Purchasing Trucks For Your Start-Up NASCAR Team

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Starting your own NASCAR team, even in the lower Camping World Truck tier, can be extremely expensive. One of your biggest expenses will be the heavy- and medium-duty trucks and trailers that you will need to haul your race and show cars in. To save money on the vehicles you will need, you should consider shopping at a used heavy- and medium-duty truck auction. You can often find a used truck at an auction for a fraction of what it would have cost you to purchase the same vehicle new.

Choosing the Right Heavy- and Medium-Duty Trucks

Finding a used heavy-duty truck can mean logging a lot of miles driving from one seller to another. That is why auctions can be such a great place to find your next workhorse truck. At a used heavy- and medium-duty truck auction, you can typically find a large number of vehicles from different manufacturers and in varying conditions all in one place. Before you place a bid, however, you should do your research and know how an auction works. The following are some terms you may encounter at an auction while searching for your used heavy- or medium-duty truck for your NASCAR operation:

• Reserve. When a truck is listed as being sold with a reserve, that means that there is a minimum bid that must be met before the owner of the truck is willing to sell his vehicle. The reserve is often hidden from the bidders. Unfortunately, this means that you could have placed the highest bid for a used truck and still not have actually won the vehicle.
• No reserve. When a used truck is listed as having no reserve, that means the truck will sell to the highest bidder no matter how low the bid is.
• Minimum bid. This is the lowest bid that can be made on a vehicle.

Wait and See

If you don't see the vehicle you want at the first auction you attend, don't settle on a used heavy- or medium-duty truck that won't meet all of your needs. Instead, wait until the next used heavy duty truck auctions. One of the beauties of an auction is the constantly changing inventory. In addition, many auctions offer a "search" feature. With this feature, you can let the auction know what type of vehicle you are searching for, and it will email you whenever a used truck matching your specifications enters its inventory.

What to Look for in a Used Heavy- or Medium-Duty Truck

Once you win a vehicle at auction, you typically cannot change your mind, so it's important that you:

• Check the vehicle's mileage. Occasionally, start-up companies with trucks that have very little mileage on them go out of business and have to sell their truck inventory. If you're lucky you may be able to find one of these gems at an auction.
• Always inspect the vehicle carefully. Most reputable auction sites will allow you to inspect the vehicle or send a representative in your place to look the truck over. During your inspection, make sure to start the engine and, if allowed, take it for a test drive.
• Consider an ex-fleet vehicle. If the auction carries used heavy- and medium-duty trucks from a large well-known company, you may want to give these a closer look. These vehicles are typically very well maintained.
• Only buy from an auction that guarantees that the vehicles they are selling have clear titles.

Owning a NASCAR team is a costly endeavor, so it's important to save as much money as possible each race. Although these are small cost cuts, they could potentially add up to big savings in the long run. 

21 January 2015