the middle of the night where we got exploited for thousands for a fuel pump. Then THE NEXT DAY the fuel hose connected to that pump blew 100 miles later and I spent another entire day and night at a weigh station broken down. NOBODY in the USA had the part, it was on national backorder. So I can't recommend Cummins if they haven't gotten their parts in stock. I was towed to a repair place and the guy went out the next day and had a hydraulic hose made with the right connections so I could at least get it home. We were based out of MS and I was stuck in CA.

I had little trouble with the DD and zero trouble with the Volvo engine. The cummins was spec'ed the highest and pulled like a mule but was also the loudest and least fuel efficient. I would recommend the engine, but not the International LT it was installed in. Parts were simply IMPOSSIBLE to find. I had a DEF sensor go out not once but TWICE, NEITHER time did they have one and they had to pull one out of a truck sitting out in the yard for sale so I could go again. It was ridiculous.

My volvo pulls good enough and gets stupid fuel mileage. I have a cubed out trailer of AC units and I'm driving on 81 in VA getting over 10mpg. The DD wasn't great at anything but was good enough to get the job done. The Volvo truck as a whole is light years better, IMHO, than anything I've driven. More driver friendly, more comfortable, just closer to driving a large SUV than a truck. And even spec'ed at only 425hp, pulls just fine. Even up to 80k. I like all the different things you can set on the Volvo as the driver. I can adjust engine power between 375, 400 and 425hp, depending on what I need at the time, I can adjust the following distance, I can adjust the number of MPH above cruise that the jake brakes will automatically come on, from 2mph above to like 10 or so.

Don't forget, Prime bought the truck knowing they would be getting rid of it before it became very costly to keep on the road. 400k is kinda low, they could have kept it another 100k under warranty. That tells me I have a feeling this truck was a lemon and they dumped it to land on some other sucker.

Here, read this. And notice it's from 2019.

Why do Paccar Engines Have such a bad wrap?

 

The VNL is offered is 760 or 860. 860 is just larger. The 860 can be had with a table for the bottom bunk. I love it, it's like a picnic table to sit at and then sleep upstairs. The best thing I've ever seen. This truck is laid out so well. Everything is logical. The table at the bottom can be folded to make a bottom bunk if that's what you want.

I can't suggest a dealership. I can say Volvo's are pricey to repair, but now none of them are cheap. This truck hasn't had any repairs to speak of. The alternator on the Thermoking went out but that has nothing to do with Volvo.

 

You could look at Ritchie's brothers auction results.






You look at truck paper?

 

Much lower miles on this freightliner. I would take to freightliner and get it looked over or have someone come out and plug into it and check it. I bought a used Volvo and got a factory warranty on it. That was my route.


2021 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA 126 For Sale in Alliance, Ohio