If you were in the market for a used truck back in 2000 or 2001, the scenario facing current used-truck
buyers will be familiar. With 2007 models requiring expensive, EPA-compliant engines, it’s predicted there’ll be a run on good, used, low-mileage pre-’07 trucks by buyers with a wait-and-see attitude
concerning the new engines.

And used equipment prices will likely go up because of it.

“We believe the pricing on used trucks, and the perceived value, will be incremental and climb over the next six to eight months,” says Frank Oliveira, vice president of Arrow Truck Sales Canada. “That happened pre-2002, as well. You had a run from people who didn’t want to buy the new technology, people who wanted to sit back and wait a bit.”

So with this new reality in mind, what should the would-be used truck buyer consider when heading to the used-truck lot? The same rules apply.

1. Application. What are you going to use it for? Highway? Regional? Local? Since you can’t really spec a used truck, “The challenge is to find a used truck that most closely suits your needs,” says Steve Kenny of Selectrucks Toronto. “Guys come in and want to try and rebuild a used truck, but really, it is what it is and it’s the purchaser’s challenge to find the truck that suits his needs, and our challenge is to have that truck available.”

For example, select a truck with a GVW rating that’s close to but not less than the maximum load you’re going to be carrying. Overloaded trucks wear out faster, not to mention probably being illegal, while an underloaded truck is a waste of fuel and money.

2. Future applications. In a year or two’s time, maybe those regional runs between Edmonton and Calgary will have dried up and the truck will be pulled into longhaul service. Are the truck’s specs
flexible enough to make the switch? If you anticipate carrying a variety of gross weights over the course of the vehicle’s life, consider a sliding fifth wheel so you can redistribute loads.

3. Mileage. How much life’s left in the truck?
“Lower-mileage trucks today are 800,000 to 900,000 km, even one million km. They’re judged as trucks with a lot of life left in them,” says Oliveira. “That’s not a bad truck.” A really low mileage truck is in the neighbourhood of 400,000-500,000 km.

4. Don’t buy what you don’t need. “I’ve seen a lot of guys buying trucks that are $20,000 more than what they need in a truck,” says Buck McCallum, a Highland Transport owner-operator since 1971.

“You don’t make any money when you’ve got a double-bunk, walk-in sleeper that you’ve paid an extra $5000 for when a single sleeper would do you just as well,” he says. “I mean, I’ve seen guys running sleepers on gravel haulers. That, to me, is an incredible waste.”

5. Budget for an overhaul. When McCallum’s out kicking tires for a new used truck, he says he generally tacks an extra $10,000 onto the asking price. “That way I’ve factored in the price of an
engine rebuild if it’s required within a year or two.”

6. Buy from a reputable source. There are lots of different places with used trucks on offer, from the curbsider up to the large OEM remarketing entities like Arrow Truck Sales or Selectrucks. Get to
know who you’re buying from before making any decisions. The bigger players will perform extensive reviews on all major truck components before putting it out on the lot, as well as offer warranty coverage. With these guys, “you’re buying a truck that’s been inspected and repaired and is ready for use. Plus there’s a support base available as soon as you drive off the lot,” says Oliveira.

7. Exercise due diligence. This means a lot more than looking for rust spots. McCallum says he’ll take a truck out and get it greased. “If you spend $24 and take the truck out for a greasing and they tell
you, ‘well the fittings didn’t take grease,’ then obviously it hasn’t been greased in a while. For the money you’ve greased someone else’s truck, but you’ve also found out whether they’ve taken good care of it or not.”

Same with the oil. If there’s grit in it, then it likely hasn’t been changed too often. It’s worth asking if the vendor has any oil sample records from the truck when it was brought in on trade.

Open the hood and check the belts-if they’re loose or frayed, then the truck hasn’t been well looked after. See how the doors open and close, how the windows open and close-“those are all indicators as to how the truck’s been cared for,” says McCallum.

“I always get my mechanic to look things over, as well-no matter who I’m buying from. You can get a safety done for $90, which is pretty much all a mechanic needs to do to see if the truck’s got any major problems. If the seller won’t let you take the truck to your mechanic to look it over, then walk away. Even if you spend a few bucks having someone look it over, it’s cheaper than being out $5000 three days after you bought it,” says McCallum.

8. Keep your B.S. meter set on high and conduct some old-fashioned detective work, says Bob Magloughlen, who has been buying and selling trucks for more than 30 years in various capacities and nowadays for Challenger Motor Freight in Cambridge, Ont.