[Denie-Lisa]

Hello all.  We have had nothing but issues with our new 2023 45' DP (I'll not yet mention the manufacture) and are considering dumping it and purchasing a used coach with a better reliability record.  We spent over $600K for our "Top of the Line" unit from the unmentioned manufacture this April.  From what I see available online we can afford (cash buyers) something up to about a 2011 in a Newell.
My questions is can we expect these coached to be fairly reliable without many issues or can I expect the same issue as with the high volume manufactured coaches?  From what I've seen it seems these coach are of high quality with minimal failures.  But then I've never owned one or know someone who does own one.

We just retired and were to start our full time adventure  but the coach has been in and out for repairs for over 50 days now.  It's now back at the manufacture getting a full service but I don't trust it to live in at this point.

Your feedback would be appreciated.  Thanks.

[360]

Before weighing in I’d recommend you do two things. Read as much of the information as you can consume in the section titled Discussion about what to consider on buying a used Newell and then fill us in on a little bit about yourself with information like is this ‘23 your first RV purchase, how mechanically inclined are you, do you have experience with maintaining other things like boats, yachts, planes, etc?

[afrench]

All coaches will have some issues as they are earthquakes going down the road. However I think 50 days is a bit excessive to be down in your first year. I’ve never had an issue that couldn’t be resolved for a temporary fix as Newell has installed so many redundancies.
I had an issue last week and was able to FaceTime a Newell tech and showed me exactly what to do to diagnose and send me the part out next day.
When I bought my 2011 I took it to Newell for a pm and left with full confidence of everything working.

[Denie-Lisa]

Before weighing in I’d recommend you do two things.  Read as much of the information as you can consume in the section titled Discussion about what to consider on buying a used Newell and then fill us in on a little bit about yourself with information like is this ‘23 your first RV purchase, how mechanically inclined are you, do you have experience with maintaining other things like boats, yachts, planes, etc?

Hi.  While this is our first DP our last coach was a 2012 Seneca Super C.  Been rv'ing for 20+ years.  I do the oil changes on the Seneca and service the gen, done a water pump replacement on it, just put a new roof coating on it, etc.  Fairly mechanically inclined and have tools.  I'm a retired General Contractor, with a C7 (low voltage license) I've done large solar arrays (.246 MW) design and installs and fairly good with both AC & DC power.  I don't plan on doing the oil changes on the pusher...I'll go to Speedco as it's too much waste oil to deal with.
I feel comfortable doing anything house related, cabinets, doors, plumbing, basic electrical and roof work.  I put a water conditioner in the new coach running pex lines from the wet bay to a bay in the front part of the coach where the conditioner unit is installed.  
I know I could keep the new coach and deal with problems as they arise but I didn't throw down $600+k to do that.  I could have purchased this same coach a few years used for $200k less and it would have been far more reliable...we got a lemon. We've been at the factory now since 9/19 and it will be another few days before its done.

I did my research on pre-covid units starting back in 2020 talking to many different owners of 2018 to 2020's who had few issues that were out of the ordinary for an RV of this caliber.  As I said, we just got a lemon.  We showed up at the factory here with 80+ issue punch list.  Everything from pluming to chassis had issues from day one.  This coach should not have left the factory for delivery.

But now I'm just ranting again!   It's been a trying 5 months!

[Denie-Lisa]

All coaches will have some issues as they are earthquakes going down the road. However I think 50 days is a bit excessive to be down in your first year. I’ve never had an issue that couldn’t be resolved for a temporary fix as Newell has installed so many redundancies.
I had an issue last week and was able to FaceTime a Newell tech and showed me exactly what to do to diagnose and send me the part out next day.
When I bought my 2011 I took it to Newell for a pm and left with full confidence of everything working.

Oh, the 50 days is just small part of our nightmare.  In the first 300 miles we hit a rough patch of road and the dash module panel fell off onto the steering column and went black, I lost some power to the steering and all steering pod buttons went dead.  I've done so many full chassis power resets to restore lost driving feature/functions I've lost count.  I've had to reset the inverter dozens, yes dozens, of times to get the batteries to charge or get power to just pass through.  Driving on wet roads causes the CMS and ACC to fail and the dash HVAC controls to go haywire.
The only silver lining here is that I've learned much about all the systems as they all seemed to have failed in some way and I had reset or find a work around...so I got that going for me!

[Burlyman]

Sounds like you will have the mechanical aptitude for the occasional fix/maintenance of a Newell. All of the high end coaches have their issues with time, of course. I tend to think custom vs production coaches will have a better track record, but none are without at least the occasional glitch. The more fancy stuff they have on them, the more things there are to go wrong! Haha.

I'm really sorry to hear about your troubles, however. I hate hearing about people buying a lemon. It really sours your experience. No pun intended. Lol. I warned a friend earlier this year that "buying new doesn't mean you're buying something without issues, you're just buying a manufacturers warranty" and after spending 6 figures on a fifth wheel, he's now discovering this, having had his RV in the shop 5 separate times. I hate the thought of you folks "taking a bath" on reselling that coach, unless the manufacturer might buy it back from you at a better price point.

I'll say this... I "lurked" on this forum for probably 4 years and occasionally asked questions before we bought our used coach, but during that time, I have been so impressed with the people here who have already walked the road of Newell ownership. They are the most helpful group of owners and past owners you'll come across. Newell itself is an incredible resource as well, with their 24/7 emergency help line for any owner of a Newell coach and will help you get back on the road. You're in good hands between the two.

[360]

Thanks so much for that insight on your background, experience, etc.  What a crazy 5 months that sound ls like.  I think you’ll be very happy in any Newell that has been reasonably maintained.  Tons of redundancy is built into systems and between this group, your skill set and 24/7/365 factory support it’s hard to imagine any downside from my perspective.

The only thing I would research if you get into an ‘11 is I believe that is the year Newell went to a Cummins and some of those early years of that engine had a significant problem. Sounds like most got resolved thanks to Cummins standing behind it, but not all. Others with more knowledge than me can chime in on what the issue was and what the fix was.

[Denie-Lisa]

Thanks so much for that insight on your background, experience, etc.  What a crazy 5 months that sound ls like.  I think you’ll be very happy in any Newell that has been reasonably maintained.  Tons of redundancy is built into systems and between this group, your skill set and 24/7/365 factory support it’s hard to imagine any downside from my perspective.

The only thing I would research if you get into an ‘11 is I believe that is the year Newell went to a Cummins and some of those early years of that engine had a significant problem.  Sounds like most got resolved thanks to Cummins standing behind it, but not all.  Others with more knowledge than me can chime in on what the issue was and what the fix was.

[Richard]

Denie and Lisa,

You have gotten some excellent insight from the responders. If I may build on their comments and yours.

Your contractor background will serve you well. The happiest Newell owners are ones who take responsibility to understand the complex and intertwined systems and to repair and maintain them. The unhappiest owners are ones who do not understand the inner workings, and depend upon paying a tech 150 an hour to learn how to repair the coach. Keep in mind, that the experience level in the field between a Seneca on a F450 platform and a Newell on a custom chassis will be night and day.

Others have said this, so I will use different words. Any Newell is closer to the space shuttle than it is to a Honda. The systems will be more complex than the ones on your Seneca. Consequently, they will require more TLC to function properly. Let me illustrate with a short example. To fill the fresh water tank on your Seneca, you simply attached a hose to the fresh water fill or opened a valve if hooked to city water. On a Newell of the era you seek, there is an auto fill system that fills the tank with a push of the button. There are two electrically actuated valves and a sensor system needed to make that happen. If those valves get a piece of grit in them, they can malfunction.

You would be wise to budget 10k per year in maintaining the coach, possibly much more than that in the first year depending upon the condition of the coach you purchase. The Newells are very sophisticated creatures and require upkeep if you use them. The original build quality is fantastic, but you will be looking at a rig that is ten years out of the factory. The systems WILL require ongoing maintenance. The more of the maintenance that you handle the happier you and your pocketbook will be.

This forum will do it’s best to help any owner, and there is a broad experience base present. Learn to use the search engine, it is your friend. The mothership in Miami is your friend. I suggest you visit the factory.

I have owned a Newell for 15 yrs and have done all my own work. I find it to be a great hobby for keeping me mentally and physically engaged. Most of the friends I have in my retirement chapter of life, I have met through this forum. Their friendship has little to do with a piece of iron with a Newell logo on it. There is genuinely good people who hang out here.

I work on the coach in the winter, so that we can use it six months in the summer. We recently returned from the summer’s trip to Alaska. I had one problem, my throttle position sensor failed. Although we did not travel with a caravan ( no one can stand to spend that much time with me), we did run across the same people over and over for the trip up the Alcan Hwy, and into Alaska. I saw one new London Aire with a crippling electrical issue on a high end solar/lithium install, I saw one brand new Entegra with a leaking radiator, and I saw one new Tiffin with slides that would not deploy. The moral of that story was don’t take a new coach to Alaska ! At least until you have time to debug it.

You are going to get biased answers here. After all you are asking people who already made the decision to purchase older coaches over new and shiny. There are some individuals in the RV world that need the factory warranty for their own reasons, and there are some that are comfortable with the “warranty by me” program. That’s why Brad asked you about your background. In fifteen years, I have observed that the satisfaction of the owner is HIGHLY dependent upon what they are willing to take on. The technically proficient OR the ones willing to learn hang around a long time. Those that are not tend to get in and get out of the Newell ownership quickly.

Sorry for the dissertation, and sorry for the rather frank and opinionated commentary. I hope it helps you make an informed decision.

[Denie-Lisa]

Denie and Lisa,

You have gotten some excellent insight from the responders. If I may build on their comments and yours.

Your contractor background will serve you well. The happiest Newell owners are ones who take responsibility to understand the complex and intertwined systems and to repair and maintain them. The unhappiest owners are ones who do not understand the inner workings, and depend upon paying a tech 150 an hour to learn how to repair the coach. Keep in mind, that the experience level in the field between a Seneca on a F450 platform and a Newell on a custom chassis will be night and day.

Others have said this, so I will use different words. Any Newell is closer to the space shuttle than it is to a Honda. The systems will be more complex than the ones on your Seneca. Consequently, they will require more TLC to function properly. Let me illustrate with a short example. To fill the fresh water tank on your Seneca, you simply attached a hose to the fresh water fill or opened a valve if hooked to city water. On a Newell of the era you seek, there is an auto fill system that fills the tank with a push of the button. There are two electrically actuated valves and a sensor system needed to make that happen. If those valves get a piece of grit in them, they can malfunction.

You would be wise to budget 10k per year in maintaining the coach, possibly much more than that in the first year depending upon the condition of the coach you purchase. The Newells are very sophisticated creatures and require upkeep if you use them. The original build quality is fantastic, but you will be looking at a rig that is ten years out of the factory. The systems WILL require ongoing maintenance. The more of the maintenance that you handle the happier you and your pocketbook will be.

This forum will do it’s best to help any owner, and there is a broad experience base present. Learn to use the search engine, it is your friend. The mothership in Miami is your friend. I suggest you visit the factory.

I have owned a Newell for 15 yrs and have done all my own work. I find it to be a great hobby for keeping me mentally and physically engaged. Most of the friends I have in my retirement chapter of life, I have met through this forum. Their friendship has little to do with a piece of iron with a Newell logo on it. There is genuinely good people who hang out here.

I work on the coach in the winter, so that we can use it six months in the summer. We recently returned from the summer’s trip to Alaska. I had one problem, my throttle position sensor failed. Although we did not travel with a caravan ( no one can stand to spend that much time with me), we did run across the same people over and over for the trip up the Alcan Hwy, and into Alaska. I saw one new London Aire with a crippling electrical issue on a high end solar/lithium install, I saw one brand new Entegra with a leaking radiator, and I saw one new Tiffin with slides that would not deploy. The moral of that story was don’t take a new coach to Alaska !  At least until you have time to debug it.

You are going to get biased answers here. After all you are asking people who already made the decision to purchase older coaches over new and shiny. There are some individuals in the RV world that need the factory warranty for their own reasons, and there are some that are comfortable with the “warranty by me” program. That’s why Brad asked you about your background. In fifteen years, I have observed that the satisfaction of the owner is HIGHLY dependent upon what they are willing to take on. The technically proficient OR the ones willing to learn hang around a long time. Those that are not tend to get in and get out of the Newell ownership quickly.

Sorry for the dissertation, and sorry for the rather frank and opinionated commentary. I hope it helps you make an informed decision.

Good morning Richard.  Thanks for your candor about Newell ownership.  Just one correction first, our Seneca is on the M2 106 chassis.  2012 was the first year (and not the year to buy) with the new chassis.  But the same holds true, nothing like the Newell or our new coach.  Our decision to buy new was both a warranty and financial choice.  When we started the process of vetting coaches in 2020, as you might recall, used coaches were going for as much as they were new!  I know of at least 2 owners that sold their coaches for what they paid new because the buyers didn't want to wait for one out of production.  Used coaches were selling for about 18% over value.  A 2021 coach was going to cost not much less that our new coach and once the market equalized again we'd realize that loss. We wanted something only 2 MY's old.  My thoughts on that have changed.  Those features I wanted I can live without.  Especially since these are some of the very same features that repeatedly failed on our coach. 
Question:  Is the Newell considered a Monocoque (I call it unibody) structure or something different?  I read the article here on this and really like this idea.  The Prevost coaches used are considerably more though for same MY.
Sound like if we can find a Newell in our budget that has a good maintenance record, preferably stored indoors, we could expect a reasonably reliable coach.  On the $10k yearly budget for upkeep do you have a general breakdown of those costs?