Cat C-13 opinions please!
 

I am shopping for an additional truck and ran across a 2005 with a C-13 at an incredible steal of a price. But is any price low enough to justify buying a Cat C-13? This truck is $22,000 with 350,000 miles, while the same truck with a 14L Detroit is $35,000.

Opinions?

if you will be hauling heavy loads over the road, you wont be happy with a C-13, it's pretty good for local stuff like dump wagons

Wow! And not the other way around? A you sure?
I don't have personal experience with C-13, but it's a CAT! Should do just fine! If everything else is OK, just grab it!

Yes I am sure. I don't know about dump trucks, but any over the road tractor with a CAT will be thousands cheaper than the exact same truck with the same miles with a Detroit or a Cummins. This is because CAT is exiting the truck market, has a very bad reputation for reliability, and is known as a the worst engine for fuel mileage. All of this is bad enough, but the C13 has a history of actuator problems that are extremely problematic.

Still, a Mercedes is even worse. The same truck with a Mercedes is $19,000.

Well, i don't know what to say. We must be talking about different CAT's. Valve actuators "problem" cost me $680, and couple hours on my C-15, after about 500,000 miles. Fuel mileage average up to date 7.1 mpg. Last week, winter time, 7.55 mpg.

Which Cat engine had the bad injector problems?

Glad to hear you got a good C-15. If the same truck with the same miles had a C-15 it would probably sell for just a few thousand less than the Cummins or the Detroit. The C-13 has a lot worse rep. I am sure the problem engines are in the minority, I just don't want to be the one stuck with one of the problem engines. But at some point the price becomes so good that you figure it might be worth the risk.

The C-15 is supposedly subject to lots of turbo problems. The C-13 has a history of actuator problems.

I have an 01 C-15, with 1,060,500 odd miles on it. Put injectors in it over thanksgiving. Have not had one bit of trouble with the turbo. The truck had 813,400 odd miles on it when I bought it in Feb of 07.

I'm averaging 6.5 mpg right now....after a lot of work on the truck! :deal:

Well Paul, you know as well as i do, all engines might have a problems. But as far as I'm concern, CAT is still the best on a market.