Best Diesel MPG Vehicle for Mobile Living
an Anonymous Greaser -
Saturday, June 24, 2006 - 23:47
Tags: links inline
hi, i'm looking for a vehicle than could house one (potentially two) for life on the road. i know the mpg for larger buses and trucks like internationals, freightliners, etc., are quite low - like between 5-10 miles per gallon.
does anyone know of a good vehicle that gets good mpg, a diesel (of course cause it's gonna run wvo) that is big enough to sleep in?
or shall i say, what diesel rv (or box truck or passenger van or bus) gets the best mileage per gallon of diesel fuel?
» links inline
High mileage RV
Check out the extended version of the "Sprinter" high-roofed van from Dodge, Freightliner, and Mercedes. It uses a Mercedes 5 cylinder diesel engine and gets about 20-25 MPG (probably somewhat less when loaded up as an RV.)
Airstream, Sportsmobile, Gulf Stream Coach, Winnebago/Itasca, and others make class B RVs based on the Sprinter van chassis.
Good luck!
Scott from www.gas-mileage-tips.com
wow, great info. thanks
wow, great info. thanks scott!
Sprinter experience
I drove a Mercedes/Sprinter "motor caravan" (British for RV) 4000 kilometers (2500 miles) in the UK over three weeks. I got about 21 mpg on diesel, but driving there is quite different than here, and we did a lot of sight seeing. It is a great vehicle. I recommend the 140" wheelbase, you can park it anywhere, the same overall length as a big car. If you're going to live in it for a long period, you may consider the 158" wheelbase and forego the city parking ability. Try to get a 2004 or later to get the active stability control system. A couple times I found myself in curves I didn't think I was going to get through, and it was amazingly stable. That stuff works!
Bad MPG in my Npr Help me Please
I own a 1994 isuzu npr with 115,000 miles on it. I bought it back in 2001 and it had 110,000 on it when i got it. I drove it from 01-05 not much and let it sit for 2 yrs but would start it and drive it down the street every 3-months.
I have since been driving it again from feb 08 till now. It runs awesome turbo works great, but I cant seem to get better than 12mpg and thats never breaking 55mph either if i do im about 11mpg, it will hit 75mph. I would love to get 15mpg+ any suggestions??? I did notice a small black ring on the out side of my exhaust tip like carbon bild up!
Please help me!
Thanks
Shawn
WELL NO MUCH YOU CAN DO...I
WELL NO MUCH YOU CAN DO...I OWN A 2001 WITH 75K MILES AND I GET ONLY 12 MILES PER/GAL. THE PROBLEM IS THE ENGINE RUNS AT A VERY HIGH RPM.
ON MY TRUCK I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE 6 SPEED TRANS. AND LOWER THE RPM. AND THE AXEL IS TO MUCH FOR THAT TRUCK.
HERBERT SAMAYOA 909-917-8568
I'll assume your wanting to
I'll assume your wanting to do this as in-expensively as possible, so here are a couple of my thoughts on this subject...
Isuzu NPR or NSR with the 4 cylinder diesel engine get between 15-18 mpg. These are commercial grade box/delivery trucks, but are commonly use for several other applications. The chassis is rated for between 10k-16k lbs, and will acomodate a "box" up to about 20 feet max. That means you could *potentially* put a used $1200 20 foot long travel trailer on the back of it where the delivery box once was, or if you get a short one, mount a pick-up truck bed to the back of it and tow a 5th wheel. These are extremely reliable vehicles that usually last 250-300k miles before requiring a new/rebuilt engine. Look on ebay-motors, and do a search for "isuzu diesel". I see nice ones selling there all the time for about 5-6 thousand dollars.
Isuzu FRR or FRP models with the 6 cylinder diesel are the NPR's BIG brother. These chassis are rated for 22k-26k lbs. They are comperable to the american made freightliner or international box delivery trucks. These trucks [and I own one] get about 13 mpg. As before, you could mount a travel trailer,,, or even a short mobile home [!] on the chassis of one of these. Or you could mount a pick-up bed over the rear wheels, and use the extra 5 or so feet between the back of the cab and the front of the pickup bed to put a 1000 gallon WVO storage tank and on-board filtering system directly on the truck! WOW, that would be cool! You would spend several days collecting the 1000 gallons of WVO, but once it was full, you could travel about 13,000 miles without refueling. One of these trucks will set you back in the $8-15k range depending on age , mileage, etc.
In the school bus line, I'd look for a flat nosed model with a Cummins 5.9 engine. This is the same 5.9 diesel Dodge installs in their pick-up trucks, so parts and service are readily available without going to a specialized big rig repair shop. School bus chassis are rated at 26,000 lbs, and there's lots of room under the floor along the frame rails to mount lots of WVO storage tanks. These busses sell on ebay for about $4000, and they get about 12 mpg. This may actually be your best and most cost friendly option. Converting a bus to an RV is a common practice, and there's an entire sub-culture dedicated to it. Do a search on the web for skoolie or s'koolie to learn more.
And there's always the obvious option of buying a good used dodge 2500 diesel, and towing a 5th wheel. I'v got friends with these trucks and they tell me anywhere between 12 and 19 mpg.
Diesel RV for WVO conversion
What about 80's vintage Chevy class C motorhomes under 25-ft with the old 6.2 liter engine ... does anybody know much about converting these to VegRV's ??
post a new forum topic
you're a lot more likely to get good responses if you post an original, new forum topic, especially because it will post to the home page. this topic is about miles per gallon. just a thought -- ;-)
Great advice
Thanks a lot for your reply. That is really helpful information. I'd love to see a short mobile home on the back of the Isuzu FRR or FRP!
isuzu diesels
My truck mechanic, John's Truck here in sTUDIO cITY, POO POO'D ANY 4 CYL iSUZU AFTER 125K MILES. hE HAS SEen that after 125k miles they crap out (by and large)
Bad milege on my isuzu npr
I own a 1994 isuzu npr with 115,000 miles on it. I bought it back in 2001 and it had 110,000 on it when i got it. I drove it from 01-05 not much and let it sit for 2 yrs but would start it and drive it down the street every 3-months.
I have since been driving it again from feb 08 till now. It runs awesome turbo works great, but I cant seem to get better than 12mpg and thats never breaking 55mph either if i do im about 11mpg, it will hit 75mph. I would love to get 15mpg+ any suggestions??? I did notice a small black ring on the out side of my exhaust tip like carbon bild up!
Please help me!
Thanks
Shawn
Shawn are you stupid or do
Shawn are you stupid or do you repeat yourself just to
see your name on a webpage more than once?
Dee-Dee-Dee is what Mencia would say you douche..
I've got a '98 VW T4 SWB 2.5
I've got a '98 VW T4 SWB 2.5 TDI. Very small van, perhaps not suitable for life on the road but I've spent a week a time away in it & have a friend who regularly spends a month. Sleeps 2 comfortably, but not high enough to stand up in (unless you got a pop top) and no space for a bathroom.
I get 45mph keeping to 60mph and going easy on the accelerator.
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