Glad to hear the OP is likely back in action - let us know how the "field" test works out.
Re. Cat: for any line, the local dealer can have a big impact. As with the OP, he recognizes that the dealer is realistically doing all he can, given limited factory parts availability.
I look at Cat as just "smart business", but done at a Corporate level - easy to say, not easy to get consistently executed across a large corporation though.
Nobody wants to hear that the parts they need are not readily available. With the millions of light vehicles sold today, added to the economics of the light vehicle market, added to gubmints wanting to get that vehicle fleet turned over faster (primarily for tax revenue reasons), then, IMO, the light vehicle market basically comes down to "Well, if we just keep jerking these folks around long enough, then they will give up and buy a new one - their Loss = Our Win".
Heavy industrial equipment, is still (for now) a different story. Up until very recently, there was little gubmint interference (re. emissions) in this market.
Nobody wants to wait for parts. It's bad enough if your p/u or car ends up sitting for a while in your driveway, but worst case..... just run (walk) down to Budget and rent one.
If you are literally in the middle of nowhere, with a critical piece of heavy equipment down, and it's idling a crew where even-the-guy-leaning-on-a-shovel-is-making-4x-what-he-would-back-in-civilization, then pretty quickly most managers are going to shift into seriously screaming at the supplier mode. A few large corporations are smart enough to look at these dynamics, and make a genuine best effort to avoid or at least minimize these situations.
If a typhoon shuts down half a country, you'll forgive a Cat for not getting you the part when they said they would - anything less = unhappy customer.
Good to hear that Cat is still supporting oldish equipment,that is getting all too rare today. Given your experience with them, I think I know who'd you would choose to spec a piece a heavy equipment onto a job - in "civilization" or elsewhere.
You can always run out and buy a new pickup, if you have the $$$, or don't mind debt. In remote areas, even if you decide to buy a new _____________, just the logistics of having a new piece of heavy equipment shipped in can burn a lot of time. IMO, all these things add up to why many people depend on Cat, and don't have a problem if the price is a bit higher than the comp - for commercial/industrial applications it will likely work out cheaper in the end.
Rgds, D.
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