older truck vs newer truck

[Magard]

Pro star seems to be the best buy also because of all the maxfart issues tainting the name. Next would probably be Volvo but they have some cooling issues. Not disigned to have a 15 litter engine in them. Working under the hood is stupid tight. Really nice to drive though.

[in2trux]

If you really want a Peterbilt, the 386 has full access to the engine, setback axle and dropped hood.
Setback axle was a must have for us because I've had 285" wb and had to get into tight spots,which is most of them.
386 is the same as 389 except for item mentioned. I would buy another one.

[Sledge]

Not trying to pile on here, but just sticking to numbers...
...but just with my own 110,000 miles per year...
...a @m*m^2 engine, in a Aero truck, driving +/-60MPH keeping the boost below 20 PSI should average about 9.5 MPG...
...a rebuilt "legacy" engine, in a classic long nose driving at 70 MPH with boosts at max on pulls and accelerations, with a high horsepower engine should average about 5.5 MPG.
at $2.67978 average price of Diesel Fuel that a loss of $22,566, and that's just fuel.
Sounds extreme, but I don't think it really is in a 65,000 GVW average operation going from Michigan to Kentucky on the I-75.

[Magard]

9.5 mpg???

[Waterloo]

(03-31-2017 )Sledge Wrote:  Not trying to pile on here, but just sticking to numbers...
...but just with my own 110,000 miles per year...
...a @m*m^2 engine, in a Aero truck, driving +/-60MPH keeping the boost below 20 PSI should average about 9.5 MPG...
...a rebuilt "legacy" engine, in a classic long nose driving at 70 MPH with boosts at max on pulls and accelerations, with a high horsepower engine should average about 5.5 MPG.
at $2.67978 average price of Diesel Fuel that a loss of $22,566, and that's just fuel.
Sounds extreme, but I don't think it really is in a 65,000 GVW average operation going from Michigan to Kentucky on the I-75.

Well, 9.5 is pushing it a bit... And I know that run from Detroit to Kentucky... With a hood, 379 Pete with a cat, 4 to 5 mpg was average fuel mileage. The aero trucks were averaging 7+, but not 9.5...

[JEastonjr]

I don't understand why some on this forum think that just because a person is looking to buy a Pete it's all about Egos.
Most times Internationals and freightliners don't get taken care of as well as Petes and KWs. The lease company's run the sh** out of them don't do any timely service. Only when it breaks do they fix it. (all about the dollars) Been there done that. More then a million miles in many on lease company trucks.
My choice is not to stroke my Ego but to go with reliability. You get what you pay for.
Most people that could buy a Pete or KW are not new drivers and not just wheel holders so they respect their ride. If you look at most 2003 Pete or KW they are in better shape then International or Freightliner of the same year.
I could spend 60K and run for 5 years with minimal problems (pre Emission ) and I can wrench on most things. Or miss load opportunity's because I'm sitting in a shop waiting for some emission related problem to be figured out.
Oh, "My business plan" really? Buy truck, load truck, run truck, empty truck, reload truck. and pay taxes.
It's like asking Harley guys about Yamahas

[Waterloo]

I miss my hood, just not the fuel bill. ;-) And I would have to agree, a privately owned Pete or KW is more than likely better cared for than any fleet truck, no argument there. Your business plan? I wish it were that easy... LOL!

[Brock]

It's a real tough call, you spend 2/3 of your time driving this truck and living in it. For those that prefer a long nose pete, enjoying what they drive may be worth the 2/10ths. Thats why the saying "money isn't everything" exists.

I own a 389 and get just as good of mileage as my prostar but that's not a fair comparison as my petes powrrtrains is ALL brand new and my prostar is 1.2 million miles and has a wore out rattling down the road gear clunking autoshift. A coworker with a prostar and new rebuild and manual is saving $50 a day compared to my pete and he drives like a madman!

For the single owner op, I get if they want a long nose. The only reason I bought this truck is because I had a great driver who was with me for years and he loved petes, so I rewarded him with one.... a year later he bought his own truck and I'm stuck with it.

I love driving this pete, and yes Chrome is my addiction. The prostar had so many little issues ALL the time, the pete doesn't have any of them. I've got way way way more into my pete though money wise, it cost more and rebuilding the power train cost me more then the truck

Here's my point. My pete is my ego truck, I feel cool driving it and I am so happy I have it. It's my personal truck and you couldn't pry it from me. Would I buy another...... NEVER! why? Because I'm not a single owner operator, I've owned 7 trucks since 2010, recently sold the one company and now only have the 2 trucks. I am about to buy a 3rd and possibly 4th next month and I can tell you, flat noses are not even on my radar. I'm a business and aero trucks make business sense.

[Rawze]

(03-28-2017 )JEastonjr Wrote:  Hi folks, New to the world o Rawze.
Thank for accepting me into your world.
My name is Jay and I'm wanting to be OO.
My question is with all the problems motors are having, Would be better to get a older truck with a few miles (800 to a mil) pre emission and spending to rebuild it.
I'm thinking Pete 379 cat c15 pre emission twin tubro. A well maintained truck.
I hope I'm being clear enough.
Want to hear all comments good or bad.
Thanks

You said ... "I'm wanting to be OO".

and you said ... "Pete 379 cat c15 pre emission twin tubro"


This clearly point to ...

"Never owned a truck, and is still trying to figure it out".

and...

"He has some fantasy that an old square-nose is going to make him more successful than an efficient truck that gets decent fuel mileage and is spec'd correctly for his operation".

======

He continues to argue in a manner that points towards him having already made up his mind before he even asked the question. This is not a good mindset to be in considering you don't even seem to have a decent business plan or perspective.

From the last comments, this makes it even more obvious, arguing away anything that would require some real effort towards starting out with some degree of success.

Owning a truck is not as easy as what you are proclaiming. If it were, then 85% of people would not be failing at it and struggling miserably in their first years. You seem to be hell bent on blaming newer equipment for revenue loss, but the reality is that it is much more profitable long term than what you have stuck into your head there. It simply requires it be taken care of and maintained correctly. That is the only real difference or trade-off for all the higher monetary gains than the old-school attitude you keep referring back to.


Mega-fleets don't run newer trucks, and govern them to 65 mph or less because they are "less profitable and break down more". -- They do everything possible to maximize every last dime out of the equipment and how it is operated. If pre-emm trucks were more reliable and profitable,.. you had better believe that would be the trucks they all would own. <-- These mega-fleets "ARE YOUR COMPETITION", so if you can't get your operations and business model more efficient than them,.. your not going to get very far.



I see it over and over -- People ask a question,.. and they get several valid answers from successful people who have been down those roads,.. only to argue them away and/or disagree with them.


It has become obvious that no matter what solid advice and replies are given, he will only continue to argue them away towards his own point of view. He falls right dead center into the category where I see most people that start owning their own truck have serious issues, struggle for a long time and/or fail blaming everything around them including their equipment but never look in the mirror.

He still has not stated what kind of freight he is hauling, what his business plans are towards staying successful past his first fuel fill-up, other than to make a simplistic reply. It makes him appear to me that he is still very clueless.


===

Unrelated but I read this somewhere a long time ago, It kinda puts it in mind ...

I am thinking I can buy a used space-ship and fly to mars and live there. No need for a space suit because there is air on mars right? -- Don't argue with me, i know for a fact there is air on mars, the science books say so all my space friends say there is air too. --- Dammit!@- I don't need a space suit! . -- You will see, I can live on mars and don't need a space suit because I will be able to breathe.

I.E. - "The air your are so hell bent on breathing may not necessarily be the air you should be breathing".