J & J,
I have also been looking for something closer to $10K, as I am not a full timer, and can't really justify a more expensive rig. The Volvo's seem to go pretty reasonable, but I am looking for a Freightliner, as it will work better for my application (in South Dakota, a converted sleeper will not qualify a truck as an RV, you must add on a larger unit, such as a Double Eagle sleeper. This appears to be easier done on a Freightliner than a Volvo).
There have been several trucks sell on ebay recently that would have met my needs, but most were quite far away. I too have bought several large ticket items on ebay, and also make sure that I can get to the item in a couple of days, without sending a deposit.
You might also check out
http://www.rbauction.com/
they sell heavy equipment, and there are some good deals to be had there from time to time. They have an auction coming up in Fort Worth.
A few years ago, I was at a US Forest Service auction, where a low mileage Freightliner sold for a song. Unfortunatly, I was not in the market for a big truck at the time, and have not come across another deal like it since.
Jeff in South Dakota
1995 Ford F-250 4X4 PSD
1992 Skamper Slide in camper
1984 Holiday Rambler 5er
1979 Mercedes Benz Unimog