Opinions on Freightliner Columbia vs Volvo 770

I've been meaning to have mine checked out since purchase. It will definitely bring me some peace of mind. I've just been checking them with the thermometer laser reader gun thingamajigger from Harbor Freight.

 

Hey,if you go with Freightliner,can I have ph# for Volvo?

 

What kind of trailer will you be pulling.

I dont have much experience with Volvo, but I think I would like the N14 over the smaller Detroit. How ever,.. I have read several posts where owners doing flatbed complained about how heavy Volvo are. So that may or may not be an issue.

On the freightliner side, I own an 05 Columbia with a Pre DPF ACCERT C15.

As for the truck itself,.. I come from KW and Petes. So I was accustomed to different things. My first reaction to the Columbia was how ugly it is. My wife refers to my truck as the Pug,.. as in ugly as a Pug dog, but cute just the same.

The Columbia needs good tires to be smooth and comfortable going down the road. There are many interior components that rattle and drove me nuts when I first got this truck. Very cheaply made dash. Also the windshield wiper/intermittent button leaves much to be desired. I think who ever designed that switch should be forced to spend a year with it in his personal vehicle. As for the ride, coming from KW's and Petes, the Columbia feels top heavy (I have a condo sleeper) and the steering feels twitchy and loose compared others. Good steer tires (Michelin XZA3+) and 3 axle alignment helped greatly and much better now. Still twitchy and numb steering compared to a T660 or 386, but livable and not bad enough to be a deal breaker. That was my immediate irk.

Now from an owners perspective, Freightliner Columbia will make you money. I have a very thirsty C15 and do very well. I bought the truck with 994k miles for $20k cash. I now have over 1.2 million mi and the truck has been very good to me for the most part. I would probably be happy to trade the stump pulling torq of my C15 for the much more efficient 12.7. So in that regard I dont think you can go wrong with a Columbia with a 12.7 under the hood. The N14 is a very good motor also, but I dont know enough about Volvo's to stand here and say that combination would be a money maker or not.

The main problems I had with my Columbia were Freightliner issues. Things I probably could have avoided knowing what I know now and what to look for. My ECM fried, and I think it was my fault because a week prior to it going out the main positive feed to the ECM from the battery corroded and I sat on the side of the road for 4 hours before I found what the problem was. I did not know what the wire was for or how important it was. $2100 for ECM, $1300 tow, $1000 for injector programming and $100 to test drive a truck that wouldnt start. That was my bill.

The ECM has been the only major repair. Everything else has been general maintenance things that you would expect from a truck this old and with this many miles. Hoses, belts, air lines, a few shorted wires, a small fuel line leak, mechanically the truck has been flawless. My main gripe would be the tedious task of quieting down all the rattles and interior noises. Permatex, rubber gaskets, duct tape and a few screws and clips have made things livable in here.

I dont know how the Volvo dealer network is set up,.. but having the CAT in a Freightliner has made finding on the spot places to get repairs done very easy. With a Detroit under the hood you should have no problems either. I have a shop locally at home that loves working on these trucks and rates are very reasonable when I come home and have service work done.

I personally wouldnt hesitate to buy another Columbia if the right deal came along.

Hurst

 

Volvo..


But my answer is biased lol

 

I had both volvo and freightliner:
Volvo 770 much comfortable than freightliner. More space inside, the ride is quiet.
Freightliner shakes everything inside of tha cab ,all cheap plastic(columbia or century).
Freightliner has better engine access to work with and parts are cheaper than volvo. For example detroit s60 air compressor $600, volvo air compressor $1300, freightliner shocks $50, volvo - $100 and etc.
Detroit S60 has better fuel economy than N14 but detroit 375 would be to weak engine.
If I would choice I would go with volvo 770 cummins N14 is not best fuel economy, but is bullet proof engine. It is 1.5million miles engine.

 

With those miles I would rebuild the engine before pulling the first load. That Detroit can be done for about 2700 with oem, 2k for aftermarket. Another 1700 gets you a new head. Might want to call Detroit to see about turning it into a 500, it's probably just injectors and a new turbo.

 

$2,700 for a rebuild????where???is that including parts AND labor?????

 

2700 thats only for basic inframe kit parts

 

Anyone know how much heavier a similarly spec'd volvo is? I previously drove a 670, now got put in a cascadia, cascadia has a bit bigger sleeper but is also 2k pounds heavier than my Volvo was.

 

thats a very wise decision I think. A newer trailer would be a better investment for somebody just starting out on their own.

I would keep keep looking on the trucks though between those two. I saw a 98 VNL 610 midroof with a 460 hp S60, 13 speed, like 5xx,xxx miles on it for $15k. Ferrari yellow with maroon leather interior color scheme that just popped. Unsurprisingly it wasn't on truck paper long.