Community Forums

lostbuckaroo · 11-04-2018, 07:12 AM

I'm going back to look at this coach today. Is there anything specific to the Kountry Star/Newmar make/model I should look for as far as trouble spots?

We've been looking for a little while and this Coach by far is the cleanest we've seen.

The coach has 69K miles on it. With 212 gen hours.

Tires are Michelin XZA date code 2812 on the steer axle, outside rear tires are date 4909, 0110 .. So I'm not really sure about the tires... The dealer says they are good for 10years... but I don't trust that

I'm gonna crawl all over, and under this coach today and see what else I find. I want to check for the 53 Block as well.. I know it was manufactured in 2002

This will be our first DP and I think an excellent size and floorplan as such.
Any help would be appreciated..

Russ Silber · 11-04-2018, 11:56 AM

Read all maintenance records. If they say no, walk away.[emoji48]

GaryKD · 11-04-2018, 01:10 PM

Hi lostbuckaroo,

If you owned the tires since they were new and took care of them, 10 years is okay with me. This is the way I run tires. Since this is not the case, consider replacing them.

Lack of use kills a coach not abuse. The generator hours is a concern. Low mileage of the coach engine and tranny is also a concern. There are no chronic problems with that year KS that I know of. Check the roof seams. Look real close for leaks from roof to basement.

DGBPokes · 11-04-2018, 01:32 PM

Had an ‘04 KStar gasser. Great coach, only issue was really bad brakes. Bendix. Several recalls, and we had a couple of expensive failures. If gasser Workhorse was good. Watch for broken manifold bolts, we never had a problem but several folks did.

DGBPokes · 11-04-2018, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DGBPokes

Had an ‘04 KStar gasser. Great coach, only issue was really bad brakes. Bendix. Several recalls, and we had a couple of expensive failures. If gasser Workhorse was good. Watch for broken manifold bolts, we never had a problem but several folks did.

One more comment. We had a friend who had an’03 KStar gasser. It had a third slide, which made the chassis weight close to gross. With water and fuel they could only add like 150 lbs. and be legal.

KenSherwin · 11-05-2018, 12:08 PM

The '98 KS I had was an absolute bear to drive because it was so short (I think it was 30') with a lot of weight back of the rear axle. Be sure to drive it some, including changing lanes and on curvy roads.

vettenuts · 11-06-2018, 05:29 AM

Some of the Kountry Stars of that vintage had some basement door delamination at the bottom of the door. If you should find this, it doesn’t spread and is not a structural issue. It is a cosmetic issue so check the doors. Also, I would absolutely not accept those tires due to age. If the dealer tells you otherwise I wouldn’t trust him on other statements he might make.