DOT isn't the only trigger for vehicles with a GVWR over 10,000lbs. If your vehicle has a GVWR over 10,000lbs, the locations where it is stored or serviced have additional fire-protection requirements - you will need to have that vehicle stored and repaired at a location meant for Commercial Vehicles rather than simply personal trucks and cars. Sprinkler system requirements for those places kick in quite early, so it's a more expensive place to run and therefore to do business with. You need to ask yourself: do you NEED a vehicle with over 10,000 gross vehicle weight capacity or not? If not - don't buy one that robust, either new or used.
