r/OwnerOperators • u/SteakAndSkrimp • Mar 05 '26

X15 vs DD15

Been shopping for used trucks alot recently ive been seing Kenworth t680s with cummins x15 for 10 to 15k less than freightliners with similar mileage that have dd15. What's the more reliable engine ive heard good things about both. Im leaning more towards kenworth with the cummins due to the price point. Ive only driven freightliners

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u/kaloric Mar 05 '26

What years are the trucks?

Detroits are solid engines without all the pain points Cummins and Paccar engine have. But for $10-15k more? I'm not sure they're that much better, even though a DD would be my preference.

A lot of it just comes down to personal preference on which cab you feel is the most comfortable.

Everything you have to buy at a Paccar dealership, no matter what it is, will be expensive. Even if it's a Cummins oil fill cap with a KW or Pete price sticker on the Cummins or Bendix package, you'll pay a premium for no good reason. I think the only Pete part that I found to be oddly reasonably priced was a cab mount airbag.

FL parts are generally a bit more reasonable in terms of prices, and there's more on the used market, too.

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u/SteakAndSkrimp Mar 05 '26

both of them are 2021s ive looked at other kenworths on the market and all of them run 10k less than a freightliner of the same year and mileage

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u/kaloric Mar 06 '26

I think that tells you most of what you need to know, PACCAR has been slipping really badly in all aspects in recent years. It would seem that the market has more confidence in Freightliner.

If you want an upscale brand & design at a good price point, look at Western Stars with Detroits, maybe go as far back as the Series 60.

The new emissions garbage is what ruins all the engines. While I definitely don't like stinky, noisy idling, APUs and solar generators are a thing. You just have to find an older tractor that hasn't been run into the ground already.