Bought a International Prostar finally..

[walterk]

I am glad that you found a better truck, but i have to disagree with your somewhat unfair take on Volvo trucks. I had many trucks and three of them were Volvo's. (Detroits and Cummins engines) i found your older post with a spec for your Volvo.- "3:55 gears matted to a 13speed with 295/75 /22.5 tires". I have currently, Volvo 670, with an identical spec, but on 22.5's all around. I have been getting an average of 7.6 mpg consistently over last 4 years. I pull Conestoga flat, and my loads are neither very heavy nor very light. I initially was getting low 8's, but that somewhat disappeared with the milage increase. One should keep in mind, i believe, that there are hundreds of potential problems on the truck that could have a negative impact on the fuel milage that have nothing to do with the brand.
By any stretch of imagination, i am not saying that Volvo's are superior to other iron, but at the same token, they are not bad trucks if built right for medium duty applications - up to 80000 lb. freight. It is possible that the fault is with the operator, and I am not saying that this was the case with your truck. On the other hand though, I would never buy a 10 speed tranny if I had any concerns for my fuel milage. It surely is just me and my old fashion take on things. I will gladly accept other alternative points of view on this subject. After all, it is never too late to learn something new.....
I am curious if you had left no stone unturned to make sure that every single component on that truck was up to spec and worked properly before you condemned it?