What to do? Gas/diesel

[Mr__Coach]

OK, so I'm selling my 5th wheel toy hauler. I want another motorhome. Here are my choices and $$$ is pretty much the influence here so bear with me. What's of better quality "holiday Rambler Vacationer"?, or Damon intruder by thor? I looked at the holiday Rambler and it was in OK shape haven't looked at the damon yet but from talking to the guy and finding out he's an older fella and from the pictures he's sent me it's in "mint" condition. Both have the V10 both are 1999's the damon has a better floor plan in my opinion and 2 slides rambler only has 1. Tires are brand new on the damon and pretty good tread on the rambler but not new. Rambler is more $$$ by a couple thousand. Of course I would rather have a diesel pusher but from what I've seen and from what I can afford the only pusher I would be able to get into at my price range would be a non-slide pusher. Not sure I want to do that, or would that be ok? I Don't know. I can do all the work my self for any repairs and stuff. If you guys can help me out on this that would be great.. Some idea's and/or facts would be awesome.. Thanks..

[Mr__Coach]

Ended up pulling the trigger on the Damon Intruder. Find out it's a 2000 model not a 1999, not that that makes a difference but it's a pretty nice home. Couple issues I'm having with it right now are the leveling jacks won't come down. The green light is on but as soon as I release the levers nothing happens. Checked power to the pump and have good power there. I'm thinking it's some sort of safety thing that I'm not doing right. I have the parking brake in and the gear shift selector in park but still nothing happens. They are the HWH manual jacks. Also the heater A/C blower for the engine heat only works on high. I've changed out the relay and resistor for it and still the same. Actually if I change out the relay for the new one I get nothing so I put the old relay back in. I'm lost and don't know what else to do other than getting a new heater control unit. Any ideas from you guys on this? Other than that everything seems to work and the inside is in near perfect condition and I love the floor plan. Just need help with the jacks and blower motor. The previous owner said the jacks were working earlier.. What am I doing wrong or what switch is not working and not allowing them to extend?? Thanks for any info..

[MagillaGorilla]

Almost everyone has a price point. There are very few of us that can afford a coach at two million dollars. So we all try to get the most that falls within our budget. Its basic economics.

If you buy a gas coach you can get something newer for your money. This may be a great option for you if you don't tend to drive it around the world and back. Although there is a wide range of materials and quality on gas coaches most of them seem (to me anyway) to be a little less quality than what you find on a DP. That may not be a bad thing it all depends on your needs. I don't need marble floors and granite counter tops. I like them but I don't need them and they are not in my price point.

If you spend the same money on a DP it will most often buy you an older rig (in comparison to the same money spent on a gas unit). This may or may not be ok for you. If you want something that you can put a bazillion miles on you will want a DP. If you want higher end stuff and don't mind the rig being a little older then the DP might be a good option for you.

Maintenance on a gas coach tends to be a lot cheaper than the diesel BUT the diesel may require less repairs. In general terms the gas unit should be cheaper to own and maintain.


If money were no object I would have a 45' DP with 1&1/2 baths, full slides on both sides, an outdoor TV, a Washer, a dishwasher, massive pup up TVs and so on. But alas that is not my world. My world says "buy a used gas unit and be happy that you can even have that". As a kid my family seasonally camped in a tent trailer and we loved it. My 36' gasser with 2 big slide is a big step up from the old tent trailer days so I am grateful for what I have.

[dodge_guy]

dezolen wrote:
I just love these people that compare a 10-20 year old gas coach with a DP.
I have yet to complain about ride or noise on my 2013. Get out of the dark ages.
I guess they need to justify the $$$$$ they spent.
If I had unlimited funds perhaps I would buy a higher end DP but do not see any need to spend the extra funds when most people end up parking the coach for the majority of the time.

I agree, but the OP is talking older class A's! Not brand new!!!

[dezolen]

I just love these people that compare a 10-20 year old gas coach with a DP.
I have yet to complain about ride or noise on my 2013. Get out of the dark ages.
I guess they need to justify the $$$$$ they spent.
If I had unlimited funds perhaps I would buy a higher end DP but do not see any need to spend the extra funds when most people end up parking the coach for the majority of the time.

[MagillaGorilla]

There are only 2 reasons that I prefer Gas to Diesel. The first is the cost to buy the RV. I am not a rich man and have to buy my RVs used. In my most recent budget of $40k it left me with few options for a DP. All that I found available were older than what I wanted.

The second reason is that I get gas for free but would have to pay for diesel.

[glamisorbust]

I have had two P30 chassis class A's. One was an '82 fleetwood southwind 34', the other was a 1994 georgie boy pursuit 28'. The '82 had pretty good power and got about 6mpg. The '94 was LAZY when it came to power. Nowhere near the power of the '82. It also got about 6-7mpg.

The heat of the engine and manifolds between the driver and passenger SUCKS. It would literally burn the side of your foot unless you were wearing boots. Fan noise, no exhaust brake, hydraulic brakes and no air ride are all things you'll deal with in a gas coach.

I decided to sell the gas and try diesel. Wow, what a difference this is. Engine is now out back. I don't have to hear it or feel the heat. The driving went from white knuckle lumber wagon, to smooth and comfortable two finger driving as others have described. This thing climbs and descends hills with ease.

I love the power of the DP and the exhaust brake. The air ride and brakes are the cherry on top. I have one large 13'6" slide that makes it feel like a mansion compared to one without a slide. The deal I found was a 1999 holiday rambler endeavor with the 5.9 275hp cummins ISB.

The deal also came with a 2006 honda CRV tow behind, all set up for towing with brakes and the whole setup ready to go. I paid $32k for the whole thing. Oil changes are 17 quarts(less than $75 oil change and that lasts 10-15k miles). Change it once a year and you're good.

I also have a 90 gallon fuel tank and onan 7500 quiet diesel generator that can run everything on board all at the same time. All the power you could ever want and it's pretty quiet. I have my RV loaded heavy with all my goodies. And I pull a trailer with all the sand toys that weighs about 6k. All of this and I am pulling down a hand calculated 9.63mpg. Holiday rambler endeavor's get my vote!

[falconbrother]

That's true. My old P30 is probably dangerous in a strong cross wind on the interstate. Really flexes the ability to concentrate.

[dodge_guy]

Also keep in mind that the older gas coaches ride like a lumber wagon when on rough roads (leaf spring suspension). Most DP's will have air bag suspension and the ride will be much more pleasant on long trips!

Yes I've been in both!

[MagillaGorilla]

I believe the 1999 Damon was still a Damon and not owned by Thor. I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong. I owned a 1996 Damon and it was a good rig for the money. Damon is not a high end or low end RV. They are in the middle and thus you get a good bang for your buck. The materials are nice and the fit & finish are good. My 96 Daymon is still sitting in my driveway waiting for its new owner to pick it up. Over the past week I pulled it out of hibernation and ran through everything and EVERYTHING still works.

My guess is that the new owner will be happy he left it here for the week. Not only have I gone through all the systems, I have washed it, polished all the wood, cleaned the floors, cleaned the windows, filled the tires and took it around the block to make sure there were no known issues.

Once this Damon is out of my drive way my "new to me" Damon will be coming home. So I guess what I am saying to the OP is that I like Damon product well enough.

[Goldencrazy]

This winter we traveled from WI to California. (5 days on the road). Stayed for two months. Then from California to Florida. (7 days on the road) and stayed for two months and then back to WI-soon-4 days on the road. We did move around a little in California but not far so really not in category of travel. Grand total of 16 days of real travel and 104 days of fixed living. Most of our time is spent in RV parks so boon docking features are secondary. It has been warm in most of the places where we have stayed so glad AC works and windows are double pain. My motorhome is gas with three slides. My point is you must decide how you will use it before picking the coach. Most of us spend much more time parked than driving. Four months in moho is probably max for us but if I was living longer in it my size needs would be greater. I am 37 ft. Washer dryer is now a must and that is a surprise to me. Double door refrigerator is nice but not residential. Have but don't need the ice maker. Cargo space is important but I pack too much. Must tow a car. I have a Smart Car so no issue but if you want to tow a truck with toys then you are going to need coach to handle that. I love the 40 ft DP's but for the most part don't need one and the cost is so much more. If it were my home then the extra stability when parked and features like acquahot and ease of towing a bigger vehicle would be important. So many things to analyze so first figure your lifestyle and get the coach that fits. If I had kids bunks would be a must and a 1/2 bath. We rarely eat at indoor table so we preferred using dinette space for other things so the Sightseer 35G is perfect. We use the table as desk or craft area or just pack out of the way. It can be used for dining with the U shaped lounge but so far lap trays are our choice. By the way it has been 4 motorhomes to figure some of this out.

[ferndaleflyer]

There is a older 37ft Beaver for sale cheap on Raleigh, NC Craigs list. Just saw it last night. Those are nice quiet rides and if you do choose a V-10 get a newer one without the plug problems.

[falconbrother]

If I were going full time and had the budget it would be diesel all the way. If I didn't have the budget to purchase and maintain a DP I'd definitely go gasser. Gassers are easy and cheap to maintain, if you do your own servicing. I would avoid some of the early V-10s. The city I retired from had a fleet of smallish buses that all, everyone needed major engine work at around 100,000 miles. I think they were 2000 models. I have a buddy with a class A with the later model 460 and it's a great combination and reliable. I have the GM 7.4/454. Other than an exhaust gasket I havent had any issues with that engine.

[mike_brez]

Golden_HVAC wrote:

I picked the gas engine because of it's lower buy in - it saves about $15,000 - $35,000 when you buy new. Same with used market, you will pay about 50% more for a used DP than a gas engine. Also oil changes are much more expensive. The 30 quarts required by my buddies 40' Country Coach, and the $45 oil filer, I would not want to pay that every year. I prefer my 5 quarts and $8 filter.

And my motorhome can keep up with his in the mountains, as his weight is much higher, and my HP is nearly the same as his, but 1/2 the weight.

Have fun camping!

Fred.

Yea but the diesel can go 15,000 miles between oil changes so it's like a 3 to 1 ratio. Would hate sitting between a screaming engine at 4500 rpm all day and the heat generated by it. The differance in oil change material is about $125.00. If you can't afford $125.00 a year maybe you should think twice about purchasing a rv. As far as mountain driving going up is not the issue it's comming down the other side. With a diesel and exhaust brake or retarder you don't even need the brakes and it two finger driving while sipping on your coffee.

[jplante4]

I'll address the slider issue. After owning a gasser for a couple of years, we put DP and sliders on the must have list for bus #2. Then, we discovered that we liked the floor plan on the older Safaris (and Beavers) even without the slide. I justified the decision by saying that it's 5 more things that won't break, but the truth is now that we have the Sahara, I don't think I'll be missing the slider. We had a $25k budget so we were fairly constrained.