Jack Mayer Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 Since this is a "Buying Guide " thread it is worth quoting something DollyTrolly said on another thread. His point is well taken. Used trucks can be brought to "close to new" condition but it is not an inexpensive proposition. It just depends on your needs and wants. Used truck miles are often a source of confusion and frustration......your goal of obtaining a truck of 600k or less miles may have merit but also might not be as trouble free as you might have imagined. HDT's are a bit different than cars or pickups in that they tend to be built as commercial machinery and unlike autos with fairly defined life-limits.....HDT's life-spans are determined by the maintenance-levels and component rebuild / replacement intervals. You would likely be amazed how many older HDT's have Several million miles on them and are very reliably piling on more miles every day. On the other hand, if you graze through the Truck ads long enough you will find a HUGE inventory of late-model HDT's that are for sale with 500,000 to 800,000 miles since new.........why.......well often newer trucks reach the end -of-first-life-cycle due to "bean-counter-issues" that is that the cost-to-benefit-ratio favors selling the late-model used truck and purchase (or lease) a new truck. A major factor in the 500k to 800k sell decision is that this mileage range is often where the first component-related major service and or rebuild / replace issues start ti be costly in downtime and capital expense. The latest HDT's with complex emission system(s) are prone to very costly component service issues in this mileage range. So......does this mean that late model trucks in the 500k to 800k mileage range a.......money-pit....... some will be and some may be OK..... rolll the dice as they say.... It's somewhat telling that Greg at RV Haulers takes extreme efforts to sift and research EACH HDT that he purchases AND then when he finds a "cream-puff" he then tears into it to refine and rework it into a unit that often compares well to a new HDT. Is Greg's model ideal......perhaps.... this model while costly compared to the cost of a "normal-used-HDT" the added cost may often be a good value in that you will likely obtain a "proven-HDT" in "near-new" condition........it is likely that the value is confirmed and I have never recalled so much as one bad word about Greg's work or business ethics......how many major item companies have that many happy clients........ Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member Living on the road since 2000PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail 2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it) 2022 New Horizons 43' 5er 2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units 2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck -------------------------------------------------------------------------See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar powerwww.jackdanmayer.com Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark and Dale Bruss Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 Speaking for the trucks for sale on Escapees. You should take into account the mileage when the truck left commercial service as the miles accumulated as a RV hauler were accumulated is a more leisurely manner. Please click for Emails instead of PM Mark & DaleJoey - 2016 Bounder 33C Tige - 2006 40' Travel SupremeSparky III - 2021 Mustang Mach-e, off the the Road since 2019 Useful HDT Truck, Trailer, and Full-timing Info atwww.dmbruss.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alie&Jim's Carrilite Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 I hesitate to ask this, but in looking at Jack's truck, I'm curious as the significant price difference over a rig like Red Rover. Jack's is clearly newer, has the i-shift tranny and smart car bed, but has 100K more miles than Red Rover and is more than twice the price. If discussing prices like this is not encouraged on the boards, please feel free to delete this post. If not, I'd appreciate any guidance on how these rigs are valued. This post also brings something else to mind. For some people, everything is for sale for the right price. Red Rover on one hand has served it's owners well, has been well-taken care for, and is at the end of its journey with it's current owners. The owners have priced it accordingly with their value of the truck, with the idea of moving the truck to the next owner and continuing on with their want's and needs. Jack's truck on the other hand is similar to their RV. It's for sale. If someone want to make an offer that is in the range the owners want, then they will sell it and move on to the next vehicle/RV that they want to build. In a previous life, everything I owned was for sale for the right price. I built and sold many boats, car, trucks, that I thought I wanted to keep, but someone made an offer that was more than what I thought it was worth, so they went to new owners. Alie & Jim + 8 paws 2017 DRV Memphis BART- 1998 Volvo 610 Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dollytrolley Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 This post also brings something else to mind. For some people, everything is for sale for the right price. Red Rover on one hand has served it's owners well, has been well-taken care for, and is at the end of its journey with it's current owners. The owners have priced it accordingly with their value of the truck, with the idea of moving the truck to the next owner and continuing on with their want's and needs. Jack's truck on the other hand is similar to their RV. It's for sale. If someone want to make an offer that is in the range the owners want, then they will sell it and move on to the next vehicle/RV that they want to build. In a previous life, everything I owned was for sale for the right price. I built and sold many boats, car, trucks, that I thought I wanted to keep, but someone made an offer that was more than what I thought it was worth, so they went to new owners. A & J .......right on......... great view on "what-things-may......or-may-not-be-worth"........ So...........what is my old 1962 Fuel Inj. Corvette worth.........I paid too much for it ($1200) when I bought in 1969 ......... I don't drive it and my life long friends joke that my belly would hit the steering wheel ( I sat in it last year.....it's close but no hit) ......... So once in a while some one ask why I don't sell ..........I tell them I am waiting for the price to drop back to $1,200 on 62 Corvettes and it looks like it might be a while yet........ Truth is.........once in a while I like to pull the cover off it and just enjoy the view.......besides, imagine the trouble I might get into with a few extra $$ to waste on? ? ? ? Drive on..........(Enjoy the view..........) 97 Freightshaker Century Cummins M11-370 / 1350 /10 spd / 3:08 /tandem/ 20ft Garage/ 30 ft Curtis Dune toybox with a removable horse-haul-module to transport Dolly-The-Painthorse to horse camps and trail heads all over the Western U S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickS Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Everyone see's value and the cost of products in different ways. I didn't want to deal with maintenance and repair issues associated with a used HDT so I ordered new. Well, the trucks that have been purpose built into RV haulers are very unique and the time required to get them to that point was in the hundreds and hundreds of hours in my case with a new truck. IMO, if you can buy a completed RV hauler and just get in hook up and be on the road this is worth a lot. You are probably paying for some of the time involved to build the truck. You can start from scratch new or used and invest your time.......just have to put a price on that time, whats your time worth? Rick & Carey,Excel W41GKE Wild Cargo Toyhauler Volvo 730, D13, I-shift, 500/1850Brabus Smart Car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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