"Should I buy a gas or diesel campervan?" It's the ageold question that I dive into in this week's video.

** More information about this video **
In the campervan class b world we've got two choices of fuel to move our vans down the highway: gas or diesel but which one's better and how do you choose? The gas fan boys will tell you gas is the better option because it's cheaper; you can fill up anywhere; it's less of a headache not having to worry about DEF (diesel exhaust fluid). The diesel fans girls will tell you diesel if better because it's cheaper; you get better miles per gallon (mpg) which means you can go further without filling up; and there's less headaches since you don't have to worry about tuneups.

So which side do you believe? One way to cut through all the static is to simplify things. Let's get one thing out of the way first: Total Cost of Ownership (TOC). Many arguments on both sides of the issue focus on cost: which one is cheaper for you in the long run. It turn out that in the long run it's about even. Gas is cheaper at the pump but diesel has a higher mpg. Diesel engines don't deal with things like spark plugs, timing belts, overhead cams and don't require tuneups. Gas engines don't have diesel particle filters that need to be replaced. A toss up in the long run across the board so we can relatively safely say that both are about even.

That leaves us with just some convenience questions about gas and diesel: Do you mind filling up more often? Do you mind driving a bit further to fill up? Can you use things like Voltstart and underhood generators with less worry? Answering these questions will tell you a lot about whether gas or diesel is right for you?

Plus there's all the questions surrounding diesel now with VW's dieselgate and now Mercedes looks like it may have been trying to cheat the EPA's tests with their diesel cars. How are these news stories going to affect public opinion and policy around diesel moving forward?

My opinion is this: If you're looking to buy now and you just want a Mercedes based campervan then you'll have to go with diesel. Mercedes only makes the Sprinter chassis as a diesel today. For everyone else you should probably just get a gas powered campervan. They're cheaper to purchase and more convenient. If you really want a Mercedes and are willing to wait until the coach builders build on the 2019 gas chassis then I'd wait.

** Links **
https://www.edmunds.com/fueleconomy/...

https://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/DigitalA...

http://www.thedieseldriver.com/2012/1...

https://blog.schneiderelectric.com/o...

http://www.rversonline.org/ArtGasDies...