Comparing gas and diesel RVs

[ynot]

i am a 1 year owner of a gas rv tiffi allegro open road 32sa
now i am thinking of getting a diesel.
like to hear your thoughts and experiences
thank you

 

[BGMAC]

I’m a gasser myself. I’ve not been in a diesel pusher, do understand they are much quieter going down the road, They have more storage underneath and depending on the setup more power in the mountains.
Now for me, I would not get one unless it was a great deal. They’re much more expensive to purchase and I don’t use it enough to justify the extra cost.
Fuel can be a little higher to a lot higher than gas depending on where you are and what the gods want to charge us.
For me being a little mechanically inclined I done some modifications to reduce noise quite a bit.

Now the full timers/ high use guys that have pushers can give you hands on knowledge. I wanted to give my point off view.

 

[Rollin Ollen]

i am a 1 year owner of a gas rv tiffi allegro open road 32sa
now i am thinking of getting a diesel.
like to hear your thoughts and experiences
thank you

I have a gasser. I have never owner a DP but I have had the opportunity to test drive them. My choice for a gasser was mostly for it's size. We prefer Provincial/State Parks, COE. We lived in the Pacific Northwest where most of our preferred parks were old and not suited for larger rigs. We looked at Diesels but we never found one "small" enough to suit our needs. I did do some homework and gathered some stats. Most "used" pushers that we looked at had logged less than 50.000 Km (30.000 Miles). A diesel engine is far more durable than a gas but how many even make it close to 100,000 miles. Diesels are a lot more expensive to maintain right from tires to oil changes and, from previously having a V10 in our last Class C, the additional torque that a diesel provides was not a big selling point to me. We travelled across the mountains from Vancouver to Calgary towing our Jeeps (we have gone through 3 now) many times with no difficulties using the V10. The gas Class A gave us the additional storage space etc than the Class C so for us the gasser was a no brainer. We bought ours new back in 2011 and it has been a true joy to have. If you need something bigger than the 32 you have, then perhaps a diesel may be the option you should go with.

Safe travels

Darrell

 

[AbdRahim]

I am also a gasser. Not sure I would get a diesel if someone offered it to me for five dollars. "For me", too complicated and expensive. I like simple, low maintenance. Even the new gassers with all of the computer contolled everything are a turn off for me. Give me a good old mechanical toilet and switches for controls.

I sound like an old fogy, but I can replace a bad switch.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Gasser! I have other things to invest my, well, you might call it income! And once again with oil pushing $100 a barrel, and predicted to be $300! I have to wonder how many gallons we will be putting through the tank anyhow!

 

[Scooterfan]

IMHO it comes down to your usage. If you are going to tow anything of any substantial weight, a diesel is the best choice. If you need a big (38' +) RV, a diesel is the best choice. But as noted before, they come with some drawbacks. If you are (say) 34 feet or less, perhaps towing a light TOAD (if at all), and just using your RV for "recreational" jaunts, I think a gasser is a better choice. There's no argument that diesels provide excellent "torque" for hard use(s), and are more durable for heavy usage (i.e., lots of travel), but the big gas engines will "supply all your needs otherwise" (Note: Only diesel experience are CAT 3208's in large Sportfishers) BTW, I have had many "Pusher" owners covet my large storage bay. You don't necessarily get more storage with a diesel pusher Blessings

 

[team bradfield]

I had a ford V10 f-350, when towing in the mountains I would watch gas gauge drop, no torque, no power compared to a ford 6.7 diesel, I now have a Cummins 450hp DP and love it, my recent trip to the east coast, we averaged 8-9 mpg, which is just as good as my 6.7 duallys, as noted above, we travel, 6-8 months a year, lots of mountain driving

 

[ynot]

well i use the Rv occasionally.it will be my first long trip i will soon take traveling from SoCal to Yellowstone
i am not towing.my wife will be driving behind me based on all your replies.it make sense to keep my gasser
only 6000 miles on it

 

[Wemustrv]

We have a diesel pusher an love it. Much quieter going down the road and all the power we need to tow our F150 SuperCrew. We bought it used with 47K miles and now have 90K. Truly a matter of choice.

 

[Headhunter]

There are Pro's and Con's debated in a thousand threads across the RV forums.
IMHO there are certain things you get with a DP that you will NEVER get with a gasser, I have had both.
1. A much smoother ride, thanks to air bags verses shocks and springs.
2. Much more pulling power aka torque, 10K tow vs 5K towing. Power to climb the steepest grades.
3. A much quieter ride, no screaming engine up front next to you.
4. Air Brakes & exhaust break, not even close to drum brakes on a gasser.
For me I had my gasser for two years, a Tiffin Allegro 2019 32 SA. Bought a new Red 33 AA DP and never looked back.

HH

 

[ynot]

Thank you HH
How did you work the deal out I was looking at the same unit

 

[Kevin D Pem]

There are Pro's and Con's debated in a thousand threads across the RV forums.
IMHO there are certain things you get with a DP that you will NEVER get with a gasser, I have had both.
1. A much smoother ride, thanks to air bags verses shocks and springs.
2. Much more pulling power aka torque, 10K tow vs 5K towing. Power to climb the steepest grades.
3. A much quieter ride, no screaming engine up front next to you.
4. Air Brakes & exhaust break, not even close to drum brakes on a gasser.
For me I had my gasser for two years, a Tiffin Allegro 2019 32 SA. Bought a new Red 33 AA DP and never looked back.

HH

Wow! Your 2019 had drum brakes? My 1994 adventurer had all wheel disks! A 545 that didn't get stressed even on the passes in Wyoming. Maybe Ford isn't as good as some think it is!

You knew that what you would get, were a bunch of cocks strutting their stuff. I don't know why it is so but it is! Asking for opinions is like asking who sits on their a## ##le!

 

[Headhunter]

The art of the deal for a new RV is not complicated. You can usually buy a BRAND NEW say 2023 ordered coach from a reputable Tiffin dealer cheaper than you can usually paying for a used one or two year coach on Rvtrader and such. But you will probably have to contend with sorting out all the bugs that come with a new coach.

I sold my Tiffin 32 SA privately at the height of the demand for RV's during covid. So I was very lucky I got what I paid for it . Then I put my order in for a brand new Red 33 AA 2021 BEFORE Tiffin had two price increases. My local dealer is Stotzfus RV in West Chester PA.

If you sell your RV privately you will almost always get more for it than trade in value from a dealer. I made over $30K MORE from a private sale than what my dealer offered me on a trade in.

First you are going to have to fill out a purchase sheet of the model and options you want from a reputable dealer. The Big 3 that used to give good Tiffin discounts are all gone swallowed up by other companies. I would get a bid from Kings Campers and NVIRC. I would try to work a 30% discount off the MSRP price of the coach. You can get a MSRP price sheet usually from Tiffin or their website. RV sales are down. it is NOW a buyers market. Good for a buyer, not so good for a seller. Get the best quote you can and if you don't want to deal with them take it to the dealer of your choice and say match this quote and we have a deal.

Well that's how I did it and it worked out fine for me. I have about 11K miles on my coach and did a 6000 mile trip out west last year. I was sure glad I had a DP pulling some of those mountain passes pulling my Jeep Wrangler.

HH

 

[Tom in PA]

If you're looking for a Diesel pusher, you'll find some nice rigs that are pre-DEF. We have a 2001 Monaco Exec 43' Diesel on love it. It's quiet, its Cummins 515 easily pulls our Chevy Colorado toad up mountain roads.
A major drawback to Diesel is its current price which is well above gasoline. It now costs about a dollar a mile to move the Monaco. Mileage at 1600 rpm (68 mph) is about 6.8 to 7mpg on flat eastern highways.

 

[High Desert]

Like Headhunter - went through the same thing on the 2019 Tiffin 32SA we had. Spent a ton of money trying ti improve the ride and handling. After the last big trip in 2021, got fed up with it and traded in for a Tiffin RED 33AA and never looked back. Much happier with it, handles and rides better and is quiet. If I had it to do all over again, would have bought the RED when we were looking in 2019..