Build quality gas vs DP

[Snowman9000]

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.

[Alphamonk]

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

See, everyone overlooks the weight of a quality built diesel coach. If you loaded up a gasser with that much weight you would probably have zero carrying capacity. I have had both. Could not afford a diesel for many years. Was quite happy with what I had, knowing I would upgrade someday. Did it and will never go back!

[Mr_Mark1]

Just for comparison, my brother bought a new 2014 Tiffin RED in summer of '14. He has had no issue with the furniture or paint. He has had a couple of adjustments on a few things but nothing earth shattering (like all motorhomes).

MM.

[rollingslow]

I think the Rexhall line has as good build quality as most DP

[RFCN2]

Dezolen - I was quite clear in my post saying that I did not know much about Tiffin Reds and that I was only posting the experience of the one instance I have first hand experience with.

My friend is thin and 75 years old. His wife is mid size. Nether are over 175 lbs. The Upholstery fabric was defective. In the case of the exterior, my comment was only repeating what he said to me last spring when we were parked next to each other at a rally. His comment, "Why does your 12 year old coach's paint look better than my one year old coach?"

My comment on Tiffin was not my subjective opinion at all. I stated what happened to my friend on his furniture. And I reported what he said to me about the paint.

[BillMFl]

A lot depends on how much you use your MH (assuming you don't have throw away money). If you have a tight budget or if you only plan to use your coach a few times a year or a few weeks to a couple months, there are gassers at a much lower cost that come very well equipped with many of the same features as a DP, BUT, the interior finish quality is usually lower than a typical DP. I am on my second gasser and they have suited my needs very well. But we only use it for several trips each year. If I were a full timer or spent a lot of time in my MH, then a DP would be my preference. However, as others have pointed out there isn't a huge build quality difference between a higher end gasser vs a lower cost DP. I do my own maintenance and the V10 chassis is very easy to take care of. And my 38' gasser has lots of room and is very liveable. But when we visit folks in their high end DPs I really like their interior quality. So you pay for you want and really need. No one choice fits everyone.

[RayChez]

dezolen wrote:
You really are not telling us much about your friend and his Tiffin. Our's is almost 3 years old, same upholstery and still like new.
Perhaps your friend is 300#(not saying he is as I have no idea)Perhaps he has little kids that climb all over the upholstery with their shoes on. Perhaps it is out in 100 degree heat(No idea) To little info to draw any conclusions which you seem to have done already without knowing all the facts.

Not necessarily true that kids or pets might have caused this particular coach to come out bad. I have also mentioned a friend of mine that bought a Dutch Star by Newmar in 2003 and it was a piece of trash. So what I am trying to say is that you can get a bad coach with any company. They might have a good reputation overall, but every once in a while a bad one will come out. Maybe that is what happened to that Tiffin Red. Who knows! But I am sure this gentleman would not fabricate something up.

[dezolen]

You really are not telling us much about your friend and his Tiffin. Our's is almost 3 years old, same upholstery and still like new.
Perhaps your friend is 300#(not saying he is as I have no idea)Perhaps he has little kids that climb all over the upholstery with their shoes on. Perhaps it is out in 100 degree heat(No idea) To little info to draw any conclusions which you seem to have done already without knowing all the facts.

[RFCN2]

JCGibson - One of my closest RV friends bought a brand new Allegra Red 1 1/2 years ago. After one year his fake leather upholstery started coming apart at the seems. Plus the fake leather started flaking. He had to have it all replaced.

How is this high quality?

My coach is 14 years old and our real leather upholstery is just fine.

After 1 1/2 years my friends coach exterior after being washed does not look as good as my 14 year old coach. How is this high quality.

I really know very little about Tiffin Allergro Reds other than my friends experience. But from what I have seen the coach he bought is not all that high a quality. Maybe it is just his coach, but I am only talking about his rig.

[JCGibson]

-Gramps- wrote:
There are other little differences to go along with solid core doors...like 100k or more. The main difference between Most diesel coaches and gassers is one thing...the engine. Allegro open Road Diesel, Allegro Open Road Gasser, for example. Very much the same coach as far as quality is concerned. Don't make the mistake of expecting a lot of high end stuff in a coach just because it has a diesel engine...you have to pay more, a lot more, to get the luxury extras...an Entegra for example can cost up to 700 thousand dollars. Beautiful coach but that beauty don't come cheap!

I have to disagree with the only difference in an Allegro RED and Allegro Open Road is the engine. Build quality is similar (both excellent), however there are many differences that justify the cost. Better towing capacity (with 360HP/3000 Allison), storage capacity inside and out, air ride, air brakes, exhaust brake, fuel mileage, larger fuel tank, larger water/waste tanks, better seating surfaces (vinyl vs leather), better flooring and it goes on. We purchased our 2016 Tiffin Open Road 36LA Jun 2015 and it was great (except for ride/handling) until we drove a 2016 Tiffin Allegro RED 37PA. Most of the time you get what you pay for.

[-Gramps-]

There are other little differences to go along with solid core doors...like 100k or more. The main difference between Most diesel coaches and gassers is one thing...the engine. Allegro open Road Diesel, Allegro Open Road Gasser, for example. Very much the same coach as far as quality is concerned. Don't make the mistake of expecting a lot of high end stuff in a coach just because it has a diesel engine...you have to pay more, a lot more, to get the luxury extras...an Entegra for example can cost up to 700 thousand dollars. Beautiful coach but that beauty don't come cheap!

[Dave___Ginny]

I biggest problem with build quality is weight. The diesel pushers for the most part are built to carry more weight and therefore more is put into them for structure strength. The Foretravel, as was mentioned earlier is very heavy and very well built.

Several little differences like hollow core doors in a gas MH or solid core doors in a diesel. These differences all add up to a much quieter coach.

[-Gramps-]

Smitty77 wrote:

-Gramps- wrote:
Rexhall Rear Gas Coach for sale

Hey Gramps (AKA Mr. UFO:)!) - Neat that you posted that unit. I had send a link to it to my BIL about three or four weeks ago, when it was still at the $89K asking price. And also it would be the 37' vs 39' Rexhall UFO that we would have gone with.

On power, I felt the 37" Rexhall UFO had plenty of power to weight ratio. And, the 8.1 also has mod's that can be made and 'safely' still pull more power. The Allison is capable of a bi more torque and HP, as long as it is driven responsibly.

For full disclosure, my wife and I did visit the Rexhall factory specifically to look over the UFO's. While the attention to construction detail and material choices were nowhere close to say our Country Coach, or a Foretravel, they were actually higher attention to detail then I observed in a few other Motorhome Manufacturer's tours. Another plus for the Rexhall, almost all Rexhall's, is they build a steel safety cage. We saw a 39' Roseair DP in the back of the factory. The owners had dodged a dear in New Mexico and went off into the trees hitting the passenger side into a pine. A few bruises, but the DW survived. It was flatbed hauled back tot he factory for repairs. The staff went out and hooked up power to the RV, and tried to open the slides. Both of the T-Rex super slides were operable. That speaks volumes about the combo of frame (Spartan) and house caged construction, that it survived an impact into a tree at pretty good speed, and still had the structural integrity to open the slide. One other item hat is neat to Rexhall's, is the one piece fiberglass roof tops, with now typical mold of the front and rear cap as ongoing maintenance leak proofing points. Bill Rex was a creative engineer, with many RV firsts.

Off my soap box now:)!

Best to all,
Smitty

My wife and I are very comfortable full-timing in our UFO and wouldn't trade it now for anything. I really like the Rex, it was 49k more than mine at the time and that was just a bit more than I could spend after trade.

[-Gramps-]

Kayteg1 wrote:

-Gramps- wrote:
And it uses only nine quarts of oil!

Heck of a lot of coach for 79,900.

I am trying to sell much more of Prevost real pusher for $20,000 and no takers 😉
Love your way of thinking. Save 5 quarts of oil on gas option only to burn 500 gallons more fuel between oil changes.

Depends on how much driving you are doing now doesn't it. Plus I can buy a lot of fuel for the 40,000 dollar difference between a diesel and a gas coach...if I were buying new of course. It all depends on what you want. I don't want a tag or a lot of ceramic tile and other things...comfort, quiet, and lower maintenance costs...that is what I wanted and it is what I have. I have plenty of power as well. No problem climbing a 7 percent grade pulling a car...I have passed a lot of DPS on my way up as well.

Here is a look at a coach like mine:
HR Rear Gas Pusher

[Kayteg1]

-Gramps- wrote:
And it uses only nine quarts of oil!

Heck of a lot of coach for 79,900.

I am trying to sell much more of Prevost real pusher for $20,000 and no takers 😉
Love your way of thinking. Save 5 quarts of oil on gas option only to burn 500 gallons more fuel between oil changes.