What a 2k dollar vending truck looks like

[RJT]

I noticed a few people asking about vending trucks and wanted to share what you can get for cheap if you look around and buy wisely. I found this truck on line a few towns over from me. It has had many recent updates like rebuilt motor, transmission, brakes, paint, new tires etc. I paid 2k for the truck and have spent just under 1k in odds and end I wanted done like new brake lights, battery, tune up, wheel simulators etc.  

 

I bought some simple $59.00 shelving from Sam’s Club and use a bungee cord system to hold things in place. Normally I would have custom shelves built but decided to go this route and maybe build later.

 

The two Omni Coolers you see where also bought used from vending companies that were sold. One of the Omni coolers uses ice packs and the other has a cold plate. When I bought the smaller one I bought a lot of stuff from him. I bought around 4k worth of stuff for $400. When I bought the large Omni I paid $300 for the large one and two smaller ones. I sold the two smaller ones for $300 so I got it free. Retail on the large one is around $3500.

 

If you shop around and take your time you can find good deals and have nice equipment without spend a ton of money.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Golfdogs]

I've looked for a couple of years for the omni coolers with no success. I'd love to have one or two!

[TKK]

That looKs awesome! Where is all the product tho?

[SeaTurtle Vending]

That looKs awesome! Where is all the product tho?

In equipment waiting to be purchased.

[mission vending]

A really rare find but it looks good to go for 5 years or so.

[RJT]

That looKs awesome! Where is all the product tho?

 

Its a "delivery truck" not a warehouse.

[moondog]

Its a "delivery truck" not a warehouse.

Looks bigger than my warehouse - I try to store most of my stuff in the machines (sells better that way  )

[CajunCandy]

I could use a box van like that, everything I looked at so far is high in the azz end and one had a tommy lift on it. (1988 Dodge box van) $1000 and i could have drove off with it, only bad thing it was not fuel injected,(carb) it would have burnt gas like crazy!

[RJT]

I wouldnt let mpg hold you back from buying a big box truck or step van. They all get terrible mpg at around 8 mpg to maybe 12 with a newer model. The great thing about the older stuff it is much eaiser to work on yourself and parts are much cheaper. Complete tune up parts (plugs, plug wires, dist cap. ignition, etc) just over $100 total. Sstarters are around $45.00.  

[AngryChris]

I could use a box van like that, everything I looked at so far is high in the azz end and one had a tommy lift on it. (1988 Dodge box van) $1000 and i could have drove off with it, only bad thing it was not fuel injected,(carb) it would have burnt gas like crazy!

 

I have long debated the idea of finding a vehicle with better gas mileage for the sake of fuel cost.  However, I have found that, assuming you have a route that is done in an efficient manner, fuel cost is not on the same par as repair costs.  I think a debate over DELIVERY EXPENSE would be LONG and CRAZY.  I know that I could EASILY deliver $2,000/week out of my car, but I would run that thing to death!  On the flip side, I can deliver $4,000 out of my small step van, but that thing LOVES gasoline and it's so old that any repair could be a deal killer.

 

Here is my problem with everything:

 

Fuel efficient "cargo cars" (like my xB) have good gas mileage but DON'T HAVE PAYLOAD CAPACITY and can only deliver a maximum of about $400/day.  Furthermore, you have to make MORE trips in a smaller vehicle to do what a larger vehicle can do in half the trips/time.

 

Cargo vans have much poorer gas mileage than cars do, but they can hold a lot more product.  Repairs aren't very costly and it isn't difficult to find a place to repair the vehicle (or repair it yourself, due to the availability of common parts).

 

Box/step vans generally have poor gas mileage but they hold a LOT of product.  The downside is that you need commercial insurance and heavy-duty parts when something fails (not always, but sometimes).  This greatly increases the cost to run the vehicle.  If you need commercial insurance for a cargo van though, you might as well go all-out for a box van and have WAY more capacity down the road.

 

And then we have things like the ford transit connect... the capacity is less than a cargo van but the gas mileage is far superior.  I'm not sure if this would require commercial insurance or not depending on your regulations, but it is WAY more capable than a car, and less capable than a cargo van.  It can go ANYWHERE a car can go but you STILL run into the trouble of having to make more trips to deliver your product.  However, it DOES have a payload capacity.

 

In the end, everything costs something.  A fuel-efficient cargo car is the way to go if you are small and you can get away with it but you'll be working a little harder.

 

And now we can get into the argument of pre-kitting everything.

 

And one final note: in the end, paying $2,000 for a carbureted vehicle that does-it-all could be a much better decision than a $8,000 fuel-injected vehicle simply for the reason that it costs less to purchase outright.  But.. this will fall into the argument of "Do you buy the old AP-7000 with old, worn out parts for $600 or do you buy the National 157 with newer parts for $1,200?

 

Sorry for the long post guys, but this topic got my attention!

I wouldnt let mpg hold you back from buying a big box truck or step van. They all get terrible mpg at around 8 mpg to maybe 12 with a newer model. The great thing about the older stuff it is much eaiser to work on yourself and parts are much cheaper. Complete tune up parts (plugs, plug wires, dist cap. ignition, etc) just over $100 total. Sstarters are around $45.00.  

 

The trick is to get a good mechanic to check out the heavy-duty parts and make sure the vehicle isn't going to snap in half within the next 6 months!  Beyond that, if I found an old 1980~ box truck that had a SOLID, DRY box with a rust-free chassis that ran good for $2,000, I would take up the offer because SOMETHING is going to break on ANY commercial vehicle.  You MIGHT need a new engine/transmission on ANY vehicle at some point but if it runs it runs.

[RJT]

The other option which I recommend to people starting out or not wanting the expense of a truck is a enclosed trailer. You can find used ones pretty cheap at around $1k to less than 3k for a new one. An example is like the one below in the link.

 

 

 

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/fod/4128803439.html

 

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/fod/4145034238.html

[CajunCandy]

The other option which I recommend to people starting out or not wanting the expense of a truck is a enclosed trailer. You can find used ones pretty cheap at around $1k to less than 3k for a new one. An example is like the one below in the link.

 

 

 

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/fod/4128803439.html

I already have the cargo trailer RJT, after lugging it around with my 2000 F150 with 5.4, it would get 10 to 11 mpg in town and no better on highway. I'm not a full time vendor just yet I still have my swing shift job of 32 years and not wanting to just quit working after I retire at 62.

so i'm not pushing real hard on finding the big accounts just yet, what i do have keeps me busy enough on my days away from work.

 

Thanks for the input AngryChris. My younger brother is a full time mechanic with his own shop, I'm luck he lets me work on my vehicles for free and parts at his cost.

 

mike

[AngryChris]

No problem Cajun!  I'm a vending nerd!

 

I don't like the enclosed trailer idea.  A trailer requires a vehicle that can tow a trailer, and not everyone has that.  That doesn't even factor parking issues.  But hey, if you already have the equipment, it's not a bad idea.

[moondog]

I already have the cargo trailer RJT, after lugging it around with my 2000 F150 with 5.4, it would get 10 to 11 mpg in town and no better on highway. I'm not a full time vendor just yet I still have my swing shift job of 32 years and not wanting to just quit working after I retire at 62.

so i'm not pushing real hard on finding the big accounts just yet, what i do have keeps me busy enough on my days away from work.

 

Thanks for the input AngryChris. My younger brother is a full time mechanic with his own shop, I'm luck he lets me work on my vehicles for free and parts at his cost.

 

mike

Yep,  the trailer might work some places but around here it's a no-go.  Heck, I doubt I could get a trailer within a hundred yards of some of my machines.

[AngryChris]

If you have a lot of accounts in an urban downtown setting, it can be a nightmare to even take a commercial vehicle!  I can park my car at a parking meter to make a quick run into an office building.  The ONLY thing I despise about it is the fact that there are so many eyes watching me haul product into the building from my vehicle.  Other than that, I probably have one of the most comfortable rides to run my business.