Need some advice on buying a Semi

Bersaglieri

Bersaglieri

Ron Swanson's Brother
Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Messages
1,957
My buddy and I are looking to buy a big rig truck. We've only got a couple half ass excuses for owning one so we'd rather not lose our ass on something we don't use to make a living or incase we want to upgrade later. Is there a free NADA/KBB site for finding average truck values? Using truckpaper and commercialtrucktrader only helps so much.

After looking around for a while I found these trucks:

1993 International 9300 - Mechanical N14, 13 spd, spring, 3.70 or 3.90 $10,000
93 EAGLE INTERNATIONAL 9000 SERIES 9300 trade for belly dump

1994 KW N14, 15spd 3.70 gear $14,000
1994 kenworth w900

1984 KW 400 BCIII, 13spd, $14,000
Kenworth

Are the prices on those fair? Anything that stands out?

We're trying to stay away from the couple thousand dollar rigs that need lots of work, have split wheels, and can't take a little extra power. We've self taught ourselves alot over the years and it seems a big rig is the next on the list to master. Basically looking for something that's road worthy, we can use to get a CDL, use for farm work; hauling tractors, and of course to hop up a little and take to the occasional truck pull.

Take me to school.
 
You are on the right track with the truck/engine combos you listed! Stay clear of the newer egr/for engines . Especially the maxxforce. WAY to many problems even if you have a warranty the truck will lay in shops for weeks at a time!
 
You can buy a decent mid to late 90s freightliner with a N14 or E model cat for under $10k.
 
Imo I would look more along the lines of a Freightliner FLD120, They can be had for around 10k, also a lot of guys claim an inframe was done if the truck is around 800,000 to 1 million miles, I would ask for receipts if so, If they cant prove an Inframe was done I would stay away, a lot of people lie about it to increase the value of the truck, depending on how often you will run it and mileage per year you will put on it I wouldn't buy a cat over 650,000(they get tired at around 800,000) Cummins will run 1.2 million depending on the matinence that was done, same goes for a Series 60 Detroit, also there are two types of Series 60's there is an 11.1 and a 12.7, the 11.1's are gutless, 12.7 is much better, also check the air pressure, It should be around 110-120psi, if its lower you have an air leak somewhere and they can be a B!tch to find and fix at times, check all lights/signals , brake quality, tire condition ,etc , last time I put tires on my Freightliner it was 4k for 8 drive tires and 2k in steer tires , Hope this helps

I forgot to add.. Check turbo play, Blowby etc, if its a cat your looking at 2k if the turbo is shot, Detroits can be replaced with a s475which is 1k, as far as N-14's they run HT-60's which is around 1k
 
Last edited:
I'd prefer to stay mechanical for various reasons.

I found a few trucks for 5-6k but obviously they need some stuff:

91 Intl 9300 - 3406B [that's low on power, can't pull hills too well], 9spd, 4.11's, rear tires are smoked - $5000
Intl 9300 - NTC350 [won't start], 13spd - $5500
1980 Kenworth W900 290 Cummins, 13spd - $5500
1985 Kenworth W900, NTC400, 13spd, 3.70 rear, wet kit, 500k original miles - $5000 needing fan clutch and front wheel seals or $6000 with both fixed. It seems this one is the best condition for the money. Guy claims the motor is tight, got good power, and still has lots of life left.

I'm hoping to make a move on this in Sept/Oct, but I'm still learning.

-EDIT-

Yes that info helps alot, since I'm just getting into the big truck world, I don't know much of the pricing, maintenance, etc.

Why no big cam? They seem like a good all around buy for someone like me. It's not for over the road trucking, just local stuff and practicing for the road portion of the test.
 
Last edited:
A 3406B Model would be a great choice but finding one that's not hammered is hard for a good price, If your gonna go electronic stay away from cats, Detroit and n-14's are way more reliable
 
To be quite honest I think all three of them are over priced. The link fit the 94 KW didn't work. It may be worth that asking price if it has an electronic N14 in it. The electronic N14 were good motors.

It really all depends what your end goal for the truck is, man. In my opinion if you want a work truck it is going to be looking for an entirely different truck then if you wanted a puller.

What ever you do, unless you want a puller, do not get a spring ride suspension. Those old trick drivers are tough bastards for a reason.
 
95taylor331 said:
A 3406B Model would be a great choice but finding one that's not hammered is hard for a good price, If your gonna go electronic stay away from cats, Detroit and n-14's are way more reliable
Click to expand...

This is completely wrong. If you find a 3406E, or like stated before, a Freighliner FLD120 with a early C15 in your price range you can't go wrong. The 3404E and the earlier C15s will out power a little 855 N14 or 12.7 Detroit any day.

Anyways, if your concerned about the condition of the rebuild, just get an oil sample before you buy it. You may not have anything to compare it to but it will give you an idea. For $25 you can't go wrong.
 
I've had nothing but issues with the 3 cats I've owned , I went to an N-14 select turned up to 550 and it will out pull all of my cats and get better economy and is 10x more reliable than my cats were , ill never own another cat
 
I've owned a 3406E and it had tons of electric problems and had never been touched , then I had a c-15 non acert that was problems, and a c-12 that was all problems
 
95taylor331 said:
I've owned a 3406E and it had tons of electric problems and had never been touched , then I had a c-15 non acert that was problems, and a c-12 that was all problems
Click to expand...

sounds like you have had some bad luck with them. single turbo c-15 or an e-model would be the way to go i think. we dont see very many of those with electrical problems. most common electrical problem with them was the 40 pin connector at the ecm, or occasionaly the crank sensor wiring. the acert engines had the problems. also, having your truck worked on by someone who knows what they are doing makes a world of difference.
 
The 85 KW sounds like a good deal. There really isn't anything wrong with the Big Cams, they are good motors, easy to work on. I am not sure of the series of them whether that would be a I,II, III or IV. But just like anything else, if you keep up on the maintenance they will be fine.

As far as the motor being tight, judge that by start up. Check it all over, make sure the motor is cold and start it. If it fires right up its nice and tight, if it rolls over a bit its loose. My 73 small cam may roll over once and it fires, it is tight as hell. And since I put a cam shaft in it, the motor runs like a sewing machine!
 
Bersaglieri said:
Take me to school.
Click to expand...


Gladly.
You will get all kinds of opinions, Cat, Cummins, Detroit, bla, bla bla. IMO, they can all be good, they can all be bad. When they are good, they are expensive to operate, when they are bad, they are ridiculously expensive to operate.
Maintenance, repairs, use tax, plates, inspections, DOT inspections, and not to mention fuel. A rig that makes you money takes a good operator, a good mechanic, and a fair amount of time & money to keep going. A toy truck still costs time and money, yet there is no return on investment.

If you are looking for a toy truck to cut your teeth on, I'd recommend a Freightliner or International from the late 90's or early 2000's. They are about the cheapest to operate parts wise. That being said, even a cheap rig can easily cost you more than you paid for it with one repair. It doesn't matter what you pay for the truck, parts prices are forever on the rise. Not to mention every state is growing their DOT force due to the revenue source the fines provide.

I understand you only have a few reasons to purchase a rig, I just figured I'd give you a few reasons for the other hand. :)

Good luck.
 
Last edited:
Here is the 1984 Kenworth link: Heavy Equipment priced to move! I thought it seemed like a decent deal as well. Also that 1994 is a N14 electronic:

The truck situation has changed a little since my original post, my buddy bought a Harley and I'll be buying the truck on my own. Here is a quick run down:

I'm in need of a career change. A few jobs I want to apply for "prefer" a CDL A, although it's not a trucking job per se. I've driven big trucks before on the farm, moved and docked trailers for a business, but never had an official CDL. The local CDL schools offer classes for $4000+ and they are held during hours I can't possibly make due to my work schedule. My current plan is to buy a truck, learn on it, and pass my driving test. After that I'll probably sell the truck and move back home once I land a job. As long as I make a good purchase and don't lose $4000 on the resale I'll be ahead of the game. Perhaps that is a foolish plan, but I'm short on options. Worse case scenario I can't sell the truck and I use it back on the farm [when I get there] and/or for a puller/project, but I'm still not out the $4000 or 5 weeks of my time for a school. It's no Roth IRA, but I see it as a better investment than just throwing money into someone elses pocket.

I also have 3-4 coworkers who want to get their CDL as well and are willing to pay a premium price to learn on a truck if I get one. They are in the same situation with the work schedule. Not sure if I'll go that route, but the option it there and it would pay off a $5000 truck.

Snedge I appreciate the "other hand". I've been grinding through truck forums trying to learn everything I can about cost of operating, maintence, etc and you're absolutely right, these phuckers are expensive. But I feel, as with everything else I own, if I teach myself I'll not only gain the knowledge but also save money on repairs when the time comes. I've still got to research the 'farm use' side of things since that'd be the only legitamte use I'd have for the truck. This truck would not be used to make a living as far as OTR hauling or anything like that.

One of the things I'm trying to weigh is the 1980's $5000ish range 855 Cummins trucks vs a $10,000-14,000 mid 90's truck that I may have to replace less on to be road worthy.

Hope that better illustrates my situation.
 
Last edited:
If you just want to get your license you can often rent a truck for ~$500 to practice and take your test in. I do linework and most companies prefer CDLs so a lot of guys just rent a truck. Most you usually drive is a bucket truck so being full trained to drive semi's is not necessary.

Just an idea :Cheer:
 
I thought about renting but I think $500 a pop is going to add up quick with practicing and especially if I have to take the test more than once. I know my one neighbor has some trucks for his construction business, but they are usually gone. He's got a few dumps I could probably use to get a Class B, but I'd rather have the whole enchilada.

Kenworth
00h0h_68JB3jtOJ2t_600x450.jpg


Overpriced? Seems high for a 84' Kenworth. Guy is selling because of divorce and he couldn't make ends meet being an owner/operator. He now drives for a company. It was listed at $14,000 and now he's at $12,000.

4.11 gears [he thinks]
Complete out of frame with new crank, new cam, new air pump, rebuilt injection pump, etc with receipts. Has about 40k on the rebuild.
He and his father have owned it for the last 20 years and knows most of the history about everything on the truck.
Aluminum wheels, air bag rear, sprung front, 13 speed 'double over', virgin tires with 2 recaps in the rear.
Paint is fadded, but no big body issues.
He said the trans and rear have alot of miles on them, but no issues.

He invited me to come look at it on Saturday, what would you guys look for? Or should I just pass on this one? At what price would I not lose my ass on resale?

When comparing this to a 1993 International with a Mechanical N14 is seems the 93' would be a better move... guess it depends on tires and mechanical problems more than anything else. The guy with the 93' doesn't know anything about the truck, no history, and that bothers me.
00303_dPCeNOatNeu_600x450.jpg
 
Last edited:
IMHO, I think the Kenworth is the better option. That W900 is beautiful man, but I am partial to W900s. That paint is nothing to worry about. With some time and some elbow grease you'll be able to polish that out. I bought a 73 KW W923 this spring and it had **** growing on the paint, I washed it with Simple Green and spent 12 hours polishing and waxing it and you'll never believe it has 40 year old paint on it. I send the guy I bought the truck from a picture and the first thing he asked me was "Did you paint it?!"

Before, the day I brought it home after washing it:
IMG_1522_zps21da3c2a.jpg


After Polishing it:
IMG_1940_zps3047bbd1.jpg


As far as cost of ownership of the W900 you'll be able to register and insure it historic. If all you're going to do is bob tail around with no trailer to learn how to drive that's all yo need. I pay $28 a year for historic registration and $240 for historic insurance. I'd have to double check but I believe I can pull a trailer as long as it is for personal reasons and not for hire. And I DO NOT have a CDL. If your looking at getting your CDL for future job opportunities, just get a Class B, it isn't to hard to get your Class A after that, just need to take the test again pulling a trailer. I don't see why a Class B couldn't get your foot in the door at a company to work on your Class A, if you needed it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top