First Class A purchase, Diesel or gas?

[LifeSalt]

Originally Posted by tropical36

Weeeelllllllll, you could've bought the 2nd one first and even if you wanted to sell after two years, the lost money wouldn't have been any worse, plus for having the extra two years in your now coach.
Buying the last one first, is still the best policy, IMO.
We would've liked to, but our budget wouldn't allow it, at the time, now we're in our third.

That's my thoughts. We went from a tent, to 5th wheel and now our Class A. IMO u save money in the long run rather than taking small steps. Tent to popup etc.....

[Isaac-1]

Originally Posted by tropical36

Weeeelllllllll, you could've bought the 2nd one first and even if you wanted to sell after two years, the lost money wouldn't have been any worse, plus for having the extra two years in your now coach.
Buying the last one first, is still the best policy, IMO.
We would've liked to, but our budget wouldn't allow it, at the time, now we're in our third.

The idea of buying the last one first is great, except for a couple of things. First most people will not know how they want to use an RV until they have some first hand experience. Though part of this may be the view that the grass is always greener. The second issue is the way people use an RV may tend to evolve over time as their interests and travel styles change.

[richguess]

Well, I started with a Chinook I restored, got a 23’ class C with one slide, and now have a Thor ACE 27,2. However, I got my last wife first, which is what early counts.

[RudysDad]

Originally Posted by tropical36

Weeeelllllllll, you could've bought the 2nd one first and even if you wanted to sell after two years, the lost money wouldn't have been any worse, plus for having the extra two years in your now coach.
Buying the last one first, is still the best policy, IMO.
We would've liked to, but our budget wouldn't allow it, at the time, now we're in our third.

Same here with the budget at the time. But we did get a good deal on our first coach. Someone bought it and used it once. It was too big so they traded for a class c and took the big hit which was good for us. We got nearly what we paid for it on our trade.

[EcoRick]

Originally Posted by tropical36

Weeeelllllllll, you could've bought the 2nd one first and even if you wanted to sell after two years, the lost money wouldn't have been any worse, plus for having the extra two years in your now coach.
Buying the last one first, is still the best policy, IMO.
We would've liked to, but our budget wouldn't allow it, at the time, now we're in our third.

You’re assuming everyone that jumps into the RV world will enjoy it and continue to use it. We purchased a new Tiffin gasser this year when my initial thought was to buy a used diesel. The gas RV was still much less expensive than any “last one” diesel we would buy and we didn’t know if we would enjoy the life style. If we didn’t enjoy it, I could justify the loss of 20% - 30% the first few years for a gasser, but not for depreciation of the diesel we would eventually want. You could counter with just purchase used, but that wouldn’t be the last diesel we would want. Also, we wanted the warranty of a new one since we had no idea what to expect in terms of maintenance costs and headaches. We’re already thinking about upgrading in a few years but it took this initial purchase for us to have that discussion. There is no way I feel good about a large purchase without going through our first few years in the gasser to understand our needs.

[tropical36]

Originally Posted by richguess

Well, I started with a Chinook I restored, got a 23’ class C with one slide, and now have a Thor ACE 27,2. However, I got my last wife first, which is what early counts.

Lol....So tell me and have you found the Thor to be anywhere near as good as the Chinook, for being quality built?

[tropical36]

Originally Posted by EcoRick

You’re assuming everyone that jumps into the RV world will enjoy it and continue to use it. We purchased a new Tiffin gasser this year when my initial thought was to buy a used diesel. The gas RV was still much less expensive than any “last one” diesel we would buy and we didn’t know if we would enjoy the life style. If we didn’t enjoy it, I could justify the loss of 20% - 30% the first few years for a gasser, but not for depreciation of the diesel we would eventually want. You could counter with just purchase used, but that wouldn’t be the last diesel we would want. Also, we wanted the warranty of a new one since we had no idea what to expect in terms of maintenance costs and headaches. We’re already thinking about upgrading in a few years but it took this initial purchase for us to have that discussion. There is no way I feel good about a large purchase without going through our first few years in the gasser to understand our needs.

We're all different in our thinking, but with having your mindset about the possible future in RVing, I would have opted for a used DP for the savings and for putting the difference in the bank, in lieu of a warranty, which I hate doing battle over, anyway.
Come trade up time, you'd be ahead with doing it right.

[LifeSalt]

Originally Posted by tropical36

We're all different in our thinking, but with having your mindset about the possible future in RVing, I would have opted for a used DP for the savings and for putting the difference in the bank, in lieu of a warranty, which I hate doing battle over, anyway.
Come trade up time, you'd be ahead with doing it right.

Used is the way to go, imo. Depreciation is terrible, worse than autos. There are alot of lightly used rigs for half the price. They even smell new. And you can get a higher end rig. The one thing I do regret is buying the warranty and not opt to put that money in the bank and use as needed. We had warranty work done, but we may not use the total cost of the warranty b4 it expires. Which is good, but.. ....

[Griswald One]

I will join others in saying how you are going to use the rig and a floor plan that meets your needs are normally much bigger considerations then the gas vs diesel debate. I would suggest based on the type of use you listed that the engine type would actually be very low on the priority list. I also do a couple of 2 week trips a year with interspersed weekends. Last year I spent 60 nights in my RV. I drove a total of 20 times varying between 3-8 hour days depending on the destination. So maybe 80-100 hours of wheel time total for the year! Maintenance costs really are negligible compared to the other costs involved in camping.

Hunt for the floor plans you love and where possible compare them side by side both open and closed for travel. The perfect floor plan does not exist, you will always find a place where X was sacrificed to give you better Y. But you can come close.

The Genny argument some make for diesel intrigues me... Why?? Again based on your camping description I am guessing you will be like me and travelling from home to a Campground with electrical service. My generator gets used mostly because it needs to run not because I need it to run. When I pick up from storage I turn the Genny on to get the A/C going and keep things cool while we pack for the road, then it gets turned off and normally does not run again until the next trip. If you are going to boondock then the generator type might be an issue???

[bamaboy473]

I was brand new to this subject when we bought our first motor home on a whim. 2 years later, we knew what we liked and didn't like, and bought our last motor home.

During that learning curve, I remember asking this forum what's the difference between floor plans when all of them have seats up front, bed in rear, and KI, BA in the middle. Yes, I asked that because I didn't know that there are so many different sizes of kitchen counters, that a commode is either in a small closet, or out there in the bath area, etc.

Not sure that a person can find their last motor home on the first try unless you're lucky or very pliable. This makes a good argument for renting one or two first; even for a couple of days.

[George Schweikle]

Uh-oh, another variation in the gas vs. Diesel debate. You, like me, prefer smaller motorhomes. Diesel owners love their 38 - 45 ft. versions, which is fine, but they seem to assume that everyone else should want the same thing. If someone is looking for a Class A motorhome around 30 ft. all are gas (except for the Allegro Breeze).

Originally Posted by richguess

Well, I started with a Chinook I restored, got a 23’ class C with one slide, and now have a Thor ACE 27,2.....

[LifeSalt]

Originally Posted by George Schweikle

Uh-oh, another variation in the gas vs. Diesel debate. You, like me, prefer smaller motorhomes. Diesel owners love their 38 - 45 ft. versions, which is fine, but they seem to assume that everyone else should want the same thing. If someone is looking for a Class A motorhome around 30 ft. all are gas (except for the Allegro Breeze).

Good point. I don't believe the OP stated what size they would like, the bigger you go one leans more towards diesel.

My bud has a 38' dp... I knew while being in it I wouldn't want anything smaller. Ended up with a 40. But I wouldnt want anything bigger. So 38-40 is my sweet spot.

OP needs to drive a gasser and a pusher to see/feel the differences.

[tommar]

Originally Posted by Griswald One

I will join others in saying how you are going to use the rig and a floor plan that meets your needs are normally much bigger considerations then the gas vs diesel debate. I would suggest based on the type of use you listed that the engine type would actually be very low on the priority list. I also do a couple of 2 week trips a year with interspersed weekends. Last year I spent 60 nights in my RV. I drove a total of 20 times varying between 3-8 hour days depending on the destination. So maybe 80-100 hours of wheel time total for the year! Maintenance costs really are negligible compared to the other costs involved in camping.

Hunt for the floor plans you love and where possible compare them side by side both open and closed for travel. The perfect floor plan does not exist, you will always find a place where X was sacrificed to give you better Y. But you can come close.

The Genny argument some make for diesel intrigues me... Why?? Again based on your camping description I am guessing you will be like me and travelling from home to a Campground with electrical service. My generator gets used mostly because it needs to run not because I need it to run. When I pick up from storage I turn the Genny on to get the A/C going and keep things cool while we pack for the road, then it gets turned off and normally does not run again until the next trip. If you are going to boondock then the generator type might be an issue???

Dunno where you live or the area of where you camp but here in Texas in the summer A/C is necessary when we are on the road which means the roof-top A/Cs and the generator. Boondocking likewise needs power for the A/C and my CPAP machine. A gasser does not have an air suspension so the ride won't be as good and they also do not have air brakes and/or exhaust/engine brakes which really help in the mountains. IMHO, a diesel generator produces less carbon monoxide which is odorless and colorless. If there's a leak in the exhaust, you're sure gonna smell the burned diesel fuel. And diesels are more trouble-free.

[Isaac-1]

Originally Posted by George Schweikle

Uh-oh, another variation in the gas vs. Diesel debate. You, like me, prefer smaller motorhomes. Diesel owners love their 38 - 45 ft. versions, which is fine, but they seem to assume that everyone else should want the same thing. If someone is looking for a Class A motorhome around 30 ft. all are gas (except for the Allegro Breeze).

Excellent point, I have a 28 ft Safari Trek, and it is just about the right size for us and how we travel, in many ways I wish it was a couple of feet smaller, but would hate to give up the cargo capacity. I have no desire to travel in a 45 ft diesel pusher.