Hi all--I WANT A BARTH! Need your help in trying to decide. Own an SOB gasser and have only owned diesel cars in the past. Considering purchase of a diesel Barth and trying to decide on which one of four that I have found so far. All have the 5.9 Cummins. I am leaning towards a 28' but the others are 30 footers. My questions is with what is happening to the price of diesel, would I be better off staying with gas? What MPG numbers might I expect with this engine? Will the 28' be quicker and give more MPG than the 30 footers? Would appreciate your expertise. Thanks--Charlie T.

It's never been a better time to buy a diesel. Better fuel mileage, better resale value, the 5.9 Cummins can go big miles, so perhaps you will never need to re-power.

If you've owned a diesel car, you are ahead of the game and probably know how to drive a diesel.

If you haven't guessed by now, buy the diesel.

What size Barth? The lowest mileage, best cared for size

I have a '94 28' Breakaway (the prototype for the last 4 known 28's); mine has a GM drivetrain rather than the Cummins/Allison. I average about 12.5 mpg. The Cummins-engined 28's get about the same. Reports from owners of the 30's and 33's indicate they get only slightly less.

While the wheelbase is absurdly short at 146", it's well-mannered on the road, even in serious (25+ mph) crosswinds.

The drawback of the pre-'94 28's is the skimpy basement storage. The drawback of the '94+ 28' is the GM 6.5L TD and the 4L80E. The former is early production and trouble-prone; the latter is strong internally but the torque converter is weak. The '94+ 28's had the floor raised about 10" and the electric panel moved inside, so has about 3X the basement storage.

The 30' Breakaways also are short on basement room, so the extra 2' inside is a real benefit.

Thanks you guys--knew I could count on you for good info!