[hedgecomb]

Let’s try this again as a new thread. (Sorry!)

I purchased my first coach a bit under two years ago, a 2011 Tiffin Allegro RED 38 qba. Over the last two years I've had the opportunity to travel extensively, logging nearly 19k miles. While I've very much enjoyed my experience, it's made me realize there are a number of things I wish were different. But I'm reluctant to put a bunch of money into a coach that doesn't have the "bones" to ever be the experience I'm looking for. And while I never dreamed of being able to own a Newell coach, I have been incredibly impressed with the stories I'm hearing about Newell's being "1.5 million mile coaches." I've was also very impressed that Newell continues to support and be willing to work on older coaches. This is NOT the case with Tiffin that has a strict policy that they will only work on coaches that are less than ten years old. I need to also mention that while my wife is (somewhat reluctantly) coming around to the idea that we own an RV, she is generally someone for whom "getting there" has never been what she gets excited about. She's more of a "let's get to our destination as quickly as possible so we can enjoy what we're going there for." To that end, I believe the superior ride quality of even an older Newell is going to enhance her experience while traveling allowing her to enjoy the journey more. And if she's more comfortable "getting there," there's a great opportunity for her to have some of the experiences I've had while traveling with our sons. 

What I'm looking for?

• A more solid coach that doesn't creak and make noise when driving over anything but the smoothest of surface
  
• A smoother, quieter ride
  
• A coach that isn't under-powered like my current one (340 HP pushing 32k lbs)
  
• A coach that I know isn't going to fall apart around me from the vibration of the road
  
• A coach that will have the space for my wife and I to both be comfortable once we get to our destination
  
• And, ideally, I'd like to be able to find a coach that I can get in the $100-$200k price range and wouldn't require an immediate outlay of more than $20k to get everything working
  
• At the age of 61 and (hopefully) approaching retirement, I'd rather find a coach that I can keep, maintain, and know for the next ten years rather than consider "upgrading" every 3-5 years.I'm thinking that the quality of Newell would allow me to buy something that I can afford now and continue to love and maintain for a decade rather than feeling as though I'm trying to keep something together with chewing gum and bailing wire. 
  

What are my concerns?

• Number one is can a twenty-year-old coach be reliable?
  
• While I would likely plan to go directly to Newell annually for regular maintenance, will I be able be able to find reliable service closer to Atlanta if I need it? (I'm currently struggling with a chassis a/c issue on my Tiffin that despite spending $3,300 with the dealer I purchased it from to replace just about everything, it still isn't blowing cold!) 
  
• Do I have to be concerned about being able to find parts for an older coach?
  
• How prepared do I have to be for major issues?
  
• How much is reasonable to budget annually for regular maintenance and repairs? I feel I'm capable of handling most "house" type repairs but I'm definitely not qualified to do anything with the engine, transmission, slides, etc. 
  

I'm sure there are many things I'm not thinking of that I should be. But I'm just incredibly grateful to see that this community exists and that everyone seems to be so incredibly helpful. Thanks for including me here and I apologize in advance for all the stupid or naive questions I'm sure I'll be asking. Thanks for being patient with me.

Herb

[Fulltiming]

Welcome Herb. Before we get into details, I would direct you to this area of the forum https://newellgurus.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=80

Please read all the threads as it will give you a firm footing based on the person experience of many Newell owners.

[Jack Houpe]

Howdy!

Coaches are like a box of chocolates you never know what your going to get. Me trying to be funny aside most Newells that are in the age range that your talking about can be serviced at any reputable truck service as far as engine and transmission, when it comes to air bags and things like that I would recommend you to research places that are close and judge how far you are willing to drive from Atlanta. I live 50 miles from Newell and never had my coach there not that I don't like them but I try to do everything myself and this forum has been a life saver so if your handy your in the right place the gearheads here are amongst the best when it comes to custom built rolling mansions on wheels. I can't say how prepared you need to be for a major issue all I can say is it happens to all coaches sooner or later, I lost a turbo on my second trip out which set me back 4 days but also my coach had 160k+ miles on it so I think that is a normal type of happening but maybe some other guys will tell you how many miles they have before something catastrophic happened and you may be surprised that many coaches have several hundreds of thousands of miles and still rolling just fine. There are some issues with the early slide coaches that you would want to go to Newell to have repaired unless your willing to take the dive into DIY then again this is the place to be. I was very fortunate to meet some of the top guys and go over my coach and mentally laser etched in my mind every word they said and I feel pretty good about it.

Yes what Michael said!

[Richard]

If you are considering a Newell, I highly suggest you read the entire section on What to consider in a used Newell. Tons of info in there with many of your questions answered in agonizing detail .

I will take a shot at quick answers to your concerns. These replies are MY opinion, and MY opinion only. I am not known for sugar coating issues, so take my comments with a boulder of salt.

Reliability. They are reliable. We just got back from Alaska, almost 10k miles and the only coach issue that sidelined us was a wonky throttle position sensor. That being said, the owner must stay on top of issues, understand how the coach functions, and be able to do basic repairs. After all, it will be a 20 yr motorhome. You would not expect a 20 yr house to be without issues. At 20 yrs, you are going to look hard at air bags, radiator, hoses, and seals. I think there is a widespread misconception that high end platforms such as Prevost and Newell are less trouble as they age. I think the opposite is true. With the fancier and redundant systems there is more to keep maintained. They are not Honda Accords. They require TLC.

Reliable service outside of Miami OK. That will be hit or miss. Mostly miss. Most RV techs have never seen a Newell, much less worked on one. You will have more luck at truck shops for suspension issues and engine concerns. Household AC techs for AC concerns. This forum will be your best resource for keeping a 20 yr Newell in excellent condition.

Parts availability. The front and back end caps, and slide seals are unique to Newell. Everything else is sourced from a truck supply, home improvement store, McMaster Catalog, or a link that an owner has posted here. There is very little that one of the gurus hasn’t found OR found a substitute.

Prepared for major issues? Engine and trans failures are extremely rare, but it’s a machine, anything can happen.

Annual budget, others will chime in with different numbers. I think 20k the first yr which will include tires and batteries, and 10k in subsequent yrs. Maybe more if Newell is your primary shop.


You might help us understand your situation by describing a handful of issues that YOU have fixed on your Tiffin, and a few issues other than the AC that you have had a shop address.

And a general Richard observation. The happiest Newell owners I know are ones who take responsibility for working on their own coach and view it as a hobby, the most unhappy ones are the ones who require a shop, even Newell, to fix every issue. That’s my opinion. I pegged the extremes of the spectrum. We all fall somewhere between the extremes.

You might also want to look at Foretravels and Country Coaches of the early 2000’s. Close to Newell and Prevost in what they deliver, but with less complexity in most cases.

[Jonestead]

Welcome Herb and it seems you've come to the right place.
In addition to the wisdom already shared, perhaps my story will help illustrate/solidify what has been stated.
I bought our Newell in February. The PO (prior owner) lived nearby a Prevost service center, so I had him take it there for chassis inspection and some PM (preventative maintenance) which was mainly fluids/filters. I mention this because most Prevosts serve as commercial buses not private RVs, so a shift in thinking will go along way, think commercial not RV. Pretty much any truck stop/shop can work on drivetrain/suspension.
I flew from Virginia to California to drive home, 4000 miles in 4 days without hesitation, rattle or duct tape, in a 25+ year old coach with 285,000 miles
As stated already, thick commercial truck/bus not Honda accord. With that said, a 10gal oil change is not the same $$ as JiffyLube with a coupon nor is it done every 5k miles, hopefully this makes sense
Most of your "looking for" list is addressed by Newell who overengineers and overbuilds and their craftsmanship is excellent. The fact that they answer the phone 24/7/365 with actual support, kinda illustrates that.
Most of your "concerns" seem to be maintenance/reliability which hopefully has been covered as well
Which leads to your final point of "happy wife, happy life"
Safe travel, enjoy the journey and the destination

[BusNit]

Welcome Herb! I built a pit to help with maintenance items. It has saved me thousands of dollars in getting little things repaired and allowed me to get crazy and detail the underside all while reaching points of lubrication easily. Not many people in my area are willing to work on these without a very large checkbook.

[DK on the road]

My own .02 . I do quite a bit of my own work on my coach. Sometimes I have to do it twice to get it right, but I learn a lot doing it. I have kept some accurate cost accounting, yours may be different since all coaches are different and prior owners may have differed maintenance or neglected a problem. A neglected problem generally creates 2 more problems. That being said, I give you the following.

I bought a 12 yr old coach and was possibly the 4th owner. The last owner did hardly any work on the coach, and the work that was done, was done by the local gas station and most of that work needed to be redone. I tried to pay accordingly for the coach.

Maintenance cost, including, Insurance, tires, batteries, fluid and filter changes (I change more often than recommended, about 1/4 the milage or hrs that Caterpillar recommended). I have put 65K miles in the last 5 years. Newell does some of the bigger work that I'm unsure of, and I catch smaller things as we go. I also assist the Newell guys and I'm an active participant in the repairs. These costs are near $1.00 per mile.

Fuel, will vary with which coach you get and the engine, terrain and speed you drive. I drive, 63 to 67 when permitted, on average. I get about 5.0 MPG with the Cat C15 going over the Sierra's mountains quite often. So, my cost range with fuel prices from .66 to $1.00 per mile.

Depreciation, I have a theory that the coaches drop 8 to 10% per yr, so I write my coach down about $1.00 to $1.50 per mile in value.

All coaches need repair, Repeat ALL coaches. Newells are more advanced and better built, and I believe, are engineered for the long run. I expect to have my coach for another 125K miles based on the above.

Your cost WILL vary.

[hbens]

Welcome Aboard Herb!

I've read every new thread on this forum over the last 3 years. I check almost daily for new posts. Even the ones covering other vintages than ours. It gives me insight to all things Newell.
I do all of the work I can myself. I haven't had to do engine or transmission failure repair yet. Hopefully I wont have to ever. I searched and found a local Detroit listed shop less than 100 miles away. I went and interviewed the service manager and I believe I found someone I can trust. Detroit Diesel has their dealer network on their website. I haven't looked at Alison Transmission yet but expect the same info there.

Every time I've fixed a problem it gave me the knowledge of how stuff works on our coach and I'm more confident I can solve problems (with those systems) on the road in a pinch without serious anxiety.
I spent about $10-15k in the first 2 years getting ours up to snuff. Big ticket items were getting one of my Sub-Zero fridges rebuilt and replacing the basement SCS AC with mini splits. I'm not done with the mini split work yet. Also a bunch of spares and tools were included in this number.
I SWAG $500/month for maintenance not included tires and battery replacement costs. Those are budgeted and expected at their expected intervals (years instead of miles).

Another item to budget is your time. At campgrounds, fuel stops, and other places people will ask about our Newell and I end up talking more than I should or expected. This isn't a bad thing. Meeting people is one of the benefits of Rving.

Welcome Aboard and I hope we get to meet in the future.