ok, my take on leasing... and buying a rig in general...
Leasing is great for the 9 to 5 accountant that wants a new Lexus every year or 2. Leasing is great for the co. that would like to have a new cargo van every so often for local deliveries in town.
Leasing is great for the guy that wants a new pick-up every so often for his small construction firm. Leasing is great for some.
Leasing is great for the guys that are gettin' into 18 wheelers with big co.'s like Schnieder or Swift and decide they like it and want to lease a tractor from the fleet to own it.
I don't see a ton of expediters out there leasing their trucks. The leasing of straight trucks is mainly for firms that are outside the realm of expediting... seafood, soda pop, and water delivery co.'s, small or very very regionalized operations. You don't see leasing in expediting because it's just not done, why? because of the wear and tear put onto the trucks. Expediters use secondary roads an awful lot, sometimes more than interstates. They're not delivering to places like pretty Wal-Mart distribution centers every day. They're delivering to small factories with rough lots, tight turns, inner city pick-up and drops... off the beaten path and thru the beaten path and beyond.
To me, Leasing is a fancy word for renting... only they jazz it up.
Leasing is not exactly like Renting.
No, Leasing is "keep it for awhile, but keep it lookin' good. Bring it back and we'll give you another model that's shines too.".
You can't drill holes in it, you can't modify it with Chrome and lights and fancy paint or wheels. You can't put nice seats in it.
Basically, you're renting (I mean leasing) a stock item and you can't modify at all - or it voids a warranty or lease aggreement or messes you up in the long run.
Ok, let's say you do lease a straight truck for expediting... after a couple months (or less) there's going to be something you want to change and/or modify on it - trust me, there is. Modifying could be something as little as drilling holes in the dash for a CB, or putting aluminum wheels on it to save weight. either way, it's gonna cost you somethin' in the long run. Either you'll have penalties you'll have to pay out for drilling holes somewhere on something, and/or you'll either have to give up your aluminum wheels when it's time to turn the truck in, or take them off and put the old wheels back on (and pay for that).
Now, if you BUY a truck, finance it or buy it outright - you don't have to worry about any of that... 'cause that machine is yours!
You can paint it 34 different colors and chrome plate that Allison shifter box, because you bought it, it's yours! Not some Leasing outfit that just wants it back fairly decently so they can put it out on an auction block somewhere and make even more money on it.
Ok, steering away from the leasing subject, because you didn't even say a word about it in your original post... Why spend sooo much for a new rig when you can get one slightly used for a bunch less.
Take your time, look around, the right machine will come along.
Go to Knoxville, and keep an eye on their lot - not their website, 'cause if it's any kind of decent wild rig, by the time it hits their website it's usually already gone. Keep an eye on the truck dealers sites here on EO. Sure some might say things about some of them, but the fact is you're lookin' for a rig - the dealers on this site have them - you just gotta keep in contact with their sales staff so you don't miss a good deal.
I'm not sure just how extensive of a sleeper you want, you said 96" sleeper, and there's a ton of different set-ups for a sleeper that size besides just havin' 2 beds in it. You can put a plumbing system in it, electronics and cabinet set-ups can vary greatly too. You want a run of the mill double bunk 96" sleeper or do you want something for stayin' out for a couple months? Whats your criteria there?
I'm not even gonna comment on the Allison Automatic tranny except to say I wouldn't get any other than Allison - she's a great gal!
AirRide, well, have you thought about goin' to a Class 8 chassis?
Perhaps you'll want to consider a truck with a daycab or even an extended cab and then add a sleeper to that - yes, you can do that.
All you really need is something like a 22 footer or less. You can get by with an 18 or 20 foot box, so long as you keep a team in it.
As long as your asking about specing out a truck, be sure to put some nice lockable steel or aluminum storage boxes on it somewhere - to hold tools, dirty laundry, and supplies. Don't forget that Pallet jack and all those extra ratchet straps, and if you're gonna go all out... Get a sleeper with windows that you can both see out of,
windows for top and bottom bunks, that's nice.
There's more to consider than just the sleeper size and transmission. The 20K down on a good used truck with a nice sleeper sure would cut those payments down on you. That would give you more spending money for the other items.
Spec it out right, look for a new or used rig with as much stuff that you want already on the truck - that way you can get a feel for the price ranges you'll have to pay. Don't look for a truck with a 96" sleeper that has no automatic tranny in it. Look for a truck with all that on it already - it'll give you more bargaining power, but the dealer has more too, 'cause they know it's what you want.
I'm sure you're aware that wanting an Allison Automatic tranny, while nice, is going to add substantially to the price.
You're in a 72" bunk now... and considering going up 12 inches in sleeper size? Unless cost of sleeper size is stopping you...
Why not go 2 more feet? Try this: sit in your sleeper and look around - both of you - just sit and look forward towards the cab and figure out what you could do with an extra 2 feet, as opposed to just a one foot longer sleeper. You'll find you'll need a tape measure for that - once you move the bunks back an extra 12 to 24 inches, there'll be room for a whole bunch more goodies. Sink, larger TV, and bigger beds are the top choices, along with extra upper cabinets.
However, consider counter space and perhaps even a table somewhere.
Just tryin' to help you with ideas.
