robroy:
Juddian:
make is basically irrelevant as all European makes are stuffed to the gills with electronic junk anyway so 5 years and they’re buggered.
You are right there. Our lot bought a stock of Actroses 2 yrs ago. They are all starting to play up now with all the niggly electronic [zb]…just as they are coming out of warranty, the cynic in me says that it is no coincidence.
My mate was recovered to the Volvo agent last week in his 6 month old Volvo, it took them a day and a half to trace a broken and corroded wire affecting an ECU.
If I had my own trucks today I would be very wary of buying second hand. In the past I have bought stuff as old as 10yr old, and got good service out of them running alongside new kit doing the same job at half the expense.
Gone are the days when you can get your one man band mechanic mate to do your servicing and maintenance, you now just about need a guy in a white coat with a bloody Master’s degree in electronics, so don’t think I would dare buy old today, but again I reckon that is the manufacturer’s true agenda.
On the subject of older trucks, all this emissions bull [zb] does not help, our firm have just took a perfectly good 57plate Topline Scania off the road as apparently next year they will not be able to go into London with it 
. It’s a perfectly good piece of kit which I would not think twice about doing Euro with tomorrow, …but now it is a yard shunter
Another part of the problem is on modern lorries, unless specified proper (and who pray is doing that apart from the odd OD or small haulier who still know their stuff) the vast majority of these things are fleet spec, so engines too small for dead weight shifting, oh they’ll be ok on parcels and supermarkets where weight isn’t an issue and manoeuvers are completed generally in flat yards, and i’m not referring to the bhp numbers on the door which actually mean bugger all except to small boys, i’m talking swept volume and guts.
Coupled with the modern idea of servicing, especially oils, which with these small engines having to work hard constantly sees them about buggered and nearing rebuild at 5 years anyway.
This is not an issue at the few remaining small hauliers, who not only spec their vehicles for a days work, but maintain them for a real long life too.
We’ve seen where long life servicing of modern cars has led, especially overrated German Diesels (and 1.6Hdi’s) with timing chains and turbos made of cheese.
Up to a point its all irrelevant because most of the new stuff is leased and on full R&M, so 3/5 years they hand it back, and seem surprised at the bill to put it back into as new condition where everything made of plastic, half the bloody lorry that is, is damaged, so everyone’s apparently happy with the status quo… 
Can’t that Scani now shunting have an exhaust cleaner fitted?, or was that only for euro 3’s?
