Buying A Used Semi Truck? Look For These Features To Ensure Long-Term Satisfaction

Automotive Articles

Whether you plan to run your own trucking business or work for an established company as a contractor, buying your own semi truck provides comfort, convenience, and plenty of flexibility when it comes to carving out your career as time goes on. To ensure long term satisfaction, you'll want to make sure that the semi truck you invest in has at least some of the following features: 

A Reliable Warranty

One of the best ways to protect your new investment is to make sure that it comes with a warranty that covers more than the drive train and engine. A basic warranty typically lasts no longer than a year, and covers only a percentage of the cost of parts and labor when certain components fail. While this can be helpful in limited instances, you can save a lot of money and heartache by making sure that your semi truck comes with one of these options:

• Extended Coverage – An extended warranty will cover your semi truck for up to 100,000 miles and may cover everything from simple repairs to engine overhauls.
• Pre-Owned Coverage – If your truck is certified pre-owned, you may be able to get bumper-to-bumper coverage for a short time after your purchase.
• Aftermarket Coverage – You can possibly finagle a deal for your semi truck that comes with coverage for any aftermarket parts that are on the truck.

Even if you have to pay a small fee to get additional protection for your truck, it can pay for itself after just one repair.

Well Treaded Tires

Semi truck tires are a pretty big investment, and you shouldn't have to replace the tires that come with your truck for some time after you drive it off the lot. It's important to pay attention to the tires' tread in order to determine how safe the truck will be on the road no matter what the conditions are.

If there isn't enough tread present, you run the risk of losing control in wet or snowy conditions. Sometimes even dry roads won't provide enough traction without plenty of tread on the tires. Look for a truck with tires that have at least 4/32-inch of groove depth to ensure lots of drive time before you'll have to come out of pocket for replacements.

A Record Portfolio

If you expect to keep your semi truck in optimal working condition throughout the years, it's essential to have intimate knowledge of the truck's past. Ask your dealer for a portfolio that specifies all accident, repair, and upgrade records for a potential truck's past before considering whether or not to make an investment. Your dealer from a site like http://www.arrowtruck.com/ should be able to provide you with the following information:

• Receipts for of mechanical and cosmetic work that has been done.
• Accident records.
• Insurance and registration records.

You should also be able to get your hands on records of inspections, tune-ups, oil changes, and maintenance throughout the life of the truck.

A Clean Title

It's also important to make sure that the truck has not been salvaged to ensure no problems arise when you are ready to insure it. Salvage-title trucks typically don't have much resell value, if any, which can be troublesome if you want to trade it in or sell it later down the road.

You'll find that the safety of your semi truck might very well be compromised if it comes with a salvage-title. Structural and alignment issues are common in salvage-title trucks, and sometimes even the airbags can't be trusted to keep you safe – they may even results in more damage than protection.

These five important features will save you money, time, and stress both on and off the road. And the less repairs and problems you have to face while working, the more money you can expect to make. 

12 March 2015