Posted by u/truck_debate
Buy or lease a work truck for a service business?
Answered by Ask a Shop Owner ·
Starting HVAC service company. Need a van. Everyone has an opinion.
u/askashopowner Owner-operator advisor
Top answer
For an owner-operator, buy used. A 3 year old cargo van with 60k miles will run to 250k with basic maintenance. You will save $600 to $900 a month over leasing new.
Never lease unless you are (a) a C-corp doing it for tax reasons your CPA confirmed, or (b) an established shop replacing a truck every 3 years on schedule. Neither applies at year one.
Get the truck wrapped inside 30 days of buying it. $2,500 wrap generates more leads over 5 years than $10k in ads.
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