[KJReed]

Greetings to the Newell Gurus community.  My membership to this group is less than a week old and I have loved reading the many interesting threads.  The reason I joined is that my brother and myself are soon to become the new owners of coach 674 (2003 quad slide).  It was my dad's coach, but he passed away suddenly in mid-December and our families have been contemplating whether to sell the coach or keep it.  My brother is not really interested in keeping it as his preferred recreation are boats vs. RV's.  As you can imagine, many factors will influence the final decision but I wanted to ask a few questions to current owners to address some of my concerns related to such a big rig.  I currently have a 1999 40' Fleetwood American Tradition for about 10 years now and my family loves the many trips we enjoy in it (me, the wife, three sons ages 16, 14, & 8).  We use it at least 8-10 times per year when they are out of school!

Questions/concerns:  

• While only 5' longer, the 45' Newell is considerably larger and I'm concerned it's too big for many rv parks, etc.  Has any one found this to be an issue? 
  

• Systems and maintenance: I am used to being able to trouble shoot and fix the majority of issues on the Fleetwood and I'm concerned the Newell will be more complex and numerous...am I going to be overwhelmed with maintaining them or be forced to use outside repair providers?
  
• Speaking of outside maintenance, what is the closest place to get a Newell worked on in East TN (near Knoxville)?
  
• The floor plan is extremely room with the slides extended, but the rear bath / crawling over the bed while traveling may be an issue for my passengers on long trips.
  
• My final comment is that Newell's seem a bit undervalued in the market place.  In my opinion, the price we would be paid does not justify the quality of the coach. 
  

Anyway, I look forward to any feedback and I am learning more and more about the Newell coaches and the community every time I visit this site.