If you are shopping for a work truck for sale, you’ll want to start your buying process with a few key steps. By narrowing down what you are searching for, having an idea of where to look, and knowing the right questions to ask, you’ll be on your way to finding the perfect work truck for sale.
Knowing What You Need
One of the best places to start your shopping process is to nail down what you need to use your truck for. Will this truck be strictly a work vehicle or will it multitask between work and other functions, like a family vehicle. Why does this matter? Well, if your truck is doing double duty, you may need to think more about cab size and passenger capacity than you would if it was strictly for work. If your truck is going to be strictly a work vehicle, you can focus more on tow capacity and cargo space, for example.
What to Look For in Work Truck
When you are buying a work truck, consider these things to get you started on making the best purchase.
Tow Capacity
Depending on what kind of jobs you will be using your work truck for, you’ll certainly want to consider the tow capacity of your vehicle. Do you need a heavy-duty vehicle or a light-duty vehicle? Which one you choose will obviously depend on what you plan on hauling. Moving mostly furniture and other small loads? A light-duty truck will probably be all you need. Hauling heavier loads and you will most likely need a heavy-duty vehicle, such as a three-quarter-ton and one-ton-truck which generally have larger frames, tougher suspensions, and more powerful engines. Another thing to consider with hauling power is how it is calculated. Some companies will offer a straight towing capacity letting you know how much a truck can safely tow. Other sellers offer a payload capacity which refers to the maximum amount a truck can tow in passengers, cargo, and bed areas.
Cargo Space
Know your cargo and passenger space needs when you start to shop for a work truck. Will you be transporting other workers with you in your cab to and from jobs? How much storage space do you need? Will your work truck also serve as a kind of office on wheels for on-site jobs? All of these are important considerations when shopping for a work truck.
Horsepower
Today’s pickup trucks pull out all the stops on style. So much so that you can often forget you are in a work truck at all when you are surrounded by leather-wrapped seas, lux materials, and intuitive infotainment systems. However, don’t lose track of what is most important when you are buying a work truck. Of course, we all want a good looking, comfortable truck – just be sure that these features are in line with other important functions like a truck’s available horsepower that will let you get tough jobs done. A hard-working work truck needs to be able to maintain highway speeds while hauling heavy loads.
Fuel Efficiency
Sure, it’s great to get a truck that is a solid workhorse for your business. However, don’t forget to factor in fuel efficiency when you are considering your purchase. Weighing in gas mileage of particular work trucks is very important to how beneficial a specific model will be for you. If you are spending a ton of money on gas, you will be deducting that from what your truck helps you to earn, so it is a very important number to consider.
Making an Informed Decision on a Work Truck
Once you’ve narrowed down your options for buying a work truck, you can combine all of the information you’ve gathered and make an informed decision as to which work truck is going to best suit your needs on a day to day basis.
In summary, you’ll want to consider:
- The overall towing/payload capacity for your vehicle
- Horsepower in line with the type of hauling you will need to be accomplished
- Fuel efficiency. How much you need to spend on gas is an important factor in determining value in a work truck.
MSRP and resale value. Be sure to consider all of the above factors and then look at the MSRP as well as a resale value for the work truck you are considering. In the long run, you may sell your work truck for one that can tackle larger or smaller jobs and getting a work truck that gives a good return on the used market adds value to your current work truck purchase.
Considering these factors will make shopping for a work truck much easier than simply starting blind. Knowing the big picture of what you need and what’s available and how to look at your options in a logical and systematic format will help you find the work truck that best suits your needs.
