While most drivers would love to drive a brand-new semi truck, it's not often a financial reality—new semis are very expensive, and they're typically out of the budget of newer drivers. Purchasing a high-mileage used semi can save you a considerable amount of money. Trucks are designed to operate for a considerable length of time—it's not uncommon to see semi trucks for sale that have over half a million miles on them. However, you need to know what to look for in order to avoid purchasing a truck with major mechanical problems. Read on for three tips to help you purchase a reliable high-mileage semi truck.

1. Find Out How the Truck Was Used and Maintained

A truck that was mainly used for highway transportation is typically going to be in better condition than one driven on dirt roads on a job site—dirt roads can cause considerable wear on a truck's suspension system. It's important to find out what a semi was used for in order to assess its mechanical condition. You can find the name of the previous owner from the used truck's Department of Transportation records. Call the previous owner and ask how the truck was used before you commit to purchasing it. If most of a semi's miles were on oilfields, mines or other off-road work, you may want to search for another semi truck for sale that wasn't driven in harsh conditions.

You should also ask the previous owner for the truck's maintenance records. If the truck was part of a fleet, you may have to call the trucking company the previous owner worked for in order to obtain them. When you're buying a high-mileage semi, you need to ensure that its maintenance was impeccable—you can sometimes put over a million miles on a semi truck before it begins to break down, but they need excellent maintenance in order to operate for that long.

2. Check Engine Hours to Assess Wear Caused by Idling

Many drivers idle while they're waiting to pick up loads. Idling places wear on the engine, and this wear won't be reflected in a truck's mileage. A high-mileage truck that spent significant amounts of time idling may have much worse wear on its engine than you would expect from its odometer.

A mechanic can obtain an engine hour reading from the truck's on-board engine computer. You can divide the truck's mileage by the number of hours its engine ran for in order to find out the truck's average speed. On a truck that didn't spent much time idling, this number will be close to highway speeds. If the truck's average speed is low, there's a good chance that it spent a significant amount of time idling, and its engine may have suffered extensive wear as a result.

3. Purchase Your Truck Through a Dealership

Purchasing a used semi from a dealership offers a number of practical benefits. It's often easier to obtain financing from a dealership compared to financing a truck purchase through your bank or credit union, which makes the purchasing process easier. Most importantly, however, dealerships typically offer short-term warranties on used semi purchases. When you're purchasing a high-mileage semi, warranties are important—they protect you from immediately having to pay for expensive repairs if the semi has major mechanical issues. Purchasing a high-mileage semi from a dealership is a much safer option compared to purchasing one from a private seller.

You should also note that you have more negotiating power when purchasing a used semi from a dealership compared to purchasing a personal vehicle. If a truck has mechanical problems and requires repair before it's ready for the road, you can often deduct the cost of these necessary repairs from the purchase price.

While there are some risks involved in purchasing a high-mileage semi, you can mitigate these risks by purchasing your used semi from a dealership and by carefully checking its history. When looking at semi trucks for sale, be prepared to walk away from the sale if you can't obtain maintenance records or if the truck has spent a large amount of time idling—you'll protect yourself from purchasing a truck that's nearing the end of its operating lifespan. Work with a dealership, such as Arrow Truck Sales, in order to obtain maintenance records and be prepared to call the truck's previous owner in order to find out more about its history.

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