Service is a primary reason that I don't want any of the brand specific engines. I don't want to have to go to a dealer every time that I have a problem. Most dealers charge a premium for their labor rate and some charge a higher rate for parts than I can get from a independent shop. It will take time before parts will be widely available on these brand specific engines and they may limit access to them by outside shops.

Now imagine what should I feel like as my Detroit also has gotten me in the same situation. I fail to see reasoning behind the decisions of many who choose to buy CAT over all others even though they are cheaper and just as good....

I think we will see further changes well into 2010. I see navistars market share shrinking considerably, to the point that they may offer cummins ISX engines again.

I have basic things that I look for when buying a truck. I prefer a CAT, but if I found everything else that I wanted in the truck and could get the price that I wanted then I would buy the truck even if it had a Cummins or Detroit. I would not buy a truck simply because it didn't have a CAT, but I would expect to get a much better price without the CAT. In my situation, I have never gotten the level of service from Detroit that I have from CAT. I have put quite a few miles on a Cummins, but have never owned one. That doesn't necessarily mean the Detroit or Cummins are not good engines, but I think that CAT has done a better job of building their engines to last longer. I would not buy a brand specific engine such as Mercedes or Paccar. Most people with whom I have spoken who have owned CATS seem to have gotten better longevity than with Detroit or Cummins. As far as Detroit or Cummins being as good as CAT, I think that is debatable. I can only relate to my personal experience. And my personal experience has been better with CAT than the other two. I know a few owners who own Detroit and Cummins and feel just as strongly about their choices as I do mine.

You may be right. I met with some of their corporate people about a year or two ago and relayed that same sentiment. Navistar may have a good engine, but I don't like being totally dependent on the dealer for my service work. If it is being made by CAT then they would give me some confidence in the engine, but I would still have reservations. I think there are many owner operators who feel the same way. The big fleets may give them a try to see how they compare. I will sit back with a wait and see on purchasing one of them. I would be more likely to buy one with a Cummins. I don't know if I will ever buy any more trucks. I may just rebuild what I have when the time comes and drive it until it dies or I do.

I've made the same choice! Hope i could retire tho, before i'll die. But with the economics forecast, it's questionable....

I know a number of people who won't be able to retire when they expected. I think quite a few plan on working much longer than they thought they would need to in order to keep their standard of living from changing too much.

I can have my B model CAT inframed for 7,000.00. That's parts and labor.
If I could do it myself, which I probably will (under my mechanics supervision) the parts are around 1600.00, last time I looked.

That is quite a bit less than it costs on my 3406E. I checked parts a year or so ago and I believe the parts were around $5,000. That is for everything. I am not sure why there would be so much difference in parts from a B and E model CAT. I think lower bearings cost about $800. I thought about rebuilding it just so I would not need to think about it, but decided that I could go for some time before having to rebuild the engine. As long as it keeps performing I see no need to do an over haul. To tell you the truth, I am interested to find out how many miles that I can actually get on it before having to rebuild it.

3406E Rebuild kit. Is this comparable to what you got?

3406B rebuild kit.