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Yarddroid · 09-15-2019, 11:31 PM

Well I have a great motorhome with the normal things that like attention.

My question is, what do you folks think about trading my gas for an older diesel pusher? The idea is to not become much further in debt...

So would trading for a 10 year old Newmar diesel be just plain silly?

Reason is we are thinking of doing a cross country trip a couple of times before settling down to just the eleven western states...

I’m considering the better ride, more cargo weight allowance, and quieter drive.

Appreciate your thoughts!

RKins · 09-16-2019, 04:08 AM

I don't see anything wrong with your logic, but then I'm a little biased ;-)

wildtoad · 09-16-2019, 04:56 AM

You’ll probably take a bath on the BSS but I suspect you know that... Have you tried to improve the ride on the BSS? Different shocks, lower tire pressures based on actual weights, running with full water and fuel? Are you prepared for the higher fuel and maintenance costs? Do you limit your speed or run the speed limit plus some? We run at 62-65 and the ride is quite good, a bit noisy when going uphill when it downshifts but otherwise not bad.

hewebb · 09-16-2019, 05:29 AM

If you ever experience the difference between a gas tractor unit and a diesel pusher you will go with the diesel pusher. They are more expensive to maintain but well worth it. Ours is 18 years old. Yes, we have had some issues but to us it is well worth it.

Just my opinion.

Gamaliel Kid · 09-16-2019, 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yarddroid

Well I have a great motorhome with the normal things that like attention.

My question is, what do you folks think about trading my gas for an older diesel pusher? The idea is to not become much further in debt...

So would trading for a 10 year old Newmar diesel be just plain silly?

Reason is we are thinking of doing a cross country trip a couple of times before settling down to just the eleven western states...

I’m considering the better ride, more cargo weight allowance, and quieter drive.

Appreciate your thoughts!

I have owned a gasser (Mountain Aire) and now my third Newmar diesel. It really depends on your needs in my opinion. I know that may sound simple, but it really is the real issue. Does your current coach meet your needs as to everything you want when you are parked? If it does, then it comes down to the actual drive experience. I can tell you that any Newmar diesel that has Comfort drive will be fantastic. My first diesel - was a Dutch Star on a Spartan Chassis - 2006. It rode and drove well and mountains and towing weren't an issue. My Mountainaire got the job done - but a lot of white knuckling on mountains comparatively speaking.

My second Newmar Diesel was a 2016 Ventana LE with the smaller engine but Comfort Drive. OMG- comfort drive can not be emphasized enough! Driving a comfort drive coach produces absolutely no strain on my body - no tired shoulders, etc. I can drive for 12 hours if I want to- and I feel like I have just spent a day relaxing in a lazyboy chair - so my very first recommendation is to get comfort drive!

Now as to the real difference in power- again no comparison between a gasser and a diesel - but again I wouldn't get less than the 1250 torque engine if at all possible - however, having said that - my Ventana LE was a 40 footer - so, a 34 foot unit might work good for you on that size coach. I can tell you that a 40 footer is WAY underpowered in the 40 foot model. In fact I am picking up a new Ventana 4369 with the 400 HP engine I ordered from the factory this week. I test drove that exact model and it had plenty of power from my test drive and road and drove like a dream.

The bottomline - if you plan on using your coach a lot - and staying in the Western States with the Rocky Mountains - if you can afford it - I would go diesel, with comfort drive and the 1250 Torque engine.

hohenwald48 · 09-16-2019, 05:31 AM

Not all of us consider a diesel to be an "upgrade". Different power systems have differing advantages and disadvantages. We "upgraded" from a diesel to a Canyon Star. Every gas coach I've ever owned has made it up and down every mountain I've encountered all over the country. And that's while pulling my JKU.

There are plenty of diesel vs gas threads.

Just depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

FLJOE · 09-16-2019, 06:11 AM

We had a 4 year old gas coach but needed to pull more weight plus we were selling out and going full time so changing over to a DP was almost a requirement.

Your costs will certainly increase. Maintenance and fuel expenses will be more. You will no doubt have a better ride and actually be able to carry on a conversation while going up steep grades, however unless you are traveling longer term is it really worth it?

If we were only planning on being on the road for a year or two and then settling into another residence I would have never gotten rid of the gasser.

Yarddroid · 09-16-2019, 07:09 AM

Thank you folks.

Sound like the only real reason to go to diesel is drive ability and more cargo carrying capability. We love the floor plan of our bay star sport when parked and everything is accessible when driving. And It has enough power for our needs. My sport drives fine, accept on rougher roads...doesn’t handle that very good. Perhaps some new shocks would help with that.

And that change comes with more expenses. Not counting the discount on my gas rig I trading it in.

Sure appreciate the thoughts, thank you.

WoodyS · 09-16-2019, 11:02 PM

I think you got some very good advice here. Both types of coaches "work." My advice is if you'll be doing a lot of driving, putting on a lot of miles, and can afford a DP, get one. The ride is definitely smoother and quieter -- particularly if you get a DP with IFS (Independent Front Suspension).

Just about everything on a DP is larger, heavier, better built, and lasts longer than the much lighter built gassers. But that also means that when something breaks, it's much more expensive to repair or replace. And this includes tires. DP tires are much larger and more expensive.

We went the older DP route for our larger RV. And with Comfort Drive, it's a dream to drive. But at the same time, it was expensive to buy and is more expensive to maintain than our little 24 ft. gasser -- which we also still like very much -- but for shorter trips.

Sonic · 09-16-2019, 11:55 PM

i would exhaust all avenues of making your BSS work for you rather than taking that big depreciation hit and getting into a 10 year old DP where you'll incur additional maintenance costs.

cenfl · 09-17-2019, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonic

i would exhaust all avenues of making your BSS work for you rather than taking that big depreciation hit and getting into a 10 year old DP where you'll incur additional maintenance costs.

Totally agree. Along with additional maintenance costs, you could be looking at some BIG repair bills with a 10 year old DP as well; unless you're very handy and/or very lucky. We've put 26K on our 2014 CSCA; back and forth across country twice, up and down the east coast three times. All good!

hohenwald48 · 09-17-2019, 06:16 AM

One more thought, we typically drive less than 3 hours/day and then try to stay in one place for a couple of days. Our driving style puts a minimum amount of importance on ride quality. If you're going to drive 10 hours/day for day after day, ride quality might be a little more important.

If you need a lot of cargo capacity or towing capacity then a gas chassis might be a problem also.

We travel 7-10 months a year and find a gas rig is just fine for our needs. Also, I once had a radiator failure on a diesel motorhome and the $5,000 repair bill really soured me on diesel. I could probably replace a V-10 engine for that price. OK, so maybe that's more than one thought.

Yarddroid · 09-17-2019, 07:44 AM

Thanks everyone. Looks like we will keep our little Baystar Sport and begin looking for things to improve the ride. The floor plan works great for us. We will just have to travel light as the cargo weight is only 1400 pounds and we pull a 3500# Jeep.

Best to all!

Earl II · 09-17-2019, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yarddroid

Thanks everyone. Looks like we will keep our little Baystar Sport and begin looking for things to improve the ride. The floor plan works great for us. We will just have to travel light as the cargo weight is only 1400 pounds and we pull a 3500# Jeep.

Best to all!

If you have not done some of the usual suspension mods, you will be much more satisfied with the driving experience if you do. Koni shocks made for RVs were a huge improvement on our BS 3124 and it is only six months old. The last thing we did was add the SuperSteer rear Trac Bar to keep the back end from "wagging" in the bad winds.