2004 Freightliner Columbia 12.7

Diesel particulate filters (dpf) came out in 2007

 

Inframe on that would be about 15 to 20 but the engine is the least of your problems. I'm guessing you'll be breaking down about once a month with a Columbia that old.

 

Driving an 05. Never been stranded thankfully.

Preventative maintenance goes a long way. Love this truck, until im pulling a steep grade with more than 25k in the back

 

I'm guessing truck mechanicals doesnt seem to be your strong suite.

I have an 05 Columbia with over 1.4 million, Got in it with 876k. Pre EGR/Pre DPF C15. I havent had an actual break down in over 2 yrs. And even then it was only the ECM. Just recently replaced the clutch which had just shy of 1 million miles on it.

Not the prettiest thing to look at. But an absolutely reliable money making machine. Has paid for itself many times over. In fact I am holding on to it as a spare in case my new (An even older, new to me) truck has any problems.

Hurst

 

Maintenance is the key. Know your truck,.. every inch of it. Preventative maintenance,.. pay now or pay later is a good habit to get into. Much easier to repair or replace something that may cause down time while out on the road. Minor things will happen,.. nothing you go do to catch every little thing. Most of that you should be able to handle yourself where ever you are.

CAT C15 in mine,.. hills arent really a problem, even when heavy. I'd love to get the fuel mileage of the 12.7,.. but the gear head in me loves the big torq more.

Hurst

 

I own 9 Columbia's between 08 and 10. I take care of them pretty well. He's going to buy a million miles truck that's 13 years old. Who knows how it's been maintained? At that age you have dry rubber, corrosion, etc. Just preparing the guy.

 

Before you buy that one, get the vin and engine serial number and check with a trusted dealer or engine shop to make sure it isn't a "bridge" build. When Detroit went from the 12.7 to the 14L in 03-04, there were some bridge builds that used special parts that are much harder to source than earlier or later more common ones. I'm thinking a 12.7 with an egr may be just that sort of thing.

I say this from experience. The first truck I bought was an 04 Century with a 14L. Seemed like every other time it was in the shop I was waiting for days on what should have been readily available parts. It was because the specific build I had was only produced a few months. So nobody stocked any of the specific parts for that one. An example is the cylinder head. On a later production 14L the injector cups install from the top. On the one I had, they press in from the bottom like the 12.7L. To service them, the head has to come off. A reman head? Dealers have a 100 on the shelf, but not the one for my engine. That sort of thing.

Of course I didn't find out about that trivia until several years of owning it and putting up with that. It ended up being the decision point to scrap it instead of getting it repaired. No regrets and glad it's gone.

 

Your going to get that with any used truck. How ever,.. @ $13k and if its in decent mechanical condition,.. he can dump another $10k into it and have a very reliable efficient truck that is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of these newer trucks.

I've replaced wirering harness, all fuel lines, dropped and flushed the tanks, bearings, seals, sensors, yokes, u joints, boost couplings, CAC, regular maintenance things. This comes with owning a truck. New or old.

I have had a lot less problems (none mechanical and Freightliner specific) with this truck than I did with a 2007 386 Pete that only had 380k mi on it with the same engine set up. So flip a coin,. new truck,.. old truck. Its all the same to me. I personally prefer pre-emissions and plan to stick with that.

Hurst

 

There are much worse things than EGR to be concerned about. And EGR can be easily deleted if so inclined.

Hurst