10-17-2021, 12:12 PM
Tony,
After living full time in my 2008 Newell I can give you a bit of advise.
The goal I have is simple, and that is to be able to continuously live in my coach every day of the year.
Towards that end the Newell emergency help line is very useful as no real manuals or schematics are available and I would have been in trouble trying to figure things out while a novice. I still need the help line but not nearly as much. Also, I visit the plant about 2 times a year and get done whatever needs doing that I have not been able to do myself, which is allot of the repair on the specialize systems and constructions. I make repairs in the coach on average every week and check over the systems before every move we make. During our travels I keep an eye on all of the instruments and can spot small variation in gauge readings and attend to it immediately. I have no budget to do repairs and maintenance, I just do whats got to be done, including upgrades I feel are necessary.
On average I spend about $20k each year on normal maintenance and another $5k-10K on upgrades. My last visit to Newell was $13K due to a tank repair, new tag tires and other bigger repairs. I thought I might need a new radiator but thankfully it was not necessary. Had it been, I think another $10K would have been in order. I soon will need to replace the front 2 and 4 drive tires and who knows what that will cost in our new inflationary economy.
Also, As I had purchased the coach from Newell I had 2 years of warrantee which got used allot as many items in RV's need replacement around the 10 year mark, so if the coach you are looking to buy has any older items in it, plan on having to change them out fairly soon. The best way to look at this is to understand that a new Newell costs 2.2 million for a reason and an older coach is being sold much cheaper for a reason. Take the difference between the new price and what ever you pay for your coach and pretend its money in your pocket to put towards repairs.
If you're going to put off repairs in the hope of holding down your expenses you'll soon be overwhelmed.
Good luck in your search,
Mike
After living full time in my 2008 Newell I can give you a bit of advise.
The goal I have is simple, and that is to be able to continuously live in my coach every day of the year.
Towards that end the Newell emergency help line is very useful as no real manuals or schematics are available and I would have been in trouble trying to figure things out while a novice. I still need the help line but not nearly as much. Also, I visit the plant about 2 times a year and get done whatever needs doing that I have not been able to do myself, which is allot of the repair on the specialize systems and constructions. I make repairs in the coach on average every week and check over the systems before every move we make. During our travels I keep an eye on all of the instruments and can spot small variation in gauge readings and attend to it immediately. I have no budget to do repairs and maintenance, I just do whats got to be done, including upgrades I feel are necessary.
On average I spend about $20k each year on normal maintenance and another $5k-10K on upgrades. My last visit to Newell was $13K due to a tank repair, new tag tires and other bigger repairs. I thought I might need a new radiator but thankfully it was not necessary. Had it been, I think another $10K would have been in order. I soon will need to replace the front 2 and 4 drive tires and who knows what that will cost in our new inflationary economy.
Also, As I had purchased the coach from Newell I had 2 years of warrantee which got used allot as many items in RV's need replacement around the 10 year mark, so if the coach you are looking to buy has any older items in it, plan on having to change them out fairly soon. The best way to look at this is to understand that a new Newell costs 2.2 million for a reason and an older coach is being sold much cheaper for a reason. Take the difference between the new price and what ever you pay for your coach and pretend its money in your pocket to put towards repairs.
If you're going to put off repairs in the hope of holding down your expenses you'll soon be overwhelmed.
Good luck in your search,
Mike
2008 Newell #1223 4 slide, Cat C15 with ZF 12 spd, 2004 Chevy Silverado 4x4 Duramax 6.6