So come on guys what are the things you’re looking out for whilst looking at a secondhand wagon? Off to look at another unit tomorrow and as I’m relatively inexperienced in mechanics and buying trucks I’m always a little anxious as to what I need to be looking for. I always look at the tyres see what life they have left in them and obviously the cleanliness and condition both inside and out. What should I be listening/looking out for on the way drive?
Thanks for help guys
Matt.
Take a mechanic with you, checking tyres and cleanliness is not enough
I would be giving it a ‘proper’ inspection, preferably over a pit, all axles jacked up checking wheel bearings, king pins ect. All gearbox and axle levels checking for any fragments attached to magnetic level plugs and condition of oils. cab jacked over, the works really! Try and get as much history of the truck as you can, and a decent road test. Be worth taking a fitter with you who knows the crack even if it costs you a few bob.
Condition of the seats and tyres is the last thing to worry about, they can be replaced relatively cheaply and can be used as a bargaining tool.
What you need to concentrate on are the expensive bits under the cab. First things first, do an inspection of the all the parts that require periodic greasing, if they’re in good shape it’s an indication that the lorry has been well maintained.
Once you’ve established that, it’s time to check the rest of it out, so service records, an ECU download, how many warranty claims did it have, are all the recalls up to date. A main dealer can provide all this from a VIN number.
Next try and get a sample of oil, hopefully it will not have been replaced as you need 10,000miles on it to show any worthwhile contamination. If it has coolant, fuel or high levels of wear metals in the oil, walk away.
An idea I picked up from someone else was to look for reasons not to buy a lorry, when you can’t find any, you’ve found the right lorry. I think that’s an excellent strategy.
I think it depends on how serious you are on the particular truck, if you are going for a general nosey then do as you do, check the tyres for wear,matching quality brands is always a good sign, ask to see the last 2 or 3 service inspection sheets and a general walk around looking for fluid leaks and body damage etc, if after that you feel it’s what you are looking for book a safety inspection at the relevant main dealer, pay the £70 to £100 with a smile because you will not only have a good bargaining tool you will save that money many many times over if for instance the clutch is on the wear markers or a hundred other things that are always costly in time as well as money.
One other thing Matt chose your brand of truck with your head not you heart, I guess by the XF at the start of your user name that you favour Dafs, from personal experience Dafs are a risky secondhand buy, if you can see beyond the huge cupboards and king size bed ( which as an owner operator you should ) buy something Swedish, Scania’s in particular have their enviable reputation ( look at what steady Eddie runs 24/7, you won’t see many Dafs ) amongst operators for a reason, bombproof drivetrain and inherently reliable, maybe not every drivers favourite due to the slightly smaller make your own bed at night and smaller incab dimensions compared to a say a super space but very easy to live with all the same.
Number 1 is to find out who’s has it been either by asking or looking on the bottom of the number plate for a clue or in the right light see if the cab has had stickers pulled off and start there .
My suggestion would be to look for a motor likely to have led an easy life on lighter trunking work, where it’s spent most of its time running easily in high gear.
Thanks for all the replies gents, some excellent advice there as usual. Unfortunately I was too late to take a fitter with me as I was travelling 3 hours to view.
The wagons were so frustrating to look at in all honesty. 3 years old, 450000km but the condition was poor I must say. All cosmetic but I can’t understand why they don’t prepare them properly before advertising them for sale? Cracked bumpers, steps, wing tops etc etc. Ok so they would put everything right if I wanted to buy it but it just makes you wonder the treatment it’s been given by the driver. At 36k I decided to pass.
Matt.
That’s the trouble Matt it cost the seller nothing in time or money as you’ve done all the running around.
Im not an O/D but, just to add my two penneth worth, im sure some one on here (NMM?) recommended trying to find an ex F1/ Race Team unit! Usually well looked after, top spec, low miles compared to a similar aged truck being used on general haulage BUT probabaly abit more money though! 
Probably the wrong time of the season to find any though.Just a thought 
bullitt:
Im not an O/D but, just to add my two penneth worth, im sure some one on here (NMM?) recommended trying to find an ex F1/ Race Team unit! Usually well looked after, top spec, low miles compared to a similar aged truck being used on general haulage BUT probabaly abit more money though!
Probably the wrong time of the season to find any though.Just a thought
I’ve bought four ex F1 although they have no mileage, never been used for sleeping in and are top spec, they’ve all been low-ride - which is great for me but may not suit general haulage. Believe or not they don’t ask top money for the units as they generally just want to clear them out to get other units in - generally due to change of sponsorship.
Sorry Matt, not too much help. I am next to useless mechanically but look at what type of work the trucks been used on and tend to buy from main dealers. Although you pay a couple of additional £ you have peace of mind if anything goes wrong. Bought an XF from walkers/fleetex, ran it for a couple of months and found out the head gasket hadn’t been done, they took it back straight away and sorted FOC.
Good luck.
go to the auction with a mechanic…save yourself £10k from the dealer…spend £2k putting it right and serviced to death,and save yourself £8k…thats where the 2nd hand trucks come from that arnt being sold by the main agents…the trick is taking someone with you who knows the score.
renault magnum 860,000km runs and drives sweeeeet, ready to work just needs taxing £9500 + vat all the shine bits she is better than alot of 60 regs and newer, any inspection welcome 
The truth is even with a lot of mechanical experience you just cannot guarantee there won’t be major bills down the line.
When I buy:
Number 1 a large choice that indicates a fleet lease disposal based entirely on vehicle age. Individual vehicles there’s a risk someone has got shot for a reason as very rarely does anyone chop in a vehicle that’s giving no trouble and lots of life left. I’m also not fond of finance repossessions if money was tight maintenance could have been neglected.
Number 2 Outsourced maintenance. There are plenty of top notch inhouse workshops but there’s plenty that aren’t.
Number 3 Won’t be possible at some fleet disposal type operations but if a dealer always demand 12 months test.
Number 4 Buy something that’s come from an own account home not general haulage
Something I have often considered (but have to admit never actally done) with 250k+ age vehicles, if still original, would be swapping out compressor, turbo and air drier for new and selling the old on ebay obviously as used working. They are common fail items and any one failing will most likely leave you stuck at the side of the road if they go.
How much is the diddy midlift really worth to you though as that’s what’s really going to
limit getting the best truck for the least money?
You hit the nail on the head in your first paragraph OAD, no amount of mechanical knowledge can predict all problems an engine could develop.
Which is why the steps that I recommended are so important. You can see into the future if you know what’s going on inside the engine and a good oil sample will tell you a lot about the condition of the engine. You may not be able to understand all the different contamination in the oil, but the lab that tests it will and they will flag anything that is beyond acceptable levels.
The old methods of buying a lorry from a well respected fleet don’t really work nowadays, just look at some of the things posted on the UK drivers forum, would you want to buy a lorry some of those Muppets have been driving?
A lorry purchase is a huge investment and any failures could have dire consequences, so research, research, research is vital in making sure you get something you can put to work and hopefully make a few quid.
Or bite the bullet and buy a new one, no guarantee that will be trouble free in this over complicated world, but you don’t have to worry about replacing any wear and tear items for quite a while and these new lorries are getting very good fuel returns, I know a few people who have chopped an old snotter in against a new one and the fuel savings are making the payments.