Many factors should come into consideration when the decision is made to buy a truck to either add on to an existing fleet or buy your first truck. Buying a used truck can often be frustrating for several reasons. You really don't know the vehicle's history and you want the right truck with the equipment best suited for your business needs.

There are various ways to determine whether you're merely buying someone else's headache, or you are getting the perfect truck for you. Carfax has been a tremendous asset to used vehicle buyers, but repairs performed by the previous owner or shops who do not report these repairs will not show up in a Carfax report. Smart buyers know that careful inspections of used vehicles, along with savvy questions asked of the owner can go a long way in avoiding buying a vehicle with a questionable past.

Many buyers assume that bigger is better. If the majority of vehicles that you will be hauling are small to medium size, do you really need anything bigger than a one ton truck? Bigger also means more expensive, in more ways than one. The initial price of larger trucks will naturally be more, and so will the maintenance costs. That tricked out Peterbilt with the chrome wheels may catch your eye, but is it a bargain compared to a smaller less fancy model that will serve the same purpose?

Consider something as routine as oil changes. Trucks with larger diesel engines will cost considerably more just to change the oil. Larger engines have a larger oil capacity, plus require more filters to do a routine service job. Not to mention larger repairs down the road such as clutch replacements, engine and transmission repairs, and the list goes on.

Buying a used rollback is definitely a wise business decision, but consider all the other factors involved before making a final decision. It will pay dividends in the future.