We have had a gas Class A and are looking at a Diesel. Those of you have made the switch, did you have any regrets after you were in the DP?Also, any feedback on a 2003 Fleetwood Discovery DP?

only regret i had was the pocket book was lighter.

We bought our 05 Fleetwood Expedition new. We had season tickets for UF football (20 years) and tailgated home games and a few away.We planned a long trip every summer through mountains.We had two full size dogs and one slide in the gas class A was small.Fuel was $2/gallon.We stopped doing all those things and the dogs got old and passed. We now have a small dog, diesel is around $4 and we prefer to stay in state parks now.So now I wish we had either a smaller A, B+ or truck and travel trailer.The DP has lots of systems that need $ervicing.No complaints about power and braking in the hills. Also much quieter and less fatiguing to drive. I understand the newer gas chassis are much better than my late 90s gasser.So I guess Im saying it depends how and where you are going to use it.The Discovery is a good enough coach. Not the highest quality like a Foretravel, etc.Getting a little long in the tooth. Might need slide seals, check tire age, hopefully has service records. A full service for all fluids, belts, filters, air system dessicant, etc can run $3000 or more. Tires $350-$450 each.

Going from a Winnebago Vectra on a Ford chassis to a large diesel pusher(long-wheelbase Spartan chassis),.......ZERO regrets.NOW, if I could not do the maintenance and repairs myself, I would not want to have either one.

Not a single regret. The gas class A I had was a 1994 28' georgie boy pursuit. No slides, very small inside and only one a/c unit on top. Would only keep it about 85 degrees on a hot day. Still warm inside. The DP we have(99 holiday rambler endeavor) will get down to about 70 degrees in 115 degree outside temps in only a few hours. The insulation is much better. And dual pane windows make a world of difference.The gas coach we had, had a 454 under the hood. Very underpowered, almost dangerous how little power it had. And a handful when semi's go to pass you. The DP handles the wind and roads MUCH better. Also, the brakes and engine brake are the best thing since sliced bread. The discovery is a good coach. I believe it has a rubber roof which does require maintenance. Several brands like monaco and newmar use a one piece roof that will not leak and requires almost no maintenance. Also, the quiet diesel generator is a beautiful thing. I say go diesel.

No regrets other than we didn't do it sooner.

Any regrets going from Gas to Diesel? | Good Sam Community

34 Replies

squatting_dog
Explorer
Aug 01, 2015
I guess I'm also in the minority glass. We have owned all types of rv's covering the spectrum (cab over, class C, class A, bumper pull, fifth wheel, and finally a bus.) Currently have a class A again. Having been a journeyman diesel mechanic for 30+ years, I know the difference in costs for even the most basic items. (filters, oil amounts etc.). Now, factor in the cost of major items (engines, trans, rear ends) and I couldn't convince myself it was worth the extra cost. I hear people say all the time, "but,a diesel will go a million miles". True, but,how many people will put a million miles on an rv? These are not long haul truckers. Here's a simple test, hit a dealer and ask them how much for a set of plugs and a fuel pump and air filter for say a ford V10, then, hit Cummins and ask the same for injectors and an injector pump and air filter. These are common maintenance items. See what I mean?
Just my opinion... yours may be different.
HPYHILM
Explorer
Aug 01, 2015
I guess I'm in the minority. Very costly maintaining and very expensive break down repairs. You have no idea what a minor repair can set you back. I had gas MoHos with engine replacement that ran $5500. Lose a diesel genset and you would be happy just to pay the price to replace a gas engine. Just imagine replacing a tranny or engine on your diesel. Heck just and air dryer will set you back big time. I'm sure many have had no problems with the diesel but I bet most gas ones have less problems.
jwmII
Explorer
Aug 01, 2015
No regrets. Shooda done it sooner.
Big_Katuna
Explorer II
Aug 01, 2015
I thought the no pass through was going to be something I wished I had but not crawling under the slides to get stuff is a good thing too. Your stuff moves out with the slide and the three connected bays accommodate everything just fine.
rgatijnet1
Explorer III
Aug 01, 2015
JimM68 wrote:
No regrets for us.

One thing on the Fleetwood, if it is important to you...
Many Fleetwood DP's did not have a raised rail chassis, and therefore do not have full passthrough storage.

You can tell if the basement doors come out with the slides = no pass through

Yes but many gas coaches, like my Monaco, do have large pass-thru storage so that is not something that is unique to DP's. If pass-thru storage is something you want, there are choices out there.
Valkyriebush
Explorer II
Aug 01, 2015
Valkyriebush wrote:
JimM68 wrote:
No regrets for us.

One thing on the Fleetwood, if it is important to you...
Many Fleetwood DP's did not have a raised rail chassis, and therefore do not have full passthrough storage.

You can tell if the basement doors come out with the slides = no pass through

That's correct. No pass thru on mine, but the three large compartments that come out with the slide connect together for a very long single compartment if you need lengh and want to use it that way too. I bet the Discovery is the same.
Valkyriebush
Explorer II
Aug 01, 2015
JimM68 wrote:
No regrets for us.

One thing on the Fleetwood, if it is important to you...
Many Fleetwood DP's did not have a raised rail chassis, and therefore do not have full passthrough storage.

You can tell if the basement doors come out with the slides = no pass through

That's correct. No pass thru on mine, but the three large comprtments that come out with the slide connect together for a very long single compartment if you need lengh and want to use it that way too. I bet the Discovery is the same.
ferndaleflyer
Explorer III
Aug 01, 2015
To answer the question-----NONE!
JimM68
Explorer
Aug 01, 2015
No regrets for us.

One thing on the Fleetwood, if it is important to you...
Many Fleetwood DP's did not have a raised rail chassis, and therefore do not have full passthrough storage.

You can tell if the basement doors come out with the slides = no pass through
w4phj
Explorer
Aug 01, 2015
I waited way too long to transition into a DP.

Maintenance takes a bit longer as now I have about
4 times as many zerk fittings to grease.

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Any regrets going from Gas to Diesel?

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