Has most of your free time consisted of you browsing food trucks for sale in hopes of purchasing one and then finally entering the mobile kitchen industry? If so, you are certainly not alone, but there are some things you need to keep in mind when buying a food truck.
As a friendly reminder, your lunch truck is your business — it is a big deal. You shouldn’t be taking shortcuts in the buying department. After all, you are going to have to rely on your food truck for, well, everything. It is literally the foundation of your business, and without it, you can’t make any money in this industry.
Therefore, prospective food truck owners should consider these four things when buying a mobile kitchen.
Things To Consider When Buying A Food Truck
- Who You Are Buying The Truck From
- Are There Warranties?
- Age And Mileage
- Does It Fit All Of Your Needs?
Who You Are Buying The Truck From
Have you done your homework? Have you reviewed the manufacturer? You know, the company you are about to give a ton of money to build your truck? That should be one of the first steps during your food truck buying journey.
If a company has bad reviews, then it would be in your best interest to steer clear of it. The last thing you want is to buy a bad truck and/or bad equipment. If the reviews of a manufacturer are screaming red flags, then do yourself a favor by finding a new company to buy your mobile kitchen from.
The key is to find a company that is committed to getting you the best truck possible, a company that values its customers and is there to help you every step of the way (you know, like Prestige Food Trucks).
Are There Warranties?
If the food truck itself, or any of the equipment (well, the more expensive equipment, that is), does not have warranties in some form, then you are asking for trouble.
What happens if you buy a used car from a private seller? More likely than not, you buy the car as is. Therefore, if the car breaks down, then you are stuck with it. You don’t get any money back and you have to come up with the cash to fix it.
Now, can you imagine if that happened to your food truck? Reminder: A food truck can cost a pretty penny. You want a warranty. Heck, you need a warranty. If a seller is not willing to bring some form of warranty into the mix, then that is another red flag, a red flag that you have to avoid at all costs. A warranty is your friend.
Looking to finance your food truck? Make sure to check out this link!
Age And Mileage
Age and mileage are two very important factors when it comes to buying a food truck.
Here’s why:
- If your food truck has too many miles on it, and if you plan on financing it, you might get declined … even if you have good credit. The bank (or the person giving you a loan) wants to know it has a reliable vehicle on its hands, and mileage tends to come into play when that conversation arises.
- If a truck is too old or has too many miles, then its best days are likely behind it. Therefore, don’t be surprised when things are constantly breaking down.
With all of that in mind, if the truck itself is old, then it still might be worth it. After all, it could have a new engine and/or transmission, along with other crucial parts. It could also have brand-new food truck equipment, and that’s what really matters.
Just be cautious if you are buying a truck that is old and/or has a lot of miles on it. If you have a warranty, and if you are buying it from a manufacturer that is flooding with amazing reviews, then you are likely in the clear. Still, you need to analyze every little detail.
Does It Fit All Of Your Needs?
You might be tempted to buy a food truck that doesn’t fit all of your needs. Who knows, it might even work out for you in the long-term. However, if you decide to go down that route, it could end up costing you even more money in the long run.
For example, if you buy a food truck that doesn’t have a pizza oven in it, and you are planning on opening a pizza truck, then you are obviously going to have to purchase a pizza oven. More likely than not, you are going to have to move things around to fit the pizza oven in the truck, and that could end up costing a pretty penny.
Worst-case scenario: You have to spend even more money on your food truck to get it to fit your needs. Best-case scenario: Parts of your truck will be an inconvenience until you fix the problem.
That is why we highly recommend a Prestige food truck. Prestige’s trucks are customizable and we can get them to fit all of your needs. The choice should be simple. Nonetheless, you need to do your homework when it comes to buying a food truck.
Interested in getting into the food truck industry? Request a quote from us today to get going!
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