09-14-2018, 06:14 AM
Hi Mick,
I also came over from the Yachting world. Although I did have a large 40' conversion in the 80's I never found the consumer grade RV's to be tolerable in construction or technology. I still have a Aluminum Nordia sailboat that I keep in the EU. Its construction quality and bulletproof design is what I find appealing and what I use for comparison when looking at coaches. In the RV world your pretty much limited to either the Newell or one of the Prevost conversions. I happened to like what Liberty was offering but Marathon looked good also. The big appeal for Newell was the 4 slides and body that was designed as an RV rather than a bus conversion, however the Prevosts are still very nice and thousands of the bodies are produced each year. If your going to buy new then you can drill down into what is presently offered by all companies and have anything you want, however I felt that jumping in at 2 million was not reasonable for me so I looked at the older coaches. At that point you will be making a choice on what is tolerable in the mix of what other people designed and you will quickly learn that the worst of the designs stay around for sale for a long time and the really nice ones get purchased pretty quickly. I purchased a very nice 9 year old Newell from the factory with a 2 year warrantee. Anything older than that the factory won't warrantee. The main points I like is an excellent suspension and transmission system (ZF) and the last of the great C15 Caterpillar engines which I always loved. No DEF and little in the way of emissions complexity. The coach drives exceptionally well and the steering tag axel is absolutely mandatory for getting into and out of tight spaces. Basically anything a 38' coach can get into so can I. The interiors is very livable. I am just finishing my summer travels and it will be just over 4 months that I have been rambling around the west and it has been great with none of the wishing to get home to a regular bathroom or good cooking facility. Heating, plumbing and electrical are very robust and provide lots of comfort. Last winter when I purchased the coach I took it to Alabama for a shake down and got caught in a winter storm on the coast. It was warm and cozy with lots of heating options. The Aqua hot and heated floors are a real pleasure.
You will need to be up on maintenance as there is always something to attend to. So long as you have the warrantee the factory will be only a phone call away even in the middle of the night.
Good luck and let me know if I can help you with any other questions.
I also came over from the Yachting world. Although I did have a large 40' conversion in the 80's I never found the consumer grade RV's to be tolerable in construction or technology. I still have a Aluminum Nordia sailboat that I keep in the EU. Its construction quality and bulletproof design is what I find appealing and what I use for comparison when looking at coaches. In the RV world your pretty much limited to either the Newell or one of the Prevost conversions. I happened to like what Liberty was offering but Marathon looked good also. The big appeal for Newell was the 4 slides and body that was designed as an RV rather than a bus conversion, however the Prevosts are still very nice and thousands of the bodies are produced each year. If your going to buy new then you can drill down into what is presently offered by all companies and have anything you want, however I felt that jumping in at 2 million was not reasonable for me so I looked at the older coaches. At that point you will be making a choice on what is tolerable in the mix of what other people designed and you will quickly learn that the worst of the designs stay around for sale for a long time and the really nice ones get purchased pretty quickly. I purchased a very nice 9 year old Newell from the factory with a 2 year warrantee. Anything older than that the factory won't warrantee. The main points I like is an excellent suspension and transmission system (ZF) and the last of the great C15 Caterpillar engines which I always loved. No DEF and little in the way of emissions complexity. The coach drives exceptionally well and the steering tag axel is absolutely mandatory for getting into and out of tight spaces. Basically anything a 38' coach can get into so can I. The interiors is very livable. I am just finishing my summer travels and it will be just over 4 months that I have been rambling around the west and it has been great with none of the wishing to get home to a regular bathroom or good cooking facility. Heating, plumbing and electrical are very robust and provide lots of comfort. Last winter when I purchased the coach I took it to Alabama for a shake down and got caught in a winter storm on the coast. It was warm and cozy with lots of heating options. The Aqua hot and heated floors are a real pleasure.
You will need to be up on maintenance as there is always something to attend to. So long as you have the warrantee the factory will be only a phone call away even in the middle of the night.
Good luck and let me know if I can help you with any other questions.
2008 Newell #1223 4 slide, Cat C15 with ZF 12 spd, 2004 Chevy Silverado 4x4 Duramax 6.6