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Old 08-04-2015, 01:29 AM   #1
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Floorplans - DP vs Gasser

My wife and I have started looking for our forever coach, ha! She will retire again soon and we want to full time. To that end we have been looking at floor plans. Went to the Tulsa RV show & saw the Forza 36G, it's perfect for us, has everything we want, and one we don't.

For various reasons including cost own, maintain, and operate, we don't want a DP & really the only reason we want to upgrade is for the newer, bigger, better chassis, tires, auto gen start, and all the other newer features. So we are trying to decide which gas Winnebago has a floor plan that best matches that of the Forza 36G.

We think it's the Sightseer 33C. In your opinion are we right about this?

PS. We are not interested in anything but a Winnebago.
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Old 08-04-2015, 06:02 AM   #2
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I think the 33c floor plan is great. We have a 2010 Journey 34y. The floor plans are very similar. We spend about 6 months a year in it and find it very "livable".
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Old 08-04-2015, 06:05 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by MattTaylor View Post
My wife and I have started looking for our forever coach, ha! She will retire again soon and we want to full time. To that end we have been looking at floor plans. Went to the Tulsa RV show & saw the Forza 36G, it's perfect for us, has everything we want, and one we don't.

For various reasons including cost own, maintain, and operate, we don't want a DP & really the only reason we want to upgrade is for the newer, bigger, better chassis, tires, auto gen start, and all the other newer features. So we are trying to decide which gas Winnebago has a floor plan that best matches that of the Forza 36G.

We think it's the Sightseer 33C. In your opinion are we right about this?

PS. We are not interested in anything but a Winnebago.
The Adventurer 35P is also close, plus it's closer to same size as the Forza.
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Old 08-04-2015, 01:31 PM   #4
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We looked at many coaches and when I stepped into the 33C that is when I made up my mind. We really like this floor plan and just about everything it has to offer. Good luck.
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Old 08-04-2015, 01:49 PM   #5
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Thanks for the comments everyone. Going to drive over to OKC this weekend and have a closer look at the 33C.

For those that have a newer 33C, did you upgrade from an older class A that had a lighter chassis and the smaller 19.5" wheels? I see that the 33C is on a 22,000 chassis and has 22.5" wheels. Just wondering what difference that made if any??

Is the 33C prewired for solar??
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Old 08-04-2015, 02:09 PM   #6
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We looked at many coaches and when I stepped into the 33C that is when I made up my mind. We really like this floor plan and just about everything it has to offer. Good luck.
Same here.
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Old 08-04-2015, 02:25 PM   #7
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The Adventurer 35P is also close, plus it's closer to same size as the Forza.
Actually the 37F (2015) has the living room TV that pops up out of the buffet with table and chairs and has the sofa and Euro chair opposite it. That's the big distinguishing characteristic that the 33C and the Journey/Meridian 34y/34b has (up through 2014). The 35P (2015) doesn't have that option.
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Old 08-08-2015, 09:08 AM   #8
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Driving 2 hours today to get to Oklahoma City & test drive the 2016 Sightseer 33C and the Forza 36G.

Would anyone happen to know where I can find an actually cost to own and operate comparison between a DP & Gasser on the web?? I'd really like to know what the difference in cost is for services and so forth.
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Old 08-08-2015, 09:52 AM   #9
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Driving 2 hours today to get to Oklahoma City & test drive the 2016 Sightseer 33C and the Forza 36G.

Would anyone happen to know where I can find an actually cost to own and operate comparison between a DP & Gasser on the web?? I'd really like to know what the difference in cost is for services and so forth.

Doubt that you will find anything meaningful. The largest different is that Diesel engines require lots of oil & big filters. There is one or two fuel filters. The air filter is usually on a 2-3 year schedule as is the at dryer. It's true that the diesel will be on a longer maintenance schedule Milage wise but most owner send up doing an annual L/O/F anyway on either chassis.

If there is a Speedco that you could visit, go by & check them out. I encourage you to drive a Journey while you are at the dealership.

Be careful what you take as truth about the diesel/gas argument here on the forums. Owners seem to get "wrapped around the axle" about this topic. It's really about size and weight. If the coach you want is over about 24k pounds it will be a diesel. If under that weight it will be gas. That break occurs around 36-40' in length.


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Old 11-10-2015, 08:11 PM   #10
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I think the Adventurer 35P would be a pretty close comparison. Not to mention the Adventurer line offer some more upscale features. We almost bought a 38Q before we decided to go with the Forza. The drive and ride are night and day difference. We traded a 2007 Sightseer in on the Forza
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Old 11-17-2015, 07:42 PM   #11
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Be careful...Once you drive a DP, you'll never be happy in a gasser...!
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Old 11-17-2015, 08:42 PM   #12
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Be careful...Once you drive a DP, you'll never be happy in a gasser...!
why would you say that??? my gas coach rides better ... stops faster, goes faster. pulls the same trailer faster,.. costs less. deprectiates less..cheeper to maintain... cheeper tires,.. cheeper sales tax, cheeper insurance, cheeper lic. plates......ect
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Old 11-18-2015, 03:38 AM   #13
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Be careful what you take as truth about the diesel/gas argument here on the forums. Owners seem to get "wrapped around the axle" about this topic. It's really about size and weight. If the coach you want is over about 24k pounds it will be a diesel. If under that weight it will be gas. That break occurs around 36-40' in length.
X2! Well said Steve!
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Old 11-18-2015, 03:43 AM   #14
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Matt,

The reason you will not find any meaningful comparisons is because it is apples to oranges. In this post, I use a Porsche 911 and Ford Escort to illustrate the problem - two entirely different vehicles built for two entirely different purposes. Just because they both have four wheels doesn't mean a thing.
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Old 11-18-2015, 06:26 AM   #15
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Be careful...Once you drive a DP, you'll never be happy in a gasser...!
You speak the truth! We had a 2007 35J Sightseer for 8 years and decided to go with the Forza 36G. With the exception of no bunk beds the layout was exactly the same except on opposite sides. We drove an Adventurer 38Q before we decided on the Forza. There is really no way to compare the ride between gas and diesel. The diesel ride is so much smoother and quieter. It accelerates towing and not towing just as good if not better than my gas unit. The braking is better with and without the engine brake. The maintenance will be more but longer intervals. Fuel is more but we get better mileage. I can tell you that it would be hard to go back to a gas unit now.
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Old 11-18-2015, 06:29 AM   #16
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Having owned both no comparison - the guy who says a gasser rides just the same is delusional

Main issue is that you want to fulltime - DP has much more storage space which you will sorely need -

If you can not afford a new DP buy a used one
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Old 11-18-2015, 11:21 AM   #17
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Having owned both no comparison - the guy who says a gasser rides just the same is delusional

Main issue is that you want to fulltime - DP has much more storage space which you will sorely need -

If you can not afford a new DP buy a used one

ABSOLUTELY true!! I completely agree with everything you said and you're 1000% correct. We've owned both and they were both 15's and there just isn't a comparison. Our 36G DP does everything better than our 35F gasser did, EVERYTHING. It's faster, smoother & handling is 100% better. It pulls my trailer like it's not there. I'll hit a hill at 65pmh with the trailer and I'll be doing at worst 55 at the top. It downshifts from 6th to 5th and you don't hear or feel it and it just motors along right up the hill. With the gasser I'd be doing 65 and it would downshift from 5th to 3rd and scream it guts out and I'd be going 35-40 at the top of the same hills. It drives like my pick up and I really can drive it with one finger. It's very smooth and sorry guy but the brakes were almost a selling point for me. I was using 2 hands to drive it and 2 feet to stop the gasser and now the brakes are so good that they'll scare you by how good they work. The storage is awesome in the DP. We always ended up leaving stuff home because it just wouldn't fit in the underneath compartments and now we've got everything in there and tons of extra room now. That guy needs put the pipe down.....
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Old 11-18-2015, 05:34 PM   #18
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why would you say that??? my gas coach rides better ... stops faster, goes faster. pulls the same trailer faster,.. costs less. deprectiates less..cheeper to maintain... cheeper tires,.. cheeper sales tax, cheeper insurance, cheeper lic. plates......ect
I guess you're just a "cheeper" kind of guy...Sorry to have ruffled your feathers.
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Old 11-18-2015, 08:19 PM   #19
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ABSOLUTELY true!! I completely agree with everything you said and you're 1000% correct. We've owned both and they were both 15's and there just isn't a comparison. Our 36G DP does everything better than our 35F gasser did, EVERYTHING. It's faster, smoother & handling is 100% better. It pulls my trailer like it's not there. I'll hit a hill at 65pmh with the trailer and I'll be doing at worst 55 at the top. It downshifts from 6th to 5th and you don't hear or feel it and it just motors along right up the hill. With the gasser I'd be doing 65 and it would downshift from 5th to 3rd and scream it guts out and I'd be going 35-40 at the top of the same hills. It drives like my pick up and I really can drive it with one finger. It's very smooth and sorry guy but the brakes were almost a selling point for me. I was using 2 hands to drive it and 2 feet to stop the gasser and now the brakes are so good that they'll scare you by how good they work. The storage is awesome in the DP. We always ended up leaving stuff home because it just wouldn't fit in the underneath compartments and now we've got everything in there and tons of extra room now. That guy needs put the pipe down.....
wanna race


personaly,... i would not buy a 35' motorhome unless it was a diesel pusher... i thought my 30' alegro was too heavy for the gas chassis...
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Old 11-18-2015, 08:23 PM   #20
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dp's have their place...."BIG".... only problem is getting around... we had a 40'
down in huntington on vacation...kid says lets stop at taco bell... by the time I found a place to pull over we needed to call a cab to go there....

the freightliner rides horrible unless it's loaded to max....period...
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