Newmar versus Tiffin

I'd call Newmar's 1800 number see what's up.

Mike, the most important service will be the facility that services your chassis. A year will go by pretty fast for the 'house' items. The appliances will have their own warranty's. A 'house' issue most likely will not be a show stopper, a chassis issue could be.

Which ever way you decide to go, the chassis service center would cause me to lean towards one over the other. And, it could be they have the same chassis.

MM.

Mr. Mark... Thanks... Both use Freight Liner chassis. I agree the chassis is the bulk of the major concern. My understanding if you get into trouble, you call Tiffin and they "white glove" you to the right people. Not sure about Newmar.

I'm basically looking for folks that have had support dealings (good or bad) with Newmar and what they thought.

Thanks again
Mike

I have a 2008 Newman and have not had any issues except the refr had a recall and that was corrected under warranty by a mobile mechanic that came to my home and did the repair.. I did have some upgrades done by a couple of non-Newmar dealers and they are very satisfactory.

Of course Newmar would be responsible for warranty issues.

We too have had excellent support from Newmar. In fact, rather than go to a local dealer, we just returned from a trip that included a stop at the Newmar facility in Napannee, IN. Like Tiffin they have full hookup sites for you while you are being serviced, and they exceeded all of my expectations while there. I to think the Dutch Star is a higher grade coach than the Phaeton, but both are nice motorhomes. Having been an engineer in a previous life, when I get "into" the motorhome, I am VERY impressed with the engineering of our Newmar, which is the lowest cost diesel that Newmar makes. It has some features that our previous Revolution LE didn't have.

If I were in your shoes, I would probably get the motorhome that has the floorplan and amenities in it that you like the best. You can't really go wrong with either manufacturer.

Ed Headington

I have mixed emotions on the two. First, I don't know if you're comparing apples to apples. The Dutch Star is the equivalent to the Allegro Bus, not the Phaeton.

"Mr.Mark" brought up a good point regarding a chassis shop near you as being an important factor.

I have a new Newmar 4018. I'm a DIY guy and prefer never to take it back to the dealer. Since our purchase in January, it had a bad dash blower fan (was bad at delivery) was missing two screw caps, the front door MCD shade was not wide enough (in my opinion) and I had a check engine light twice and a noisy front door.

The dealer knew I wanted to do my own repairs and handed me a new blower fan. I called Newmar direct and told them I didn't like the width of the standard front door MCD shade and I was missing two screw caps. They mailed me both.

The check engine light was a Cummins issue with the EGR. They replaced it and I haven't had an issue since. The front door took some adjusting before I got it quiet.

We bought our Newmar off the lot and the only thing we didn't care for was the booth dinette. At purchase, we thought we would try it and see if we could get use to it. We didn't. We called Newmar and they built us the optional buffet and table set up. I went through my dealer for a big reduction in price and they shipped the new set up to my home.

Newmar is great to work with and after reading through the forums, I don't see a lot of people having warranty issues and is why you're not reading much about it.

We just looked at the 2015 Allegro Bus at the FMCA rally. It was a nice coach, but I personally have issues with either the Phaeton or Allegro Bus in a 40' length on a single axle.

Lastly, my tag axle and Comfort Steer drive like a dream. Many dealers will downplay the Comfort Steer because the can't offer it. We've been in 25 - 40 mph side winds (living out west) and you don't even know they're there.

PM me if you want to ask questions about the 4018.

Stutch wrote:
Hello all!!!

My DW and I are looking into purchasing our 1st Class A. After a tremendous amount of research, we landed on the Tiffin Phaeton 40QBH and the Newmar Dutch Star 4018.

Both have the floor plan we like and the quality we expect. We've been in just about every Tiffin model and a few Newmars. To be blunt, both manufacturers ooze quality. I like the 4018's tag axle, side radiator, size engine, and L-shape sofa. I like Tiffin's options and cabinetry, and support reputation.

So, here is the rub!!! We live in Northern New England. There are no Newmar dealers or support anywhere close. In other words, support is important and I cannot get my head around the appearance of maintenance concerns. Tiffin has an incredible reputation but I hear nothing about Newmar's.

Any help would be appreciated...

Thanks
Mike

Try here - http://www.irv2.com/forums/f103/

Also have a look at Entegra here - http://www.entegracoach.com/?gclid=CK6HwpC87LsCFVLxOgod9lwA_w

if you like the Newmars, Entegra is on par with them.

Questions for Entegra can be viewed/asked here - http://www.irv2.com/forums/f278/

Good luck

-paul

Stutch wrote:
Mr. Mark... Thanks... Both use Freight Liner chassis. I agree the chassis is the bulk of the major concern. My understanding if you get into trouble, you call Tiffin and they "white glove" you to the right people. Not sure about Newmar.

I'm basically looking for folks that have had support dealings (good or bad) with Newmar and what they thought.

Thanks again
Mike

Don't want to take a dig at Tiffin, but I can tell you that Newmar has a history of being one of the best out there. When we had our Coach built at TS (Now Entegra) we just had to go with the TS as it just was the perfect fit for us. It was a long hard decision but TS just was the best buy out there, they actually built a custom coach for us. Take a trip down to Nappanee and see the build of Newmar and Entegra and see what you think.

Read and talk all you can but in the end it is the Floorplan and the custom additions that separate the Manufacturers as the warranties are usually covered by the different suppliers.

We talked with Tiffin but they would not make any personal changes in the Factory, so they were out of the equation for us.

With the price of a new Coach today, IMHO a factory visit is something I would always recommend.

Both are really good choices so it will be impossible to make a bad choice.

BOL,

I also think the Dutchstar is more like the Allegrobus and definitely better than Phaeton, because of side radiators and rooftop mounted awnings.

I haven't had a DP and don't really want one but I do know if I wanted one it would be a side radiator. If you need any engine work it is much easier to do with a side radiator than everything through the bottom of your bed.