Looking for a lorry........am I being to ambitious with my budget?

L

LouB

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 September 2008
Messages
122
Location
Somerset
Visit site
My budget is 5-6k possibly 7 for something perfect.

Having trawled around the internet I can't find anything! It doesn't seem to help being based in the South West as more the more affordable boxes seem to be up North.

I would like a 7.5 lorry that......
Can take 3 horses....would settle for one that only takes 2.
Basic living, i.e bench, sink and hob, just somewhere to stay out of the rain....defo no toilet, shower, cooker or fridge.
Don't really want anything older than M reg, only on the assumption I will have to spend more maintaining an older box.
Pref Daf, Man, Merc.

Am I expecting too much? Do I need to lower my expectations and go for something older?

Many thanks
 
I think you will be lucky to find something for that money that doesn't cost you a fortune to keep on the road.

I paid a similar amount for my first lorry, about 10 years ago and had lots of problems with it. The second time around I saved up about £12K and managed to get something which had been well maintained and had all the things I wanted. Its old (An E Reg), but 6 years later its still going well because it has had a quiet life and been loved.

If you go older its going to cost you loads to keep it running, loads being more than the £1K approx it will cost whatever lorry you have! I would save for a bit longer if you can and get something for £10K.
 
What baout a 5.5tonne - you could possibly get something for that price, but as Shazzababs says, you may have to look at something older but may also have a few problems.
 
I bought an M reg daf, 3 horses, living with sink, hob and bed on luton, really only has payload for 2 big horses plus tack/water/people but has payload for 3 with not much stuff (has about a tonne and a half of payload) for 7.5K. It only had 75 thousand km (so about 45K miles) on the clock when I bought it too, so low milage.

The most it has ever cost me to get through MOT was this year, at £1K, however it needed a new diesel tank and had been sitting idle for 6 months.

It is reliable and the horse travels well in it. It's a bit shabby, stick sided and not the smartest thing on the road, but it does me brilliantly.

Cost me £7.5K about 2.5yrs ago.
 
I bought a H reg Daf 4 years ago for £5.5k; 7.5t three ponies two large horses, sink, cooker large luton, seats; had to travel down to Herts for it.
In that time I've had some new tyres and last year had the brakes done which was £600. But that is all apart form the £75 plating and the normal tax, insurance etc.

I think you can get an older lorry which has been well looked after like mine ( its done 180 thousand kilos!) for your budget. You might have to travel further though.
 
My daughter bought a 7year old Leyland Roadrunner in immaculate condition, but without living, really smart box and paid £15,000 for it. It was the only time we didnt have huge maintenence cost every few months.
Buying cheap is a false economy.

That was a good 6 years ago when we bought that , not sure what you'd have to pay for the same nowadays.
 
Buying cheap is ok if you have a mechanic as a husband, having said that some older wagons are really well maintained and well worth the money. We own a commercial vehicle garage in West yorkshire and maintain loads of horseboxes. We have some lurvly big whittakers and oakleys that come in that can cost just as much as the older ones to maintain, we also have an awful lot of old wagons which are so well looked after with hardly any mileage and nothing ever seems to go wrong with them so i suppose its 6 of one and half a dozen of the other, it all depends on the history of the wagon itself.
The harder most expensive ones to maintain are the likes of the Ford Cargo where parts are rare but most other boxes are just as easy to maintain as the newer ones. I bought a H reg Roadrunner in April it had been stood 2 years and was a mess outside,it is partitioned off for 3 horses and rubber matted out, the back is fairly tidy but the living was unfitted, i paid 2k cash. It went through its MOT having only been fitted with 2 new tyres and some reflectors. I have since had it resprayed and my husband fitted the living fitted out with 2 bench seats & storage, hob & sink, it weighs only 5.3t unladen and is a great wagon for what i need it for.
 
My sister bought a K reg Iveco 2 weeks ago with living for £4,500, it is tatty on the outside, needs a spray, but it is safe and sound. I bought an 03 Iveco with no living for £5.5K 3 months ago. Both of these came off EBay, and were fairly local to the SW.
 
12K for an "E" reg...good grief...
crazy.gif
crazy.gif
 
It was 6 years ago, and its done virtually no miles. Been a horsebox since nearly new and sat in a barn most of the time.

Commercial lorry guy who looks after it for me still says its nice, which is some going for a horsebox!

Probably only worth £5k now though.....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top