Volvo trucks

[guest]

What information can you guys give me about the Volvo trucks? I have looked at several this weekend. The ones I have looked at have been VNL 610"s. I love the cab on these trucks and there the perfect length to get a 24' box behind them. I know nothing about them though. What about pats/service availability?

Thanks,

 

[Weave]

They seem to be a decent truck, but the Volvo big truck division has exchanged through so many hands (as everything in the truck/auto industry has) that I don't even have a clue who owns and runs that division now. It's far from the Swedes, tell you that- Was White/GMC, then Volvo/GMC, now just Volvo, and the Volvo auto division is now controlled by Ford. Figure that out??
They look and feel like good trucks. Mechanics HATE THEM! The last sentence of your post Arky is why- Over about the past 15 years no company has truly supported the Volvo truck line. Even as bad as Freightliner can be, I feel in the parts/service aspects Freightliner beats out Volvo easily. And that WILL come into play with ownership of any truck over time.
But, this new Volvo division just bought out Mack from Renault of France who owned Mack for quite some time.. You thought Mack was a rough-tough American truck?? Ha-Ha. Wrong, but whomever has Volvo now must be doing good. International has been supplying Ford with small diesels for a while, and now they have a joint venture going building class 7 trucks in Mexico.
Western Star sold out to Freightliner, as did the Ford big truck division, now Sterling.
Who has hung on--- Kenworth and Peterbilt of the Paccar corp. Really the only "American" trucks left, and most of them are built in Canada- no problem with Canadians, but Paccar does not like to do any custom build chassis. If they do, it takes forever.
The global market is a very confusing place right now, and one could not safely say which truck to buy. I don't love my Freightliner like a daughter, but the best part about it is most of its components come from common outside manufacturers and are easy to obtain and obtain quickly. This is a valuable asset to keep an O/O running.
-Weave-

 

[DuMass]

Just a newb here. FWIW I own both a Freightliner and a Volvo 770 I've not had a bit of trouble with the Freightliner but if driver comfort and standard equipment vs. options come into play I'd have to give Volvo the nod. Ultimately they're all the same parts for drivetrain so Freightliner is just as capable as any at repairs. You certainly will not find 24/7 Volvo service depts. anywhere I know of so you'll have to rely on Freightliner or independants. If cab/sleeper weight makes a big difference, Volvo is all steel while Freightliner is aluminum. On the other hand rollcages are steel not aluminum so if safety matters..Front axle loading on the Volvos seems to be more pronounced on Volvo but they claim to have solved the problem. I would suggest giving Pat Durkin at Carmenita Truck a call [link]http://www.carmenitatruckcenter.com/feature_volvo_vn_vhd.html[/link], he was a big help (even though I ultimately got my volvo from someone else) and is always there to talk and more knowledgable than anyone else I talked with. Beware of Arrow Truck (KC Mo especially, main office)if you decide to purchase a used rig!!! Arrow is a wholly owned subsidiary of Volvo NA and while all trucks sold by Volvo pass through them they do wholesale to other dealers. Volvo controls all used truck quantities on the market to preserve resale value so I would say that's a plus. Pete and KW are the real resale monsters but imho Volvo is 3rd. The real deal for Volvo is the quiet and the insulation.

Jim

 

[guest]

Thx for the info. Most of what you guys are saying, I had a decent idea about except for the parts/srvice aspect. I wouldn't consider a truck with a Volvo engine. The ones I've looked at so far have either an N14 or S60 and merritor trannsmissions in them, which to an extent means that most of the drivetrain components are available about anywhere.

One thing that bugs me a little about parts is this: If something does go bad, let's say an ignition switch? If it takes 2 weeks to get one, your down for 2 weeks just the same. Doesn't matter if it's a $45 switch or a $2500 rearend. That noted, I did very much like the Volvo trucks .

I looked at once very nice truck on one lot which is what got my attention. I knew where some more were, so yesterday, I made a trip to look at them (15-20 in all). I guess the one thing that sticks in mind, is that every one of those trucks were tight. I didn't open a door that didn't open and close as smooth as a car door. I don't know why, but that's the first thing I do to any truck I look at. The interiors were all in good shape and after being cleaned loooked to be 90% of new condition. I doubt that all of those drivers took that good of care of their truck. Tells me the truck must stand up to the abuse pretty good.

I'll look some more and talk to some more folks before I invest in something that I don't know that much about.

Anybody else have any comments?

Thanks for the help,

 

[D Green]

I owned a '94 White/GMC/Volvo (we called it the alphabet truck) day-cab for a few years, pulled a 45' flat. It was undeniably, one of the best trucks I've ever owned. It had the little L10/310hp Cummins, 10sp, S/A. When I sold it, it had 740k miles, still a quiet riding cab.

Only parts I needed (except for valve cover gaskets when running the rack) was a windshield wiper motor. The local Volvo dealer had one in stock, no problem. Mechanical parts would always be available from component manufacturers.

 

[Weave]

The place where I bought my truck in Albemarle, NC www.crookmotors.com (gotta love the name, but they really are a great dealership) has a bunch of used 2000-2001 Volvo VNL condos at the moment in the $43-55k range. Volvo resale value is on par with other equal tractors of other makes according to auctions and sales flyers I look at. I really like the style of the VNL's and would have bought one over the Freightliner I have had I been given a choice at the time.
Just an opinion, but I don't like the new VN with the tall vertical smoked headlights- I just think its ugly, but what do I know!

http://www.volvotrucks.us.com/
-Weave-

 

[guest]

Weave, I already had that link to crook motors, but thx anyway. I got it from a previous post of yours. The Volvo's that I'm looking at quite a bit less money than the one they list though. I've looked at several '00 models in the 25K-30K range. There was one set of ryder trucks here with N14 370HP motors for 20K, but their already gone. I think they had like 20 of them. I just didn't see 'em in time. I do know they had them on the lot, I actually sat in a few of them before I found out they were already sold. The trucks at Crook's show to have low miles for that year model though (300-400K). Most of the trucks I've been seeing have 500-600K on them. I'm ok with that, but I don't want anything over 600K for sure. I'm kinda balancing between getting as much truck as I can and keeping my start-up investment as low as possible. Hoping to not borrow more than 15K to get on the road.

I have looked at several trucks now (centuries, Volvo 610's, and even some FL classics) in the 20K-25K range with 500-600K miles. The centuries were fleet trucks and none were well-cared for although they were probably good trucks, just not a "nice" one in that set. The same place that had the Centuries had the first Volvo 610 that caught my attention. It was super clean and 25K, but already sold. The place where the other Volvo's were has several 660 condo's at 24k-28K. I haven't looked at them yet. They told me they wouldn't trade for my pickup, so I've got do something about that. The pickup is the last loose end I have to tie and I think I'm going to bite the bullet and ake my beating on it, but I have to get that done before I can seriously look for a truck. I was hoping to make a trade just to make clean, simple transition, but no luck yet.

Just to throw out I've found so far...for my taste. The IH single bunk sleeper seems to be the best laid out sleeper I've seen yet for a solo driver, but the Volvo cockpit has absolutley no competition in my opinion. Overall, I think I liked the Centuries best until I sat down in my first Volvo, I've had a hard time looking at anything else since.

Thx again, hope your out making money!

 

[Weave]

I'll keep my eyes open for any low mileage cheap VNL's for you. I think the main reason for the big price gap between a truck with 300k miles and 500k miles is the 300k truck will have the balance of the warranty on the engine and tranny, Which can really be a lifesaver.
I have my truck down at the moment for new tires and hoses, I like to get as much of the repairs and maintenance done Jan-Mar when it's slower. That way I'm not dead on the side of the road in July when its busy with a blown hose or something

I was talking with an older owner/operator at the shop who bought a '99 Century with 550k on it a few months ago. It has the 500HP S60 in it, and was one of Prime's trucks. He got it dirt cheap, but 20k miles down the road the engine blew. Lucky he bought at at a reputable dealership, (can't remember the name, some small place in OH) as when he told the salesman what happened, the dealer covered the cost of the engine rebuild, and gave him a new clutch, even with the warranty expired. And he didn't even have to threaten to kill anyone!
Sometimes the dealer can be more important than the truck I guess.
-Weave-

 

[guest]

I hadn't thought of that, but I'm sure your right about the warranty helping the price of the used trucks. Hope you don't think I'm being too cheap, I've just got a budget that I'm trying to work with. My goal is to get a truck that I can run for 2 years, then evaluate if I want to stay in the business. If so, then I can evaluate the need for another truck. Even at 500K that would be by far the best truck I've owned yet..lol. I may get burned, but I feel pretty safe with the S60 and the N14's, I believe the majority of them are milllion mile engines if properly cared for. I will probably have the rod and main bearings replaced just for insurance.

One note about the guy who had the blown engine, If the truck was in good condition, he would still have a reasonably priced truck at 30K with a fresh rebuild. I think 10K will rebuild a S60? (haven't been there yet x( )

Thx for the input weave, you ARE a great asset to us newbies (even though I get the feeling i may ruffle your fethers a little..haha). I appreciate all the help, I've learned alot on this board.

We're probably wasting space on this until I get a little better prepared to actually buy a truck when I find it. As noted earlier, I thought I could get a trade for my p/u.

Hope your enjoying your time off, good thinking to get the pm done now. Thx again for all the help,