FWIW - The "RV Insight" column in the April 2007 Highways magazine gives some pros & cons on the diesel vs. gasoline question. It notes the average RVer drives less than 5000 miles per year, with about 40 days of annual use. Another article about Class "B" motor homes notes the average Class "A" or "C" unit goes about 6000 miles a year, reinforcing the "RV Insight" mileage conclusion.

The authors opine that if you're going to tow a heavy vehicle, do a lot of mountain driving, & drive a lot of miles, you can justify the added cost of diesel. If you're in the average use category, the less-expensive gasoline-powered rig will serve.

Unless, as one of the authors notes, you really love the smell of diesel exhaust in the morning.

The articles tend to reinforce opinions I've expressed before about diesel vs. gas. I'm still glad that I don't have to plan my oil changes in terms of gallons rather than quarts, as one recent discussion in this forum noted, & that any old Wal-Mart or Jiffy Lube can handle my routine maintenance.

I read it, being a Good Sam member, and I agree - diesels have their pros and cons. As for me, I do 12-15K a year, rolling StaRV II down the road about every month, so the oil-burner's a no-brainer.

What isn't mentioned is that a coach parked most of the year (mileage aside) is much better being propelled by gasoline than diesel, because a diesel is meant to be run - and run - and run. Personally, I like diesels due to the simplicity, but the Highways article didn't address that. Frankly, the article was somewhat superficial.

And my oil changes are only 8 qts - but I do them religiously at 3K miles, although with the new ULSD fuels, that may be able to be extended; nevertheless, oil's cheaper than metal.

The son-in-law of my lady friend showed me one of the new 6600 Duramax diesels in a lead-unit build 3/4 ton Sierra pickup last week. He is a
mid-level manager at GM Diesel Group. He said
that turns out 350 HP, starts @ -20 F. and will burn the new low-sulphur diesel fuel. It fits
nicely in the Pickup, so it should fit nicely in a Barth motorhome with a 6-speed Allison
tranny. I will be anxious to see what the truck buyers think of it. He said it has a built-in heater in the fuel delivery system.

Jake Jacobson

A few years ago, I spoke with a Workhorse engineer about a Duramax MH puller chassis. He said they were considering it, but the supply was being eaten up by pickups.

I looked at it myself before putting in the 502, and was daunted by crossmember/oil sump clearance issues. I was not sure I wanted to build a new crossmember. Also, I would have needed a complete donor vehicle to get the trans, computer, wiring and so forth.

BTW, Bill NY had a post a while back on the necessary miles one had to drive to break even on diesel purchase and ownership. I don't remember if he just dealt with fuel costs, or maintenance, too, but oil changes and filters can get expensive, especially if you have others do it. Parts availability can enter in to diesel choices, especially with older ones. My gasser is just like the Chevy trucks I have always owned.

I think I would like a diesel just to get a better chassis.

In life, some things are not always translated in financial terms. Personally, I am not so well off that owning a diesel with the extra expenses that exist don't bother me. There are times I struggle to find the money to buy or repair something. Other times it fits the budget. I basically expect to spend about $2500 to $3000 a year on routine maintenance and upgrades.

My reasons for the purchase of a diesel were several, and none were financial even though there is a translated cost to them.

First was safety; diesels are heavier and have better, more road worthy chassis.

Second, the location of the engine in the rear offers a very quiet over the road experience without engine heat or vibration entering the cockpit.

Third, because of the heavier duty chassis, most diesels can carry a heavier load. It has been my observation that many, maybe most gas coaches end up overloaded on a regular basis. I do not worry much about overloading, as I have about 2500 lbs. of load capacity between my rated max GVW and the actual wet load weight. I do, however weigh my coach each year to make sure that weight creep has not put me over the top. I usually end up about 500 to 700 lbs. under.

If you do a search on my tire blow out post a couple of years ago, you will get an example of my safety concerns and the value of the Gillig chassis.

Bill G

Motorhomes need TORQUE (is that a foreign language word?) -not just horsepressure- and Diesel is where it's at. Anything over 32', with or without a toad, really needs a diesel. Anything less than 33' will do fine with a big-block gas Ford or Chevy/Workhorse.
Aaaand...a diesel will seldom be justified as to cost.

This is a rebuild of a post, inadvertently deleted by another member. It won't be exactly the same.

Anyway, one of the points I made concerned the actual results I have in my 28' Breakaway as compared to the 28' gaso-powered Regal.

With the new 6.5L TD AMG 230 HP MilSpec engine, I get 430 lb.-ft. of torque; this is within the specs of the installed 4L80E tranny. I don't have the manuals anymore, but IIRC, the GM 7.4L gaso engine does 280 lb.-ft.

Economy for my new engine does about $0.251/mile at current fuel prices (11+ mpg). From what I understand, the 28' Regal, customarily powered by the 7.4L GM gaso does around 7.5 mpg. This yields, at current pump prices, $0.332 per mile, so the Breakaway diesel gets about $0.08 per mile more efficiency.

Since I run about 15K/year, this means I gain $1,215 over the Regals. My efficiency over the original engine in the Breakaway gives me a savings of about $710/year. Oil changes for my AMG engine as contrasted to the 7.4L gaso are about the same (8 qts. at 3K miles).