Given choice gas or diesel powered fill time coach

Dutch_12078 wrote:

Bruce Brown wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:
Buy the floorplan and features you like best regardless of how the coach is powered. You'll be spending a lot more time living in it than you will driving it.

Don't take this the wrong way but it's apparent you've never owned a diesel.

While a gas coach is wonderful, I cannot think of even one advantage it has over a diesel.

Even when not driving, typically the build materials are a touch above a gasser - not a knock on a gasser, there is just more chassis under the diesel to handle the weight so they can use heavier materials.

Also the basement storage of a diesel is something a gasser just can't do. And full timing storage is always at a premium.

Now get to the driving side of the discussion.

Years ago we were warned by friends DO NOT DRIVE A DIESEL PUSHER UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO SIGN THE PAPERS. They were right.

You would be wrong, Bruce, I have owned an Allegro Bay DP, and yes it did ride and drive better than the gassers I've owned and currently own. A DP doesn't necessarily "live" better than a gasser though, if it doesn't have a floorplan that fits you. I don't care how often you move, you'll still spend more time living in it than you will driving it. Note that I did NOT say a gasser was necessarily a better choice than a DP, just that the power plant should not be the overriding decision maker for an RV that spends most of its time sitting still.

The Allegro Bay DP was a very nice entry level DP, but it had a small engine and a straight rail chassis. While it offered decent storage, it sure didn't have what a raised rail chassis offers.

The Kountry Star Newmar offered around that time frame (last Allegro Bay DP I could find was a '00) built on the same chassis with the same engine, and the same straight rail limitations. Had the Kountry Star fit the budget a little better back then we probably would have chosen that over our Dutch Star gasser. Our current Kountry Star shares nothing except the name of the earlier one.

Having said that, I agree with you to a point. I certainly wouldn't buy a DP with a crappy floorplan just to have a DP, but I also wouldn't buy a gasser just because it had an awesome floorplan.

There are only so many square feet available and only so many variations of floorplans. I would first choose the diesel part, then find a floorplan I liked.