I'm looking to purchase my first coach and a member said to talk to you all about what options I'm looking at currently. Allegro Bus or Newmar what are your thoughts compared to Newell considering a higher price point. Thanks for any advice you can offer.
JEB,
we are a mightily biased group of folks here so you will have to understand that we focus our efforts on newells and not other coaches. most of us have had other brands of coaches and have settled down where we are now. there are also a number of folks here with wanderlodge/foretravel etc that are similar to the newell in many ways.
the allegro bus and newmar are just not the same animal as a newell. not that they are not great machines, but very different. and the prices reflect that.
if you are comparing a newmar to a newell in a similar age bracket you will have sticker shock on what the newell will be selling for.
we are not experts in other brands and only pretend to be experts in newells (ha)
welcome to the forum
tom
Thanks for your post. What I thought I would have to do is buy a used Newell in spending roughly the same dollars as new would buy in the Newmar. Is there anyone that moved from Newmar to Newell and what was their reasons for doing so? Ultimately is a six year old Newell a better buy than a new Newmar for a newbie coach owner. I understand what an exceptional coach Newell's are. I appreciate any guidance or experiences anyone can offer.
Thanks JB
Well JEB, I work on all three brands and see some of the guts as a result. There is just no comparison between the others and Newell when it comes to whats inside that you can not see. If you came to see me in the Houston area, we could talk for hours on the differences.
If it were myself, I would see what my budget is and step back in model years till my budget could afford a Newell. The price of a brand new Tiffin Allegro Bus will purchase a really swell preowned Newell for instance. There is a 98 Newell at Motorhomes of Texas right now for only $134,500 that I would not trade for any NEW Tiffin or Newmar either. Like Tom said, I join the opinionated bunch.
Since this is your first coach, you do not know what you do not know. Asking questions here helps a bunch to fill that void.
All the best in your choice.
The fist motorhome in 2000 was a 2000 alegro 40' bus. Kept for 1 year and then bought my first Newell a 1989. I liked my 89 much better than the alegro. Then move up to a 96 Newell and now have a new to me 04 Newell. I would much prefer a 10 year old Newell to a new class A.
From a 2008 Monaco Dynasty that we bought new and sold when we found the 2003 Newell we wanted about 18 months later. It was a long search but we knew it would be our last coach of four different motorhomes owned over the years.We have been in ours full time for 4 years and will continue to for maybe another 4 or 5 years before going to a remote cabin in the middle of nowhere.
Whatever you buy make sure it has some miles on it as new or unused motorhomes and coaches are the biggest mistake a newcomer will make. You want it broken in and the 100 item punchlist for the dealer behind you, believe me , no matter what brand.
Hey guys the other member is me. JEB and I are colleagues and I suggested he ask you all for opinions and insight since although I think my experience has grown exponentially over the last few years, it still pales compared to you all. I also shared with him that you have all been my technical know how and words of encouragement all along as well. JEB would make a great owner.
I mentioned to him as well that he should think about visiting the factory and also beginning a relationship with a couple of the dealers I have seen very positive comments on such as Motor Homes of Texas.
Thanks for all of the help you can lend JEB as he explores things.
We have a 1992 Newell. Every year we go to Quartzite rally and look at the brand new coaches of the other manufacturers. They certainly look a lot glitzier than ours. But when you drill down to compare; the hinges used, the density of cabinet doors, as well as the other materials & workmanship, I would not trade straight across unless I could unload it in a hurry & get a little bit newer Newell than our '92. It always amazes me that folks will go right past quality and value to get a new poorly constructed coach just because it is new. I for one can not see where one of the other brands will have the usable life span of a Newell, unless maybe it would be one of the Prevost conversions. Before you buy, take the time to look at all in depth making quality/cost/usable life span comparisons and I'm sure you will not be satisfied with less than a Newell.
Jeb,
We bought our first motorhome 6 months ago (a 2003 Newell) after looking for about a year. We looked at new as well as nearly new coaches including Newmar. In our price range I was very disappointed in the quality of just little things like doors, windows, cabinets, etc. to the point I just couldn't justify cost vs value of a newer coach. I'm the type of guy that likes sturdy things and I abhor cheaply made things no matter what it is. I felt some corners were cut in the coaches I looked at and that I would be unhappy after the temporary newness feeling wore off.
We never considered older coaches of any brand as I figured they would have fallen a part based on what I had seen. Until a friend recommended that we look at some "older" Prevost and Newell's in the same price range. I was floored at the difference and how much more value you can get for the same price. And many if not most of the owners of Newell's take meticulous care of them and can afford to fix them when needed. Mileage and usage is really a non issue, unless a coach hasn't been driven enough. In fact, the more a newell is used the better as most if not all of the little things are kept in working condition.
I'm biased I suppose. But to me it's a no brainer. Go with a used Newell.