[Pete and Christy]

Hello All,
Just retired couple looking to sell our house in Washington State and purchase an early 2000's Newell. Plan is to fulltime for 6 to 9 months of the year and spend winters in Puerto Rico. Have been lurking on the site for a couple of months. Finally feel close enough to purchasing to register with you all.

[Jonestead]

Welcome aboard. Sounds like quite the plan. This is an amazing resource backed up by an even better group of people.

[hbens]

Welcome Aboard!
Congrats on retirement.

[Richard]

Welcome to the merry band.

Would you mind telling us a bit about yourselves. Things like your mechanical and electrical comfort, have you owned motorhomes, boats, or planes? The more we know about those aspects, the better we can tailor our answers to your questions. Also, why Newell as opposed to another brand or newer coach for the same capital?

I highly recommend that you take the time to read the entire section https://newellgurus.com/index.php

Yes it will take a few hours, and at first some of it may not resonate. But if you are contemplating the purchase of a 2000ish Newell, there is no better collection of real world information.

[Pete and Christy]

Thanks Hank and Arch. And Richard I have been on the site as a guest quite a bit for the last few months. Have read through the things to look for when buying section and Michael's history section. Have spent time as well on the Technical and Documentation sections. And of course the coaches for sale section. So I have seen quite a few of your posts. So thanks for reaching out. A little more about my background, I am a retired Biomedical Equipment Technician, maintained patient care medical equipment like ventilators and anesthesia machines. So I am familiar with electronic circuits or pretty much anything electrical. Also my hobby is Autocross or Solo racing and I do all of my own vehicle maintenance other than machine shop work. Am also well versed in the home remodeling arena. Christy and I have remodeled most of the interior of our house at least once. I would say AC service would not be one of my strong suits though. As to why a Newell? After I showed Christy pictures of the interior of Tony's coach 646 in Mesa that was the end of that. Research has just solidified our choice. We currently own a 28 ft travel trailer and have found we really enjoy the RV lifestyle. I am a military brat and have seen quite a bit of the US. Christy not so much so we are looking forward to starting our retirement adventure wandering the country. And finally, the existence of this forum is one of the things giving me the confidence to purchase such a complex piece of engineering. This forum seems extremely welcoming and willing to help.

[Richard]

Thank you for the detailed background. You will find many brothers from another mother on this forum. This forum exists so that we can help one another. You will use all those skills and develop more in the care and feeding of a Newell. The happiest owners I know do a lot of their own work, understand it’s closer to a spaceship than a Honda, and view the maintenance journey as a hobby not a chore.

[encantotom]

Welcome

I know Tony's coach and it's previous owner

Very nice

Tom

[Tony Van Helden]

Thanks for the positive comment, Tom!  The coach is available at Cassonnes RV in Mesa, Az.
Tony

[Jack Houpe]

Welcome from another gearhead on the forum there are many of us who love the challenge of fixing something and making it better in the long run.