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#1442 2012 SOLD
#11

I guess what I really am thinking about is:  1.) what I would really pay for a good Newell with manufacture numbers in the 1400s?

2.) And  what it would cost to maintain each year?

3. Last question: what does Newell themselves charge for a yearly service?

4.  One more question ... where can you get a couple years of service contract for something like this??  And what would that cost???


Looking at 1474, the ad states that it went to Newell for yearly service every year.  You would think that Newell would sell service contracts to you on coaches they serviced, No?

EK
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#12

I own a 2000 model #555. Last year, after going full time in our coach, I went to Newell for yearly service. They have a very extensive list. You can choose to do any or all checking individual line items to be performed. The entire list costs about $3000 including parts and labor. Thus, you will not know what was done each year without reviewing the Newell records on a specific coach.

I will say that these are complex coaches, but many on this forum complete their own PM yearly. Others, do some, and have Newell do some. If you do not have the ability to perform on your own, the $3000 maybe a good investment, because breakdowns on the road can be costly.

I am not aware of any Newell service contracts. You can buy a used coach from them, and get a warranty.

The yearly cost probably depends on how well the coach was maintained and is it time to replace batteries, tires, and other expensive items.

Personally, I planned for and had a costly startup, upgrading systems knowing I was going full time and did not want unexpected issues on the road, preferring to proactively fix before breakage. So far, that has paid off 11 months into fulltiming.

Mike & Jeannie Ginn
2000 Newell #555 - sold July 2020
2019 Leisure Travel Van FX model
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#13

Thank-you very much. And for us, I would say a 3k yearly service would probably be the way to go. I would like to be able to do some of it. And I would want to know things about the chassis, like where all the fittings are, so as to know the rig.

I do understand tires, and that they are more than a thousand apiece.

I guess I am still concerned about needing a new engine or transmission. I have talked to people I know who know big engines and they say they would need a dyno test and oil analysis and other fluids (that is what I heard anyway). This is just to begin to know the health of the powertrain ....
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#14

It's basically impossible to buy a machine as complex as a Newell and expect to have really predictable, low maintenance costs. You're simply bound to have some stuff go along the way. Labor costs often dominate in the ensuing repairs.

I'm always amazed at the folks who buy $n00,000 motorhomes and then balk at spending $n,000 on a repair. It's as if they blew their entire wad on the purchase and having nothing left over afterwards. What fun is that? (How unrealistic is that?!)

Much better to buy an $(n-k)00,000 motorhome and retain $k00,000 for upgrades and repairs. This is especially easy to do with Newell since, as you have discovered, there is a wide range of pricing across coaches that are mechanically almost identical. Even the brand new models are much more the same than they are different.

In our case, I found a coach where k was closer to 3, and then I spent ~$100k remodeling it (mostly NewellBucks, which means it could have been done for somewhat less if I'd been willing to send some of the work elsewhere). I have also shelled out about $30k on repairs of stuff that has broken in the first year. I feel like $10-20k a year going forward is probably a reasonable expectation. Those numbers are with paying other people to do most of it.

2008 Newell #1234
Boulder, CO

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#15

Oil tests of engine and transmission will allow some assessment of their conditions, and are best if there is a history of tests to compare to. Unless something catastrophic is occurring a single test cannot guarantee longevity.

Equally important to those tests is the overall sense of how well cared for the coach has been. Looking across all the available indicators of that care will help you arrive at an intuitive sense of conditions. There is no test or other approaches that can guarantee something major won't happen during your ownership. You can tilt the odds in your favor, but you cannot guarantee as sure thing.

If you read all the posts on this site you will learn as much as is possible. And then, as you visit and survey the available coaches, you will find the one that impresses you and your wife and feels like a good bet.

Jon Kabbe
1993 coach 337 with Civic towed
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#16

Thanks for all the data and wisdom. I need to let it soak in Smile
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#17

Price Reduction to $750,000. http://premiumcoachgroup.com/product/201...-stunning/

Michael Day
1992 Newell 43.5' #281
NewellOwner.com
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#18

SOLD by 1/19/19 per RVOnline

Michael Day
1992 Newell 43.5' #281
NewellOwner.com
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