Class A vs 5th wheel

Licreek wrote:
Thanks for the feedback. I recently bought a Ford 350 diesel pick up and we were looking at a 32ft 5er. we just took our first road trip to San Antonio in the truck. Without a load it road so bad my wife was ready to fly home. Well then God intervened and our truck was stolen out of the parking lot of the Redroof Inn. So now we are going to start looking at preowned motor homes. Yes they do become reasonable if you look at 10 year old rigs. So now ill ask this question. Should I stick with diesel pushers or is a gas unit suitable? I realize the DP is quite a bit more but in the long haul will it will it pay off?

Our first MH was a gas rig. My wife was so mad about the noise between our feet! A screaming V10 within 6" of you can be really irritating. With a DP you get air ride suspension and the engine is in the back. The other difference is the massive rear overhang in the Ford F53 chassis. Most gas rigs have a 10' - 15' rear overhang thus a large tail swing. Don't get me wrong they can be great coaches. My wife just refused to allow me to even look at a gas rig after our first experience. This was even after I had all the interior ripped out of the first gas motorhome and Hush Mat installed and additional sound deadening installed. It was tolerable but loud. The diesel generator is very nice as well. Quiet and unobtrusive to even our neighbors when dry camping. The increased payload is fantastic. I had originally purchased a Ford based gas rig because I had read that anyone can work on them. I was in for a rude shock when I discovered very few Ford dealerships will even look at them. I struggled to even get independent shops to do oil changes. They simply don't have the room or expertise to handle such a large vehicle. You have to go to a Ford commercial truck dealership. They are very rare and far apart. It is true that the parts are cheaper to purchase. Even getting tires was a hassle a local tire shop crashed my motorhome into my cargo trailer in their parking lot because the employee didn't know how to back up a large rig! That said the Freightliner dealerships are everywhere and many are open 24/7 or at least till midnight on weekdays. You won't ever get that with a Ford dealership. The service intervals are longer with a Cummins / Freightliner but that only comes into effect if you put a lot of miles on the rig. Most RVers don't put enough miles on their rig to matter and have to service their rig based on time. Please keep in mind that you are not just buying a vehicle you are buying a house and as such you will need to do a lot of maintenance work. Don't be afraid to use a screwdriver or wrench. It will save you a lot of money! The internet is your friend in that regard. It is likely someone else has had your problem and solved it. RVers are a sharing bunch and are very happy to help someone out. Bottom line for us it was DP air ride all the way. Your needs may be different. I suggest driving a DP with your wife and then drive a gas rig. The difference is amazing.