10-13-2018, 05:15 AM
Hi Charlie,
A bit late to the discussion but have just finished a 4 month journey through out the West with my new used Newell (2008) and here are what I think matters. I spend most of my time alone with my small dog and we travel allot. We also spend time on my sailboat so small spaces are not new to us. Even so I find full timing can be tiresome especially in a small coach. I chose the 45" 4 slide Newell because you will feel at home when parked. I have friends who do short jaunts in Sprinter type motorhomes but after a week or two they are kind of cooked. Years ago I had a 40' coach conversion with no slides and its not the same level of livability. You will feel the difference and its a big one after time passes. I tried very hard to find a workable coach in the smaller sizes. Two problems came up. Terrible construction practices and horrible design and execution. Most RV stuff such as ovens, Refers, Water pumps, heater, etc. are built to be very lightweight and inexpensive. You will have problems constantly with those. Much of the equipment put into Newells are worth the price of admission. Sub-Zero refer, Head Hunter toilet absolutely the best toilet I have used, Aqua-Hot very much worth the money. the large rear bathrooms are a very big positive and I enjoy it and the very large shower compared to most other coaches. I was also impressed with the reaction I got from a female friend when viewing the Newell after looking at a series of different Prevost coaches at a local dealer. She loved the Newell layout and finish and not the Prevost. I found that interesting.
For me it came down to the Newell or one of the Prevost conversions. The only Prevost I would consider were the ones still in production which leaves allot of whats out there off the list. Personally, I liked the Liberty and the Newell but realized the Newell had more going for it. The next problem will be finding a used coach you really like. Most of whats available are coaches that are a bit dated and not very appealing. The really nice ones go quickly and the dogs stay around forever. I missed several coaches which sold before I could view them. Spend the time to find the right one because it will cost you a bundle no matter what and you will have a steep learning curve. Be aware that Newell has no schematics or detailed plans for you to go to when trying to figure out a problem. I purchased a used coach from the factory so I could get a couple of years of warrantee and learn the systems. The factory does a very good job in providing phone support even in the middle of a holiday weekend at midnight. You will actually be able to talk with shop people and not phone center workers reading from a script. Even so, you will have allot to learn and some things will not be accessible for repair outside of a shop with proper lifts. I have my coach at the factory now having service and upgrades being done. Finding other shops to do other than simple work is very tough. Mostly they will look at the coach and scratch there heads. Also be careful in thinking you will be able to do everything yourself. Full timing with only the tools you can carry really limits what can be done. These coaches are complicated and problems will arise that take time to fix. The ability to be patient and thoughtful with your efforts to effect repairs yourself is a necessity. The factory has offered me good support but when I'm 2000 miles away in a place with little help available it will take time.
The last bit of advice I can give you is you will need a toad and preferably one that will do more then just move you around. I have a full size 4x4 Silverado and it has performed well in that it carries additional items can fetch food, gas and water but it is big and heavy. You won't know your even towing a full sized pick up from how the coach drives but it is now longer than some states allow. I understand California will ticket over length rigs but most other states don't seem to care. As I drive by myself that could be a problem. I'm thinking about finding a smaller toad. You also will need to prepare your journey in detail ahead of time. I use a GPS with the trucking data base built in and it has kept me off roads with low or under capacity bridges. Remember these coaches are tall and very heavy.
If I had my druthers I would like a shorter Newell. A few were made in the 40' range but hard to find. Having had the steering tag axel I would not have a full size coach without one. It got me out of many tight spots my older 40' unit would have had real problems with. I stayed in about 30 RV parks and camps this summer and had no problems other than overhead branches that needed to be trimmed. I now carry a tree saw.
Oh, did I mention the part about having a pile of money? No? well you will...
Best of luck.
Mike
A bit late to the discussion but have just finished a 4 month journey through out the West with my new used Newell (2008) and here are what I think matters. I spend most of my time alone with my small dog and we travel allot. We also spend time on my sailboat so small spaces are not new to us. Even so I find full timing can be tiresome especially in a small coach. I chose the 45" 4 slide Newell because you will feel at home when parked. I have friends who do short jaunts in Sprinter type motorhomes but after a week or two they are kind of cooked. Years ago I had a 40' coach conversion with no slides and its not the same level of livability. You will feel the difference and its a big one after time passes. I tried very hard to find a workable coach in the smaller sizes. Two problems came up. Terrible construction practices and horrible design and execution. Most RV stuff such as ovens, Refers, Water pumps, heater, etc. are built to be very lightweight and inexpensive. You will have problems constantly with those. Much of the equipment put into Newells are worth the price of admission. Sub-Zero refer, Head Hunter toilet absolutely the best toilet I have used, Aqua-Hot very much worth the money. the large rear bathrooms are a very big positive and I enjoy it and the very large shower compared to most other coaches. I was also impressed with the reaction I got from a female friend when viewing the Newell after looking at a series of different Prevost coaches at a local dealer. She loved the Newell layout and finish and not the Prevost. I found that interesting.
For me it came down to the Newell or one of the Prevost conversions. The only Prevost I would consider were the ones still in production which leaves allot of whats out there off the list. Personally, I liked the Liberty and the Newell but realized the Newell had more going for it. The next problem will be finding a used coach you really like. Most of whats available are coaches that are a bit dated and not very appealing. The really nice ones go quickly and the dogs stay around forever. I missed several coaches which sold before I could view them. Spend the time to find the right one because it will cost you a bundle no matter what and you will have a steep learning curve. Be aware that Newell has no schematics or detailed plans for you to go to when trying to figure out a problem. I purchased a used coach from the factory so I could get a couple of years of warrantee and learn the systems. The factory does a very good job in providing phone support even in the middle of a holiday weekend at midnight. You will actually be able to talk with shop people and not phone center workers reading from a script. Even so, you will have allot to learn and some things will not be accessible for repair outside of a shop with proper lifts. I have my coach at the factory now having service and upgrades being done. Finding other shops to do other than simple work is very tough. Mostly they will look at the coach and scratch there heads. Also be careful in thinking you will be able to do everything yourself. Full timing with only the tools you can carry really limits what can be done. These coaches are complicated and problems will arise that take time to fix. The ability to be patient and thoughtful with your efforts to effect repairs yourself is a necessity. The factory has offered me good support but when I'm 2000 miles away in a place with little help available it will take time.
The last bit of advice I can give you is you will need a toad and preferably one that will do more then just move you around. I have a full size 4x4 Silverado and it has performed well in that it carries additional items can fetch food, gas and water but it is big and heavy. You won't know your even towing a full sized pick up from how the coach drives but it is now longer than some states allow. I understand California will ticket over length rigs but most other states don't seem to care. As I drive by myself that could be a problem. I'm thinking about finding a smaller toad. You also will need to prepare your journey in detail ahead of time. I use a GPS with the trucking data base built in and it has kept me off roads with low or under capacity bridges. Remember these coaches are tall and very heavy.
If I had my druthers I would like a shorter Newell. A few were made in the 40' range but hard to find. Having had the steering tag axel I would not have a full size coach without one. It got me out of many tight spots my older 40' unit would have had real problems with. I stayed in about 30 RV parks and camps this summer and had no problems other than overhead branches that needed to be trimmed. I now carry a tree saw.
Oh, did I mention the part about having a pile of money? No? well you will...
Best of luck.
Mike
2008 Newell #1223 4 slide, Cat C15 with ZF 12 spd, 2004 Chevy Silverado 4x4 Duramax 6.6