Gas vs Diesel

[LUMPY]

Hello everyone,
What a great site. My wife and I have a 2002 Adventurer which is gas.
We're looking at a 2006 Journey which is diesel. I understand about more power and engine should last longer but I really want to know what any of you think the pluses and minuses are between gas and diesel.
Any info at all would be helpful. We're relatively new at the Class A, but we've had some kind of trailer or 5th wheel for the last 40 years. Sure do love the one we currently have.

[RickO]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

If you use our search function and type "gas vs diesel" you'll find more information and debate on the topic than you can imagine.

My own summary on the topic is that unless you full time and/or spend a lot of time out west in the mountains... you don't really "need" a diesel. It can be argued that even if you travel in the western mountains you don't need a diesel but that's an excuse a lot of us use.

The bottom line in my mind is that the best reason to get a diesel is because you WANT one. Don't even try to make a financial case to justify a diesel because I just don't think the numbers come close to working.

Best of luck to you!

Rick


rick

[Dadeaux]

I read a story one time about a farmer who wanted a new tractor and his wife was putting up a strong argument against it. Finally she said "you don't need a new tractor" to which he replied "I didn't need you but I wanted you" he got tractor.

Truthfully that's why many of us drive a diesel.

[NLOVNIT]

Hi LUMPY, . We're glad you're here.

I'm in the same camp as Rick. Unless you're going to do more than weekend & a few extended vacations camping, having a diesel isn't worth the cost. When we bought our 2006 gas Bounder, we were also looking at a diesel Bounder. For us, it came down to use & price, but we also used this pro/con list:

Diesel pros: Air ride, more carrying capacity, higher hitch rating, available in lengths above 40ft, upgraded interiors (at the time that meant ceramic floors, solid surface counters, LCD TV's, residental fridges...etc. many available on gas units now), higher resale value

Diesel cons: Much higher initial cost, more costly to maintain, have to deal with truck lanes at travel plazas, higher fuel price, intimidating (for us) to work on ourselves

Gas pros: Lower initial cost, less costly to maintain, less intimidating to work on ourselves, ease of getting gas, lower fuel cost, ease of getting chassis service (we have a Ford & Ford truck centers are plentiful), available in shorter lengths (easier maneuverability)

Gas cons: Harsher ride (without modifications), lower hitch rating, lower carrying capacity, lower resale value

You'll probably hear more from our members. Good luck & let us know what you get.

Lori-

[RVThere]

See I think going the the truck plazas for diesel fuel is a 'pro'. It is much easier filling up there than trying to dodge all the cars in gas lanes!

Otherwise Lori is right on target.

[High Plains]

We went with gas for the lower price. We are still working and may get an out of state trip once a year if lucky. Funny thing was DW didn't like any of the DP's we looked at.

[goldwingerx2]

We downsized from a 37 ft DP to a 34 ft gas. Yes the DP had more power and better ride, but for us the higher maintancence wasn't worth it. We put about 12000 miles a year on ours. I pull the same 10000 lbs with the gas. I don't go up the mountains as fast, but I can come down just a fast if I wanted to. It is much cheaper to do the things needed on the gas engine. I think it boils down to a personal thing either is a great ride, so get what you can afford and want. Floorplan is important.

[Bug512]

Even though we just purchased our 2004 Adventurer, we looked into a used diesel as well. Higher maintenance costs kept us away. maybe we will change our minds in a couple of years but the newer diesels look like a nightmare with the particulate filters and the DEF fluid that needs to be added.

I wonder if older used diesels and newer gas A's will be in more demand because of this?

[smlranger]

Lori has pretty much nailed it. We went from gas to diesel primarily because I just wanted a DP. I still work full time and we travel 5,000 - 6,000 miles per year if we get lucky. We've been out West in the big mountains twice and the diesel torque was nice, but there were plenty of gas motorhomes everywhere we were.

None of these things are cheap to keep but a diesel coach will be more expensive to maintain, especially if you have to pay someone else to do all your maintenance.

Only you can decide. Drive a DP and compare what you will get in terms of power, ride quality, CCC, and other stuff and see if it is worth it to you.

[LUMPY]

You are all awesome. Things I think I had known but you put them in perspective for us. We do live in Oregon. The mountains have not proven to be a problem climbing. In fact a little kick out of passing other motor homes and semi's. Thank you all for the education and I'm sure I'll have more questions as time goes on but were certainly not unhappy with what we hae right now.

[ihbond]

For us we went with gas. able to pull our jeep wrangler and have quite comfortable with 3 german shepherd dawgs + 2 adults.

We average about 21k a year.

For us it was about price, and not breaking the bank,

Lori has my vote though for what you are looking for. REMEBER ALL RV'S are MONEY PITS!
Gas Engines Vs. Diesel Engines | eHow.com

[Grimesy]

After 2 gas rigs with about 100K on each we got our dream 40 foot DP which has turned into a nightmare of excessive repairs, lack of repair facilities and the dark cloud of what will go wrong the next time we take it out. If we ever buy again it will be a gas rig, period.

Don, FMCA,Good Sam, WIT and Freightliner member

[Midniteoyl]

Quote:

I wonder if older used diesels and newer gas A's will be in more demand because of this?

Just wait for Direct Injected gas.. Electric Assisted Direct Injected will kill the diesel in all but commercial use unless they can make it more viable..

[Pelledan]

I spent my entire working life on the R&D end of diesel engines. Thirty years ago they were much simpler than a gasoline engine but today they are just as complex. Today all truck diesels are turbocharged for performance and EPA compliance and naturally aspirated engines can only be found now in the small cost effective automobile applications and even then they are rareity. If you were to strip away all hype about the differences in the two engines and get down to the basics, it’s all about torque. Torque is the work that the engine will produce. Unlike a gasoline engine where its maximum torque can be held for just a few minutes before the heat it’s generating becomes another problem, a diesel can run at its maximum torque output for days and weeks and would only need to be shut down for its scheduled oil service before returning to its maximum output again. Nearly every RV application with a gasoline engine will use a V-8 configuration. The V-8 is a higher speed engine typically creating its maximum torque in the 4000 RPM range where its speed enhances its pulling power. Nearly all diesel RV’s and trucks use an in-line 6 cylinder engine configuration where maximum torque is generated in the 1400-1800 RPM range. Nothing … I’ll repeat that, … Nothing can beat the low end torque output of an in-line 6 cylinder diesel. Their off-the-line grunt is what makes them the brutes they are and that’s ideal for heavy weights like an RV and any truck pulling a trailer. Fuel economy is an unsung aspect of diesels. When compared to similarly weighted vehicles powered by a gasoline engine, the diesel will typically get 15-20% better fuel economy and that savings easily offsets the price differences in the fuel and puts a good dent in the higher maintenance cost. Most of that higher maintenance cost is accounted for in the diesel’s oil capacity & filtration vs. a gasoline engine. The days of the backyard mechanic are all but gone. Today’s engines, both gasoline and diesel, are mechanically and electronically beyond the ability of the average person to repair. The familiarity of the spark plug can give some people a false sense of confidence when viewing a gasoline engine, but in most cases their knowledge will stop there. I probably rambled on a bit more than I should have here and as someone stated earlier, the big question is how you will use your RV. If your travels will rarely bring you into the mountains or their foot hills, you’ll be fine with gasoline.
Dan