2003 Newell to buy-Need advice on stuff

2003 Newell to buy-Need advice on stuff - Printable Version

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2003 Newell to buy-Need advice on stuff - tomgauger - 07-26-2021

We've been looking for five years for the perfect Newell. Ideally with mid-entry and a Murphy bed...and affordable for us. Yesterday we spent 90 minutes with the owner couple of a 2003. I'm not going to divulge the coach # at this point as I don't want a problem with the owners.
The coach looks clean and was nicely detailed. Mid-entry but standard queen bed. The coach has newer tires and batteries and some of the airbags have been replaced. Two new-in-a-box bags are stored in a bay.
This Newell is the only one I know about that spent time at a Camping World facility where the inverter was initially replaced with a 24v unit which fried some stuff. The remote control panel of the new Xantrex did not fit the panel over the driver's seat. So they jammed it in and left two pieces of the old unit cracked and in place. Looks awful. When he mentioned Camping World I was astonished.
With all four AC compressors running, powered by the gen set, the temperature and humidity never reached a comfortable level during our 90-minute visit. It was 94 outside and very humid. Outside, condensate was running off the sides of the coach. The owner didn't know the drain tube location(s). Can anyone help me with this?
The refrigerator was not working although the interior light was on. Can its compressor be replaced without removing it from the coach?
I ran a CarFax which reported damage in a collision in 2009. The owners said they weren't aware of an accidents involving this Newell as they didn't own the coach at that time. Does this materially affect the value of the coach?
Impossible to read any labeling on switch panels...aren't they supposed to be backlit?
There wasn't time during this visit to get demonstrations of the AquaHot Diesel & AC, hot & cold water system, black & grey tank dump valve operation, awnings, washer & dryer, etc
The Detroit Diesel ran without smoke and sounded great. Genset functioned perfectly, both legs reported at 122v. The power draw was 20 amps on each leg which seemed right with four ACs running.
The two rear slides functioned briskly. These have the carrier covers that must be re-positioned before operating). The front slides were already out and I should have gotten a demo...but again, out of time on this visit.
I would greatly appreciate comment from the wise owls here about what I've learned. I'd not wanted to buy a pre-2004 coach, but this one is nearby and looks pretty good, inside and out.
Thanks!

RE: 2003 Newell to buy - Mhcorrigan - 07-26-2021

Why would anyone take a Newell to Camping World for anything is a mystery. My experience with them is they could not fix a lawnmower much less a Newell. If you have to take it to Newell for the electrical fix, it’s going to be extremely costly to repair. My thoughts would be to pass on this one and keep looking.

RE: 2003 Newell to buy - tomgauger - 07-26-2021

I'm inclined to agree. But will dig a little further.
Thanks for the comment.

RE: 2003 Newell to buy-Need advice on stuff - hbens - 07-26-2021

Tom,
If you have the coach number you can call Newell to see what history they have for parts or service if it was taken there. Reliable service history and believability of the current owners is important. We've walked away from nice looking coaches because these needs weren't met.
The coach we bought had recent history at Newell (about 3 years) and the previous owner was a helicopter pilot who restores them as a hobby too. He understands the importance of doing things right and preventive maintenance.
I would be wary since the demos weren't done on the items you listed. They are all important and can be expensive to fix. You've been looking for 5 years and please take enough time to inspect a coach thoroughly so you don't have buyers remorse later.

RE: 2003 Newell to buy-Need advice on stuff - MrE - 07-26-2021

I would find someone qualified to check out the coach thoroughly before I would consider buying. Camping World is a huge red flag! A 2003 Newell is not inexpensive, protect your investment.

RE: 2003 Newell to buy-Need advice on stuff - bestgenman - 07-27-2021

Not much information about the systems posted and I'm not savvy enough to know the equipment on a 2003. However, if you are mechanically and electrically comfortable to repair yourself, and depending on the price , it may be a good buy. I've always said, "if I couldn't fix my Newell, I couldn't afford to own it". This site is a godsend and a wealth of information (Thanks Tom). There are a number of us who will tackle about anything that needs repaired or replaced. These machines are complex in that they are filled with many different systems but as individual pieces, not too complex.

It's all about how comfortable you are maintaining and repairing or how deep your pockets are! And, I agree, the 2004 would be nice!

RE: 2003 Newell to buy-Need advice on stuff - Richard - 07-27-2021

Tom,

Go back and take your time going through the coach. List what you find. Fried some stuff is enough info to make any input upon.

If you will make the list of what you find that is inop, then the forum can give you a good idea of what it will take to repair it.

And in addition, I could not agree with Tom and Gordon more, I would not want to spend what it takes to keep my coach at the level I do unless I was doing the work. None of us started out as Newell whiz kids, but years of hands on fixing Newell stuff has taught us a lot. But you have to have the desire to learn, and learn by doing to be a happy and financially solvent used Newell owner.

I usually recommend that a potential buyer have 20k of additional mad money to put into a new to them coach. Maybe more if it needs tires and batteries.

RE: 2003 Newell to buy-Need advice on stuff - rundlc - 08-02-2021

I can attest to what all have said, before I left Florida with mine i knew the bill would come for tires but could not see making that trip to California on old tires. At a cost of 5700.00 they weren't cheap. I like most of the guys on here prefer to fix things myself if at all possible. Be aware there are a lot of systems in these coaches and I wished I knew half the stuff that most gurus know. Take your time and check everything you possibly can, and then check again cause you will miss something.

If at all possible take a Newell guy with you.