To Gas or to Diesel, that is the Question.

[Christensen-SMB]

Hi Everybody! I have recently been introduced to the wonderful world of the Sportsmobile. Wow! I am in Love. There are a few things that I am unsure about the largest of which is the fuel thing. I know that Diesel gets better miles and will probably go for longer but... And Gas is more quite and currently cheaper but... Could you please share some of your wize counsel with a new up and soming Sportsmobiler?

thanks

 

[John and Dana]

I have have a diesel on order and I had two main reasons I went with the diesel. First is the diesel has a much greater range. That extra 4-5 miles per gallon x 46 gallons in the tank means that you can get an extra 180-200 miles out of a tank of fuel. My wife and I travel for several months a year in Mexico and this was a big consideration for us. Secondly we wanted to be able to burn biodiesel. Granted the percentage you can run is small but it is a step in the right direction.

Thats is my $.02 worth. Good Luck!

 

[yvrr]

This has been discussed many times over several years on the Yahoo list. Assuming that you are initially unbiased, the factors to consider include the cost of the fuel (diesel is currently more expensive), mileage (diesels typically get about 17 mph vs gas V-10s which get about 12-13 mpg), whether or not you intend to tow anything (diesel has more torque), the cost of routine maintenance (a diesel requires more oil per oil change and filters are more expensive), turbo issues (diesel turbos have a poor service record), noise (diesels are much louder), life span (not that different these days but diesels have a longer expected life), and diesel accessories (such as water heaters). A friend of mine is a now-freelance author who worked for many years as a writer for Trailer Life and RV Life (or something like that) and when I asked him many years ago about this question, he also mentioned diesel problems such as the fact that diesel fuel doesn't evaporate easily so you need to be careful to not track diesel into your vehicle after fueling (important to him when just test-driving RVs). Bottom line, while he currently owned a diesel pickup, he won't purchase another diesel unless he was expecting to tow something. But it is still a wide-open issue. A couple of years ago, someone posted a message saying that he just liked the sound of a diesel. But, growing up in the 1950s with 6-cylinder Chevs, a diesel sounds to me like the tappets need to be adjusted which drives me insane....

 

[oclv]

We were in the same dilema a couple months ago. Originally we were going to buy a new one but couldn't decide on diesel vs gas or RB vs EB. I hated to spend $90,000 and then find out we wished we had done something different. Also, we coudn't get a new one in time for our trip in May. So we ended up going used. We will use it for a year or two, find out what works and doesn't work, then either keep it or get another used one or new one based on our needs and experience. That said, I think it is truly a toss up. There isn't that much difference in fuel mileage to offset service costs, initial costs, and fuel costs. Gas is quieter, which pleases my wife. Longevity seems to be a toss up also. The V10 they say will last a long time. I've heard 250,000 to 300,000 miles is not uncommon. The new diesels have so much stuff on them that they seem to have many issues. I have also heard that the new 6.4 diesel gets terrible fuel mileage, almost the same as the V10 gas. oclv

 

[surfgeek33]

A friend sent this to me and made me LOL! :a2: Nothing against the "Diesel Guys"!

 

[geoffff]

Hi Christensen -- Check out these other Gas vs. Diesel discussions here on sportsmobileforum.com:

• 
  DIESEL VS. GASOLINE
  PowerStroke 6.0 Diesel or a Gasser?
  still torn between diesel or gas for used purchase
  Diesel Engines/Gas Mileage/Current Prices
  How has your V10 experience been?
  6.0L reliability

-- Geoff

 

[cellularSTEVE]

Hey Surfgeek,
I see you are in So Cal too. That picture you posted must be from somewhere else.

Gas today across from my office is $4.05 for 87 and $4.49 for 92 octane.

steve :c3:

 

[jage]

Yeah I'd jump on that. $3.85 is a "good" price around here lately. We're all suckers when we're lining the pockets of the oil companies. I think they're just going to keep raising the price until we say "uncle" and then leave it 10¢ higher than that.

 

[Marc-SMB]

Ouch on the $4.05 for regular gas. Here in Whitefish, Montana I thought it was high at $3.19 and then I saw the diesel at the same station for $4.39. How'd that happen? I like both diesels and Gasser SMB's, but right now I'm glad we have a gasser. :a2: