Gas or Diesel? Help me decide.

[JBright11]

On our Bay Star, my wife has to put the driver's seat all the way forward and max tilt to reach the pedals. She can get comfortable enough to drive in an emergency, and for short distances, but certainly not for any long distance.
She's 5' 2" for reference.

 

[Rollin Ollen]

I agree! My wife barely reaches the pedals of our c. That will be a major consideration on our new purchase.

Well now! I neglected to mention drivability in my reply. Our first Class A gasser was a Winnebago Vista. It was perfect for our needs when we purchased it but one had to "herd" it down the road even though it was brand new. I had the steering and suspension checked fearing it was faulty somewhere. It wasn't. I was told that Ford F53s were notorious for having sloppy steering. Our new coach is a Jayco with JRIDE Plus.
Jayco Motorhomes Offer Smooth Ride and Handling with JRide®
What a difference. I believe Newmar upgrades their suspension as well. If you are just going to be weekend warriors, it probably won't matter much and, in fact, I got used to the poor handling of our Winnebago so it didn't bother me so much but if I knew then what I know now, it would have made a difference in our purchase.

 

[bpaikman]

we've only had 2, both diesel MHs, both used. We go through mountains a lot, never had any issues. Flat-Towing same car we bought in 2013 - Subaru Crosstrek.
We found a diesel mechanic we trust and we've been fine. Not experts here, but we take care of the coach. we've heard a lot of advice and we weigh it and consider the source. Bob likes having a diesel - he just likes knowing he has enough power.
7-8 mpg 65 mph towing.... we have gotten up to 12 if we took our time in flat land. But that's rare.
I think the Diesels maybe hold their value better and that was important to us. Idly considering full-timing for a while, so looking for a wee bigger third one. It will be a Dutchie, Bob says.

 

[team bradfield]

had a F350 with a V10 gasser, it struggled in the Rockies with our 5th wheel, low torque, traded it for Diesel and have never looked back, we put a lot of miles on our DSDP, I feel its needed and worth it for our use, if we stayed close to home (Illinois flat land) I might have never felt the need to go diesel

 

[RVThereYet]

Have been the full gambit, diesel, gas, gas, diesel. The Class A 350 Cummins was very quiet, and plenty of torque. Tried the Class C F450, not enough cockpit room, went to a Class A gasser, loved it, spouse did not!
Sound proofing applied but still noisy and engine heat was warm not to mention having to climb over the engine cover, real PIA!! Now have a F250, heavy duty tow package, 5th wheel set up. Have 30,000 lb tow capacity and presently have a 43' WildCat 5er. It pulls great. Love the power and the towing capacity is awesome. Just completed a trip from Dallas to St Louis and averaged 11.8 MPG. Super pleased with that!! Put the cruise control on 65 and it holds speed even going up mild hills without RPM even increasing. Funny thing, looking at F350's and F450's, the rear axle for sure handles more weight but the engine? Same, 6.7L Power Stroke. Now the newer 6.7L do have increased horsepower and torque but manage a little less MPG.
I say, do what ever makes YOU HAPPY!!

Happy Glamping!!!

 

[wildebill308]

Not having a toad will reduce what you can see and do by about 85%.
Bill

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Not having a toad will reduce what you can see and do by about 85%.
Bill

This is true, bank on these words! Top that off with the thread obout backing a toad, and you might understand why I would rather pull a trailer.

Make a check list with all the pros and cons and see how things stack up to your expectations.

 

[Headhunter]

HI Scott: You say you are not going to have a towed? You will REALLY miss a lot without it. It is a real PIA when you don't have one and want to go some place.

That being said I am on my third Class A motor home. Two DPs and one gasser. I had a 2019 Tiffin Open road 32SA gasser. I now have a Tiffin 33AA Diesel. Like mentioned it is personal preference, There is no comparison between the two.

In my opinion there are at least 5 things that you will never get with a gas coach.

1. Even if you only do three to five thousand miles a year. You want a smooth ride, Diesel with air bags and air ride suspension.
2. You want to have a conversation with your passenger, Diesel with the engine at the back and not have to holler to be heard.
3. Do you want to stop suddenly, no comparison air brakes on DP can't be beat.
4. You want torque and power and sooner or later you are going to want to tow something, Diesel 10K Lbs towing capacity. Not to mention the power to climb very steep grades.
5. Going down very steep hills, coming down mountain passes, the Diesel exhaust break is outstanding.

My first coach was a winnie 36G DP. I really liked it. When it was time to move to a newer coach a friend of mine suggested the gas V10 saying how much improved it was and so much cheaper. It was ok but my wife would go nuts with the engine noise. The ride was not a DP quality no matter what I did. I only kept it two years and bought another DP.

Good luck with your decision.

HH

 

[BGMAC]

I'm beginning to think gas makes more sense if I'm not towing something.

Well, I’m always towing something and do not have a problem. I may not get the mileage as a diesel one, but the cost offset takes care of that.

 

[Boat Bum]

Many people tow with a Class A gas powered, myself included.

 

[wildebill308]

Just a couple add on thoughts for the OP based on what has been posted. You want to tow 4 down I have towed on a trailer on a dolly and now 4 down. I would not go back. Yes you have to unhook because you can't back up but that isn't the big deal some make out. I can un hook in about 3 min. That and you don't have to do it very often if you are paying attention. Yes you can tow with a gas coach. Just be aware of what it is rated for. Most gas will tow 5000 lbs. Diesel are 10,000 pound capacity. On the problem of your wife not being able to reach the peddles and get comfortable. On my DP the peddles are adjustable with a control on the steering wheel. Last I would go drive several different coaches gas and diesel. Let me know if you have any outher questions.

 

[Vint]

Big difference is the platform the engine is based on. With a pickup you are looking at a lot more towing capacity, same ride basically, better mpg, ability to fuel up at truck stop islands with plenty of room to maneuver, and power to tackle the mountains out West. But, much higher initial cost vs higher trade value, DEF (really not a big deal or expense), definitely higher maintenance costs ($50 oil change to $150+, frequent fuel filters @$40-$50 each), possible catastrophic failure for a diesel being in the tens of thousands, gas new engine $5000-$6000.

Motorhome s are a different animal because now your going from a relatively light Ford F53 truck chassis to a heavy duty Freightliner or Spartan chassis where everything is more than twice the size providing straight and steady steering. Rear engine provides a quiet ride, air bag suspension smooths the ride comfort, up to 20K pounds of towing capacity, greater fuel economy, truck stop fueling, power to go anywhere. Yep, higher initial cost by $20-$30000 or more, diesel may cost more (most diesel owners have a truckers fuel discount card such as Open Roads. In 2024 my average cost per gallon of diesel was about $.30 less per gallon than 87 octane gas). But the power, more in a bit. Again, much higher maintenance cost as outlined above. I paid $3000 for a new radiator in 2023 and total installed close to $6000.

I owned 2 gas motorhomes (used) and was not disappointed with either rig. But, I realized I wasn't driving a BMW. Some first motorhome owners will spend $10K or more trying to get it to ride and drive like the wife's car. But, my diesel I love.

Simple!e story: Two years ago heading to Yosemite NP. GPS tells me to turn right onto Old Priest Rd. Twists and turns almost vertical. We're pulling our Kia Shortage on a dolly. I swear a white van in front of me was on it's rear bumper around the turn. I start to think with our tow we aren't gonna make that incline. My 6.7 Cummins Diesel and Allison transmission down shifts to 1st gear, speed increases and up shifts to 2nd, speed picks up and shifts to 3rd, oops, back to 2nd, and we crest the hill and turn off back to the highway. I don't think my excellent Ford V10 gassers would've made the grade. YouTube Old Priest Road, 20% grade.

18 years RV'ing I couldn't go back to gas.


I


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[Cuervo CAT]

From my trucking experience alone, I'd say that diesel will be more expensive, not only at the pump but at the shop as well. Yeah, that air-ride suspension on your rig may be nice, but when your turbo blows or some other part grenades, "CHA-CHING!!!" And your wallet starts looking like an anorexic meth head... some tweekin' crackerhead who hasn't seen solid food in months, lol.

Not all of us are loaded with money, SOME of us can't make problems go away by hurling fat stacks of C-notes in their direction. Social Insecurity only goes so far, lol... and it costs enough just to top off your tanks, whether you're driving a gas or diesel rig, though gas is certainly cheaper at the present moment. Those gallons of fuel can add up to significant amounts, lol.

We had an expression in the trucking industry: "Big trucks, big bucks!!!" And ain't that the truth, lol... but I was always particularly glad to be a 'company driver' whenever some expensive diesel motor component failed through no fault of my own. I'd look at the repair bill and say to myself, "I'm glad I'm not paying that ridiculous amount of money for some $h!thouse part, lol!"

From what I've gleaned at various RV websites, the RV industry isn't much different from the trucking industry when it comes to expensive repairs, there are plenty of shady mechanics out there who will capitalize on your misfortune, and I say that as a pretty handy guy with tools, I can fix a lot of problems but I can't fix some wanker's morality when it comes to fleecing RVers, lol.

Not in my pay grade, lol... and karma may eventually catch up to that wanker, but the problem with karma is the same problem with SWIFT & J.B HUNT trucks: too goldurned slow. Give me an uncut triple-digit truck every time, lol, but I digress... Yeah, if you have a FAT WALLET and can afford to hurl money at problems, buy the diesel rig with the air-ride suspension! Just my $.02 on this subject...

Now I'm back to my delicious ice-cold alcoholic beverage, lol... CHEERS!!!

P.S. That's my 'rodeo hip flask'---I'll be putting it to good use when the rodeo hits Silver City next weekend, lol. This is how cheap b@stards like me avoid paying whorehouse prices for drinks at the rodeo, "10-DASH-FO'?"

 

[Vint]

though gas is certainly cheaper at the present moment.

Last year, the average price of 87-octane gas was around $3.29 per gallon. For the entire 2024 season, I averaged less than $3.20 per gallon, with a low of $2.77 and a high of $3.49 in Pennsylvania. This was for 119 nights camping and 9000 miles.

Today, as I write this, gas in WNY State (where I'm from) ranges from $2.97 to $3.19 per gal. Open Roads discount fuel at the closest T/A Travel Plaza is $2.99, and Speedway across the street is $3.00 (no .9 either!) I've found that leaving high-tax NY State (and PA), the diesel prices will be even lower compared to gas.

I admit last year's prices and this year's haven't been the norm since I purchased my DP in 2018.

 

[Cuervo CAT]

Not the case out West, where diesel is more expensive than gasoline...