Tips for buying a lorry please.

C

clopper

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 February 2009
Messages
162
Visit site
Hi I am looking at buying my 1st lorry and woul dreally like some advice what to look for. I want to spend around £30k but what you get for that seems to vary greatly.

Can anyone let me know what mileage is reasonable for a 02/03 plate and what would be classed as high mileage

What do you all think of Ivecos? Lots around but a couple of Daf owners said they are problematic.


and just generally what are the main things to look out for.
What do you thinkk of these 2 - there is 7years age difference.

http://www.horsemart.co.uk/advert/3_horse_living_staffordshire/82876
or
http://prestigehorsebox.com/store/produc...ab71659611c52fe


Anyone know of any good 7.5t 3 horseboxes in nice condition let me know.
Thanks
 
[ QUOTE ]
Hi I am looking at buying my 1st lorry and woul dreally like some advice what to look for. I want to spend around £30k but what you get for that seems to vary greatly.

Can anyone let me know what mileage is reasonable for a 02/03 plate and what would be classed as high mileage

What do you all think of Ivecos? Lots around but a couple of Daf owners said they are problematic.


and just generally what are the main things to look out for.
What do you thinkk of these 2 - there is 7years age difference.

http://www.horsemart.co.uk/advert/3_horse_living_staffordshire/82876
or
http://prestigehorsebox.com/store/produc...ab71659611c52fe


Anyone know of any good 7.5t 3 horseboxes in nice condition let me know.
Thanks

[/ QUOTE ] Firstly forget about mileage but a 02/ 03 on average will have 300,000 kms plus if its been a comercial in a former life seriously its condition and qualilty that matter.. take a mecanic to look if it looks good to you, make sure the cab tilts it is almost impossible to repair the modern lorrys with the cab fixed
shocked.gif
I think Daf LF are the best however I have a 04 mercedes atego at the mo which is great , iveco is ok also I would go for the best lorry not have a fixed idea about make.. Im tempted to look at the kevin parker lorrys or there is ABI who post on here as pathelschoice I met them at a show and they seemed very nice genuine people
wink.gif
 
be prepared for the search to go on for awhile!! and private sellers tell alot of fibs as i have found out!! i have a lorry but am looking to upgrade and a year and a half on im still looking...........
 
the second lorry is on a 95 chassis (15 years old) albe it with a new engine? my lorry mechanic hates ivecos and my old one did rot!! i have a MAN now which drives well and is a sturdier lorry than the iveco. milage depends on what the lorry was before it became a horsebox! their milage is in kms though, and as long as well maintained a km reading of up to 200,ooo km. commercial lorries usually are ok as they are plated and have to be checked by law every 6 weeks for the operators license. the paint job and the living are irrelevant, look at the floor in horse section and the strength of the walls and the payload available. get mechanic to check the engine and brakes and ask to see the plating certificates and test sheets.
 
Oh just looked at the two on your post, one is nearly six tonnes so at best will just carry two horses second was a wittaker the last one i worked on and was for sale wasnt far off 6.5 tonne so no good whatsoever. so make sure of the unladen weight before you commit.. if you want to travel three it needs to be no more than 5 1/2 ish tonnes the other thing is that old shape iveco is looking very dated now, first came out in 1992 looking at both the cabs dont tilt.. sorry to be negative... and high mileage on a lorry would be 750,000 kms or more I sometimes work on a volvo fleet all of which are over the million on o2 and o3s and running strong...
 
For that cash you can get one built.......

But what i suggest is that you get truck which has a good sound service record, lots of paperwork, mileage on truck is not like cars you want something which has done easliy mileage with a good lots of servicing. Then worry about horse area for you needs, then onto bells and whistle of living.

If it was me i would defo go to a few dealers and see what about. And don't to keen to let money burn hole in pocket and don't get hooked by shinney paintwork. If you do you leg work you'll get a cracker of a lorry.
 
i would applechaff but thats part of my prob all lorries that are decent are in the south of england (im in scotland!!) and it would cost me about a grand to get them back here !!!
 
Thanks all - there just seems to be so much difference regarding what you get for your money. I like the look of some on thehorseboxman site but they havent living fitted - anyone know roughly how much it costs to get half decent living fitted.

ye I do like the Kevin parker helios unfotunately over budget and the ones on abi also - ah well I can dream - will keep looking if anyone sees anything please let me know
 
[ QUOTE ]
Applechaffs lorry in very nice, it's only for sale due to a change in her circumstances.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah thanks
laugh.gif
What a nice thing to say
smile.gif
 
I am in the middle of replacing my cab and chassis and refurbishing my box. Why? Cos I didnt take a mechanic with me when I bought it!!

What I have learned so far (and its an ongoing process) is that DAF LF and MAN are the most reliable. Tilt cab essential. If you have a cut thru to the box check there is a frame for the cab. If no luton get one with a wind deflector. Check your brakes and air reservoirs. Check your drive shaft, (one of those coming up thru the floor is catastrophic) check your available payload (ie 7.5 tonne minus how much the lorry weighs. Skirts are nice but if you live in narrow lanes they may catch damage, they aren't essential
 
perfect11's thank you for the nice compliments about us .... with re: to lorry purcahse Personally i think you are always better to buy from a reputable company rather than a private sale when at all possible, you will get a warranty and at least the vehicle will have had an inspection to qualify as suitable for use. Why not try JM horseboxes ask for Martin, they do a good quality build and at decent price, its also worth giving Oakley a ring, they do get plenty of trade in lorries which are again of good quality.
 
Stick to a named horsebox, they hold their value a lot more and are generally built to a tried and tested design rather than a one-off guess by a one-man-in-a-barn horsebox.

The Whittaker will be showing its age by now as a chassis but build quality of a 2002 whittaker will outshine some builds of today. Be careful on available payload

The second will be a tector chassis so LEZ compliant and better to get bits for. Build quality may not be as good

Mileages are pretty irrelevent for horseboxes but generally upto 350,000 kms is perfectly ok, the engines and running gear are pretty much bullet proof, they will do 1/2 million kms without blinking and by 100,000 most other components will have started to be periodically replaced so mileage becomes less important.

Take a mechanic to give it the final check after you have seen and are happy just prior to giving away your money and have it weighed independently, owners, cab plates and brake test readings are very very often wrong.

Go on gut instinct, if you don't get the right vibes, dont hand over the money.

Google 'Horseboxes' and work your way thru stocklists on company websites to give you an idea what you get for your money, it will give you the upper hand when haggling

Ask about warranty, horseboxes do go wrong so ask what happens when they do.

Happy hunting

Mack
 
Reading this thread and saw kevin parker,We just looked at a Helios ladies horsebox at kevin parker horseboxes, was well impressed. Staff are lovely and helpfull and product is best we have seen so far. horse area finish was brill.
we need light for 2 big horses and all mums tack so the weight was important. We are working finance now.Any good firms to try?
ps
Does our tv licence cover a horsebox?
 
This may helpful to other people looking for new horseboxes.
We have just ordered A 23’ Helios 3 horse from kevin parker horseboxes ltd.
After mum lost a 3k deposit with a very dodgy dealer we have pooled our money and looked at the builders we could find on the internet and magazines. Once burned, We needed some guarantees to protect us and we needed to feel confident.
There are lots of nice
In the end we had a list of 4 and it boiled down to ringing previous customers. If anyone would like some good advice this must be at the top of the list.
All the sales talk is fine and we did speak to some nice people, but if you make a list of sensible questions and speak to people who have had horseboxes for a while you get the other side to.
Our experience so far is exactly the same as the people we spoke to, Very good.
Mum has had 3 emails so far with updates and pictures and its very interesting to see it all come together.
So far we are very pleased and would highly recommend them.
If anyone just wants info on horseboxes they have a fantastic site and well worth a view.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top