Buying an RV !!! (1 Viewer)

[wasp]

I am considering buying a RV ,thing is do I buy gas or diesel, if its diesel do I buy a pusher or conventional also which engine would be the better for usage, power or fuel efficency and last of all how old or does that depend on how much I want to spend. My mate has a Monaco with a 8litre cummings pusher the thing is also what about servicing he says most commercil truck centres will do cummings engines but the americans are a bit different spares wise, any body got any good ideas ,thanks in anticipation

 

[pappajohn]

LPG converted petrol.....diesels NEVER gonna be cheap againand i wouldnt think the fuel economy would be much different whether petrol or diesel.
with LPG at around half the price of petrol you will double your mileage per £,s worth of fuel. cant do that with diesel, unless you go chipshop.

 

[TJ-RV]

... most commercil truck centres will do cummings engines but the americans are a bit different spares wise....

I'm not sure I understand the comment or the concern, but here's a link to the Cummins UK web site. They include contact info, so you could contact them and ask about any spares, service, or after-market concerns you might have. If they're anything like Cummins over here, I'd expect excellent support.

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[Sundowners]

I think that the fuel type is more what you feel happier with, whatever you run will cost a lot!!!!!
I prefer diesel, but have run V8 petrol on gas, and was quite happy with it. You must consider the cost of a decent gas conversion, that would buy a lot of petrol or diesel!!! and the weight and space of gas tanks.
If you require any American bits that you can't get from the likes of Linda at Stateside tuning , don't be afraid of buying direct from the 'States, it is VERY quick and easy.
We have had nothing to do with "pushers" so can't comment.
Nigel & Pamala

 

[pappajohn]

You must consider the cost of a decent gas conversion,

thats why i said 'LPG converted' not LPG conversion.
let someone else take the £2k/£3k 'hit' on the conversion. :thumb:

 

[olley]

Hi mine and scotjims RV's are similar weight's, I get a tad under 10mpg from my petrol, he gets around 15mpg from his Diesel, so diesels are certainly more economical.

Petrol RV's are quieter than older front engined Diesels which haven't been built for sometime, but Workhorse a big RV chassis manufacturer has started building them again using a modern "Maxforce" diesel engine, which they claim is quieter and has claimed MPG approaching 20mpg. If those figures are like what the salesman tells you, then maybe 16-18mpg for my weight RV would be nearer the mark.

LPG in the main isn't half the price of petrol, around here its 49.9per litre, petrol is 90per litre. A further thing to consider is if you buy an LPG converted RV, what sort of conversion has it got? an older gas carb which will do around 20% less per litre than you get on petrol or a newer multijet, which reduces that to around 10% less than petrol.

Its difficult to make an economic case for paying £3000 to have one converted, unless you intend keeping it for sometime, as breakeven point could be around 20,000-25,000 miles. However I would imagine selling a unconverted petrol RV would be more difficult.

Fitting the tanks in can also be a problem, on a short length winnie like mine with slides, they almost have to go underneath, as winnie's "storemore" system precludes fitting them in the lounge slide lockers. On a non-slide RV they can quite often go under the bed.

Olley

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[scotjimland]

Hi mine and scotjims RV's are similar weight's, I get a tad under 10mpg from my petrol, he gets around 15mpg from his Diesel, so diesels are certainly more economical.

I would concur with that.. but I wouldn't have a front engine diesel .. or FRED .. IMO they are far too noisy .. you can just about hear mine .. talking and listening to music is a pleasure.. no need to shout to each other ..
Another bonus of under bed engines... they heat the bed up on long journeys ..

Down side to pushers is the loss of locker and under bed space .. but that is a minor issue compared to the benefits..

Cummins parts and service spares are widely available, and they have a World wide parts delivery service.. I recently bought a new starter motor and fuel solenoid .. one phone call and they were delivered to our site in two days..

They also have a great web site where you can see manuals and parts listings .. register your engine and when you call they know exactly what you need.. :thumb:

 

[Bugsy]

Barry and I looked at loads of RVs before buying our front engined diesel. We looked at the pros and cons of petrol, petrol converted to LPG, converting petrol to LPG and both front and rear engined diesels. We even considered buying a diesel and converting it to run on waste vegetable oil but a friend who is a mechanic advised us against this option (too many reasons to go into at this time.)

We had a finite budget and found that, for a mid 1990s RV, those already converted to LPG were several thousands more than a non converted one, so hence no saving. Also if you intend travelling on the continent, I have been told that LPG can be quite scarce, but I do not know if this the actual case.

We decided that a diesel was for us but an acquaintance who owns an RV with the engine at the back said that he finds that the front of the vehicle can be chilly, because the heat is all at the back.

We were lucky to find our RV at a reasonable price and it just happened to be a FRED. The fact that it was one owner from new with a full service history was the deciding factor. We do not find the engine too noisy; we can talk to each other without having to raise our voices and we can both hear the radio very easily. We've only done 2 trips so far and the average mpg is 14.:thumb:

My best advice is to look at loads of RVs and do your homework before deciding. It's like buying a house, you will know the right one when you find it.

Happy hunting.
Toni

 

[olley]

. Also if you intend travelling on the continent, I have been told that LPG can be quite scarce, but I do not know if this the actual case.
Happy hunting.
Toni

LPG or GPL as the Europeans call it, is freely availably in all of mainland Europe except for Spain, where only around 30 odd stations stock it. (Rvfulltiming does have an excellent map of these) 3 different connector adaptors are needed to fill up, depending on what country your in, English bayonet, French Clawgun and American Acme thread. (Used in Holland??)

Olley

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[scotjimland]

We were lucky to find our RV at a reasonable price and it just happened to be a FRED. The fact that it was one owner from new with a full service history was the deciding factor. We do not find the engine too noisy; we can talk to each other without having to raise our voices and we can both hear the radio very easily. We've only done 2 trips so far and the average mpg is 14.:thumb:
i

Hi

Maybe I was a bit harsh on FREDs :Blush:.. but they are a bit noisier than pushers.. but if I had to choose between a FRED and a petrol .. it would be a FRED.

The cab heater in ours is good and we have travelled extensively in cold weather but it won't heat up the whole coach, I doubt if any of them will, front or rear engined. .. it's a common complaint.
Chaz complained about it being chilly in the rear dinette seat so I gave her a blanket ..

Jim

 

[Boo]

I drove my motorhome from Bradford (west Yorks) to the Algarve in Portugal and back on gas.............had no probs getting gas at filling stations.........but DO make sure you buy the correct fitting before you go as filling stations charge a fortune for them if you buy them from them

If your parking on grass during the "rainy season" (which is all year round in the U.K) then I would recomend parking it with aniti-slip grabbers under the driving wheels.

Other wise just enjoy the experience..............you will figure out what your short of on a long weekend on a site near your home

Boo

 

[Geo]

A whole one Jim, to herself
Your all heart oh:

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[olley]

Hi
The cab heater in ours is good and we have travelled extensively in cold weather but it won't heat up the whole coach, I doubt if any of them will, front or rear engined. .. it's a common complaint.

Jim

Winnies are one of the few with an axillary water heater, run from the engine which blows hot air in to the underfloor heater ducting, this does make the lounge toasty while travelling, you can of course just turn your gas heating on to achieve the same result.

Olley

 

[scotjimland]

Winnies are one of the few with an axillary water heater, run from the engine which blows hot air in to the underfloor heater ducting, this does make the lounge toasty while travelling,

Olley

If you tell me that again .... ahhhhhhhhhhhh oh:oh:

 

[olley]

Have I mentioned that before Jim??

Did I also mention I have slides and jacks??

Watched megafactories last night, about the winnie factory, and its obvious from that why winnes are the best.

Olley

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[scotjimland]

Did I also mention I have slides and jacks??

Stick your slides up your jacks** ...

 

[pepe]

buying rv

Hi wasp go to Win A Motorhome - Damon Ultrasport 3465 worth a fiver maybe cheers mick