Community Forums

AlfaBaz · 02-23-2021, 07:21 PM

We just jumped into the motorhome pool with both feet!! Our RV life started out with slide in campers for the pickup. Great for two, not so much when we started taking grandkids! Did the bumper pull for a few years (loved our Cougar!) then moved up to a 42 foot toy hauler. It was great when we were with our SXS group in the desert, but couldn't get into many of the smaller campgrounds with our "non-off road" group. So........ we just downsized to a 33 foot motorhome (our first) and went with the Thor Omni, built on the Ford F550 chassis with the Ford diesel. Yes, it was WAY more money than a gas C. If budget is your primary concern, stay with gas. But we want to do some longer range trips, and I couldn't face the thought of getting 5-7 mpg with a gas C, or the 500-1200 pound OCCC of the Mercedes Sprinter platform. So far, we are getting 11-12 with the Ford diesel. We can also pull the boat or a trailer with the SXS easily. I'm hoping that any need for service can be addressed at most Ford dealerships. Bottom line: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT RV!! Everything is a compromise. You just have to prioritize your objectives. Maybe we'll see you some day on the road!!

mjbenedict · 02-24-2021, 09:55 AM

From a long-time gas vehicle owner my first time into diesel is awesome. I bought a new Dynamax Isata 5 last year and can say after driving the gas class c's that it is much quieter due to cab design.
Much better mileage - I get from 8-12MPG towing my Ram 1500 behind the 37ft motorhome
Power - part of the reason it's quieter is it always runs at a much lower RPM, rarely downshifts unless in mountains. There it still stays at a low RPM one gear down - drive at speed limit up to 70MPH.
Cost of maintenance - would be higher if we bought a freight liner chassis, not bad for this rig.
Cost of fuel - look into TSD logistics RV fuel program - paying average equivalent to mid-grade gas cost.
Resale value - I don't put much into resale since we pay more upfront anyways.

Last trip mileage averaged out to 9.3MPG with some generator run time. Trip average was from PA to Florida and back (through WV mountains) towing Ram 1500. Paid close to gas price at pump.

I have no negatives - for me.

jackreno · 02-27-2021, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GolfingRVer

Hello,
New to the forum and looking to purchase a class c rv within the next 6 months. I would like to get your thoughts on getting a Gas vs Diesel unit.
Pros and Cons

Thanks for your thoughts.

Well let me add my 2 cents here, what is the size of RV you are plan on buying, if its small no need for a diesel, the new 7.3 gas Ford V-8 with the 6 speed stays in low rpm's even in some good size hills and does ok with mpg without paying a higher price and buying that DEF stuff..

A 40 foot RV would be better with a diesel but a 26 foot RV would be just fine with a gas.

Maybe if you could give insight of the type and size of RV would help.

CharlesinGA · 02-27-2021, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TourNut

A friend of mine ordered a Sprinter-based Class C but then backed out of the deal ( losing deposit money ) when his research found that Mercedes would void the warranty on the Sprinter engine if bio-Diesel had been used . Some states , like Illinois , use biodiesel extensively at the pumps.

This is no longer true, even if it ever was. Mercedes has published a rather extensive document about using bio in Sprinters, and they finally realized that it is a fact of life that cannot be avoided. What they did is reduced the oil change intervals from a high of something like 20K mi to about 5K mi, as bio contaminates oil and will actually cause the oil level to rise.

The one thing you should never do with a diesel, any diesel, is to store it with bio in the tank. Burn it out and put straight diesel in it. I have found that in the south at least, straight diesel is fairly readily available by avoiding the large stations and truckstops such as Pilot and Loves, and sticking with smaller stations.

Charles

chs · 02-28-2021, 06:55 AM

Here is a nice article I found that may help you.

https://rvlife.com/gas-vs-diesel-rvs/

EdInArk · 02-28-2021, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 77Travco

Aw jeeze... here we go again........

The title's pretty specific, so it would be easy to ignore and move on.

But .....

Here we are.

chs · 02-28-2021, 09:00 AM

Originally Posted by 77Travco View Post
Aw jeeze... here we go again........

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdInArk

The title's pretty specific, so it would be easy to ignore and move on.

But .....

Here we are.

Exactly. Not sure why some need to make such comments. If your not interested, move on

RonandDeb · 02-28-2021, 10:35 AM

These debates are always fun to read and I usually learn something from every thread. My opinion is that one is no better than the other, unless you live in a place where bio-diesel is your only option. If that's the case, go with gas.
I have no problem with either one, however the coach we really liked just so happened to be on a Sprinter chassis.

GolfingRVer · 02-28-2021, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TourNut

A friend of mine ordered a Sprinter-based Class C but then backed out of the deal ( losing deposit money ) when his research found that Mercedes would void the warranty on the Sprinter engine if bio-Diesel had been used . Some states , like Illinois , use biodiesel extensively at the pumps.

We were seriously looking at the Tiffin Wayfarer, but once my wife noticed it was built on a Mercedes Chassis, etc. she said no way. She has owed two Mercedes cars and told me years ago, never again.

RonandDeb · 02-28-2021, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GolfingRVer

We were seriously looking at the Tiffin Wayfarer, but once my wife noticed it was built on a Mercedes Chassis, etc. she said no way. She has owed two Mercedes cars and told me years ago, never again.

Probably a wise decision as the one we looked at had around 700lbs of OCCC. Laughable capacities..

EyezOpen · 02-28-2021, 05:37 PM

This is the time frame to go diesel at almost any cost, very soon gas prices will begin peaking to levels never seen before. At the same time, I do not see diesel getting close to any high demand. The airline ind is stunned for many yrs to come and kerosene is flat on its lips as far as to demand/cost.

This is NOT a political post by any means, just a hard fact of life, 5/7 a gallon is no stretch at all.

Phil G. · 02-28-2021, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EyezOpen

This is the time frame to go diesel at almost any cost, very soon gas prices will begin peaking to levels never seen before. At the same time, I do not see diesel getting close to any high demand. The airline ind is stunned for many yrs to come and kerosene is flat on its lips as far as to demand/cost.

This is NOT a political post by any means, just a hard fact of life, 5/7 a gallon is no stretch at all.

We have already paid ~$5/gal a few times right here in the U.S. in recent years on RV trips - and it had nothing to do with a virus or Texas winter storms.

If gas prices go through the roof, I expect diesel prices will follow right along with it ... as I think "demand" is only very loosely tied to fuel prices here in the good old "why not charge whatever you can whenever you can" U.S. of A..

wayfarer2021 · 03-01-2021, 05:40 AM

I was concerned about this as well. Tiffin is getting better and they made some changes for 2021 which increased the OCCC. I actually found the Wayfarer had more OCCC than a comparable Winnebago. A Wayfarer comes standard with auto-leveling and a diesel generator. These are both options on a Winnebago and do add extra weight.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonandDeb

Probably a wise decision as the one we looked at had around 700lbs of OCCC. Laughable capacities..

RonandDeb · 03-01-2021, 06:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wayfarer2021

I was concerned about this as well. Tiffin is getting better and they made some changes for 2021 which increased the OCCC. I actually found the Wayfarer had more OCCC than a comparable Winnebago. A Wayfarer comes standard with auto-leveling and a diesel generator. These are both options on a Winnebago and do add extra weight.

Glad to hear that! We really liked the Wayfarer, it was almost the perfect RV for us. The looks alone are certainly head turning to say the least. I just had a bad experience with the salesman regarding the OCCC. He told me that this was just a campground coach and we shouldn't be running around with full tanks anyway. Ensuring the have the proper weight is everything when traveling and overloading is just too dangerous to chance. 700 something is really not acceptable, to me anyway.

Congrats on your purchase! You're going to love that coach!