True. I'm actually already looking forward to trading this in in a couple of years. I really like those w-990's. Got the long hood but also the room of a areo truck in the sleeper
Relax, I never said they were junk, and all trucks are pretty much hand built, I believe. Mine was made in Canada, hey, and was mostly White components, the same stuff that went into Autocars and Road Bosses. Today, I'd have to think the innerds that go into your new WS are the same parts that go into a Freightliner, in, I believe the same plant, Cleveland, NC. There's nothing wrong with that, Freightliner a good truck too, but KW is the best, Pete is the nicest, can't change history.
Ive always liked the KW's in my time. I do wonder why they disposed of some models so fast. Pete is pete. Just have something to seal the leaks now and then. I think Freightliner is built also near Portland OR as well as NC. I could be wrong. But you can only do so much with plastic and glue. Ugh.
freightliner cascadias are made in Mexico and NC...only freightliners made in Portland are military ones...western stars last checked were manufactured in Portland as well...
The 4900ex I drive was built in Portland. The Freightliner Coronado's we had were built in Mexico. Build quality between the two? Not even close. The Star is far superior. Do they use some of the same parts? Yeah, but some of those same parts are found in Peterbilt, Kenworth, Volvo and the rest. I had my choice between a Pete 389 and a Star 4900ex. Both were gliders. All specs would've been the same as far as engine, transmission, rears. And I picked the Star. The Pete looked cheesy to me, kinda like my 98 Chevy pickup. Plastic crap all over. The doors felt like a cheap screen door on a mobile home compared to the Star, which was like opening a door to a safe. And, in the Pete I looked at, which was new on the dealer lot, the doors rattled when you closed them. So the difference between a Pete and a Star boils down to the difference between a Lincoln Navigator vs a Ford Expedition XLT. One is overpriced, has bells and whistles, the other is a nicely equipped, priced reasonable, and does the same thing as it's counterpart that costs $10k more.
My 4900 SF was made in Portland, I know this because I picked it up at the factory - where it was parked in a field of export Stars headed to Australia. This my second new one and one of the guys i work with is just ordering his third new 4 axle star. Really very few issues spread across all of them and we are normally 140-200k gross.
None of that is a new problem with Peterbilt. Those problems and many many more have been going on for a long long time. I don't fault anyone for liking what they like. When you like a truck fixing the problems are a labor of love. But for the obnoxious price to buy them and the outrageous price of parts for them, you would think they would be made better. And have more room and be more comfortable. They really are the most overrated and overpriced trucks.
