New member with Fleetwood purchase question

[Walker]

Hi,
We are about to purchase our first Class A motorhome.
The other day we saw a 2005 Fleetwood Pace Arrow. Today we looked at a 2003 Fleetwood Expedition. They are 37 and 38 feet respectfully.
Cost being the same what would you buy and why?
For us my wife likes the interior of the Pace Arrow, more than the interior of the Expedition, and of coarse I want the ride and power of the diesel over the 8.1 gas.

Please help us decide!

Thanks,
Chris

[vsheetz]

We have a 2002 Pace Arrow 37A - previously had a FRED diesel coach. Love the room, layout and interior looks of the Pace Arrow.

One has to consider the your usage. We usually camp a long weekend per month within 100 miles of home, with an annual trip of a couple three thousand miles. I did not want the maintenance expence of another diesel - and for our usage the diesel power and such are not major factors.

[Skip426]

Hello,

A few items to consider, Cargo Carrying Capacity , the weight load limit of the coaches, most " A's " have a lot of cargo room , but some of the longer gassers can't handle much weight. On a 37>38 footer I wouldn't look at anything less than a CCC of 3000 lbs.
Air Brakes , does your home State require special , training/testing to drive a unit with them.
And of course , tires tires tires, check the date codes, and adjust your offer accordingly.

[jlfbatonrg]

Other considerations include how you are going to use the coach. If you intend long trips through the mountains, then IMHO the diesel would be a better choice. The cargo carry capacity of our Expedition is ~4000 #. I don't know what the CCC is on the Pace Arrow, but I suspect it isn't quite that much. Ride and noise level will be considerably less in a diesel, and the generator on the Expedition is up front which makes the bedroom more quiet when sleeping.

[historyljc]

Originally Posted by Walker

Hi,
We are about to purchase our first Class A motorhome.
The other day we saw a 2005 Fleetwood Pace Arrow. Today we looked at a 2003 Fleetwood Expedition. They are 37 and 38 feet respectfully.
Cost being the same what would you buy and why?
For us my wife likes the interior of the Pace Arrow, more than the interior of the Expedition, and of coarse I want the ride and power of the diesel over the 8.1 gas.

Please help us decide!

Thanks,
Chris

Welcome to the forum. The highlighted part is a good starting arguement. If Mama ain't happy ....

[Bigd9]

I would choose the Expedition HOWEVER.....

my wife likes the interior of the Pace Arrow. The highlighted part is a good starting arguement. If Mama ain't happy ....

[Walker]

Thanks for all of the replies. We are another step closer to owning our 1st class A.
Today at my suggestion, my wife test drove the Pace Arrow. She did not tell me how it went until after I had her drive the Expedition. She now knows the difference in handling and stability of the diesel as compared to the gas. She felt a lot of sway in the Pace Arrow as she passed a semi on the freeway. The difference in stability was enough so that she is now leaning more toward a diesel.

Power wise I was under a false assumption, that the Expedition could tow 10k pounds. It will tow only 4k. Can anyone share their experiences with me towing up to 4k in hills? As a reference the Expedition has a 300hp Cummins.

[fansill]

Just My Opinion....

Hubby and I stressed over a gasser or a diesel for a number of months. He was a huge diesel fan and drove a deisel ramp-truck for years, but when I drove the diesel, I was hooked...!!! I l loved it!!!! Our last RV was a gasser, but when I test drove the 400 CAT, I was beyond happy. Now that being said, I know that the the maintenance on the CAT was much higher that the gasser, but we know that we wanted to take it on longer trips.

Are you planning on longer trips or more time away from home? Ask yourself if you need the diesel for more power or whether can make do with a good gasser engine?

Personally, I love driving the bigger diesel engine and would take money out of my pocket to maintain it now that I have driven it.... I do all of the driving now and I love it!!!!!

Faith

[Jack1234]

Originally Posted by historyljc

Welcome to the forum. The highlighted part is a good starting arguement. If Mama ain't happy ....

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuughhh!,,! No disrespect but this argument drives me crazy. If the sole criteria for choosing a MH is if Mama likes the interior & floor plan ......find Mama a MH with a great chassis, IFS, great drivetrain, appropriate suspension (shocks, air bags) suitable power, suitable CCC, suitable towing capacity, suitable construction & build quality, suitable amenities & options, well documented service records, fair & appropriate pricing, new tires, new batteries, new TV's, new satellite system.....once you've got those pieces in place find a floor plan Mama can love!

I'm not kidding....if you choose a MH that wanders all over the road, hasn't got enough power to get out of it's own way or tow a smart car, spends all it's time in the shop getting fixed, costs you $$$$$ hand over fist...is Mama going to be happy?

[jlfbatonrg]

We tow a ~3500 pound Saturn Vue with our 300 HP ISB Cummins all over the country, and for us don't have any problems. Pulling over the Eastern mountains on interstate highways, the transmission seldom goes lower than 6th gear and crosses the passes at ~50 mph. In the western mountains, we lose speed and usually cross the passes in 4th or 3rd gear.

[Walker]

Thanks for all the replies! Today we take delivery of our 2004 Fleetwood Expedition 38N!

[Tha_Rooster]

Originally Posted by Walker

Thanks for all of the replies. We are another step closer to owning our 1st class A.
Today at my suggestion, my wife test drove the Pace Arrow. She did not tell me how it went until after I had her drive the Expedition. She now knows the difference in handling and stability of the diesel as compared to the gas. She felt a lot of sway in the Pace Arrow as she passed a semi on the freeway. The difference in stability was enough so that she is now leaning more toward a diesel.

Power wise I was under a false assumption, that the Expedition could tow 10k pounds. It will tow only 4k. Can anyone share their experiences with me towing up to 4k in hills? As a reference the Expedition has a 300hp Cummins.

Test drive ,test drive and listen to what previous post tell you I learned my lesson start with the chassis and work your way up.

[GlenB]

You will love the Expedition.....I have a 2005 with a 300 Cat 38N it has 3 slides. It has plenty of room and drives and rides so much better than the gas bounder I had. Loved that unit too but when I was driving I never knew which side of the road I would land on as the wind and trucks had their way with us.....have fun glenb

[Clayobx]

Originally Posted by Walker

Thanks for all the replies! Today we take delivery of our 2004 Fleetwood Expedition 38N!

You made the correct choice! Mama will be happy, your happy!