buy LDT/MDT - moving house - am I nuts?

[Beardy]

Hi,
We have just moved house from So Cal. and we are now in a temporary place in the Pac NW. I have to finish moving some some stuff from So Cal. up north. We then have to store it until we move again from the rental to another place. The obvious thing is to rent a one-way truck, but if I do that I'm on the clock and have to go flat out to fill the truck and then head up North and unload and then store it (and pay for storage). Then later we have to rent another truck to move locally. We will be out >5k after all this. The wife had a bright idea: buy a truck and fill it at our leisure and drive it up, then we can lock it and park it cheaper than renting a lockup. We can use it when we move again and finally sell it (unless I can persuade her we need to keep it).
So... looking for a ~16ft box to drive 1k miles and then park and then use locally.
I have scoured craigslist and the rental sell offs and then there are a few things a bit more `interesting' here and there...
a couple of FL50 or 4300/4700 trucks with low miles from the early 2000 era all around the 10-12k range.

>>Is this nuts?
>>Am I better served getting something a bit more robust, or should I aim for a glorified pickup with a box glued on the back.
needs to be non CDL

Many thanks
Beardy

 

[danthewolf00]

Check and see what ABF would charge to rent a 28ft u-pack trailer....might be cheaper.

 

[Greg]

There is also PODS ( or other brands ), though not sure of the cost.

 

[Moot]

Price out PODS or ABF. You can do it on-line. ABF also has the POD type containers. I would think this way would be easier and cheaper than buying a 15 year old truck for $10,000 to $12,000. Where would you park this truck after the initial move? Would you sell this truck after the permanent move? There is a good chance you won't be able to sell it for what you paid for it and probably some unforeseen maintenance costs plus sales tax at the point of purchase.

 

[Greg]

Price out PODS or ABF. You can do it on-line. ABF also has the POD type containers. I would think this way would be easier and cheaper than buying a 15 year old truck for $10,000 to $12,000. Where would you park this truck after the initial move? Would you sell this truck after the permanent move? There is a good chance you won't be able to sell it for what you paid for it and probably some unforeseen maintenance costs plus sales tax at the point of purchase.

Plus you would have to add tag and insurance

 

[Beardy]

Most of our stuff got moved 5 months ago using pods. One came here and the rest is sitting in pods. Total costs for one pod plus move are of the order of 5k. Storage of pods is about 250 per month, versus locked parking for truck at 53. So if I buy a truck for 10k, the I can afford to sell it for 5 even inclusive of the tax. If I buy versus rent then I can fill it and empty it at my leisure rather than being against the clock. so while I agree that it's sketchy on purely financial grounds it's not totally out of whack.
Any thoughts as to the merits of different trucks?

 

[Greg]

Wow! 5K for 1 pod? I wouldn't have thought it would be that much.
Do you currently have a vehicle that can tow a trailer?
A nice sized cargo trailer can give you as much room as a 16' box truck. Less maintenance. Instant storage. Lots of future uses.

 

[JoeS]

Rent a truck that'll hold more than you need. Place ads on Craigslist up and down your route. Go to Uship and bid on items to be moved along your route. Stay within 15-20 miles of your route. With careful planning, you can move for free and put some money in your pocket.
I did this a few years back from NH to Florida. It paid for the truck, fuel, tolls, food and motels and I put 1k in my pocket.
Most of the stuff you'll pick up are odds and ends. I moved a chest of drawers, a Bimini top, 5 large boxes for one family, 3 boxes for another, a mirror, and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember at the moment.
I used about half the truck for myself and the rest for others.
Hope this helps.

 

[Beardy]

Theres an entrepreneur!

do I buy a gmc/ford ex rental "pickup truck with a box on the back", a Isuzu/gmc cab over, or something with a more substantial base like one of these international or Freightliner jobs?
are there any major differences in costs of parts, mileage, expected life, resale?

 

[mugurpe]

the cabovers have a higher resale value so you'll have more money tied up in them, but you would hypothetically get that back.
the cut-vans and pickup truck types aren't as good trucks but you probably aren't concerned with that.
Remember that you'll have to pay sales tax, and also that truck registration costs and insurance are dependent upon the GVW of the vehicle, so a larger heavier vehicle will cost more to insure and register, so I'd skip the 26K gvw trucks if you don't need them.

I think the trailer suggestion is an excellent one if that will work for you.

The plan doesn't sound too bonkers except for the RISK involved. PODS or ABF or whoever will also provide liability coverage for your goods if something goes terribly wrong. You will not have that for your vehicle unless you pay for it ($$), also if something breaks on the truck the project will definitely go in the red. Most used trucks are withing a few miles of a breakdown, that's why they got sold when they did. The best time to sell a truck is when everything works, but right before everything is about the break.

good luck.

Theres an entrepreneur!

do I buy a gmc/ford ex rental "pickup truck with a box on the back", a Isuzu/gmc cab over, or something with a more substantial base like one of these international or Freightliner jobs?
are there any major differences in costs of parts, mileage, expected life, resale?

 

[Beardy]

Many thx all
will go shopping...

 

[paullud]

Rent a truck that'll hold more than you need. Place ads on Craigslist up and down your route. Go to Uship and bid on items to be moved along your route. Stay within 15-20 miles of your route. With careful planning, you can move for free and put some money in your pocket.
I did this a few years back from NH to Florida. It paid for the truck, fuel, tolls, food and motels and I put 1k in my pocket.
Most of the stuff you'll pick up are odds and ends. I moved a chest of drawers, a Bimini top, 5 large boxes for one family, 3 boxes for another, a mirror, and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember at the moment.
I used about half the truck for myself and the rest for others.
Hope this helps.

How much did you spend getting your authority and all the insurance?

 

[paullud]

Theres an entrepreneur!

do I buy a gmc/ford ex rental "pickup truck with a box on the back", a Isuzu/gmc cab over, or something with a more substantial base like one of these international or Freightliner jobs?
are there any major differences in costs of parts, mileage, expected life, resale?

It's a terrific way to end up with massive fines unless things are done properly, especially given the fact that you are dealing with CA. You would need to get your authority, deal with DOT regs, very expensive insurance, etc. if you move other people's items. The amount of money, time, fuel, and potential repair bills on an older truck just aren't worth it. Have you looked into whether or not the truck would be CA compliant? What kind of stuff has to be moved that can't be purchased again? If you kept only the truly important things like family heirlooms how much would you need to move?

 

[MissKat]

Old dominion trucklines here in the PNW has a household/moving storage solution.

 

[runrunner]

Hi,
We have just moved house from So Cal. and we are now in a temporary place in the Pac NW. I have to finish moving some some stuff from So Cal. up north. We then have to store it until we move again from the rental to another place. The obvious thing is to rent a one-way truck, but if I do that I'm on the clock and have to go flat out to fill the truck and then head up North and unload and then store it (and pay for storage). Then later we have to rent another truck to move locally. We will be out >5k after all this. The wife had a bright idea: buy a truck and fill it at our leisure and drive it up, then we can lock it and park it cheaper than renting a lockup. We can use it when we move again and finally sell it (unless I can persuade her we need to keep it).
So... looking for a ~16ft box to drive 1k miles and then park and then use locally.
I have scoured craigslist and the rental sell offs and then there are a few things a bit more `interesting' here and there...
a couple of FL50 or 4300/4700 trucks with low miles from the early 2000 era all around the 10-12k range.

>>Is this nuts?
>>Am I better served getting something a bit more robust, or should I aim for a glorified pickup with a box glued on the back.
needs to be non CDL

Many thanks
Beardy

Yes!!!!