Going to look at this rig for our DRV and wondering for you that have them or know a lot about them some information. Came up on this one with 35k miles and they asking $59,000. Seems pricey but unsure where find their value.....Are they a pulling machine over my current '12 F-450?How is the ride?Fuel mileage not towing?Reliability? Maintenance history availability unknown. Anything to watch out for being 11 years old?I've read maneuverability is better with these any personal experiences?Fuel tank capacity-I fuel filler on each side? Looks like it has an auxiliary air conditioner control...?Air brakes?Air ride?Brake life expectancy as a very general guideline (I know lots of variables)It's got a Western camper bed with a 5th wheel hitch but not sure what kind yet or it's capacity....Will I be looking at a change in pinbox adjustment over what my 450 currently rides at...?A lot of engine/road noise??It looks really nice and would appreciate a larger rig that matches the trailer and maybe doesn't get pushed around so much by a large heavy DRV. I want to do more research on this as I plan to see it/drive it this weekend.

There is a 1997 for sale near me for $14,000.says it runs great, needs some tlc. So, I think yours may be a bit high.

Escapees forum has a section just for those MDT's. You might want to search/ask there. :)

RAINEYTXX wrote:GCame up on this one with 35k miles and they asking $59,000. Seems pricey but unsure where find their value.....It's hard to find a book value. You may want to check with your state licensing agency as to what they think its value is. That seems reasonable to me, maybe a bit high, but that's also very low miles.Are they a pulling machine over my current '12 F-450? Compared my 03 f450 PSD, yeah. Compared to yours, maybe not. I know they're starting to pack some real punch in these smaller diesels. My PST was 550ft-lb. My 2008 Cummins ISC 8.3 is 800ft-lb. Big difference.How is the ride? Amazing. If yours has air springs, air cab and air seat (and maybe air hitch), it'll be whole new world on the road. My 450 was really uncomfortable. Fuel mileage not towing? 11.5Reliability? Can't complain. Maintenance history availability unknown. Take it to a diesel shop and have them hook it up to the ECM computer to determine its current health. I should have done that before buying mine, but I was inexperienced. I had to have $800 worth of work done on it within a few months of purchase, but she's good as new now.Anything to watch out for being 11 years old? Oil leaks. Air leaks. The ECM will tell you everything you need to know about the engine. I am of course assuming that year did have computer controls. I've read maneuverability is better with these any personal experiences? The wheel cut is much better than my F450. I never could get used to how much radius it needed to make U turn Fuel tank capacity-I fuel filler on each side? Mine are 50 gallons per side. The fuel gauge doesn't work real well, so I use the trip odometer. When the fuel gauge reads 1/4 I'm at about 1/2. It's fun to pull into the big-rig diesel pumps and hook up a hose to each side and let 'er rip!Looks like it has an auxiliary air conditioner control...? Don't know about that. Mine has an inverter, drop down TV screen and a kick-butt audio system. And a really crappy Pioneer in-dash GPS, XM/AM/FM radio. That's the only thing I find really cheesy about my truck. It looks like something out of the 80s.Air brakes? No.Air ride? Oh yeah. Drives like a cloud.Brake life expectancy as a very general guideline (I know lots of variables) Don't know. You'll learn to use your engine brake (or exhaust brake) way more than your service brakes. Those brakes should be huge. I did like that about my 450. Big disc brakes I never had to replace in 120k miles.Will I be looking at a change in pinbox adjustment over what my 450 currently rides at...? I did. I had to raise my 5ers pin box a few inches to get level. No adjustments on the truck.A lot of engine/road noise?? There is some annoying wind noise on the driver door. Haven't tackled that yet. Engine noise? No. Just a nice rumbling purr of a real big heavy 6-cylinder diesel engine. I wouldn't call it real quiet in the cab. Newer pickups may have it beat on that issue.It looks really nice and would appreciate a larger rig that matches the trailer and maybe doesn't get pushed around so much by a large heavy DRV. I want to do more research on this as I plan to see it/drive it this weekend.Good luck with it. As I said, it's a whole new world of towing for you. Huge steering wheel, gauges all over the place, transmission buttons on the dash, 22.5 tires that feel as if they're not rolling at all, and weight. These trucks are heavy, and that makes a big difference when you don't want to feel your trailer pushing you around.You won't be taking this truck to your local diesel mechanic for repairs. Depending on its engine, you'll look for a certified shop specializing in that brand. There are Freightliner shops all over the US, so it's not a big deal. These places are designed to get you fixed and on the road, and I find them a real nice experience over a regular shop.A regular FL60 "work truck" will be considerably cheaper, and for good reason. The Sportchassis is a real snazzy looking rig, hence, more money.

From what I hear, the FL60 is a great truck to tow a lot of weight. The transmission is about 300 pounds more weight than the one in the F-450. I don't think it has the complications of air brakes, but will have very strong hydraulic brakes, probably huge ones! It should have a great exhaust brake as well. The Allison transmission is great at slowing a vehicle. The vehicle value is what you can get someone else to pay when you try to sell it. Some cars are going for $75,000 - when they sold new for $8,500 in the 70's. I think that the $59,000 is what the current owner thinks it is still worth. And if he wanted exactly $59,000, he probably would have it for sale at $61,000! SO you might have some wiggle room in the price, so offer something like $50,000 and see where it goes from there. Yet if you really like what you see, then $59,000 is not unreasonable for a truck with such low mileage, and well taken care of. It will be nothing like a standard fleet truck where the drivers might not see the same truck two weeks in a row. It might have started out as a fleet truck, but the plastic floor covering and vinyl seats where removed and replaced with leather, and carpet. It probably did not go down dirt roads, and gets a monthly car wash with tender loving care, not just a high pressure wash every 6 months. It might not have as many horsepower as you have with the F-450 though. Yet the transmission will transfer that power to the rear axle better, so it might feel just as powerful. Good luck!Fred.

Most of the newer P/U engines have more suds than the MDTs but the MDTs have way better (lower) gearing for heavy loads and don't top out at 120mph. Your 450 should be geared pretty low. A lot of trucks have 3.54 diffs or even higher but the engines only run half the rpm of the V8 P/U diesels. I've been thinking of a bigger P/U w/hauler bed for retirement and a big 5er and we would still do a LOT of bobtailing. I grew up trucking, mostly 18 wheels, and I can't get very excited about bobtailing on wet roads again. That alone might be a deal-breaker for me. Those things spin out at the drop of a hat and the harder you hit the brakes, the faster they go, even with an empty trailer on! I'd think about a class 5 first. Craig

MDT-2003 FREIGHTLINER SPORTCHASSIS FL60 | Good Sam Community

dblr
Explorer
Aug 04, 2014
RAINEYTXX wrote:
dblr wrote:
I usually see a lot of these on sale at Horse Trailer World.com they have a section just for trucks. We just bought a HDT with a Smart car and our credit union also would not finance it. We found ours on Escappees forum in the HDT section.

Did you finance it? or was it a cash purchase since the credit union did not finance?

I ended up just paying cash for ours, our credit union would not finance it because they said it was not a normal vehicle they would do, they also stop at a certain age vehicle or to many miles on a vehicle.
RAINEYTXX
Explorer
Aug 03, 2014
dblr wrote:
I usually see a lot of these on sale at Horse Trailer World.com they have a section just for trucks. We just bought a HDT with a Smart car and our credit union also would not finance it. We found ours on Escappees forum in the HDT section.

Did you finance it? or was it a cash purchase since the credit union did not finance?
dblr
Explorer
Aug 02, 2014
I usually see a lot of these on sale at Horse Trailer World.com they have a section just for trucks. We just bought a HDT with a Smart car and our credit union also would not finance it. We found ours on Escappees forum in the HDT section.
2oldman
Explorer II
Aug 01, 2014
RAINEYTXX wrote:
.you must have to consider a MDT carefully if you do buy one cash. How do you unload it otherwise?
They are not an easy resell, for sure. Perhaps that's why it's difficult to finance it.
RAINEYTXX
Explorer
Aug 01, 2014
It is on consignment at the dealer. We are FT so no stick and bricks. If you do buy one of these....you must have to consider a MDT carefully if you do buy one cash. How do you unload it otherwise?

maybe hoping to hear from somebody on the forum who is directly involved with selling these for another idea!
JEBar
Explorer
Aug 01, 2014
since they are in the business to sell new and used trucks, its mystifying to me that dealership from which you plan to buy can't provide you with financing options .... how can they expect to sell their products if they don't have sources that will finance them

Jimk
2oldman
Explorer II
Aug 01, 2014
RAINEYTXX wrote:
Thoughts? Don't want to keep doing credit inquiries because that will be not good!
Got any home equity? If you're a good risk perhaps a simple 'signature' loan fron your CU would cover it. Are you already making payments on your truck and 5er?

I've never understood why credit inquiries lower your credit score. Sheesh.
RAINEYTXX
Explorer
Aug 01, 2014
Personal credit history is no problem. Credit union would not accept this vehicle as collateral and does not loan on these type vehicles. I guess at 11 years old there could be some risk involved for them.

Thoughts? Don't want to keep doing credit inquiries because that will be not good!
2oldman
Explorer II
Aug 01, 2014
RAINEYTXX wrote:
The dealership had plenty of lame excuses today when I checked with them on the status of application..
Did they run a credit check on you?
avvidclif1
Explorer
Aug 01, 2014
RAINEYTXX wrote:
WOW! No return call from Wayland...! Frustrating when business owners don't seem to want your business.

7 days to vacation....maybe trade the DRV on smaller trailer and keep F450....lol

For any of you that purchased and financed a used MDT, who was your lending institution and how hard was it to get financed?

Jeesh you give him 2.5 hrs to return your call, like that's all he has to do. Patience.

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