Any good tractor units for £4k - £7k budget?

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OWNER AND FLEET OPERATORS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

I want to start a haulage company with a budget of £4k-£7k for a tractor unit.

Ideally, I want a reliable, fuel economic and low cost maintenance tractor (this is ambitious because of my low budget). Based on your experience and knowledge, what would you recommend? When selecting a tractor unit, what else should I be looking out for? If you have one in your fleet, you were considering replacing, would you be kind enough to let me know?

I am looking for a 6x2 or 6x4, 400HP+, sleeper cab, manual gearbox unit and diesel fuel. It should be less than 14 years old. So far I have been thinking; Volvo FH12, MAN TGA, DAF CF/XF, FODEN ALPHA, ERF EC, SCANIA (though I haven’t seen much within my budget).

Please help.

2

For 4 to 7 k u ain’t gona get much of a moter Ud probably better off doubling your budget to say 14 k
U def won’t get any thing that is lez compliant either so depending on where u are going tô be working could give you problems
My advice would be wait till u can up your budget

3

Here’s a Volvo FH12 for £5,995, a bit over 14 years old though.

ebay.co.uk/itm/VOLVO-GLOBETR … 20d7451655

Or an ERF EC11 on an 04 plate for £6,250.

ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-ERF-EC11 … 4ac52cbb45

As to how reliable they’d be, that’s pot luck with any truck over a few years old.

4

I think Lone Wolf will be your best bet !!! Lol.
(He’s got some nice models for a couple of grand)

Seriously, that sounds like a very low budget to get involved as an O/D

Have you costed it out properly ?

You could probably pick ‘Something’ up for 4 grand, but by the time you’ve serviced it & put a new set of tyres on it, you’ll end up doubling your budget. Then if it goes Bang ! What then ?
Insurance. ?
VehicleTax ?
O licence ?
Cost per mile ?
Newer wagons do 9/10 mpg
Older can be down to 4/5 or 6 mpg

Be careful, it can bite you in the Arse if you run out of cash !

5

Thanks gents for your thoughts. The unit doesn’t have to be LEZ compliant. If I get a 4k unit, I am happy to spend 3K on upgrades. The budget is based on that sliding scale. I also have a contingency fund for emergencies. I would rather buy a cheaper unit than spend all my initial investment on the unit and have no backup funds. The other details like trailers, insurance, o licence etc are well taken care of in my business plan.

6

At that price range you will need to budget for another £5000.00 to spend on it in the first three months.
You will be looking at stuff destined for export. That said it may pay to contact some exporters, may be a good place for a deal at that sort of value.

7

You really need to spend 15 grand to get a decent motor, anything less will have stellar mileage on it & probly cost you a fortune to maintain & run. I gave £16.5k recently for a tidy 58 plate euro 5 Premium with 450 000 k’s on it so in reality it’s only done 3 years work. You just need to wait for a bargain to come up.

I’m not being rude but do you know what you are about, it can all end in tears.

Just to add, lugging 28 tonnes around in a 5 grand motor is not a good time.

8

2002 RENAULT PREMIUM 420 dci 6x2 manual £4,250 +VAT

90% tyres

9

Thanks again for your advice on the level of risk involved in my business model. I will bear it in mind. Reverting to the first question, what would be a safer bet on my budget? I am sticking with the 4 - 7k. If say I were to gamble in the exports market, what would you advise me to look for? Thanks to those who have posted links and pictures. :smiley:

10

You can pick Magnums and the like up for that money.

However, why not look at something like an F12 Volvo. Pretty much bullet proof, Old clearly but reliable and you’ll turn heads.

11

If you look hard enough you will find a low mileage motor for that budget,I’ve just bought a one owner foden alpha ,full history,good tyres,alloys ,jake ,cruise with 500000 ks on,never been slept in or smoked in,£6500

12

For that much you could buy all off Hanky spankys fleet maybe with some change as well :grimacing:

13

Dan Punchard:
If you look hard enough you will find a low mileage motor for that budget,I’ve just bought a one owner foden alpha ,full history,good tyres,alloys ,jake ,cruise with 500000 ks on,never been slept in or smoked in,£6500

What about pets … don’t want it if theres been an old ■■■■■ in there…

14

cliffystephens:

Dan Punchard:
If you look hard enough you will find a low mileage motor for that budget,I’ve just bought a one owner foden alpha ,full history,good tyres,alloys ,jake ,cruise with 500000 ks on,never been slept in or smoked in,£6500

What about pets … don’t want it if theres been an old ■■■■■ in there…

The sort of pussey that foden s fit get end float in the crank til they are filling the bell housing ,no pussey just ■■■■■■■

15

Tipper Tom:
You can pick Magnums and the like up for that money.

However, why not look at something like an F12 Volvo. Pretty much bullet proof, Old clearly but reliable and you’ll turn heads.

where are these F12’s for four to seven grand?

16

As others have said below 15k and its a risk… It may pay off big and may kick back- you’ll know in the first 3 months!

trucks.autotrader.co.uk/used-tru … model/xf95

The above looks tidy- Volvos and Scania hold price too well to get a nice one for the cash you want, but there are a few DAFs and premiums… You just need to be patient and wait for the right truck- normally ex OD that’s been loved.

17

Daf cf renault premium erf or foden is all your realisticly looking at. Complete gamble realy could be lucky or could get a dog.

18

andrew.s:

Tipper Tom:
You can pick Magnums and the like up for that money.

However, why not look at something like an F12 Volvo. Pretty much bullet proof, Old clearly but reliable and you’ll turn heads.

where are these F12’s for four to seven grand?

I was about to say that!

A late F12 is worth at least twice as much as the earliest FH12.

19

I’ve got a FH with 840,000kms 6mths tax and test for Sale if interested

20

globby 480:
For that much you could buy all off Hanky spankys fleet maybe with some change as well :grimacing:

You crack me up Daz. :smiley: you should be on telly mate!