Truckipedia Blog Category - Buying a Pre-Owned Truck – What to Know

Your truck doesn’t need to be new to add value to your fleet. Purchasing a pre-owned truck can create worthwhile benefits for you – perhaps most importantly, a used truck can soften the hit to your bottom line. To realize those benefits, though, you need to be cautious and well-informed about what you are purchasing. We take a lot of pride in helping our customers navigate the challenges and, thus, reap the rewards of the right pre-owned truck purchase.

Here’s what you should be looking for when contemplating your purchase of a pre-owned truck.

How is the physical condition?

If the physical condition of the used truck is not good, we recommend you stop right there. A truck in great condition shows a duty of care from its original owner(s) and helps you build confidence that the purchase is right. If the truck looks like it is in poor condition beyond the normal wear and tear of travel, the risk of more issues arising is significantly heightened.

Part of checking the physical condition includes making sure that the lights are functioning, the brakes are in good order and the tires are not overly worn. Particularly where brakes are $500 per wheel end(parts and labor) and tires ($400-$700 per tire) are concerned, these can be expensive to replace if they are already well-worn.

What is the condition of the after-treatment system?

Many buyers of pre-owned trucks will make sure that the engine is running well, but far fewer will do an assessment of the diesel particulate filters or the after-treatment system, despite the challenges you’ll face if the system fails. The engine of a truck may run well but the after-treatment system controls how the engine breathes and how it handles emissions, which means its condition speaks louder to what you can expect for potential fixes down the road. It’s a worthwhile check as a diesel particulate filter can cost up to $3000 to replace, and one box is worth approx. $10,000

Is there any warranty left?

Depending on its age and use, the used truck you are eying may have factory warranties remaining. These warranties offer you additional protection, particularly if they remain on major components like the engine or transmission.

What support do you have?

After you have made sure that the used truck itself is in good working order, you should ask yourself what additional support is available to you. That’s where Velocity Truck Centres can add value to your purchase. We can help with an inspection to make sure that you have a great idea of what you are purchasing and if there are any red flags that should give you pause.

Because we believe in Total Customer Support, we also take it upon ourselves to connect sellers with buyers and vice versa. Reach out to us today – we’d be happy to help however we can and share our expertise on your used truck purchase.