After a ton of research, having visited two dozen different trucks for sale, and heavy negotiations, we have our truck. We bought the truck in Hartford, CT from CanAm, a used truck dealer. It belonged to a fleet of trucks leased out of PA (where most of the trucks are leased for some reason) to a uniform company. It is a 1999 Freightliner, built-out by Utilimaster with an aluminum step-van body. It has 139,000 miles, was fleet maintained, and is diesel (here we come bio-diesel!).
$7,500 including all prep work (new glass, tune-up, fixing a bunch of small things that needed attention). After 2 days with the RMV (deserving its own entry), the truck is now licensed and on the road.
Currently the truck is at A1 Restaurant Ventilation, in Everett, MA, getting a 4′ hood installed (something that is costing too much, despite a tough negotiation).
