# Out with the old, in with the new.



## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

Gonna have to sell old faithful. Picked up a texas truck from a dealer in chicago today. 2008 F-250 with 5.4. 4.10 axle. 122k miles. I like it. :thumbup:


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

Beside my van in the garage.


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## Mark122 (Sep 27, 2014)

Always nice to get a new toy...but you should have got a Chevy:whistling


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Mark122 said:


> Always nice to get a new toy...but you should have got a Chevy:whistling


:no::no::no:


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## Roofcheck (Dec 27, 2011)

Spencer said:


> Beside my van in the garage.


You can only drive one at a time though.


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

Why did you need that truck?


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

BamBamm5144 said:


> Why did you need that truck?


Why not? My hats off to the Man! :thumbsup:


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## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

Where do you expect to put your tools in that truck after saying your van was just about filled?


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

rrk said:


> Where do you expect to put your tools in that truck after saying your van was just about filled?


Back seat !


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

rrk said:


> Where do you expect to put your tools in that truck after saying your van was just about filled?


The van is staying. The new truck is replacing my old one.


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## mikeswoods (Oct 11, 2008)

One tool hauler--one material hauler---handy for personal use,too.

Going into the city for dinner in a van filled with tools is enough to make you nervous.


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## aaron_a (Dec 18, 2013)

Having a van as an only vehicle would be terrible.

Spencer, you must be on fire this year though. You're buying up all the goodies. Nice looking truck though.


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## skillman (Sep 23, 2011)

Very nice clean truck . What they get you for $$$ .


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

aaron_a said:


> Having a van as an only vehicle would be terrible.
> 
> Spencer, you must be on fire this year though. You're buying up all the goodies. Nice looking truck though.


He's buying so many goodies I need to know his secret!


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## KAP (Feb 19, 2011)

BamBamm5144 said:


> Why did you need that truck?


Hey now, if we're going to have to start justifying our toys, that takes all the fun out... :laughing:

Besides, he's going to have a hard enough time keeping that white truck clean... :whistling:

Let him enjoy it while he can... :thumbsup:

Congrats Spencer... :clap:


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

Inner10 said:


> He's buying so many goodies I need to know his secret!



A good amount of hours. Getting markup on jobs with high material cost on top of my hourly rate. 

I have been GC on an addition the last two months and then working regular jobs at the same time. Somehow I managed to double my gross profit the last two months vs what I was late spring/early summer. 

I've been letting a lot of jobs go that are mediocre money makers and focusing on getting more profitable ones. Hopefully I don't shoot myself in the foot. I'm booked through January with inside work.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

Spencer said:


> A good amount of hours. Getting markup on jobs with high material cost on top of my hourly rate.
> 
> I have been GC on an addition the last two months and then working regular jobs at the same time. Somehow I managed to double my gross profit the last two months vs what I was late spring/early summer.
> 
> I've been letting a lot of jobs go that are mediocre money makers and focusing on getting more profitable ones. Hopefully I don't shoot myself in the foot. I'm booked through January with inside work.


Well done!


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

skillman said:


> Very nice clean truck . What they get you for $$$ .



$15,900. I feel really good about it. This was exactly what I was looking for.


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

This purchase was largely based on tax reasons. As a married sole proprietor two incomes and no kids the irs is killing me. I'm going llc next year. I was not going to purchase a truck until next year but it made a lot of sense to do it this year. 

I don't put pit a lot of miles on my truck to the mileage deduction is of little benefit to me. I can expense the whole thing this year under section 179 and lesson my taxable income pretty much dollar for dollar. 

It is also in essence on sale 15% if this year vs next year as an llc because of the way my income is taxes. 

Bottom line for me is it was a needed purchase and it was a smart financial decision purchasing it at this time. I had cash available so I didn't have to screw with a bank loan either. I'm happy with the decision.


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## roejiley (May 14, 2014)

that's an awesome price, around here that thing would still be $21k. i'm in the market for a newer used truck, probably waiting until spring, but prices around here are ridiculously high.


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

roejiley said:


> that's an awesome price, around here that thing would still be $21k. i'm in the market for a newer used truck, probably waiting until spring, but prices around here are ridiculously high.



Motorsourceinc.com

They are in the heart of Chicago but they bring up southern trucks from the desert region. This thing is mint. It doesn't look like it's ever even had a receiver in the hitch and if it wasn't for screw holes where a ladder rack was if say the bed liner was new. Barely a scratch. I almost hate to start using it.


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

I meant - What will you be using the truck for?


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## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

Spencer said:


> The van is staying. The new truck is replacing my old one.


Got it, always good to have a backup


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

BamBamm5144 said:


> I meant - What will you be using the truck for?


A little of everything really. From giving estimates to pulling trailers to hauling firewood and everything in between. 

When I purchased my E-350 van it was one of the best financial decisions I ever made. Paid itself off fast and a lot of other things. 

This truck is a little different. For me its more of a stepping stone that you have to have in order to get to the next stone. If that makes any sense. Not having the right truck was limiting what I could do as well as directions I could expand. Its opening some doors for me.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

Bingo! 



Spencer said:


> I've been letting a lot of jobs go that are mediocre money makers and focusing on getting more profitable ones.


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

Gotcha. I didn't know if you were getting another guy set up, trailer to pull, ladder rack or whatever the plan was for the truck.

Seems like a really fair price for that truck.


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

BamBamm5144 said:


> Gotcha. I didn't know if you were getting another guy set up, trailer to pull, ladder rack or whatever the plan was for the truck.
> 
> Seems like a really fair price for that truck.


I'm really happy with the price and the truck. Which I'm glad for. It wouldn't be funny driving something around you felt like you got reamed on. Its still online. You can see more pics:

http://www.motorsourceinc.com/inventory/view/8051194/2008-Ford-Super-Duty-F-250-XLT-4WD-Ext-Cab-Short-Bed-V8-Gas-Highland-Park-IL

I'm not entirely sure what direction I'm going to head in the coming year. It probably depends a little bit on what opportunities present themselves and where I feel the money is.

If I get into additions, new homes, or even larger decks I would like to get a skid loader next year. We'll see what happens.

I don't think I'm ready to hire anyone next year but you never know. I didn't think i'd be building an addition my first year either. If I would decide to hire the truck would definitely be a good asset to have paid for in order to pull a cargo trailer.


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## Schmidt & Co (Jun 2, 2008)

Spencer said:


> Motorsourceinc.com
> 
> They are in the heart of Chicago but they bring up southern trucks from the desert region. This thing is mint. It doesn't look like it's ever even had a receiver in the hitch and if it wasn't for screw holes where a ladder rack was if say the bed liner was new. Barely a scratch. I almost hate to start using it.


How were they to deal with? When I was searching last year on Auto Trader they kept coming up in my searches. I really liked what they had and spent quite a bit of time on there site.


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

I'm familiar with motorsource. I spoke with them a few times but never bought anything from there.


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## tonyc56 (Nov 9, 2008)

> . As a married sole proprietor two incomes and no kids the irs is killing me.


Two incomes I wish I had that problem.


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## SectorSecurity (Nov 26, 2013)

When I think of a tax write off I think of buying something like a new office printer lol


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

Schmidt & Co said:


> How were they to deal with? When I was searching last year on Auto Trader they kept coming up in my searches. I really liked what they had and spent quite a bit of time on there site.





BamBamm5144 said:


> I'm familiar with motorsource. I spoke with them a few times but never bought anything from there.


They were very "matter of fact." Kind of like they were being polite but really borderline annoyed that they had to answer the phone again.

No negotiating. It is what it is. Take it or leave it. 

I liked that he was very hands off. Took me to the truck in the showroom and let me look at it by myself for about 15 min without a salesman hovering over me. Let me test drive it by myself also.

Extremely fast on the paperwork. Literally after I said I'd take it it was 10-15 min and I was out the door.


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## Moxley-Kidwell (Jan 28, 2011)

Extremely fast on the paperwork. Literally after I said I'd take it it was 10-15 min and I was out the door.[/QUOTE]

WTF!!! We bought 3 used trucks with cash/check 2years ago and I had to sit in these damn places for no less than an hour but probably closer to 2. I thought we could go in there, drive the trucks, tell them we'll take them, cut the check and out. Little did I know, you're one lucky sob.


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

Moxley-Kidwell said:


> Extremely fast on the paperwork. Literally after I said I'd take it it was 10-15 min and I was out the door.





> WTF!!! We bought 3 used trucks with cash/check 2years ago and I had to sit in these damn places for no less than an hour but probably closer to 2. I thought we could go in there, drive the trucks, tell them we'll take them, cut the check and out. Little did I know, you're one lucky sob.


Yeah, I waited for probably two hours when I bought my van in Chicago.

This was a cash deal and he knew I was coming so he had a lot of the paperwork done already. It was a very fast process.


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## Morning Wood (Jan 12, 2008)

Get ready for some rust on that bed. It would already be too late for that thing in this neck of the woods.
But nice truck for a nice price. I paid more for a rust bucket.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Mark122 said:


> Always nice to get a new toy...but you should have got a Chevy:whistling


Chevy Van yes....

Chevy Truck no...

Ford Truck yes...

Ford Van no...


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## flashheatingand (May 3, 2008)

TNTSERVICES said:


> Chevy Van yes....
> 
> Chevy Truck no...
> 
> ...


My experiences have been the exact opposite.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

I have owned a dozen or so Chevy vans. No major maintenence and all made it well passed 200,000 miles.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

I'm on my 7th or 8th Chevy truck, never had a problem, however my buddy who bought a sripped down version had all the handles and interior come apart on his Chevy. They really go cheap on the stripped down versions. The steering wheel was down to the metal when he finally sold it.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Californiadecks said:


> I'm on my 7th or 8th Chevy truck, never had a problem, however my buddy who bought a sripped down version had all the handles and interior come apart on his Chevy. They really go cheap on the stripped down versions. The steering wheel was down to the metal when he finally sold it.


When you have to deal with temperature variances of over 100 degrees and salt for sixth months a year then you'll know what will last and what won't.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

TNTSERVICES said:


> When you have to deal with temperature variances of over 100 degrees and salt for sixth months a year then you'll know what will last and what won't.


No thanks


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## Big Shoe (Jun 16, 2008)

Spencer said:


> Gonna have to sell old faithful. Picked up a texas truck from a dealer in chicago today. 2008 F-250 with 5.4. 4.10 axle. 122k miles. I like it. :thumbup:



pay attention to proper oil and filters. very important on those engines.

good luck to you. but there is no way in the world (it would be hard for me) to buy a truck with that many miles on it. but, i am out of touch with what is out there. i paid 16,000 for my 06 and it had 6,000 mi on it in 07. custom, vinyl seats,roll your own windows, no power door locks. plain jane.


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

Big Shoe said:


> pay attention to proper oil and filters. very important on those engines.
> 
> good luck to you. but there is no way in the world (it would be hard for me) to buy a truck with that many miles on it. but, i am out of touch with what is out there. i paid 16,000 for my 06 and it had 6,000 mi on it in 07. custom, vinyl seats,roll your own windows, no power door locks. plain jane.


You're going to be in for a rude awakening when you go to replace that truck. Pucker up. :thumbup: This aint 06 anymore. :no:

This truck will get less than 7k miles/yr. I will be looking for something different before the mileage becomes an issue. 120k miles was the sweet spot for me on the balance between cost and mileage. In my situation I would rather have a truck that is in near mint condition vs something that is rusty with low miles. It fit my needs well. 

I couldn't justify spending the kind of money it would take for a vehicle with less than 50k miles. I'm not really interested in driving around a truck that doesn't have 4x4 or power locks and windows either.


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

This guy was 18 with 140k on it.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

Vehicles, the worst investment in life. 

Well, boats suck too. 

3500 is my limit.


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## EricBrancard (Jun 8, 2012)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> Vehicles, the worst investment in life.
> 
> Well, boats suck too.
> 
> 3500 is my limit.


Idk. Life's too short to spend in $3500 vehicles.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

EricBrancard said:


> Idk. Life's too short to spend in $3500 vehicles.



Not really. All i need is AC


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> Vehicles, the worst investment in life.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I agree. I don't look at them as investments since investments you're supposed to come out ahead in.

I base all my vehicle purchases on what is the best value for what I need and often spend months before pulling the trigger on something.

The one I posted before was the best value for what I needed a truck for. I was looking on and off since February.


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

Texas is where the deals are. The prices in this thread seem pretty high.


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## CCCo. (Jul 19, 2009)

Jaws said:


> Texas is where the deals are. The prices in this thread seem pretty high.


Its funny you say that. Years ago I worked for a local pool builder, he wouldn't think twice about jumping on a plane .. shooting down to texas, buying a brand new dually, then drive it back. 
Smart business decision I guess - he's still in business today, ha ha

-


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

CCCo. said:


> Its funny you say that. Years ago I worked for a local pool builder, he wouldn't think twice about jumping on a plane .. shooting down to texas, buying a brand new dually, then drive it back.
> Smart business decision I guess - he's still in business today, ha ha
> 
> -


Im pretty sure Jesse, (JLS) did that last year.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

Jaws said:


> Im pretty sure Jesse, (JLS) did that last year.



I ended up getting it shipped for $800. It was about the cost of a plane ticket and fuel


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

jlsconstruction said:


> I ended up getting it shipped for $800. It was about the cost of a plane ticket and fuel


Thats what i pay for door to door from the west coast to IN.

Cheap.


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

Jaws said:


> Texas is where the deals are. The prices in this thread seem pretty high.


It has to be. This dealer is buying them in desert regions, spending the money to bring them up here, adding their markup, and still moving the trucks as fast as they can get them. It actually sounds like a pretty good business model. The only flaw in it is that the dealer said they can't get enough trucks up here to sell.

I've been on auto trader for months weighing out the options of what to buy and I don't feel bad at all about what I paid for this truck.

After looking for months I came to the realization that less than 1% of used trucks are deals. If you want something you have to pay for it. In the used vehicle arena is the price seems low it is almost always because there are underlying issues.

I can't afford new, nor is it a good financial decision in most cases so I just came to grips with the fact that I would probably have to pay a premium for a vehicle that is in exceptional shape.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> Thats what i pay for door to door from the west coast to IN.
> 
> 
> 
> Cheap.



Actually I think I had $1000 planned for a ticket and fuel. Plus $100 for toll roads and $100 for a hotel


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

Spencer said:


> It has to be. This dealer is buying them in desert regions, spending the money to bring them up here, adding their markup, and still moving the trucks as fast as they can get them. It actually sounds like a pretty good business model. The only flaw in it is that the dealer said they can't get enough trucks up here to sell.
> 
> .


Bring a rust free truck, most any year, back to the rust belt and you can just about double your money. 

Fill up an entire semi car hauler and you can make some serious bank.

Just like anything else, know your product, commit to it and you can make really good money doing whatever you want.


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## 91782 (Sep 6, 2012)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> Bring a rust free truck, most any year, back to the rust belt and you can just about double your money.
> 
> Fill up an entire semi car hauler and you can make some serious bank.
> 
> Just like anything else, know your product, commit to it and you can make really good money doing whatever you want.


yup
http://www.southernmotors.com/


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> Bring a rust free truck, most any year, back to the rust belt and you can just about double your money.
> 
> Fill up an entire semi car hauler and you can make some serious bank.
> 
> Just like anything else, know your product, commit to it and you can make really good money doing whatever you want.


Well said. :thumbsup:


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