Best choice: cat c-13 or Volvo d13?

#2 if less than $40k and no prior def issues. And if I were buying, id want to pay it off or trade after two/three years of hard work.

 

Unless the kw has been "fixed" I'd stay far away from an emissions Cat, so that leaves the Volvo. As mentioned, try and obtain servic records on the truck or get the ecm checked to check if/any faults that the truck had. You may be able to ontain service recirds if it was a fleet truck from the prior fllet ", or potentially by the vin by calling Volvo directly.

 

Is that yours?

 

No. It was unloading at the DC I work at. It's a 780. Looks even better from the sides.

This was mine. D13 all the way baby.

 

I had 0 problems with my D13.
I driven two cat motors. One had like 500K in a KW660 and wouldn't pull that long grade going up 15 from Vegas to Southern California, had to stop and shut down let it cool off about 2 miles from the summit.
The other was in a mixer I drove, that was a high winding, fuel slurping, no torque motor. By the same token the mixers with Cummins engines, you tapped the throttle, and you were off and running.
Cat parts & service are the most expensive for everything. I think 25 or 30 years ago, yea, but 25 or 30 years ago I also had no problem getting some really hot women.

 

Yes. But that also opens a new can of worms, so the Volvo maybe better. (Or keep looking)