Knowing we were going to get a Class A, the next question was whether or not we should get a gas or a diesel engine. Diesel engines have a better resale value, more power and torque (good for the mountains) and great braking systems. Motorhomes that have a diesel engines usually have them in the rear, hence the term "diesel pusher". Since the engine is at the very back of the coach, the ride up front is much quieter. Gas engines have a typical "life expectancy" of 300,000+ miles or so, but diesel engines are around a million miles. A used diesel engine that has 40,000 miles on it is often considered to be a "baby" by a lot of diesel engine enthusiasts. I'm not a mechanic, but the things I've read from knowledgeable people comparing gas and diesel made me understand why so many RVers want diesel pushers.
I know we'll be traveling a lot in the mountains. I want to feel confident that we'll be able to climb steeper grades at something more than 25-35 miles per hour and I want to know that we'll have good exhaust brakes (exhaust brakes use the engine to slow down the coach). As I mentioned earlier, I don't want to wish I had gotten a diesel pusher when we were winding our way through the mountains. So we may as well get one up front.
Of course, diesel pushers ain't cheap. They cost quite a bit more, but I hope that we'll recoup some of it with the improved resale value down the road.
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