Question:
I began driving in 1974 and drove fulltime as a company driver pulling flats until the mid eighties. I then opened my own business in another field. While I owned my own business, I trip leased tractors from PacLease and continued to drive part time for myself until the early nineties, when I changed to contract carriers. The business could not compete with the "big boys" and foreigners and is now closed. I find myself at fifty three with enough cash to purchase a good used car, plus have enough left over in the bank to operate my home and car for a few months, plus a good amount, (about 10K )for an emergency fund. I still have my Class A CDL. A good friend of mine will lease me on to his well established, small, flatbed company running about three or four states. I know what to expect in gross per week and it is something I can live with. I have narrowed my search down to three cars and would appreciate your input or any flags on a bad model / engine. All cars are priced in the mid-twenties.
# 1 - 2001, International 9200, 513 k miles, Series 60 Detroit, former Continental Carriers fleet car available from from local International dealer.
#2 - 2000, International 9400, 560 k miles, Cummins N-14, repo from International dealer.
#3 - 2000 Volvo VNL 64T, 542k miles, Cummins N-14, from Ryder with 30 day warrenty.
Thank you for your insight and any help you can give.

Answer:

Volvo's have the best reputation for quality of their ride, and have a pretty livable interior. The N-14 is a good motor, you didn't say what hp rating, trans, or rear end gearing. To pull a flatbed, you don't really need a high rise condo, so if it's a mid roof, then it would be a good machine.
Both IH's also sound good, and personally I like the interior layout of the IH. They have a reputation for being a little bit noisy inside the cab, but there are plenty of them running down the road and I haven't seen any deaf drivers yet. Again the same thing applies to the N-14. The Series 60's also have a good reputation for fuel mileage, and are also a dependable engine.
What you need to do is make sure that the cars are specced properly for what you want to do, and the loads you want to pull. Is your friends work weight limited? Some flatbedders need light weight equipment to be able to get a full load on the deck. If so, you might want to weigh all three of the choices and see where they clock in.
I would look carefully at the gearing and trans info, trying to get the engine to tick over at 60 mph in the bottom of it's sweet spot. The better fuel mileage you can wring out of it, the easier it is going to be to make a profit. Plan on putting it in the shop after purchase and giving the car a good going over. Time and a bit of money spent there is a lot better deal than spending that money for repairs out on the highway.

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Burky - Thanks for the input. The freight is mainly pipe, 40 to 44 k in weight, pulled with a spread axle, steel trailer. I have the specs on the Volvo: 435 hp, 3.9 ratio, with a Fuller 13 speed. The 9200 is a Fuller 10 speed. The Volvo and the 9400 are mid roof sleepers, the 9200 a high rise. All three cars are equipped with Jakes. I also must mention that I have all the maint. records for the Volvo. The 9400 will not be to the dealer until mid week and no records are available.

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The Detroits of that era seem to have a reputation for breaking rods (based on opinions of those other than myself that know more than myself). Somewhere around 2004-5 Detroit began using the beefier 14.0L rods (or similary spec'd rods) in the 12.7 engines (based on Detroit brochures).
For what it's worth.
I think most here will vote on the N-14 as being a bulletproof engine, if perhaps a bit shorter on fuel economy.
ADDED: Volvo might be just a tad heavy on the steers, even if a 610 (I drove one for about 7 months and it was a good car w/700K on it)... they moved the fuel tanks aft around 2003-4 to help that a bit... given the weights you mentioned with a spread axle, I'd want a sliding fifth wheel.

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I'm getting into my personal preferences here, but I have always held the opinion that if you have a high rise on anything other than a van, all you are doing is pushing a big hunk of fibreglass through the air for no real gain. Aerodynamically, a high rise or condo works with a van, but on almost any other type of trailer it is just dead weight to carry that doesn't provide you the aerodynamic benifits it's designed to produce. And in most of them I have seen, there is a lot of dead space in the interior that I can't really make effective use of. A mid roof will have just as much usable space, enough nooks and crannies to store all your goods, and you can stand up in one with ease. How much space above your head do you really need?
As for the specs, depending on where you run, a well speced car with a 10 speed will haul any load that you pull that stays under the 80k limit. The 13 speeds does give you some more choices of where to run to get the engine in a specific rpm range, and if it's an overdrive the 3.9 gears will work.
My philosophy is always to pick a speed that you plan to run, and set the car up to run in the desired rpm range at that speed. Whether I get to that point with a 10 speed direct, and 3.09 gears, or whether I end up there with an overdrive and 3.90's, isn't so much of a concern on a used car. I am getting ready to buy my own car in the future, and what I have done is sat down and created a list of the specs I need to do the job I will be doing. I basically started with my employer's specs, and then tried to improve on them some. I ended up with about 15 items that make up my car. Then I went through those 15 specs, and decided which ones were an absolute, and which ones I had some leeway on. I ended up with about 9 items that I had no give on, and the rest I could make some compromises if the rest of the car is right. For example, I'd like a 60 inch sleeper when I buy, but if the rest of the car is right I can live with a 51" or a 72".
The main thing is to start the car purchase from the ground up, and not lock yourself into a specific car if it doesn't meet your needs very well. What I mean from "the ground up' means that you start with finding the right engine/trans/rears to do the work you want, and then you wrap a body around it. I prefer an aerodynamic body style over a classis, but many people will make a different decision there to suit their own needs. I look at a car as a machine to make money with, and I evaluate it in that way. So anything that isn't going to return me money from the investment isn't going to get on my car. It won't have much chrome when I buy it, but it will make money, and that's my bottom line in buying a car. My 02.

Answer:

Pay attention to the wheel base. You'll probably want at least 230", so that the trailer doesn't crush the headache rack.
Ryder cars are usually very short.

Answer:

Thank you all for your input. The Volvo has 215" wheelbase (too short?) and a sliding fifth wheel. I will research the lengths of the other two. I know the 9200 does not have a sliding fifth, but I think about $800.00 can cure that. I do not know much the about 9400, but can find out on Monday.
I will be running Alabama & Florida mainly, with some Tennessee and Georgia as well.

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I have owned a 9400 Eagle for several years and pulled a flat bed with it. It has served me well during that time. I have a 3406E with a 10 spd Spicer and 354 rears. I consistently get over 6 mpg when I am driving it. I have a 72" pro sleeper midroof with full fairings on the sides and top. I have a side kit and the car is a bit heavy but I can still scale just over 46M pounds with full tanks. I have dual 150 gallon tanks. My trailer is steel and wood so it is a bit heavy as well. I think you will like the roominess of the sleeper area. The Volvo may be a little lighter since it is the small one. I have driven Volvo's before and they are comfortable. All around I would opt for the International. I think they are a tougher car.

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I ran a '95 Volvo with the 60" sleeper and a 216" wheel base and the trailer never touched the headache rack ....And I got into some pretty tight places ( with the car and trailer ) .

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I pull pneumatic tanks with a 210" wheelbase car, and have plenty of room on the back, even if I did have a headache rack back there. Unless the trailers you will be pulling have some unusual pin setting, it shouldn't be a big problem.I might want a little bit longer wheelbase than what I have when I buy, but it's mainly because a bit longer wb will provide a more comforatable ride. I've set my plans for between 210"-225" for wheelbase. Too much wheelbase and you start getting into maneuvering problems if you have to get into a tight spot. There are guys running the highway with 250-270" cars, but once they get into town they start paying the price for that length.

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