Upgrade to Gas or Diesel Class A?
So we are currently on Motorhome #4, a 1999 Itasca Suncruiser purchsed used in 2006. Overall we have been happy with the RV, but looking to go a bit newer to bridge to the final "retirement" coach in...
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Just for cost comparisons, I had the 6.4l diesel engine on my 08 Ford go out on me at 147k miles. A rebuilt motor from Ford I around $15k + installation (and that doesn't include the $2k worth of turbos). They quoted me 47 hrs labor for the job, as the cab needs to be pulled. My truck isn't worth $20 grand so I'll be junking it. I could get a rebuilt long block and have it installed for about half of this, but there's no guarantee it won't fail prematurely too. And yes, I did the all the proper maintenance at the recommended intervals. Sometimes things just break.
Diesels produce much more power, more efficiently, but if their high maintenance costs are factored in they are not any cheaper to operate than gas. For comparison, a good, used low-mileage Ford V-10 gas motor, like many Class A's use, can be had for around $3k. I'm not saying it's better, but it's quite a bit cheaper when it does eventually break.
My next RV will be a 32-35 ft. Class A gasser, but if I were going with a heavy 40 footer, pulling a fair sized toad, the logical choice would be to go with a DP. Size matters.
The suspension, handling and brakes on a late model mid-grade gasser is quite a bit better than it was 10-15 yrs ago, but hasn't practically everything improved quite a bit since then? A test drive of the model you are considering will tell you what you need to know.
Chip
Diesels produce much more power, more efficiently, but if their high maintenance costs are factored in they are not any cheaper to operate than gas. For comparison, a good, used low-mileage Ford V-10 gas motor, like many Class A's use, can be had for around $3k. I'm not saying it's better, but it's quite a bit cheaper when it does eventually break.
My next RV will be a 32-35 ft. Class A gasser, but if I were going with a heavy 40 footer, pulling a fair sized toad, the logical choice would be to go with a DP. Size matters.
The suspension, handling and brakes on a late model mid-grade gasser is quite a bit better than it was 10-15 yrs ago, but hasn't practically everything improved quite a bit since then? A test drive of the model you are considering will tell you what you need to know.
Chip
