06-22-2021, 06:40 AM
So a used RV salesman said not to buy his coach cause it was expensive to maintain? That seems a little fishy to me. Maybe the coach was a consignment and the sales guy didn’t get as much commission?
I may be in the minority here but have owned my coach for 10 years. I have found that the air system is not all that complicated if you pay attention and are willing to do some work yourself. Newell used a lot of push-on air fittings which will start leaking over time. It is a simple matter to swap one out with a DOT type fitting. The air compressors are also fairly inexpensive. So 60k to fix an air system problem is not a reality.
Some folks have had expensive fixes (including me) but those are not specific to Newell. Blowing up a differential is going to be a bad day for a Newell or a Prevost or any other diesel pusher.
These are million dollar machines and just because depreciation has lowered the price of a particular coach doesn’t mean that it will be less costly to repair. A Newell just like any other coach will cost a fair bit to move up and down the road. Many folks use 10k per year as a budget for repairs. Take a few years off of keeping up with repairs and you may find 30k in deferred maintenance.
If you compare a Newell to a comparable Prevost you will find that one of the main differences is the number of slides. Newell has a ton of floor space (probably the most in the industry)…but this comes at a price. The slides are a source of expense due to the seals which need to replaced every 10 years or so. For coaches newer than 2003, the bearings can be a maintenance item.
Once last thought. What would the used RV dealer say would be a good coach for full timers? For me the safety and build quality of Newells are at the very top of the industry. Yes, you could buy a cheaper RV without all the bells and whistles of a Newell…it *might* be less expensive to repair…but it wont be safer than a Newell. And…at the end of the day….it wont be a Newell.
For what it’s worth.
Bill
I may be in the minority here but have owned my coach for 10 years. I have found that the air system is not all that complicated if you pay attention and are willing to do some work yourself. Newell used a lot of push-on air fittings which will start leaking over time. It is a simple matter to swap one out with a DOT type fitting. The air compressors are also fairly inexpensive. So 60k to fix an air system problem is not a reality.
Some folks have had expensive fixes (including me) but those are not specific to Newell. Blowing up a differential is going to be a bad day for a Newell or a Prevost or any other diesel pusher.
These are million dollar machines and just because depreciation has lowered the price of a particular coach doesn’t mean that it will be less costly to repair. A Newell just like any other coach will cost a fair bit to move up and down the road. Many folks use 10k per year as a budget for repairs. Take a few years off of keeping up with repairs and you may find 30k in deferred maintenance.
If you compare a Newell to a comparable Prevost you will find that one of the main differences is the number of slides. Newell has a ton of floor space (probably the most in the industry)…but this comes at a price. The slides are a source of expense due to the seals which need to replaced every 10 years or so. For coaches newer than 2003, the bearings can be a maintenance item.
Once last thought. What would the used RV dealer say would be a good coach for full timers? For me the safety and build quality of Newells are at the very top of the industry. Yes, you could buy a cheaper RV without all the bells and whistles of a Newell…it *might* be less expensive to repair…but it wont be safer than a Newell. And…at the end of the day….it wont be a Newell.
For what it’s worth.
Bill
Bill Johnson
Birmingham, Alabama