Do the maths when
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it comes to buying
What is the very least an operator should expect to spend on a second-hand tractor?
These days, hauliers work bloody hard to avoid orchestrating a false economy.
A classic is spending as little as you can on a working tractor unit. If you're thinking about buying an eightto 10-year-old tractor, your first problem might be battling the export buyers, who have larger budgets and will get a better reward once the truck is shipped.
If you are lucky enough to secure a decent Euro-3 truck it will probably need a few quid thrown at it to make it operational.
And running older trucks is more precarious: there is Vosa to consider, finding the right parts, and areas such as London's Low Emission Zone (LEZ), where older trucks cannot deliver without incurring huge fines.
Realistically, you have to start looking at trucks with Euro-4 emission levels as minimum, which will take you back to 2006-registrations. Even here you cannot guarantee avoiding a lemon. With potentially one million km on the clock, you'll be playing component bingo as several fight to be the next replaced, and you'll be looking at a starting price tag of £13,000 upwards.
Realistically, you have to start looking at trucks with Euro-4 emission levels as minimum, which will take you back to 2006-registrations. Even here you cannot guarantee avoiding a lemon. With potentially one million km on the clock, you'll be playing component bingo as several fight to be the next replaced, and you'll be looking at a starting price tag of £13,000 upwards.
Realistically, you have to start looking at trucks with Euro-4 emission levels as minimum, which will take you back to 2006-registrations. Even here you cannot guarantee avoiding a lemon. With potentially one million km on the clock, you'll be playing component bingo as several fight to be the next replaced, and you'll be looking at a starting price tag of £13,000 upwards.
Realistically, you have to start looking at trucks with Euro-4 emission levels as minimum, which will take you back to 2006-registrations. Even here you cannot guarantee avoiding a lemon. With potentially one million km on the clock, you'll be playing component bingo as several fight to be the next replaced, and you'll be looking at a starting price tag of £13,000 upwards. So, if you are going to buy a used truck on a budget, you need to answer two questions:
How long are you going to run it?
You could spend £13,000 on a seven-year-old truck and run it for two years, spend £21,000 on a four-year-old truck and run it for three years, or take a four-year-old used truck on a three-year contract hire deal for £150 a week. And, who is going to fix it?
This is where you will save the cash if you can do it yourself in your own workshop, and it is even better with a cheap supply of parts.
If not...