Class C diesels

[scottydl]

How common are diesel engines in Class C motorhomes?  I ran across one on eBay, an older (1985 or thereabouts) on a Chevy chassis.  Would there be an advantage to shopping for a diesel in a smaller rig like a C, or are those really only needed in the big A's?

 

[Mblaster]

I'd say they pretty much suck. Old domestic diesels weren't known for their greatness. I have seen the odd clanker in a old c class, but I'd avoid it like the plague. The new super c's with duramaxes are super nice, and they can tow a heavy load. But they come with a large price tag too. 

 

[scottydl]

Haha, okay thanks for not holding back.    Certainly the older Class C's I'm looking at are primarily gas engines (Ford 460, Chevy 454, and the occasional Chevy 350) but when I ran across that diesel it got me thinking.  Now that you mention it though, I do recall that U.S. cars of the 1980's with diesel engines had terrible service problems... so a motorhome may not be much different.  I'll stick with good ol' gasoline.  A Super C is so far out of my price range that I'll probably never type that phrase again. 

 

[Saboteur]

Super C's aren't the only diesels out there.  There is the View and its Itasca cousin, also I've seen some of the Chinook and Isata models that are vintage 2000 or so with diesels.  I think you can get the Isata on an F-550 chassis with diesel, but there again you're getting pretty pricey.  I think Pro Van also offers a diesel and 4x4 option.

Hayduke

 

[NJ2000R]

the older diesels (pre-powerstroke) didnt offer much power compared to the newer (1995-up for ford, not sure on the chevy) diesels....I guess it all depends on your budget and what you want to do with the RV....if its occasional use and you arent towing anything with it, go for gas powered, as they are alot less expensive an alot more available....super C's have only been around a few years, and are hard to find used....new costs around $90k plus....and while I really like the isata's with the ford chassis, they are very high-end, close to double what the gulfstreams are going for....I'm picking up my gulfstream endura (diesel) next week....

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You might find the occasional C on a Dodge chassis with the Cummins 5.9L diesel.  I still wouldn't be real excited about an older one (1980's), but a mid-90's one should be fine.

 

[scottydl]

I'm picking up my gulfstream endura (diesel) next week....

After looking at the photo of an Endura (see attached), all I can to say is WOW  ;D

Do these Super C's have a hgiher towing capacity than a similarly-sized diesel Class A?

 

[Bob Maxwell]

One of the very best C's, available with diesel is the Born Free: http://www.dodgen-bornfree.com/

All their units are hand built to order by one team with a tubular steel roll cage.

 

[Ron]

Too bad the  Endura  is a Gulfstream product.  Even though we have never owned a Gulfstream product, thankfully, I have absolutely no confidence in Gulfstream products based on what we saw when shopping and the experiences of friends that owned Gulfstream products.  I for one would never recommend them.

 

[Shayne]

Amen Ron  My sentiments exactly.  Never had one and hope I never do.m Too many friends had too much problems.

 

[Mblaster]

Maybe they have them ironed out with the Endura line of super c's.
That would be nice since I really the idea of the affoardable super c.

 

[Shadowman]

Just thought I'd through in my 2 ccents, since I know someone that has an older Class C with a diesel. My friends parents have one and he borrowed it for our annual outing. One of the challenges of our reunion is that you have to go up I-80 through Parleys canyon, (SLC to Park City 6% Grade) and anyone who has driven that can tell you it reallly puts your engine to the test. I digress. When my friend arrived in the coach, I was extremely curious to see how it did up Parleys Canyon. Since I owned a Dodge Diesel at the time, I figured he wouldn't even notice the hill. When he arrived, he couldn't say one nice thing about it. He was down to 25 MPH and semi's were passing him.  Now, I never push it up that canyon in My Class A with a 454, but I can tell you I'm doing a min of 40 MPH loaded with a trailer. On top of the poor performance of the power train, when he got there he had a broken water hose, so he couldn't use the bathroom sink, things were falling apart, and maybe it's me, but the interior layout is much better in the later model coachs. 

So, for what it's worth, I thought I''d throw out a little personal experience. If it were me, I would go with a 350 gas motor in a early model coach rather than a diesel. Plus its a lot cheaper to add performance enhancers to the big block gassers. (Wow I'm starting to talk like and RV'er).  Goood luck, I can tell your putting a lot of thought in your purchase which will pay off in the end.

 

[scottydl]

Goood luck, I can tell your putting a lot of thought in your purchase which will pay off in the end.

Hehe, maybe too much I think sometimes... I don't want to OVERthink or OVERask if there is such a thing.    Thanks for sharing that experience -

 

[NJ2000R]

After looking at the photo of an Endura (see attached), all I can to say is WOW? ;D

Do these Super C's have a hgiher towing capacity than a similarly-sized diesel Class A?

I really like the design, features, and layout of the gulfstream super c....I was also impressed with the quality of the ones I've been in, but since they've only been around since 2005, they are still a new product....there were no used ones available anywhere....the ones I've been in were all brand new....

I guess I shouldve hunted down some gulfstream super c owners to get their opinions....

The only way to find out now is through use, and I'm hoping they perform and hold up as well as they look when new....

*edit* while I didnt speak with any gulfstream users, my friend is the sales manager at one of the largest chevy truck dealerships on the east coast....he's also involved in the service department, and assured me of the reliability of the Kodiak C5500 trucks, and said that they have serviced several RV's built on the Kodiak chassis, and they heard nothing but good reports from the owners....since its a true truck cab, gone are the problems of old with overheating, cracked manifolds, etc, and much easier to service with the flip open hood....he said alot of class A RV's, both gas and diesel, had these problems....

towing capacity is 10,000 # on the gulfstream super c's

There is no doubt that the dodgen bornfree super C is a high quality unit, but that is also reflected in price....starting at $121k for a gas engine unit is well out of my budget....same thing goes for the isatta and jayco seneca, although I've heard of quality issues with the jayco's....

stay tuned guys, over the next year or so, I'll update everyone as to the gulfstream endura's performance and durability....