How to Find and Buy a Used Ice Cream Truck
There are two basic steps you have to take care of before you start your ice cream truck business.
It's better to plan ahead and find a truck that meets your budget and needs instead of finding out later it is a piece of junk or can't run the equipment you want.
Finding a Used Ice Cream Truck There are three places that you should check for used ice cream trucks.
Two of them most people know of.
The third most people never think to try.
1.
Craigslist.
This is the best online place to find a used truck.
Most listings will have pictures along with the condition of the truck.
Make sure you print out all the listings you are interested in because there is a good chance there will be more than you can easily flip between on your computer and once you print the pages out you will be able to take notes of questions you want to ask and highlight important details about each truck.
2.
eBay.
I would stay away from eBay because it doesn't have the same amount of trucks up for sale and the trucks on eBay are usually new or very expensive (over 20k).
If you don't have a lot of luck with craigslist you can try eBay but don't count on finding anything, and even if you do there is a good chance it will be too far away to go and look at.
3.
This is the big one.
Go to ice cream truck companies in your area.
If they have a fleet of trucks there is a very high likely hood that they are not using every last one of them and have a couple laying around that they might want to sell.
Even better, if you are low on cash like I was when I started out you might even find someone who would be willing to lease a truck to you or rent one to you.
You will also be buying a truck that you know was used recently and was maintained properly because businesses always have deals with a local mechanic who takes care of all of their vehicles and keeps them in good shape.
This is also true if you ever want to buy a used car...
government auctions are a goldmine because you can find cheap vehicles that you know were maintained properly because they were government owned.
Buying The Truck This part is just as tricky but you will have an advantage if you have some mechanical skills and a knowledge of how cars work.
You should make sure everything that was listed in the craigslist or eBay listing is correct and also check the rest of the truck.
Make sure the freezer is working and listen to the engine to make sure it's running properly.
If you don't have a mechanical background the best way to go is to bring a friend or hire a mobile mechanic to look at the truck for you.
You can get this done for under 50 dollars and this is a great last minute thing to do after you have looked at a few trucks but before you decide to buy.
It's better to plan ahead and find a truck that meets your budget and needs instead of finding out later it is a piece of junk or can't run the equipment you want.
Finding a Used Ice Cream Truck There are three places that you should check for used ice cream trucks.
Two of them most people know of.
The third most people never think to try.
1.
Craigslist.
This is the best online place to find a used truck.
Most listings will have pictures along with the condition of the truck.
Make sure you print out all the listings you are interested in because there is a good chance there will be more than you can easily flip between on your computer and once you print the pages out you will be able to take notes of questions you want to ask and highlight important details about each truck.
2.
eBay.
I would stay away from eBay because it doesn't have the same amount of trucks up for sale and the trucks on eBay are usually new or very expensive (over 20k).
If you don't have a lot of luck with craigslist you can try eBay but don't count on finding anything, and even if you do there is a good chance it will be too far away to go and look at.
3.
This is the big one.
Go to ice cream truck companies in your area.
If they have a fleet of trucks there is a very high likely hood that they are not using every last one of them and have a couple laying around that they might want to sell.
Even better, if you are low on cash like I was when I started out you might even find someone who would be willing to lease a truck to you or rent one to you.
You will also be buying a truck that you know was used recently and was maintained properly because businesses always have deals with a local mechanic who takes care of all of their vehicles and keeps them in good shape.
This is also true if you ever want to buy a used car...
government auctions are a goldmine because you can find cheap vehicles that you know were maintained properly because they were government owned.
Buying The Truck This part is just as tricky but you will have an advantage if you have some mechanical skills and a knowledge of how cars work.
You should make sure everything that was listed in the craigslist or eBay listing is correct and also check the rest of the truck.
Make sure the freezer is working and listen to the engine to make sure it's running properly.
If you don't have a mechanical background the best way to go is to bring a friend or hire a mobile mechanic to look at the truck for you.
You can get this done for under 50 dollars and this is a great last minute thing to do after you have looked at a few trucks but before you decide to buy.
