Newell Gurus

Dear Newell Gurus;

While I love looking at the older Newells, who continue to prove being built-well translates into a long, useful life.  But the off-white cabinetry, while very serviceable, seem to always date the coach.

Yet I still remember the first day I saw a coach whose interior was done entirely in Ultra Wood - simply stunning.    And that stunning feeling continued... when I saw how much that option cost!  (But it looked so good!)

But here's the kicker (maybe).

We saw a 2008 a number of years ago that was in tip-top shape.  We just saw interior pictures of the same coach taken recently...and that same veneer has aged very poorly!  Kinda looked like a lady's fingernail polish - just before she's forced to get'em done again!  Dull, cracked, corners & curves had actually changed colors...basically awful!

So with all the new offerings out on the market for interior wood, does it make sense to buy a coach with this finish?  Is it like some stick houses that you must always have the AC on (even during storage).   Are there better offerings that will last without fuss - but still give that "wood look"?   And will that look hold up over decades?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Mark, I sure hope not my 05 has the light color and there are a few small areas that have a few checks but nothing too bad. We do have the burlwood near the entry that has ghosted white. Don't know how to fix that unless we just get some type of vinyl wrap stuff.

Our ultrawood has held up fine, EXCEPT in a couple places where they made hard, right-angle corner cutouts instead of relieving stress with a tiny radius.

Most of the ultrawood veneers can still be ordered today, which means probably all of it can be repaired if needed. (Whether it makes sense to is more a matter of taste and budget.) We changed some cabinetry around, and you have to know where to look to see any difference between the 2007 and 2018 veneer.