What’s best truck out their for fuel ?MPG ? 6x2 unit

Hi folks, looking to purchase a v4 fh500 Volvo but was wondering what is out their in terms of being the best on fuel? Is the Mercedes? Is it the Daf?
I’ve budget between 15k - 35k depending on year and kilometres but main factor is fuel. So out of experience and over heard pub chatter who and what is best unit available on second hand market for fuel efficiency. Thanks

Would say Merc Actros 2545 but a lot of other variables including weight to carry etc but above all,
DRIVER!!!

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Any experience with them? What’s the auto box like? They reliable in any way? Mercedes bits expensive?

The 2545 is geared for efficiency at the expense of anything approaching pulling power. I’ve heard good things about the 500 Volvo.

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nsmith1180:
The 2545 is geared for efficiency at the expense of anything approaching pulling power. I’ve heard good things about the 500 Volvo.

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Always get good mpg out of a merc but as Nick saying there is a huge lack of pulling power.

The problem with Mercedes seems to be lack of support if you have a problem,I have spoken to a number of MB users and they all seem to indicate if you shout help you don’t get a reply,maybe some other people can add to my observations.

“Main factor is fuel”
hence why I said Actros 2545.

Would an FH4 500@ £35k max not be rather well “shook”!!!

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D123:
Any experience with them? What’s the auto box like? They reliable in any way? Mercedes bits expensive?

ride quality is shocking compared to a MAN or Iveco

looking more like a v4 Volvo, just trying to find one with around 350kms under 40K. Any ideas best place to look?

D123:
looking more like a v4 Volvo, just trying to find one with around 350kms under 40K. Any ideas best place to look?

Thing that worries me with the Volvo is the reliably problems I hear about on trucknet. I would father go for a 450 scania

D123:
looking more like a v4 Volvo, just trying to find one with around 350kms under 40K. Any ideas best place to look?

Just remember the batteries in a volvo are crap if you over do it and run everything you will have flat batteries in the morning.I would maybe try find a scania R450 a FH500 v4 at that price is asking for trouble.

Although I don’t like my Scania R480. , for many reasons, it has been extremely reliable, and has hardly cost me anything in a year and a half apart from a nox sensor a week or two back. £500, FFS.
If I were you, I’d be very nervous of a v4 Volvo at that age and money. They go very well and are not too bad on fuel, but I know people who have had an awful lot of expense and downtime with them.
Scania 450 is the way I would go, unless you can lay hands on a 490, which by all reports are very good, but on that budget, I think it might be hard enough to find a 450 with less miles than the space shuttle on it.

Again as I driven three diff ones over past 4yrs have a gander@ MAN XXL480.

Go like shi----te off a shovel, are cheap to buy/reliable (If SCR!!!) and decent enough on fuel too.
They won’t be mega miles@ £35k either!!!

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Big Truck:
Again as I driven three diff ones over past 4yrs have a gander@ MAN XXL480.

Go like shi----te off a shovel, are cheap to buy/reliable (If SCR!!!) and decent enough on fuel too.
They won’t be mega miles@ £35k either!!!

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IIRC MAN were doing a hire deal on a six month old one at £280 a week fully maintained on 160k a year.

If you have 35k in the bank you could get an almost new, low mileage one for 2.4 years with everything but insurance and diesel thrown in.

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Oh, that’s a TGX by the way not an XXL.

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nsmith1180:
Oh, that’s a TGX by the way not an XXL.

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■■?[emoji52]
TGX is the model,
XL/XLX or XXL are the cab sizes.[emoji6]

Euro5 £279wk but maybe the 440horse.

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nsmith1180:

Big Truck:
Again as I driven three diff ones over past 4yrs have a gander@ MAN XXL480.

Go like shi----te off a shovel, are cheap to buy/reliable (If SCR!!!) and decent enough on fuel too.
They won’t be mega miles@ £35k either!!!

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IIRC MAN were doing a hire deal on a six month old one at £280 a week fully maintained on 160k a year.

If you have 35k in the bank you could get an almost new, low mileage one for 2.4 years with everything but insurance and diesel thrown in.

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Yes, and after 2.4 years walk away with nothing. If you maintain the unit it will last a lot longer than those 2.4 years. No business acumen whatsoever.

That was a little harsh Rhio. There are different schools of thought.

Take me for example.

Unit: 380 a week and only tyres and glass to worry about.

Trailer: owned outright and has cost £1500 in repairs since November.

With the MAN deal it’s on a six month minimum and rolling 1 month after for as long as the operator wants it. So you don’t have to hand it back with nothing after 2.4 years. But you have most of your 40k still in the bank now to start and run your business. Cash in the bank is most important for a new operator. If I had bought my myself a unit outright, Barron Wood would have sunk me two weeks ago when they dropped me, as it is I have cash reserves to fall back on. (which the trailer is doing its best to eat for me!)

ETA: I don’t include planned maintenance in the trailer costs. Its also cost another £260 in planned maintenance inspections.

Thanks for the MAN lessons Big truck. I don’t know that range particularly well.

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nsmith1180:
That was a little harsh Rhio. There are different schools of thought.

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That was very polite nsmith!

Rhio, nsmith and I are worlds apart in how we approach business :laughing: and time in business ( 27 years in my case ), but I think nsmith is doing OK, he’s certainly more clued up than many who dream of being an OD/having their own Company. I’d not be telling him he has no acumen.

If it’s a 2015 or later v4 Volvo that’s been serviced by a main dealer then the adblue faults should all be sorted. Plus all the electrical faults were sorted by then just make sure the living to parking parameter is set to no more than 4 hours or it will eat batteries.