Opinions on Newmar Dutch Star

[rowekmr]

I'm looking at a 1999 Dutch Star with the Cummins 8.3L diesel pusher. It only has 1 owner who has taken care of it through factory or dealerships. It has 150k miles from their full time use for years. They are slowing down and haven't taken it on the road in years but have continually started it and operated its systems.

What should I be concerned with? What is the reputation of the builder? How are Spartan chassis? What about the reputation of the Cummins/Allison combo?

[rowekmr]

Yes they had a difficult time deciding to sell. They were the original owners and this was their house for years so they had emotional attachment. They were family so the dealings were much more informal and the price was GREAT so things started great. The plus is that it has a current ext warranty which helps with the repairs and mitigates big risk (drivetrain) for now but I will pay for most of house repairs.

Yeah this is a project. I hadn't planned on it as much but on the side I work on automotive projects so it's another challenge that I will have to learn and navigate. So far it makes me a much better owner/operator really knowing how the systems work.

I made first family trip and had to deal with leaky tire stem valve, warm refrigerator and a few minor issues but we made it okay and formed some good memories.

I appreciate all the honest input buying an older coach that has been sitting thinking it will be turn key for trips isn't realistic. I luckily have all service records and manuals and the prior owner is a phone call away so this journey isn't that difficult.

timjet wrote:
I hope you got it for a good price. You mentioned that it had been taken care of but the owners have not used it much the last few years. It didn't start so they probably had a hard time making up their minds to sell it and it just sat while they finally realized they were not going to use it. That's not good.
Fix the leak right away, and find out if the water caused other damage.

Did you have the chassis and house inspected? If so you knew the dash air didn't work. That can get expensive but you can live without it as long as the generator and roof ac work.

It sounds like you may have a project rig on your hands. Hope you are OK with that.

[rowekmr]

Thanks! I did make it home safe and in one piece. I have had a TT for 10 years and rented a Class C twice and briefly owned a Class A gasser but this has more systems than I am used to. I have read the chassis guide and the coach guide but there are still some things I am unsure of but with time and asking questions I am sure this process will be fun.

I will take it in this week into a RV dealership the previous owners used locally that will go over my list of issues so hopefully it will be vacation ready by the end of the month.

DiskDoctr wrote:

rowekmr wrote:
Thanks everyone for their info and suggestions. I got the motorhome and made a 1100 trip home only had to make some adjustments for the alternator inop. I am not learning about the systems and trying to clean it up for the season!

Congratulations!!!

You made it home, a few bumps, and you are now on an exciting new journey!

IMHO, you made it through the "biggest" hurdle- will it run and drive reliably? check 🙂

I would first concentrate on the "don't get stranded" stuff and "don't get more damaged" things like the roof, water leaks, electrical shorts, etc.

THEN, after you get all that boring stuff done, you can get started putting shag carpeting on the ceiling 😛 LOL.

How about some pics? Keep us updated on your journey and restoration!

Again, Congratulations 🙂

[jplante4]

JC2 wrote:
I'm in agreement with what Doug has said. If I were even remotely considering something that old, "regardless" of who manufactured it, service records would be an absolute necessity before I would even go any further. No records, no deal, no way.

Except with 40 years as and RV dealer, Doug has an oar in the water. The OP is happy with his coach. I read a recent thread about a member who got totally hosed by a dealer. He was not happy.

[DiskDoctr]

rowekmr wrote:
Thanks everyone for their info and suggestions. I got the motorhome and made a 1100 trip home only had to make some adjustments for the alternator inop. I am not learning about the systems and trying to clean it up for the season!

Congratulations!!!

You made it home, a few bumps, and you are now on an exciting new journey!

IMHO, you made it through the "biggest" hurdle- will it run and drive reliably? check 🙂

I would first concentrate on the "don't get stranded" stuff and "don't get more damaged" things like the roof, water leaks, electrical shorts, etc.

THEN, after you get all that boring stuff done, you can get started putting shag carpeting on the ceiling 😛 LOL.

How about some pics? Keep us updated on your journey and restoration!

Again, Congratulations 🙂

[Weldon]

Stands to reason the previous owners took care of incidentals that may have come up over their years of ownership.

[rowekmr]

I can understand that. But my personal perspective is my house was built in the 50's and it's still considered "modern" by local standards. There's homes that were built in the late 1800's in my area and they are valued (more) so to me age wasn't that big a problem in itself.

The service records from new were included and turns out it was covered by Good Sam warranty since they purchased it and it was transferred to me so that was a bonus for the systems coversge.

I guess it boils down to personal preference.

[JC2]

dougrainer wrote:
FULL time use for 18 years is BAD, regardless of mileage, That type RV is almost worthless as far as a fair resale value. The chassis is extremely worn and the Interior Coach RV systems are probably ALL worn out. Think about it. You buy a 18 year old house. Do you not think most of the interior and appliances and roof and such would need to be replaced because they are all at their end of service life cycles. RV's are NOT designed for full time use. While you can use them for that, they are not designed for it. As Winnebago's older owners manual stated "This is a Recreational Vehicle, and not designed for 24/7-365 use. Systems are designed for recreational use". So, I would take what value it has and drop it over 50 percent. Just because it is a 1 owner does not mean that it is not worn out. The fact that they drove over 10k a year shows the wear and tear from being on the road. Doug

I'm in agreement with what Doug has said. If I were even remotely considering something that old, "regardless" of who manufactured it, service records would be an absolute necessity before I would even go any further. No records, no deal, no way.

[rowekmr]

Thanks everyone for their info and suggestions. I got the motorhome and made a 1100 trip home only had to make some adjustments for the alternator inop. I am not learning about the systems and trying to clean it up for the season!

[Snomas]

My coach is 15 yrs old (105K Mi) and I have replaced many things in last few years. New roof, New A/C's, New paint, new shocks, muffler, high pressure fuel pump, lift pump, turbocharger, exhaust muffler, hydraulic pump, all heater hoses replaced, dash A/C replaced, etc. Getting new tires next week. We have used it only for about 3 months a year over its life. PM me if you are interested to buy!

[Bruce_Brown]

Any chance (good chance?) the cracked skylight is the cause of the leak?

The good news is delamination shouldn't be an issue.

[timjet]

I hope you got it for a good price. You mentioned that it had been taken care of but the owners have not used it much the last few years. It didn't start so they probably had a hard time making up their minds to sell it and it just sat while they finally realized they were not going to use it. That's not good.
Fix the leak right away, and find out if the water caused other damage.

Did you have the chassis and house inspected? If so you knew the dash air didn't work. That can get expensive but you can live without it as long as the generator and roof ac work.

It sounds like you may have a project rig on your hands. Hope you are OK with that.

[rowekmr]

Went to pick it up and a few hours into the journey noticed the battery low voltage (another thread) long story short did some make shift repair and got it 1100 miles home with no other issues. The sky light is cracked, dash air inop, and some more odds and ends that will need to be taken care of. Oh and there is signs of water leak from roof so that will be an immediate concern. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.

[rowekmr]

I found a mobile mechanic who quickly diagnosed the no start as 2 fuses blown from the installation of the new engine batteries. He replaced those and checked the suspension, tires, brakes and fluids/filters and gave it a good bill of health. I am happy at the outcome but know there could be some more things that will need attention.

[Blaster_Man]

Dutch Star is a great coach...but is a bit old for what I would look for.