A used Newell, what do you think?

[Foodsman]

I'd like your thoughts on the Newell's from lets say 2002 to 2006? Would you consider an 8 to 12 years old Newell ?

American builds a great coach with its Eagle and Heritage brands and Entegra has the Cornerstone, all top of the line coaches. And I know you can buy a newer one of them for the same money as an older Newell.

My question is... is the build of the Newell so much better so that it is a viable consideration over the other newer rigs mentioned above?

I'm probably asking the question poorly and I apologize for that. I know a Newell is a beautiful coach but would you choose one 8 to 12 years old with the expectation of it going another 20 years?

Thank you for your help and wisdom...

[Joatha]

Bikeboy57 wrote:
Wow, ten pages of conversation.

Would you like to hear from someone who has owned used Newells for 8 years?

First, join newellgurus.com and ask your specific questions. You'll get answers from people who actually own them.

Second, none of that crowd "drank the koolaid", they will give you the good bad and the ugly.

The used Newells tend to attract owners are somewhat technically inclined. Most of the owners of the older coaches were employed in technical professions. They were attracted to the simple but elegant engineering beneath the skin.

How do they hold up? My current coach is a 99. Many think it is almost new. Do things need fixin? You better believe it, and anyone who owns a motorhome that says otherwise is not realistic.

The Newells in the age range you quoted do not contain proprietary systems or hardware. The underpinnings and engine are serviced by any competent big truck shop. The electricals and plumbing are first class but can be repaired with a visit to Lowes. Appliances are appliances.

So what makes them a good buy. One is the enclosed truss chassis with aluminum skin as the exoskeleton. Ride in one. Listen for rattles and squeaks. The coach simply does not flex like others built on a raised rail chassis. The second is the factory. They treat you like a king. No matter if yours is one year old or twenty years old. It is an experience like no other I have had. The third, and this is true for other brands as well, is the informal support network at newellgurus.com. Having a group with specific knowledge of your coach is a welcome resource when you want to repair something.

I am not trying to talk you into it or out of it. I think there are other very worthy contenders in the used high end market. Prevost, Foretravel, and certain other brands built on a monocoque chassis are great choices.

200 to 300k will buy a WHOLE lot of coach these days if you don't need the security of a factory warranty.

Ha! I could've made an identical post about Wanderlodge (except sub in the Wanderlodge Owner's Group instead of Newell Gurus). To be honest, I would've been just as happy with a Newell when I bought my Bird. The reason I went with a Wanderlodge were two-fold.

First, there are more 40' versions available (which was my upper limit on size). Second, the price of a Wanderlodge relative to a Newell is a good bit less for the same year. I think that's mostly because of Wanderlodge no longer being in business.

Service isn't an issue as there are a bunch of great places that know the Wanderlodges and I have not had any issue getting mine serviced. I even found a local guy that services a few others. Parliament Motorcoach in the Tampa area owns the IP for Wanderlodge and you can call them up and get the schematics for any coach made. None of the guys on the Wanderlodge site have ever had much issue getting their Birds worked on - even the ones from the 70's and 80's.

[RayChez]

I went around an older Newell coming up the hill from Laughlin, Nevada yesterday and he was going real slow up the hill. Maybe doing about 15 mph towing a enclosed trailer.

[bshpilot]

i noticed that Motorhomes of Texas had several pre-owned Newell's in their inventory.

http://motorhomesoftexas.com/c#/coachesrv/all/default/all/all/all

[folivier]

You can usually tell a bath and a half Newell from the windows. In the very rear of the coach on the passenger side if there is a small window it's probably a 1-1/2 bath. My '98 doesn't have that window and is a mid walk through bath.
Oh and there are a few mid-entry Newells with a window in the door. Just not very common. Like Clarke said they are all custom built.
Yes they are heavy, we full-time in a 45' 2 slide 1998 and carry more than we probably should. We still have about 1000# carrying capacity and a 10,000# towing capacity.
Newells are built to a different standard than most other motorhomes.
The best way to tell the year is from the front end design. Like others said check out newellgurus.com there is quite a bit of info there.

[Foodsman]

Hi Bikeboy57 and Clarkehock ,

As Newell owners it's great to get your perspectives and I thank you for joining into the conversation. I never thought about each Newell being unique to its owner, thats pretty special in itself!

My interest is in a bath and a half and I've found it difficult to tell from many of the right ups which is which. Some show it straight out and others you can only tell by the pictures and even then you can't tell for sure!

Is there a way, other than Vin# to know the year of any given Newell? I would have bet money the Newell I saw last week was a new coach and it was a 99.

Something I've heard a lot on the forum is "Newell's are too heavy". Is that something important to consider or not that important?

Thanks again,

Harry

[clarkehock]

Just fixed my signature....didn't realize it still showed my 1987 Tioga.....lol.

[Mr_Mark1]

Clarke, why don't you add your Newell to your signature? Good post by the way.

MM.

[clarkehock]

One thing I believe is missing from the conversation regarding Newell's specifically is that there is no set floor plan. The interior of every single Newell is different. The interior is determined by the person having the coach built. Being a Newell owner, and counting many Newell owners as friends, I have seen the interiors of a lot of Newells ranging from 1978 up to 2013. Some are quite over the top, and some are quite plain inside. It really depends on the taste of the one who ordered the original coach. As these coaches move in to the "pre-owned" market the interiors are sometimes modified to suit the taste of the current owner. Personally I own a 1982 Newell which I purchased in 2008. It is a shorter Newell by comparison most of its vintage at 36'. Most built in the 80's were 38-40+ footers. When I purchased my Newell it had 103,000 miles on the odometer. It now has 148,000. In that time I have only had one major repair......I had to replace the gear driven water pump. I found a replacement water pump on eBay for $89, and installed it myself. The major expense was replacing 23 gallons of coolant ($240). Other than that it has just been periodic preventative maintenance....oil changes, air filters, tires, etc. I replaced the old CRT TV's with flat screen LCD's, the carpet with wood flooring, removed the couch, etc. There have never been any roof leaks. There are no rattles as you float down the highway. My 6V92 gets around 6 to 6.5 mpg. I pull a 26' enclosed car hauler trailer. We have been living and traveling full time in our coach since February of 2011. The Newell stands up to full time living, and everyone who has seen the exterior and interior of our coach is amazed at how well it is wearing. Will we ever put 1,000,000 miles on it? Of course not. Am I glad every single day I have a million mile chassis? You bet!

[bogeygolfer]

MrMudstud wrote:
I looked at the Foretravel real hard. Considering getting one a few yrs old mainly because the factory is still in operation and can get work done if needed. Besides being a quality coach, what I don’t like is that there is not much outside storage unless you get greater than 40’ model. Yes, it is easy to work on the components being in the outside cabinets, but you lose a lot of storage. My RV has a lot of storage, and I would lose space if I would get a Foretravel. Now, I’m looking at a Allegro Bus which is not as high end, but still a nice coach and can get serviced at the plant if needed.

Huh?

[Bikeboy57]

Wow, ten pages of conversation.

Would you like to hear from someone who has owned used Newells for 8 years?

First, join newellgurus.com and ask your specific questions. You'll get answers from people who actually own them.

Second, none of that crowd "drank the koolaid", they will give you the good bad and the ugly.

The used Newells tend to attract owners are somewhat technically inclined. Most of the owners of the older coaches were employed in technical professions. They were attracted to the simple but elegant engineering beneath the skin.

How do they hold up? My current coach is a 99. Many think it is almost new. Do things need fixin? You better believe it, and anyone who owns a motorhome that says otherwise is not realistic.

The Newells in the age range you quoted do not contain proprietary systems or hardware. The underpinnings and engine are serviced by any competent big truck shop. The electricals and plumbing are first class but can be repaired with a visit to Lowes. Appliances are appliances.

So what makes them a good buy. One is the enclosed truss chassis with aluminum skin as the exoskeleton. Ride in one. Listen for rattles and squeaks. The coach simply does not flex like others built on a raised rail chassis. The second is the factory. They treat you like a king. No matter if yours is one year old or twenty years old. It is an experience like no other I have had. The third, and this is true for other brands as well, is the informal support network at newellgurus.com. Having a group with specific knowledge of your coach is a welcome resource when you want to repair something.

I am not trying to talk you into it or out of it. I think there are other very worthy contenders in the used high end market. Prevost, Foretravel, and certain other brands built on a monocoque chassis are great choices.

200 to 300k will buy a WHOLE lot of coach these days if you don't need the security of a factory warranty.

[MrMudstud]

I looked at the Foretravel real hard. Considering getting one a few yrs old mainly because the factory is still in operation and can get work done if needed. Besides being a quality coach, what I don’t like is that there is not much outside storage unless you get greater than 40’ model. Yes, it is easy to work on the components being in the outside cabinets, but you lose a lot of storage. My RV has a lot of storage, and I would lose space if I would get a Foretravel. Now, I’m looking at a Allegro Bus which is not as high end, but still a nice coach and can get serviced at the plant if needed.

[RayChez]

JetAonly wrote:
My MH has a mid door entry. It is opposite the fuel tank, so little storage it lost. I like the living room feeling that the front of the MH has. We also have no wind noise from door. It also makes the dining area feel like a dining area rather than more seating with a table in front. I don't like how it breaks up the wall and it is a bit narrower than a front entry door.

I have seen a Newell with a mid entry that has a angled/spiral mid entry…wow, very snazzy!

Well that goes to show us all that every mind is a world of its own. I used to have a side door half way down my coach and now I have the entry door in the front. I prefer the front entrance a lot better, goes straight to the living room, then dining area surrounded by the kitchen, big bathroom and bedroom. That is the floor plan that I liked. But I never did like on my other coach that hole half way down the coach. If you did not close the slide a person could actually trip and fall into the hole.

[sailor_lou]

I always liked the mid door design because it keeps the cabin entrance in the middle of the awning and out of the weather. I don't care too much about the loss of some basement storage, but do see a down side in that the passenger side slide is shorter. I guess that's why there are so many floor options, different strokes for different folks.

Lou
05 Travel Supreme Envoy

[JimM68]

I miss the mid entry and drivers side door of our old pace arrow. Before we bought this coach, my dream coach was a 1999 foretravel GV320, and yup, it had a mid door

[Peralko]

In our vintage coach, you could choose either a mid-door or a front door with the floor plans they offered. I have only seen one Country Coach with a mid-door, so it was obviously not a popular option, and after a few years Country Coach dropped the mid-door option. Other manufacturers went the same way. For some reason Newell stayed with the mid-door--it is all personal preference.