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

[Bumpyroad]

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.

and remember if that $30/40 K is being financed, the cost is really more like $40-50K.
bumpy

[klutchdust]

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 which also has an injector and is subject to failure, fuel 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.

[FunTwoDrv]

OP...When discussing this topic with Sprinter owners, a few subjects seem to come up quite often; Fuel mileage, storage capacity and towing capacity. Familiarize yourself with these as it relates to your travel expectations and you'll probably be quite comfortable with your decision.

Gary

[tlinson]

I have a Ford 2003 E450 Class C Diesel. Its a Winnebago Minnie 24.5 ft with 7.3 PSD
Very rare Class C. Its in pretty good shape, not showing to much age. it has a
Gearjammer Under/Over Drive setup. Propane Genset. Mechanically have not really had any problems. 7.3 PSD has a great rep its only knock is that it's old tech, but it runs strong!!! Have upgraded to a 4" exhaust,installed an engine cover sound deadener and rearranged the engine and house batteries.
Moved 2nd start battery to step and went with one 12v marine eliminated the 2 6v gc batteries. Do most of the regular maintainence myself oil( 15qts oil & filter ) and brakes. There is a lot of talk about fuel mileage I get around 10 mpg towing a Subaru Legacy, get over 400miles on range. All in all very much Satisfied...

[paddykernahan]

Bought the interior layout that we thought was best for us.
Murphy Bed with no slides and less than 23 foot.
It happened to be on a MB 3.0 turbo diesel.
Couldn't be happier with the whole package.
Know that oil changes cost more and when something breaks it will be expensive.
I can live with the extra expenses with such a great running vehicle.
16.5 MPG was a bonus.

[rjstractor]

davelinde wrote:
I makes me wonder how the my huge profile, really heavy 2001 Volvo did so well and a recent smaller vehicle is so much worse.

Two reasons, one is the diesel being inherently more efficient due to significantly more btus in a gallon of fuel, and the second is that these "full C" motorhomes have nearly the same profile as your Volvo setup- most are pushing 11' high and 8 1/2' wide. So you are pushing almost the same amount of wind, which matters as much as or more so than weight.

[Gonzo42]

I do my own oil changes with oil and filter from Amazon, so its not too expensive. M-B has a whole page of specifications, including engine oil.

[davelinde]

DrewE wrote:

davelinde wrote:
a rig that grossed at 15 ton and got 9 mpg it annoys me to contemplate something that will weigh so much less and not even manage 8...

8 mpg is not at all unrealistic most of the gas is used to overcome air resistance, which is determined by the shape of the vehicle, not its weight.

So... yes, my Volvo got pretty much 9 mpg running bobtail (at 8 ton) or hitched up (at 15 ton) and it was 12' 3" high. What I'd like in a more compact RV is the ability to carry the weight and get reasonable mpg. From what I'm reading the V10 based rigs might get 8 and if I go to the diesel options the chassis are not set up to carry much weight. I makes me wonder how the my huge profile, really heavy 2001 Volvo did so well and a recent smaller vehicle is so much worse.

[DrewE]

davelinde wrote:
Still - having owned two diesel RV tow vehicles I am a big fan. I guess I could run the numbers and convince myself that operating cost (eg fuel economy) is largely offset by total cost (factoring in acquisition and maintenance). But one thing I really loved about both my trucks was the effective cruising range. My Dodge could go almost 400 miles and the Volvo was as ridiculous 1800.

I do know it's all in the numbers but somehow having owned a rig that grossed at 15 ton and got 9 mpg it annoys me to contemplate something that will weigh so much less and not even manage 8...

8 mpg is not at all unrealistic for many current Ford E350/E450 class C's; I generally average 7.5 mpg or a little better on mine, which is 20 years old and has the four-speed transmission. Of course, how fast one drives has a significant impact on the fuel mileage. (Weight, by comparison, has relatively little impact on highway mileage in itself; most of the gas is used to overcome air resistance, which is determined by the shape of the vehicle, not its weight. A motorhome is almost as aerodynamic as a barn.)

As the E series have 55 gallon fuel tanks (always for the E450, and pretty nearly always for the E350 when it's used in a motorhome), a 400 mile cruising range is about right.

[davelinde]

I'm in the "wondering" phase on buying a Class-C and saw this thread. From what (little) I know about C's I was disappointed there were not more diesel options and been hoping I'd just missed them. When we got our first RV I really agonized over the gas/diesel question and ended up buying the diesel. Ironically that was when diesel fuel cost LESS than gas and since I bought that truck (to tow a FW) the costs flipped and never went back...

Still - having owned two diesel RV tow vehicles I am a big fan. I guess I could run the numbers and convince myself that operating cost (eg fuel economy) is largely offset by total cost (factoring in acquisition and maintenance). But one thing I really loved about both my trucks was the effective cruising range. My Dodge could go almost 400 miles and the Volvo was as ridiculous 1800.

I do know it's all in the numbers but somehow having owned a rig that grossed at 15 ton and got 9 mpg it annoys me to contemplate something that will weigh so much less and not even manage 8...

[RobertRyan]

Ed_Gee wrote:
We love our Winnabago Fuse on Ford Transit Diesel chassis. It rides and drives like a dream.....and its little 5 cyl Ford diesel engine is certainly more quiet than the noisy Ford 10 cyl gasser it replaced!

That subdued noise is what you would experience with many 3,litre Disel Pickups outside NA

[js218]

^^^^ you got that right, but it's a dream to drive and never lacks in the power demands I put it through.

[pushtoy_2]

js218 wrote:
What am I missing, my super c cost $300 for an oil change , 44 quarts of oil and filter change including fuel filters.

big horses eat a lot of hay:B

[js218]

What am I missing, my super c cost $300 for an oil change , 44 quarts of oil and filter change including fuel filters.

[Bumpyroad]

Cider wrote:
Having owned a Sprinter for two years, I can make the folding comments:

We did have an LPG generator in ours. A few have diesel, but the bi=lk are propane

They drive nice, ride reasonably well, and you can go anywhere in town that a 1 ton pickup can.

They are expensive to maintain. For shop related shrives you can expect to pay $250 to $450 for an oil change (depending where and who does it), $1000 minimum for the first Schedule A servic=ve and $1500 or more for the Schedule B service. All parts for the MBS are expensive.

MB states not to idle in excess of 5 minutes due to complications with EGR setup

MB states not to use any biodiesel above 5% (although yo re now seeing some relief, I believe) If you run greater than 5%, you really have to watch your oil levels.

We really dislike the split bed design in our unit (rear bed slide) plus the chores of having make and unmake the bed every time you move.

Not a lot of room in the units if you hit bad e=weather and are confined to inside for several days. Also, storage, lack of, is a real issue as there is a limited cargo weight.

After two years, we went to a class A, and are very satisfied the upgrades space, and comfort.

but you save a lot on fuel, pay 30% more for 15% increase in mileage.
bumpy