Newmar quality

[dmatt]

Our search for out next RV has expanded to the smaller Class A gas models.....30-31'

We have seen Winnebago, Jayco and Forest River models because there are dealers nearby. I have read numerous forums, etc about these brands and think I have a good handle on their quality.

But, I just found a small dealer nearby that carries Newmar Bay Sta and Canyon Star. I know almost nothing about this brand. I have read that they are upper level quality, in line with Tiffin. Would you say they are above Winnebago? I would appreciate any input, experience, ownership thoughts. Thanks

[cruz-in]

"1st consideration is the wheelbase to length ratio. If it's less than 55% it won't handle well - period, and can't be made to."

Be careful of absolute statements like this....

We own a Monaco Vesta. It is a full air bagged, air braked, front engine diesel. it was designed and tested in a wind tunnel. It is an extremely good driving MH (read the reviews) and its ratio is 54%.

[Mile_High]

PastorCharlie wrote:
Newmars are built by Amish craftsmen.. Our 38' Newmar stays comfortably cool/warm with only the dash A/C or dash heater running while traveling throughout the USA. Very well insulated. All the cabinets are as top quality as in any home. Very quiet and smooth ride. The 3 slides are electric and all have locking devises when closed. The 2 heat pumps keep it very warm/cool in all weather conditions with its 7' ceilings. Very seldom have to run furnace. All bays open from side to side and are heated. The large bay carries the 22.5 spare and has enough room for 3-4 more.

Hopefully different Amish Craftsman than the ones in Elkhart Indiana as claimed by every trailer manufacturer 🙂

[fortytwo]

1st consideration is the wheelbase to length ratio. If it's less than 55% it won't handle well - period, and can't be made to. All manufacturers make several "grades" of MH. The shorter ones tend to be "recreational" price point - and construction quality. Suitable for weekends and vacations. Not so good for extended use: snowbird or full time. One A/C is a noise problem. With two you can run front when occupying the rear and vice versa. When it's really hot two are available. Our single air also cycles one degree above and below the setpoint. We are too cold or too hot 2/3 of the time.

The engineers and management at Winnebago mostly have zero experience as RV'ers. It shows! In my opinion quality of construction of larger gassers is pretty similar. Go for the floor plan. Appliances are identical third party sourced. Not sure whether it's that folks who pay 500k up are pickier, or that the bling creates greater construction and maintenance issues, but they seem to require a lot of shop time.

This is my 53rd year as an RV owner. Have owned the spectrum from camper to full time rigs. My experience is generally you get what you pay for - at any length. I've seen lemons at every level. And, if your out of town, under warranty, living in it full time, your black tank is full and the toilet valve fails plan on a DIY project!

[PastorCharlie]

Newmars are built by Amish craftsmen.. Our 38' Newmar stays comfortably cool/warm with only the dash A/C or dash heater running while traveling throughout the USA. Very well insulated. All the cabinets are as top quality as in any home. Very quiet and smooth ride. The 3 slides are electric and all have locking devises when closed. The 2 heat pumps keep it very warm/cool in all weather conditions with its 7' ceilings. Very seldom have to run furnace. All bays open from side to side and are heated. The large bay carries the 22.5 spare and has enough room for 3-4 more.

[Mile_High]

We have been really happy with our Winnebago and how the company was founded and operated, but we would also look at Tiffen and Newmar if looking again. I just makes sense to look at all three.

[Mondooker]

Newmar, Tiffin and Winnebago are on top of the class A world, especially in gassers. I give Newmar and Tiffin a couple points above because they are family owned and the families are heavily involved in the day to day building process. They also have a strong reputation for standing behind their product.

[2gypsies1]

There's a video out there somewhere that shows the difference between the assembly process of Newmar vs a Jayco, I believe. The Jayco was assembled with a stapler in a day. The Newmar took many, many days and not stapled together.

[jarata1]

I have a 2010 bay star tons better then those other cheap brands your looking at

[Chris_Bryant]

This is strictly anecdotal, but I have heard that Newmarket treats their employees well, including pay. That makes a huge difference in the quality of the entire range.

[imgoin4it]

Over the years have had 3 winnebagos. Two gas and one diesel pusher. The gas ones were pretty good, the diesel was terrible. I think I just got a lemon and Winnebago was still doing warranty work at the five year mark when I traded for a Newmar product. Under the circumstances Winnebago was great and I doubt that Newmar would still be doing warranty work at 5 years, but the Newmar is head and shoulder better than that winny which buy the way I never found another Winnebago with that many continuing problems and I probably ask at least 100 people with the same coach.

[jplante4]

The boss traded his Storm for a Bay Star Sport this winter. He said the difference was night a d day. The full side slide makes his 29 footer look more like 35 feet.

[Tom_Barb]

s N s wrote:
It surely wouldn't hurt to give them a look. We may be a bit prejudice but we love our Mountain Aire. Quality and workmanship is right at the top of the scale. JMHO

Times 2,,, our Newmar has taken every beating we gave it and came back for more.

Just remember they are a big machine, things brake, things wear out, but the coach work on our mountain aire is flawless, real wood, fit and finish perfect. our coach is near 18 years old, we have never had even a cabinet hardware failure.

As for the smaller entry level coaches, I'd expect the same quality. But remember, you get a much better dollar value in a higher end used coach.

[azdryheat]

Yes, Newmar is above Winnebago and all the others.

[wildtoad]

We really like the fit and finish of our Bay Star Sport very much, and would buy it again even with some of the issues we had when we first got it. We looked at similar units from Winnebago, Thor, and a few others and the Newmar was much more impressive. They are not perfect but do a great job of customer service and will fix whatever needs fixing.

We only have one AC unit, and that is all we could get in it. (I tried). But we mostly camp in areas that have shade such as state parks, some older CG’s that have trees. It has worked well. Newmar does better than most in the ducting in that they have return ducts just about every where they have out put ducts so heat from every area is removed. The AC was not able to keep up when we were out west in June where most of the CG’s were shameless and it was hot as hades. We did start using some reflextic in the windows and it help a lot. But as above, if your unit can support a second unit, get it.

[scbwr]

We've only had our 2012 Newmar Bay Star for a few months, but one of the reasons we narrowed our search to Newmar, Tiffin and Winnebago/Itasca motorhomes was their quality. I don't know if I would say that Newmar is better than Winnebago. The answer may depend on what options are installed.

There are a few things I can say about our Bay Star. First of all, the wall construction makes for a very quiet interior i.e. outside sounds are pretty well muffled. Secondly, the double pane windows are a plus and will be appreciated when we are in colder weather. The cabinet work is first class. We were lucky to find a unit with the 7500 watt Onan generator and it's a joy to be able to run the generator and not worry about whether one or two ACs are running at the same time as the microwave.

That being said, I'm sure that we could have been very happy with a comparable Tiffen or Winnebago motorhome. Consider going to something in the 32-34' range as the shorter 29' and 30' motorhomes have a reputation for not handling as well as longer units. Do some research on the Jayco motorhomes....one of their shorter models has a poor reputation for driveability. I will say that Winnebago does a great job with the layout of their cabinets (kitchen and bedroom) and some models have more counter space than Newmar when you are looking at 29-34' motorhomes.

Finally, if looking for used, consider what modifications have been made to the chassis. Our Newmar had already been fitted with rear tracking bar and Summo springs. Once we replaced the tires and inflated properly and had the front end aligned, it rides pretty well on the highway and I don't have any issues with it being tiring to drive, unstable, etc.

Final point: Make sure you buy a motorhome with 2 AC units, especially with a motorhome that has a darker paint scheme. Our brown box really draws the heat and if I had a choice, I would rather have a white exterior with contrasting trim. Although we could probably squeak by with on AC unit, when it's hot, humid and sunny, we really need to run both AC units during the day. At night, we can usually turn off the rear AC unit and benefit from less AC noise.