As far as fuel costs go, is it less expensive to own a Class A RV with a Gas or Diesel engine?As far as maintenance costs go, is it less expensive to own a Class A RV with a Gas or Diesel engine?

All else being equal, diesels will return better fuel economy and have a higher ROI. Maintenance? Thats a toss up. No spark plugs, plug wires vs more oil at oil change time. Only you can decide which is better for you

I think when all the arguments you just initiated are through, the consensus will be that Diesals (DPs) are a little more expensive to own and maintain than Gassers. Almost all who actually have owned either a DP or both a gasser and a DP will tell you that the DP is worth the expense and close to none of them would go back to a gasser. They will tell you to buy an older high end DP preferably with a tag, because fit and finish, luxuries, ride and just about everything is better in a high end DP. Don't buy either new because of extreme depreciation in the first 2-3 years. Did I miss anything? LOL have fun looking and you will love whatever you buy, oh yeah! Floor plan is most important to some! LOL

I have owned both several times and IMHO a DP is hard to beat. I would go witha Diesel

Considering the huge price leap required to buy an RV with a diesel engine and the higher cost of diesel fuel and the higher maintenance costs of a diesel engine you will likely pay more, and lose more on the sale, for a diesel coach. However, that's not the reason you buy a diesel coach. The size, room, comfort, quiet, safety, capacity, and likely much more is the reason to buy a diesel. If you find exactly what you like in a gasser.....buy it (after you drive it and can live with it). I wanted a gasser as it fit my budget. I wanted this until I drove a similar coach with a rear diesel. It cost me $35,000 more but I have never had a single regret about my choice.

OK Bill, please explain higher maintenance costs and lower resale value? I see you wrong on both points IMHO. The only things that might cost more is the amount of oil used in diesels. Cost of fuel? Non issue right now, many places diesel is cheaper than regular gas. Diesels return bettet fuel economy, so any difference in price is offset by increased fuel economy.

Gas or Diesel | Good Sam Community

Kayteg1
Explorer II
Oct 21, 2015
dubdub07 wrote:
I will be honest, it seems like a class war. The gassers justifying why they went with gas. Those that don't want the extra expense of a DP often look for advice from the gasser crowd and then someone's feelings get hurt. If you want a more inexpensive option, consider gas. We bought a pop-up, then TT, then two FWs, and finally a DP. We went with as much as we could get because we knew after so many campers what we needed/wanted.

People need to stop getting their feelings hurt. It is not what this forum is about.

Buy what you want, stand by your decision and if you made a mistake, people will help you fix it through advice and experience.

WW

You painted the small picture, but how about big one?
What corporation in US is making the biggest "political contributions"?
Would you think they could afford them would US drive 60 mpg cars and 25 mpg RV like Europeans do?
Steeljag
Explorer
Oct 21, 2015
I know nothing of the V10 gas engine, but......who is changing wires and plugs at yearly tune ups? Lol.......what is this...the 70's ??
dubdub07
Explorer
Oct 21, 2015
I will be honest, it seems like a class war. The gassers justifying why they went with gas. Those that don't want the extra expense of a DP often look for advice from the gasser crowd and then someone's feelings get hurt. If you want a more inexpensive option, consider gas. We bought a pop-up, then TT, then two FWs, and finally a DP. We went with as much as we could get because we knew after so many campers what we needed/wanted.

People need to stop getting their feelings hurt. It is not what this forum is about.

Buy what you want, stand by your decision and if you made a mistake, people will help you fix it through advice and experience.

WW
phnguyk
Explorer
Oct 17, 2015
Dachristianman wrote:
phnguyk wrote:
Diesel= More expensive
Gas= Less expensive

That can't be argued.

Gotta say, that post is about as simple as it gets. The question becomes, is the extra expense worth it? That is really what is being debated here.

Tom

Actually the OP asked very specific questions. Everyone else turned it into a debate.
;)
Dachristianman
Explorer
Oct 17, 2015
phnguyk wrote:
Diesel= More expensive
Gas= Less expensive

That can't be argued.

Gotta say, that post is about as simple as it gets. The question becomes, is the extra expense worth it? That is really what is being debated here.

Tom
ncrowley
Explorer II
Oct 17, 2015
This comparison has been beaten to death because there is no one answer for everyone. There are just too many factors - how you will use the coach, how much money you can spend without stretching your budget both for the initial purchase cost and the maintenance costs, and what is most important to you in a coach. For example, if you want a lot of room and a lot of slides, you will need a diesel engine to handle a lot of weight.

The best thing is to search the forum for the discussions. There you will see the pros and cons of each and you can make a good decision based on your circumstances.

We chose a diesel pusher and went back in years in order to afford it. We love traveling in it and we love living in it. The systems are more complex and it has not been easy for us to get our heads around what needs to be done, but we feel much more comfortable since we went to Camp Freightliner. We created a maintenance spreadsheet that keep good track of the maintenance items.

We just went through a soul searching about keeping this coach and doing upgrades or downsizing to something newer. After many cost analysis and looking at what we like and do not like, we decided that we will keep the one we have. We are better off financially and we are very comfortable in the coach.
phnguyk
Explorer
Oct 17, 2015
Diesel= More expensive
Gas= Less expensive

That can't be argued.
-Gramps-
Explorer
Oct 16, 2015
My wife and I are currently at the FMCA GEAR Rally and have looked at quite a few new coaches. The price differential between say a Tiffen Open Road gas and an Open Road diesel is now close to 100k or more. Concerns about fuel and maintainence of a diesel is like worrying about the cost of chemicals for your inground olympic size swimming pool as opposed to the cost of maintaining a hot tub.
holstein13
Explorer
Oct 16, 2015
I had a 31 foot Fleetwood Storm before I bought my DP. I was totally happy with it. Plenty of power, easy to work on and easy to find service for it.

Now I have a 45 foot Newmar King Aire and I'm totally happy with it. Plenty of power, easy to work on and easy to find service for it.

I think Gas vs. Diesel is way overblown. I agree with elhajj33 above. There are other more important questions to answer before focusing on Diesel vs Gas. Either chassis will do the job.
elhajj33
Explorer
Oct 16, 2015
oh man, i just went through this decision and just bought a DP. Here's the thing before deciding between gas/diesel you might want to think about how may people are going with you? How big of a rig do you plan on buying? Will you be towing a vehicle behind you? Do you plan on driving a lot through mountains ?

Gas will probably be cheaper, but like everyone said: diesel will be worth the extra expense. PM me if you'd like, i'd be happy to share how we decided to buy our coach

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