Build quality gas vs DP

wolfe10 wrote:
Snowman9000,

If you are asking if there gasoline coaches with build quality comparable to a 2001 Foretravel U270, the answer is NO. But, it likely cost at least twice what the most expensive gas coach did when it was new. Not reasonable to expect quality to be the same.

BTW, no difference in build quality between the different Foretravel models-- just drivetrain and equipment differences. Same construction.

BTW, here are specs on the 2001 Foretravel U270:
http://www.beamalarm.com/foretravel-links/models/2001-u270-

foretravel-specifications.pdf

X's 2.

For gas Class A's, I felt that three of them were of above average construction build:
-Mountain Aire (Already mentioned)
-Tripple E
-Rexhall

National also had the Dolphin line, on the Workhorse chassis, that were well built with good materials and components, towards the last few years of their operation.

And as also mentioned, all subject to opinion:)!

We looked real hard at the UFO 8.1 rear engine Class A's, as a hold over coach until we retired. Ended up keeping our Bounder, but only because we decided to pull our retirement date forward a few years. I liked the Monaco Holiday Rambler and Rexhall UFO based Class A's too.

Happy hunting,
Smitty

Snowman9000 wrote:
I looked at a 2001 Foretravel DP. It was the U270, their lower line at the time. Loved it. Is there any gasser that has high end build quality like that? I'm assuming not.

Probably not vs the Foretravel, but with the title of your subject matter, a high end gas unit can very well be better quality than a low end DP

Thanks for the info folks. That Foretravel spoiled me. But it's good to know that in some brands the high end gassers would be pretty well built too.

I just traded a 2014 Tiffin Red for a 2016 Phaeton. The Red is entry level and it shows. If the gassers from Tiffin are on par with the Red then they have a long way to go as even this Phaeton isnt up there with the big $$ rigs.

From plant visits, I am fairly sure that Winnebago and Newmar build their gas motorhomes at the same level of construction quality, using the same techniques, as their base-priced diesel pusher lines. Top level gassers will also be trimmed similarly, and pretty close in price, to the least expensive diesel pushers.

At Newmar, this overlap once went pretty high up the line, with the Mountainaire built as both gas and diesel. At a lower price level, Kountry Star was once built as gasser and entry-level diesel for a while.

I would expect the same from Tiffin. Some of the Monaco Corp brands, Monaco and Holiday Rambler for example, had this overlap between low-end pusher and upper-end gasser, and

But any gasser built like a Foretravel U270, I don't think so, as that was a semi-unibody motorcoach, not a RV box built on a bare rail chassis. Old Bluebirds might be comparable but still different, but there were no gassers after the late 1970s. Same for Newell, moved from front gas to front diesel to rear diesel as the market changed.

Looking at new rigs, a mid priced DP and high end gas coach are getting pretty close. Step back a few years and the separation begins to grow. Move out to maybe 10 years and the build quality has less of an concern over owner maintenance. Park a high end DP in a storage lot and never touch it for years and it's going to rot just as fast as a low cost gas coach under similar circumstances.

Foretravel is a bit of a different animal than you basic assembly line mass produced rig. Difficult to compare.

"Snowman9000.....I would take a look at the top of the line gassers in Fleetwood, Tiffin, Newmar and Winnebago. I think one of those might fit your idea of a nicely built unit with quality components.

My belief is that with quality comes weight and the gas chassis mh's are not yet up to that sort of weight carrying.

Well Tiffin Open Road has almost all the same components as the Tiffin RED DP.
Same cabinets same roof, same sidewalls, same appliances same outside compartment doors as the Phaeton. It's engine cannot be heard other than uphill climbs
Just saying

Hi Snowman9000,

I should stay out of this because I'm a new to all this but here's my 2 cents worth.

I'll not go into a long conversation about my specific situation but I was looking at nothing but diesel pusher's. One fine day someone here on the forum said "hey, why not look at a gasser"! So I did and what I found surprised me very much.

The top end Newmar Canyon Star, Tiffin Allegro and Winnebago Adventurer are some fine gassers. And it wouldn't hurt you a bit to take a look and see if they work for you.

Foretravel is close to the top of the diesel pusher food chain and I think most would agree can't really be compared to a gasser!