diesel class c

[Richert]

thinking of trading our Class A for one of the smaller Class C diesel models, looking at Tiffin and Winnebago--can I get some comments please

[Skid_Row_Joe]

Grit dog wrote:
Some good comments and some real misinformation or lack of understanding in this thread.
Costs to maintain and service are always subjective. There are very few people who are incapable of doing basic maintenance work on a vehicle, although many choose not to.
That choice doesn’t mean it’s more expensive to own, it means you choose the easy way out which is more expensive.
Not wrong, just not a fair comparison. It’s like me saying we hire a maid to clean the house therefore its more expensive to own a big house. No, it’s our choice to spend that money, not a necessary cost like taxes or purchase price.
However, it appears the upcharge by coach builders is exorbitant. And if looking at overall “cost” one needs to consider the resale value. Even considering that, I feel that RV mfgs are soaking the public for the diesel option. Something that is a, say, $10k option in a bare vehicle is marked up 300% more when it comes with a house in a box on the back when the Diesel engine really has no negative impact on the cost of the box that’s attached to it.

Whatever the engine up charge for diesel isn't the total reflection of the coach's cost. My diesel engine upgrade was $5K, period. There are no $10K to $20K, engine upgrades. That's a misnomer. Whatever upcharge the diesel option costs, it is returned 100% on sale day. Diesel MPG, is always a 20%+ bump. It pays to put miles on them. Additionally, there are no mileage deductions for diesel engine coach mileage. That alone makes the diesel highly favorable to gassers. NADA confirms it.

[Skid_Row_Joe]

Bumpyroad wrote:
don't forget that if you are financing the RV that the $20,000 will cost closer to $30,000

bumpy

It has no bearing whether the RV is financed or not. A $20K loan does not cost $10K either, in interest.

[Bumpyroad]

don't forget that if you are financing the RV that the $20,000 will cost closer to $30,000

bumpy

[Grit_dog]

Some good comments and some real misinformation or lack of understanding in this thread.
Costs to maintain and service are always subjective. There are very few people who are incapable of doing basic maintenance work on a vehicle, although many choose not to.
That choice doesn’t mean it’s more expensive to own, it means you choose the easy way out which is more expensive.
Not wrong, just not a fair comparison. It’s like me saying we hire a maid to clean the house therefore its more expensive to own a big house. No, it’s our choice to spend that money, not a necessary cost like taxes or purchase price.
However, it appears the upcharge by coach builders is exorbitant. And if looking at overall “cost” one needs to consider the resale value. Even considering that, I feel that RV mfgs are soaking the public for the diesel option. Something that is a, say, $10k option in a bare vehicle is marked up 300% more when it comes with a house in a box on the back when the Diesel engine really has no negative impact on the cost of the box that’s attached to it.

[Skid_Row_Joe]

Richert wrote:
thinking of trading our Class A for one of the smaller Class C diesel models, looking at Tiffin and Winnebago--can I get some comments please

I would only buy the Winnebago product line. It's not likely to go out of business as my Class C manufacturer Born Free did. Now, I can't find information on aftermarket parts and components suppliers when I need them. The Mercedes-Benz 3.0 turbodiesel 3500 Sprinter chassis would be my pick. They're awful pricey, which is why I keep my old Ford E450 7.3 turbodiesel Class C 24' coach.

[Bordercollie]

Some RV owners seem to have a competitive nature and so don't mind the extra initial and ongoing cost of ownership of diesel powered motorhomes vs gasoline power. Class C rigs usually have front mounted diesel engines some of which are noisy idling which may not bother some users. Much increased fuel mileage of diesels can be significant if you drive (A LOT) more than the average 5K miles per year. Availability and cost of service on the road is another consideration. I should "butt out" but I don't plan to upgrade from our Tioga 26Q for any reason.

[paddykernahan]

Mr.Mark wrote:

klutchdust wrote:

DouglasC wrote:
Everyone seems to like the fuel economy and perhaps quietness (depends on what models one is comparing) of a diesel but what about the initial cost? Every diesel based Class C (eg. Winnebago View or Fuse) is $30 to $40 thousand more than a comparable Ford E350/E450 based motorhome. You can certainly buy a lot of gas for that price difference. Not everyone wants to pay over $100,000 for a motorhome. That's why Ford still sells many thousands of the E350/E450 cutaway chassis to the RV industry each year.

AND, as soon as you mention Mercedes Benz in a parts store or repair shop their eyes light up.
Been there, done that with MB autos.Loved my 300D though
.
My thoughts point mainly to this. If you need service as you venture across the fruited plain, your chances of getting a Ford V-10 repaired and down the road far exceeds your chances of having your MB repaired.

For the sake of fuel consumption and the initial cost, do the math. Love my Duramax in my pick up though.

AND be sure and be putting some fuel lubricity additives in your tank if you are using Diesel. With the sulphur content being lowered and now the added DEF fluid, injectors are not lasting as long as they once were. My local small diesel engine man in town has lots of trucks waiting for such items. On the Duramax ,it's 3K for 8 new injectors.

Just wanted to point out that your last paragraph sounds like DEF is part of the combustion process which it is not. DEF is part of the exhaust system and not the engine which would not effect the injectors. And, new/newer diesel engines are geared/designed for ULSD (Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel). Most engine manufacturers say to NOT add anything to the fuel.

Safe travels,
MM.

I'm working on it.

[ppine]

Experienced live aboard boat people seem to go smaller over time. Same with RVers with experience. Small is great for 2 people.

[77rollalong]

the new diesels do have a lot more emissions on them for sure. the def is just part of it. I work on a bunch of Mercedes sprinters and they are not cheep to repair, or maintain. Some if they sense any sort of problem they go into a derate mode (limp) and you may get 20mph out of it if your lucky, other have to be put into regen mode to burn out the cat which can take over an hour to run. I have been thinking of pulling out the 460ci in our motorhome and putting in a pre 1980s diesel without all the emissions on it .. some places can also do some of the emission deletes as well to remove the DEF and the EGR that causes some of the unwanted engine shut downs..

[klutchdust]

Mr.Mark wrote:

klutchdust wrote:

DouglasC wrote:
Everyone seems to like the fuel economy and perhaps quietness (depends on what models one is comparing) of a diesel but what about the initial cost? Every diesel based Class C (eg. Winnebago View or Fuse) is $30 to $40 thousand more than a comparable Ford E350/E450 based motorhome. You can certainly buy a lot of gas for that price difference. Not everyone wants to pay over $100,000 for a motorhome. That's why Ford still sells many thousands of the E350/E450 cutaway chassis to the RV industry each year.

AND, as soon as you mention Mercedes Benz in a parts store or repair shop their eyes light up.
Been there, done that with MB autos.Loved my 300D though
.
My thoughts point mainly to this. If you need service as you venture across the fruited plain, your chances of getting a Ford V-10 repaired and down the road far exceeds your chances of having your MB repaired.

For the sake of fuel consumption and the initial cost, do the math. Love my Duramax in my pick up though.

AND be sure and be putting some fuel lubricity additives in your tank if you are using Diesel. With the sulphur content being lowered and now the added DEF fluid, injectors are not lasting as long as they once were. My local small diesel engine man in town has lots of trucks waiting for such items. On the Duramax ,it's 3K for 8 new injectors.

Just wanted to point out that your last paragraph sounds like DEF is part of the combustion process which it is not. DEF is part of the exhaust system and not the engine which would not effect the injectors. And, new/newer diesel engines are geared/designed for ULSD (Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel). Most engine manufacturers say to NOT add anything to the fuel.

Safe travels,
MM.

I failed to explain the DEF injector and it's failure issues.I updated that.
Independent studies, and the best study I have found, my friends repair shop, have shown an increase in fuel system failures. Ford diesels are having the highest failure rates of injectors and cylinder heads.
My Duramax does not require the DEF fluid however the lubricity or the ability to lubricate,is lacking in the newer diesel fuels. Sulphur is a lubricant. I add a supplemental fluid and will continue to do so. In my 300D Mercedes it got an occasional bottle of Marvel Mystery oil. The injectors were spotless.
When the fuel system fails on the Fords, the entire body is lifted off the chassis to access the fuel system, pretty easy to work on then. especially replacing those cylinder heads.

[Mr_Mark1]

klutchdust wrote:

DouglasC wrote:
Everyone seems to like the fuel economy and perhaps quietness (depends on what models one is comparing) of a diesel but what about the initial cost? Every diesel based Class C (eg. Winnebago View or Fuse) is $30 to $40 thousand more than a comparable Ford E350/E450 based motorhome. You can certainly buy a lot of gas for that price difference. Not everyone wants to pay over $100,000 for a motorhome. That's why Ford still sells many thousands of the E350/E450 cutaway chassis to the RV industry each year.

AND, as soon as you mention Mercedes Benz in a parts store or repair shop their eyes light up.
Been there, done that with MB autos.Loved my 300D though
.
My thoughts point mainly to this. If you need service as you venture across the fruited plain, your chances of getting a Ford V-10 repaired and down the road far exceeds your chances of having your MB repaired.

For the sake of fuel consumption and the initial cost, do the math. Love my Duramax in my pick up though.

AND be sure and be putting some fuel lubricity additives in your tank if you are using Diesel. With the sulphur content being lowered and now the added DEF fluid, injectors are not lasting as long as they once were. My local small diesel engine man in town has lots of trucks waiting for such items. On the Duramax ,it's 3K for 8 new injectors.

Just wanted to point out that your last paragraph sounds like DEF is part of the combustion process which it is not. DEF is part of the exhaust system and not the engine which would not effect the injectors. And, new/newer diesel engines are geared/designed for ULSD (Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel). Most engine manufacturers say to NOT add anything to the fuel.

Safe travels,
MM.

[JaxDad]

FunTwoDrv wrote:
OP...When discussing this topic with Sprinter owners, a few subjects seem to come up quite often; Fuel mileage.........

Gary

I’ve had that talk with several Sprinter owners myself. The tone usually changes when you point out how much the engine that gets you such fantastic mileage costs you in the first place.

As with pickups, very, very few people ever keep / drive them enough to get anywhere near getting their purchase price back let lone saving any money.

As an example, at $2.50 / gallon for both gasoline and diesel, a gas RV getting 9 mpg will cost ~$0.28 / mile, a diesel RV getting 20 mpg will cost ~$0.13 / mile. A savings of $0.15 / mile, or about $375 on a 2,500 mile trip.

If the Diesel engine cost only $20,000 you would need to drive 135,000 miles to begin to save anything.

[pnichols]

AJR wrote:
If you do not like the sound of a V10 in a class C. Get one with a Chevy chassis. Just my two cents….

Well ... the Ford V10 sound is certainly closer to the sound of a Ferrari V12 than the Chevy V8 sound is. 🙂

A Ford V10 idles ultra quiet and smooth ... being just about vibration-free as felt on the coach floor. We sometimes idle our RV's V10 for an hour or so here and there in noise sensitive camping areas so as to partially recharge the coach batteries at high boost current rates from our stock Ford 130 amp alternator.

[AJR]

If you do not like the sound of a V10 in a class C. Get one with a Chevy chassis. Just my two cents….