Passed my Class 2 in an 07 plate MAN. 
When I do my CE which will be with the same company that will be in a 51 plate Volvo 4x2 tractor, pretty sure its an fm.
Like Gogsy i did my cat C in an ERF, Y REG in my case , truck was ok , instructor ok ā¦ ish 
, got me thru my test first time tho . Will probably go with a different company for c +e .
Good instructor and ok truck = Good
Good instructor and new truck = Better than good ā ā 
cheers Mike
I passed my class 1 last year at the second attempt. The company i used were just changing there class 1 unit that week, my re test was on a Saturday and I insisted on the āoldā truck. My instructor that day wasnāt the guy had done my training in and he wanted to use the "new"un. Which panicked me a bit to be fair, exactly the same truck and year just not what I had learnt in. It drove like a new truck to be fair and I really enjoyed the drive.
As it happened it was Peter smythes old daf unit and trailer!
Class 2 in 2009 for me was a T reg Daf 65CF tractor unit that had been stretched to an 18t rigid when the company bought new artics. Had 2 or 3 different trucks during my training and every truck still had everything working. Company bought from new so no previous hard life on the road. Didnāt make a difference for me and didnāt make a difference on my test - nerves on the other hand 
Class 1 in 2010 was a 54 plate CF cab, swapped between 3 during my training, again no problems on test with the vehicle. Shame the same couldnāt be said about my nerves .
Mark.
At Qualitas we had a policy of only buying new vehicles. 6 in total. All Iveco 12t 8 speed knock over boxes. At that time I had around 21 years experience training and trust me I had witnessed the good the bad and the very ugly.
When we were taken over by Sterling they had always bought brand new trucks but because in 2007 when the 8 speed rule come in they had around 30 trucks they purchased 2nd hand 18t trucks. That was a disaster. Clutch after clutch and gearbox after gearbox failed. They did did however begin a program of exchanging them all for new Iveco 12t trucks. The ones that told you on the dash which gear you are in, and the knock over changed to the button range change.
I know beyond doubt that new trucks are the only way to go financially. The thought of spending Ā£35-40k does not appeal to most trainers for 1 vehicle but over the lifetime it is far better.
Sods law kicks in always, meaning if a truck has a problem it happens on test day. There is not 1 trainer alive that has not lost a test because of a bulb failure, wiper failure, tyre issue etc. A 50p bulb ends up costing Ā£115.50 plus diesel plus wages plus a days lost training.
In order of importance to pass the test it is:
- The trainerās abilty to communicate with you
- Condition of the vehicle
- The candidateās mental strength
- Some driving abilty
Keep the faith