Thoughts On Buying A 2004 Petebilt 387 With 475K Miles And A CAT C15 (660 HP / 2200 Ft-lbs) 'motorhome'

Topic 31678 | Page 1

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Sid's Comment
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I'm debating buying this Peterbilt which is titled in Texas and the owner's job moved to Canada so, he was in the process of getting it registered there when COVID derailed things. The truck in Canada right now and passed Canada's commercial inspection but, was is NOT registered there. The Texas title is still in force. He has maintained it at Peterbilt dealerships so, verification of mechanical condition should be pretty easy and it is reported that everything is 'current' and in good condition.

As a motorhome, am I apt to run into issues with needing to run scales even though it is non-commercial? What other gotcha's should I be aware of. As a teenager, I ran my father's Semi with a Timpte Supergrain Wagon during wheat harvest so, I'm not a total novice, but that was ~30 years ago with farm tags and a "kid" at the wheel. Looking back on things, I seriously question my father having me drive an overloaded (~98K lbs) truck to town. When he wanted me to drive to Port near Tulsa, I balked thinking it was a bad idea for my drive ~300 miles round trip and in heavy city traffic. shocked.png

I'm assuming something the tires is more of an age-out issue than normal wear and tear since there isn't much weight on them. Oil changes are likely a huge expense relative to my tractors. It is on airbags, so I'm assuming the ride will be reasonable but, I don't know about not using it at all with heavy loads to 'activate' everything that needs to function without constant maintenance.

The engine is turned up to a pretty high spec. Running light, I'm unsure what this means in terms of fuel use and whether turning down the fuel on the motor to something more reasonable IMHO like ~350hp would make any difference. It has a 10-speed automatic transmission so, other than bragging rights, it is unclear why anyone would want that much hp on a 'motorhome'.

The picture isn't loading but, it looks like a standard white Peterbilt semi with the tall sleeper with the window in it, with a single aluminum fender over both rear duals. I don't see any trailer connection so, I would likely add a ramp system for a small car or SUV.

TIA, Sid

p.s. My other option is the more standard Pickup with a travel trailer. The initial purchase price for the trailer is actually more than the truck but, the truck needs insurance and isn't as nice a 'living space'. However, it is unique and if I get one of those "rolling mansion" trailers when I fully retire, this truck would outperform even a Ford F-450 or Dodge Ram 5500. The trade-off is that it will be cumbersome in most tourist areas and not much fun in urban traffic (worse than a pickup with a reasonable travel trailer).

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
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