[MrE]

Henry, there are other members here, like you, that prefer the shorter classics to the newer 40+ footers. I used to own a 1973 33' Newell that I never did full time in, but could have. @Fulltiming is probably the best resource in this forum for differences between model years, but I'm going to give you my unsolicited and probably inaccurate views.

1. I would want to get an 8 airbag suspension. My '73 had a combination of leaf springs and airbags, which doesn't include any kind of leveling system.
2. I would want a diesel generator, my '73 had a POS gas generator and I had to have a separate tank for gas.
3. Realize that many of the early Newells had motors that would better serve as boat anchors. There is a very simple calculation to determine how much torque you'll lose on a V verses inline configuration. There are several members on the forum that have had re-powers from boat anchors to more modern inline 6's, (myself included once I get my donor bus to the mechanic). If you're looking at under 40', an 8.3 Cummins and Allison 6 speed transmission will give you all the power you need. Talk to @Retro, he's got a beautiful '77 that's been repowered to the Cummins 8.3.
4. Don't give low mileage coaches an advantage over higher mileage coaches. The Newells will easily go a million miles and the lower mileage coaches probably sat for long periods of time (that's a bad thing).

Couple of Google searches that can be used to find coaches on Craigslist. "newell site:craigslist.org/rvs" without the quotes, searches all Craigslist sites for RVs by owner. "newell site:craigslist.org/rvd" without the quotes, searches all the Craigslist sites for RVs by dealer.

1986 was the first year for 102" wide-bodies. Most of these were powered by the Detroit 8V92 two stokes. Not very many coaches under 40' have been manufactured since 1986, @fulltiming can give you the stats. Last year of the 'Classic' style was 1989.

Good luck in your search, and welcome to the forum!

jon