Class A Motorhome Gasser

I'd never buy a diesel again.

I had a 2004 with a 8.1 and Allison transmission and while both performed flawlessly, the ride quality, especially steering, was awful.

On the other hand, our new to us 2001 has a V10 and ?? transmission which drives like a dream.

Best to base your buying decision on how INDIVIDUAL coaches perform, not generalities.

If memory serves - GM stopped making the 8.1 in 2006 and Ford continued production of the v10 until 2019. That may affect parts availability.

Production of 8.1 liter GM motor continued until 2009 according to online sources, parts available at workhorseparts.com or ultrarvparts.com, actually same company that specializes in all things workhorse/8.1 liter engine.

Four years ago we purchased our current class A with 8.1 liter/Allison 2100 tranny, it has been bulletproof thus far. We live NW of Albuquerque at 6K' elevation and coach robustly handles mountain driving, easy to maintain powertrain.

Between those 2 chassis I'd go with the Ford simply for the better support.

As to any transmission issues, keep the fluid clean. The last gas MH we owned was on a Ford chassis, it was flawless.

The only occasional problem I'm aware of with the early R100 transmissions Ford used with the Triton V10 engines was an occasional check valve failure in the transmission cooler bypass line on the side of the body that led to overheating. The quick and easy fix was to just crimp the steel bypass line so the fluid always went through the cooler. The longer fix was to buy a set of bypass eliminator fittings and remove the bypass completely. In 2003 Ford eliminated the bypass. With the exception of doing the bypass crimp about 5 years ago and replacing the starter a couple of years ago, our 2001 F53 V10 equipped motorhome has performed quite well for about 65,000 miles.

Given the age of these two motorhomes, condition of the coach part IMO is more important than mechanical condition. I'd pick the one that was the cleanest, had the most complete service records, and gave me the impression of being the best cared for. I would certainly invest in professional inspections to help you make a decision. All things being equal, I'd pick the Ford chassis for the aforementioned parts availability. Nothing wrong with the GM chassis either, both have roughly the same performance and MPG. The Ford will rev a bit higher to do the same work.

I had a 2005 with an 8.1 and an allison. the only engine/drive train issues I had were either 1: broken serp belt (Hey that happens on all engines) and 2 "Externally caused" problems.. By that I mean the problem was caused by something OTHER than design or engine failure.. Like a road hazard or a rodent. and that too can happen to any engine.

I've heard of Ford having design issues on some of the V-10's (not sure which model years)

Now when it comes to who makes the best engine. Ford or Chevy.. That's dang near a religious argument or if you like a political one (You get a lot of folks who yell one or the other)

But if you ask who makes the best transmoission.... ALLISON ALLISON ALLISON (wispered.. Another make) ALLISON.

Even Ford says ALLISON. (Their latest tranny they advertised as "The answer to Allison" thus admitting Allison was the best).

A 2005 model with 11K indicates it was only "driven" about 600 miles per year, or has it been sitting idle, never even cranked, for a number of years? I'd certainly be sure I had the answer to that question before pursuing that particular coach.

I have a 2006 Ford V10 drivetrain. 60,000 miles. No issues so far. "knock on wood"