Motorhome toy hauler w/ V10 gasoline

[broncobowsher]

There are a couple versions of the V10. biggest ones are the 2V and 3V. Power went up on the 3 Valve. anything newer and that is what you will probably find. Came out in '04(?)

Yes the early ones (I think the comment about up to '01 is about right) did like to spit spark plugs.

Yes the gas mileage will suck. But how much will you drive it a year? If it is only a few trips and not too far then take some of that money you saved and use it toward the gas bill. If you plan to really drive it everywhere and put on mileage like an over the road trucker then I would hold out more for a diesel. diesel will have higher maintance costs, oil changes cost more, filters cost more, a set of spark plugs every 50k (or more) is pretty cheap in comparison. Fewer batteries to replace to keep a gas engine starting too.

The stories about a diesel lasting longer, longer then what? I can find old motorhomes that the bodies are dead but the chassis and drivetrain are still original and running strong, and they are gas engines.

[sailer]

Originally Posted by BobbySands

Last time I drove a V10 it got exactly 6 miles to the gallon. Buy the diesel or save until you can-- my advice.

plus 1

[KenR]

I've got a V10 in my 02 Ford E350 extended cargo van. It has 187,000+ miles, get's 10-14 highway mpg if I'm easy on the gas, uses no oil between its 3,000 mile changes and runs like a champ. It's a dedicated motohauler and mainly gets driven on highway trips. I'm really pleased with the V10.

[Carlo Muro]

I like diesels. However, a VERY successful farmer told me "hell, a gas motor will wear the truck down. Why would I pay for a diesel?" Made sense to me.

[Wolfgang55]

Guys I VERY much thank you all for your input.
Am looking at bout 15k miles a yr . Mostly all headed to a place, couple of days drive away. Then hang for a few days to a month & make my way back to the stable.
Just trying to get the best bang for my little bucks.

[KSJEEPER]

Everyone is saying to ditch the V10 and go diesel due to mileage.

Sure, you will get better mpg with the diesel. How much better? MAYBE 25%. And diesel costs more per gallon. And to maintain.

So, realistically, a diesel might save you 15%.

Now, compare the extra $$ of the diesels up front purchase price, to expected miles drive per year with 15% less fuel costs.

Chances are, the # of miles at 15% savings won't offset the extra $$ of the diesel purchase price. Not even close.

[showkey]

Originally Posted by KSJEEPER

Everyone is saying to ditch the V10 and go diesel due to mileage.

Sure, you will get better mpg with the diesel. How much better? MAYBE 25%. And diesel costs more per gallon. And to maintain.

So, realistically, a diesel might save you 15%.

Real world.............my Ford chassis RV got 7-8 MPG............my Sprinter class C RV gets 15-16 MPG. Pulling an enclosed 6x12 trailer avg 13.8 under most conditions.
The worst MPG on the Ford was 4 mpg ( trailer with head winds) worst Sprinter 11.6 MPG (trailer with high winds west bound in Kansas).

Diesel is generally more expensive than gas by about 10 to 15 % but it varies widely by season and location......this summer I paid .50 less than gas and .80 more than gas at $3.50 per gallon base price.
Winter season.... diesel competes with heating oil so the price always goes up in fall and down in spring and summer.

Diesel power is good. A pleasure to drive and if I was to upgrade in the future I will buy a small class A diesel pusher (35 foot). Hope the Sprinter will have better resale than the gas chassis Ford that had extremely poor resale.

My Ford chassis did not handle well, wonder ,loose steering compared to the Sprinter. The Ford was slightly larger.

Been said before .............but buying any RV does not save money

[broncobowsher]

Originally Posted by showkey

Real world.............my Ford chassis RV got 7-8 MPG............my Sprinter class C RV gets 15-16 MPG. Pulling an enclosed 6x12 trailer avg 13.8 under most conditions.
The worst MPG on the Ford was 4 mpg ( trailer with head winds) worst Sprinter 11.6 MPG (trailer with high winds west bound in Kansas).

Diesel is generally more expensive than gas by about 10 to 15 % but it varies widely by season and location......this summer I paid .50 less than gas and .80 more than gas at $3.50 per gallon base price.
Winter season.... diesel competes with heating oil so the price always goes up in fall and down in spring and summer.

Diesel power is good. A pleasure to drive and if I was to upgrade in the future I will buy a small class A diesel pusher (35 foot). Hope the Sprinter will have better resale than the gas chassis Ford that had extremely poor resale.

My Ford chassis did not handle well, wonder ,loose steering compared to the Sprinter. The Ford was slightly larger.

Been said before .............but buying any RV does not save money

Wow, talk about comparing the 2 complete opposite engines. Gas Econoline to a Sprinter diesel.

Friend of mine sold has 454 powered Class A motorhome for a Peterbuilt motorhome conversion. Mileage went up and it was so light it could pull any grade at speed no problem. In the end he still sold it. The cost of diesel isn't the only factor in owning/driving a vehicle. Come to find out it is only a minor part of the total cost.
A few years ago one of the motorhome magazines did a detailed cost breakdown of the operating costs of a motorhome chassis. Is the upfront cost of a premium chassis truelly worth it in the end. The numbers came back, the gas guzzling V10 Ford was the best choice. Save your money up front and burn it in gas, you will be better overall.