Gas vs. diesel

[Keith55]

Used Sparingly?? Maybe instead get an air BNB??

Motorhomes are a lot of maintenance even when they just sit there. In fact sometimes more when they just sit there.

If you have $X/year to spend on fun, getting the most out of it will unlikely include repairing, storing, maintaining and depreciating an RV.

Your few nights a year could end up costing $10,000. Also known as a trip to Europe.

Or does used sparingly mean 16 weekends a year????

Need more info.

[Keith55]

Originally Posted by amosnandy

You mean DP 2007 or older

He is a little light on the reasoning there

[GWBGE]

There's no right or wrong answer to your question.

It really depends on a number of factors related to your budget and what you want to do with it.

That's why there are so many choices.

Think about what is important for you, and what you can afford, then start narrowing down. It took me almost a year to finally settle in on a coach.

It started with the question 5th wheel versus motorhome.

[rarebear.nm]

Common question with no right/wrong option. Both gas and diesel RVs will get you there and back. The questions are many, but in my opinion these are some important ones:

1. How much you really afford, for both purchase and maintenance
2. Is high blitz really important to you
3. Understand the first RV you buy is likely to be the wrong RV
4. Think long and hard about new vs used for a first RV
5. Do you need to tow anything, how much does it weigh
6. Can it be flat towed or on a dolly or a trailer
7. How are you going to use the RV, touring or destination
8. Where are going to stay, boondocking or full service RV parks
9. How many do you need to sleep
10. How much stuff (junk) do you fell you have to travel with
11. Can you do your own RV maintenance and service or some of it or is your credit card your best friend
12. Where are you going to store the RV

And many more questions. Truth is people use RVs very differently and what works well for someone will be totally wrong for someone else for one or more reasons. Whatever you do don't buy something because it's the same thing your best friend has.

We have Class A, Class B, Class C, Class B+, Super Cs, 5th wheelers, bumper towables just to start with. There are very good reasons so many different kinds of RVs are built.

There are lively threads related to most if not all of the above questions with no right or wrong answers only different opinions.

[scbwr]

A used gas motorhome was within our budget range and we preferred to buy a newer gas class A rather than an older diesel motorhome. We're happy with our Bay Star, but there is no question that it works for us because we don't travel more than 350 miles per day. The added noise cause by expansion joints and bad roads does add to driver fatigue. That's why I respond to these discussions by saying if you want to travel 500 miles or more per day, you are going to be much happier with a diesel pusher.

And, if your budget allows for the added cost of a diesel rig, it may be well worth it. If your budget is restricted, and your expectations are realistic, you can be very happy with a gas rig.

[scenic route]

For us, floorplan is paramount. If the living space doesn't conform to your(DW's)needs/wants, type of engine could be a moot point.

Our first coach was a gasser with 1&1/2 baths(DW's must have) that we did a couple of 13.5K mile - 5&1/2 month trips out West and to Alaska...no troubles towing a 4K lb. Jeep on the steep grades(albeit at a slower pace)or with any other adverse road conditions. Kind of dispelled some of the gas/diesel myths, for us anyway.

We appreciate the upgraded features of our current diesel, but I'll have to admit that I miss the maintenance cost of the gasser. I could do all maintenance on the 8.1 engine(including all oil/fuel filters)and genset for less than the diesel's air filter canister cost. Just goes to show, different strokes for.... We still have the bath & a half feature.

[pameridan04]

Diesel vs Gas has been discussed for ever on these forums. And yes I have had both. First was a Itasca Meridian 36G with a Cat 360 Turbo DP. My latest is a Tiffin Open Road 2019 32 SA with the Ford V10.

IMHO there are five categories that a gas coach will never compare to a DP. I loved my current 32SA. But my new coach ordered is a Tiffin 33AA 360 DP.

1. The DP engine has more torque, more than ANY gas engine in existence, more pulling power for weight and hills.


2. Better ride with air suspension. Even if you invest with Liquid Springs front and rear for gas coach and additional $22K plus. DP still wins.


3. Air Breaks, Exhaust Breaks, just a better stopping option.


4. More towing capacity, usually 10K compared to 5K.


5. No matter how you cut it, or should I say silence it, the DP is quieter than a front engine gas coach. The new Ford V8 is quieter, but not as quite as a rear engine DP.

I am not talking about cost, I am not talking about floor plan, I am not talking about maintenance. The top 5 will never in the near future out class the DP. That is the plain and simple facts.

Jim P.

[ArtJoyce]

Gas vs Diesel.

lower cost of ownership

- Gas - up front new purchase is lower
- Gas - in the used market
- Gas - Maintenance will be much less for the power train and chassis on a gas MH
- fuel cost ends up with a total cost about the same. Diesel get better MPG, but cost more per gallon and you need additives. Diesel may be slightly less expensive but not by much.

Ride: Hands down a DP has a noticeable better ride with more driving control. Also, most of the time a DP of the same length as a Gas has a lot more weight and will not be pushed around as much in the wind.

Performance: Pulling up the hills. A DP has it both in performance and lack of engine racing away noise. Gas has a DP accelerating on flats.

Learning curve: Gas is more easy to learn to drive. DP with the seat ahead of the front wheels take some learning. Also, there is some learning on driving with torque vs HP. De-accelerating with a DP is much different then Gas. A diesel engine has almost no drag when you let up on the accelerator un-like it's gas counter part. In most cases some type of suppressor is added like a jake brake, exhaust brake, or transmission suppressor. There is a little learning curve to manage these devices.

[RightUR]

Originally Posted by Mclemm

Definitely class A
2015 or newer

Niiiice. Good choice. Personally I would never get anything older than 8-10 yrs. And I haven't. Naturally like everything in life there are exceptions, especially if the price is right. LOL. Exceptions like a Newell, featherlite, Millennium, Fortravel, Marathon, Liberty or even well Kept Country Coach magna Rembrandt or Galileo, chalet (Bob lee edition);CC Jubilee, Affinity. But in the end it's the floor plan that matters to us. So Even if I fell in love with one of the Above rigs and the DW did not approve, guess what?

[RightUR]

Originally Posted by taylorbob1

Article with one person’s opinion regarding the future of Motorhomes, current administration policy and all the talk about limited fossil fuel in favor of Electric.

https://www.rvtravel.com/future-rving-doomed1002/

P.S. probably should be a new thread

Hmmm. I won't give to much weight to this article. most EV laws will be in full affect in 2035, that's when GMC says their going all electric. By that time I will have bought Another Rig or decided to stay with my Space shuttle all together until I'm too old to RV. Many Vehicles on the Road will be grandfathered, so I'm not worried about having to "Throw my rig away." By 2035 Most 65 and older folks here will be hangin' up the keys to their Rig for good or some will be gone, bless their hearts.
Knowing what the future holds, hopefully some manufacturers will produce models that can be retrofitted or upgraded and see the marketing potential in that.

[Massparanoia]

Despite all the FUD out there, RV’s are all built pretty much the same. Unless you’re buying a Prevost or Newell they’re all just fiberglass boxes sitting on top of two straight frame rails. They all get the same horrible fuel mileage, just depends on which fuel you like to burn.

[scbwr]

Originally Posted by ArtJoyce

Gas vs Diesel.

lower cost of ownership

- Gas - up front new purchase is lower
- Gas - in the used market
- Gas - Maintenance will be much less for the power train and chassis on a gas MH
- fuel cost ends up with a total cost about the same. Diesel get better MPG, but cost more per gallon and you need additives. Diesel may be slightly less expensive but not by much.

Ride: Hands down a DP has a noticeable better ride with more driving control. Also, most of the time a DP of the same length as a Gas has a lot more weight and will not be pushed around as much in the wind.

Performance: Pulling up the hills. A DP has it both in performance and lack of engine racing away noise. Gas has a DP accelerating on flats.

Learning curve: Gas is more easy to learn to drive. DP with the seat ahead of the front wheels take some learning. Also, there is some learning on driving with torque vs HP. De-accelerating with a DP is much different then Gas. A diesel engine has almost no drag when you let up on the accelerator un-like it's gas counter part. In most cases some type of suppressor is added like a jake brake, exhaust brake, or transmission suppressor. There is a little learning curve to manage these devices.

I think that is a pretty good summation of the issue. I would add one other point.

Based on my experience (limited as I've only owned a gas motorhome), gas motorhomes can create more driver fatigue. My rig handles fine, but you do have to pay a lot of attention to what you are doing, more so than what I experienced when towing travel trailers with a good truck. My opinion is that if you are fine with driving around 350 miles or so per day, a gas rig can be a good choice. If you want to drive 500-600 miles per day because you need to (limited time for traveling), a DP is going to be a better choice.

And quite honestly, if purchase price and operating cost isn't an issue, a DP is the better choice.

[Gulie]

Originally Posted by Massparanoia

Despite all the FUD out there, RV’s are all built pretty much the same. Unless you’re buying a Prevost or Newell they’re all just fiberglass boxes sitting on top of two straight frame rails. They all get the same horrible fuel mileage, just depends on which fuel you like to burn.

Fortunately this is not true. It may be for most gassers using a Chevy or Ford generic frame, but it is certainly untrue for most DP units. My 99 Monaco uses a Roadmaster “Bridge Rail” frame, developed specifically for this purpose. Not a generic retrofit. The unit has twin heavy rails running from fore to aft, with lattice of steel on the top and bottom, and steel framing from roof to sole before the fiberglass panels and finishing is installed. It is extremely stiff and durable (look at some photos of crashed units), which lends to better handling and quietness in the ride. Fuel mileage with a 350 Cummins is about 9mpg bare, and 7.5mpg with 5800# toad. Pretty satisfied with this. As far as cost, I a middle-class, so no Class A DP budgets in my universe, so I bought used, and do all the work myself. For a person with skills, a nice DP is accessible from $40K to $70K - not too much different than a Gasser.

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by Mclemm

Definitely class A
2015 or newer

Tuscaloosa AL

The major difference other than cost is Ride - JMHO - owned both and when we RV we generally Drive a good bit (last summer we drove the RV 10,000 miles+) and the difference in ride is just unbelievable.

If you ar going to use it just for local CG's then ride might not be so important and the Savings can Be Significant, Floor Plan might be the Number one thing to make the decision.

Next issue is to research the DEF issues in the years you are looking at -and Older non DEF unit might just be Smart - educate yourself and make an informed decision.

If easy and simple is what you need or think - Gas is likely in your future, as they have some pretty neat floorplans.

Best of Luck , and let us know wha you decide, when and if you Decide.