v10 ford vs v8 ford for a new rv'er

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Thomas Nix

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Jan 9, 2012
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Looking for some suggestions, I've never owned an RV but would like to try it. It seems I have a million ?, any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking at a 1994 34' newmar with a v10 ford with 89000 miles, what do I look for and is it something I would be happy with for a first RV.  Thx
 
I don't think Ford put the v10 in their vehicles before 1997.  The early (2007 - 2004) Ford v10 was a 2 valve engine and was not as strong as the 2005 and later 3 valve v10, but it has always been a good engine.  A 1994 motorhome built on a Ford chassis is probably going to have the 460 v8 in it which was also a good engine.  Newmar makes good coaches, whether it is on the Ford or Chevy chassis.  The Chevy 454 was used on motorhomes built on the Chevrolet and later workhorse chassis until about 2002 when they started putting the 8.1L Chevy v8 on the motorhome chassis.  The 8.1L engine is a much stronger engine than the old 454 that it replaced.

As far as your first RV, buying used is a good idea.  Only you can decide what floorplan you will be happy with, and that is more important than what engine or chassis the motorhome has.  Look for a floorplan that you think would suite your needs the best and go from there.

Dan
 
To elaborate on (Utah) Dan's reply, you are the only one who knows your tastes, and even you don't yet know enough about RVs. I'm certainly very happy with my V10 in my Bounder, but I don't know how good the V-10 was in 1994. Still, you'll want plenty of power to move the vehicle, and V-8s are usually a bit weaker (there are exceptions, of course).

I'd suggest you look at overall condition of the unit, and especially at the floor plan. Spend some time (preferably while actually in the unit) visualizing how you would use the various features/amount of space, especially for cooking, sleeping and when rain/inclement weather keeps you indoors at the campground. Look, too, at storage space, trying to anticipate what clothing/dishes/linens/tools/amenities you think you might want to take along, including grill, lawn chair, cameras, musical instruments, paper plates, dishes to eat from, cookware, CD/DVDs, books, etc.

I'm sure others will chime in with more good thoughts.
 
Hello Thomas NIX and welcome to The RV Forum.

You have certainly come to the right place.  The RV Forum has many members and collectively we represent a great RV knowledge base and we enjoy helping others.  Check out our library, there is a lot of great information there. 

The RV Forum is far more than just a Shell Answer Man for RVers.  It is also a great social resource for folks passionate about RVing.  Participation in our discussions and the Wednesday evening campfires will net you many new friends.

As to your question regarding the Ford V-10.  We just sold a MH that had that engine and we were quite pleased with it.  Our previous MH had the Chevy V-8 and was underpowered.  However, since learning how better to climb hills I believe the V-8 would have been O.K.  The secret that I learned was to slow down when climbing, and down shift until I found a gear that would climb without running the engine RPMs close to the red line area.  Frequently that put me over into the truck lane at 30 or 40 MPH, but who is in a hurry anyway. 

Welcome aboard!
 
I believe the V10 was first put into an RV chassis in 1999, it came out in 1998 but by the time it made it into the chassis for RV's  it was model year 1999. Prior to that the Ford engine was a big V8.
 
My '97 class c E-350 has a Triton V10 engine it. It's an excellent engine.

The 2 Ford service techs that gave it a good going over after I bought it told me it's one of their favorites, and if you just stay on top of your maintanance, it will love you back.

Oh...and always buy good gas, mine loves the "middle grade".
 
Welcome to the Forum from another Newbie.

We bought our 33' Winnebago in August of 2011.  I too debated between the 8.1 GM and the V-10 Ford.
I talked to owners of both in person as I shopped RV's and on line in the forum. 

What I found was that the GM owners loved their 8.1 and Ford owners loved their V-10.  So I based
my purchase on finding what I felt was a well maintained coach in as good of condition as I could find.

Now I am the owner of an 02 Winnebago Adventurer 8.1 GM Workhorse chassis, and like many others
I am very pleased with my coach. 

Both motors I think are good choices as there are a LOT of both out there working hard every day.  As
far as one better than the other, that debate has raged since the days of the 289 Ford Mustang vs. the
327 Camaro.  It will continue longer than I will be around most likely.

Good luck and again, Welcome
 

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