I am going with a used Class A 36-40' for full-timing solo.

There seems to be quite a debate on the fuel issue.

I thought I had settled 100% on diesel then I had some nay-sayers and now I am confused again.

Your thoughts/opinions?

It,s easy to get all confused regarding gas or diesel. The easy thing to remember is diesel engines will run for 100's of thousands of miles. Gasoline might not, we plan on putting on lots of miles and keeping our rig for many years, we went diesel, G

I am more concerned with the cost of diesel vs gas in the short term - actual fuel costs, maintenance, etc. and safety. My understanding is there are safety features with a diesel that do not exist with gas. Also the conveniences of your generator running off your fuel tank?

Speaking from experience here. I had a 35 foot gas motorhome. Gas milage stinks... Not enough engine torque to pull a hill of any kind. So long as you are staying on flat land it will roll along, but any kind of a climb will really slow you down. Also, as Gene said, a gas engine will never come close to lasting as long as a diesel. It's also a much more complicated engine. Diesels are simpler workhorse engines.  Repairs might be more expensive, but there is less to go wrong, especially if you are not working the engine within an inch of it's life...

2 of my brothers are long distance truck drivers and trained diesel mechanics. My dad was also a truck driver. Maintenance (oil changes, etc) on a diesel engine will be a bit more expensive but you generally don't have to do them as frequently as Terry said.

For what it's worth, my older brother has recommended we stick to 2000 - 2001 models.  According to him, those pre-emission requirement engines are much less expensive to repair.  If we can find one that works for us as a floorplan we will likely go that way.  I'm just not sure we can with the 2 of us and a large dog... We need floor space! 

I've been advised to stay away from the new diesels that require urea. It's just new technology and there are always some bugs to work out. That doesn't mean you can't buy a new motorhome though. There are still new ones out there without urea engines and fleetwood told us we could order a new one with the older engine. Not sure how long you might be able to do that. I guess until they use up their stock of pre-urea engines.  Personally we want to stay away from the urea just because we figure it will be harder to find at first.

Just saw your next post and am editing to address...

I can't imagine what the safety issue would be.  I'd be interested to know what you've been told.  The only thing I can think is the fact that the engine is closer to the bedroom in most.  But then the engine is closer to the door on a gas engine MH...   If that is the safety concern then you could always consider a FRED -- Front End Diesel.  There were not a lot of them made, but we saw one the other day in Lousiana.  It's an option...

Also, many diesel pushers have generators that run off diesel.  They are tapped on the same tank but at a level where you cannot run the tank dry by running the generator and strand yourself while running the generator.

How's that for about a nickel's worth?

Carol

-- Edited by Ckerr on Sunday 29th of August 2010 07:17:59 PM

Terry and Carol - Thank you! Very valuable insight from people who have been there/done that. I will definitely be buying used, so will be getting the older engine. And the models I liked the most were all Fleetwoods, too. And I have heard good and bad about them. But to be honest, I REALLY like them (lots of features and I like the interiors.) My gut instinct tells me to go with diesel. I guess I should follow the gut instinct, stick to my guns. You heard it here - I will get a 36-40' diesel pusher. LOL. Thanks again.

Think about it,there are few if any over the road gas semi's out there,Diesels get better fuel milage,last longer,have more power. In my mind a diesel is the way to go.

Thank you racer. I feel much better about the diesel thing after hearing all of the input here!!!

Sherrie, We've owned a gas-powered class C ... back when our kids where younger. We've also pulled TTs and rented multiple other types of RVs. In our quest in researching motorhomes, the reason why many do not purchase a diesel pusher over a 5th wheel/truck is price. Like Terry mentioned, DPs are usually more expensive and, you definitely need a TOAD vs. a 5th wheel where you can obviously get-away with using the PU Truck ... although more difficult in city traffic. The other "huge" difference between gas vs. diesel is the "air-ride" a DP affords. I know of no Gas MHs which provide an air-ride and, if you riden in a DP with air-ride, you'll immediately know a difference between an air-ride suspension and "leaf-spring" in Gas models. Even the FREDs (front diesel engine) don't come equipped with an air-ride. This is some of the reason why a DP (plus the diesel engine) is more expensive than the Gas models. The other note on diesel engines is to ensure you "use" them sufficiently. A diesel engine parked for long periods of time can incur more maintenance issues than a gas engine. Simply know that diesel engines must be driven and are usually (Semi-Trucks) ideal for the long-haul and certainly for torque/power in climbing various terrains. Good luck to you.

I got a diesel pusher and I am happy. It has good power going up mountains and gets good gas mileage. The cost between diesel and gas is not all that different and in the end you will save money with a diesel.

We had a 35' 2002 National RV Dolphin on a Workhorse W22 gas chassis and it took the hills better than many diesels since we passed them. That 8.1 liter Vortec is a strong engine. We did spend about $3K on suspension upgrades to make the ride better. We could have added a Banks system to increase the engine power and maybe the mileage. We now have a 40' Newmar Dutch Star diesel pusher and it takes the hills even better and the air ride is an improvement. The big difference for us is the Dutch Star is better insulated, not all diesel pushers are. We are really happy that Newmar is still in business since National RV isn't. There are advantages with diesel pushers, but a gas motorhome can work fine and we know many long term full timers with them. We could afford to upgrade to a diesel pusher, but our old Dolphin was fine.

Diesel fuel is reformulated for winter driving to prevent gelling and is standard across all of the northern states. It's good down to about 0 degrees. Below that everyone adds additional anti gelling additive. Having "been there and done that", it's really best to avoid that climate altogether. Southern Arizona in the winter is so much nicer.

My goodness, thanks to ALL of you. Great information! I am opting NOT to tow a toad initially - just until I get used to the rig, parking, etc. etc. I will not be in "out of the way" spots for a while (until I reach that comfort level) and plan on using cabs or rental cars or shuttles for the first little while. Of course, I may change my mind after the first campground - LOL. I have no plans on being up north in the winter - don't need to be driving in snow, ice, etc. And I lived in AZ for 30 yrs so I agree with wintering in the south! (probably not AZ since I've been there/done that.) But I will keep in mind the diesel mixture if I, for some insane reason, find myself in North Dakota in January!!

Doing workamper hosting I get to see a lot of different toad hookups. Some are a lot harder to hook/unhook than others. Some of the difficulty depends on the vehicle and how it's setup for towing. You can use a tow dolly, but they are a little harder to load and unload. A vehicle being towed 4-down is much easier to manage but that convenience comes at a price.

We tow a Jeep Wrangler using the Falcon All Terrain tow bar:



I wanted supplemental braking for the Jeep but I wanted simple and something that didn't require 12VDC from the Jeep battery or my rig.  I went with the M&G Brake System. Once installed you don't have to mess with it.  A simple air hose connection to the RV is all that is needed.  Total installed cost for the base plate, tow bar, and M&G brake system for the Jeep was around $3,400.  It's a very easy system to hook/unhook and has proven to be very reliable.

There's no reason to go RV'ing without a toad vehicle.  You will find when traveling that many RV parks have pull-through sites where you won't need to unhook the toad if you don't need to use it for a run to the grocery store.

Having grown up there, I STRONGLY advise against North Dakota in January! LOL Austin, TX is a lovely option for part of the winter. Actually someplace just a little west in the Texas hill country.... As far as the toad, I think rental cars are a great idea in the short term. When you do feel ready to pull something, I would opt for something that you can tow 4 wheels down. That way it tracks right behind the motorhome. In the meantime, have fun shopping!

Nick Russell has a nice discussion about towing here, http://gypsyjournal.net/blog/2010/08/29/to-tow-or-not-to-tow/.

Thanks for the article. cjoyce and advice ckerr. I still think that initially I will do the rental thing. I want to get comfortable driving the darn rig before I have to worry about the car behind it, too! :) And I will be in "mostly" populated areas, at least at first, so getting a rental, cab, shuttle, or some such shouldn't be too bad. And besides, isn't Enterprise's entire advertising campaign built around the fact that they deliver?