2013 Ventana-4018 pros or cons

[railrider1]

Looking at trading in our 2006 Itasca Suncrusier on a work horse chassis. Any one have any pros or cons to offer. The unit has some bells and whistles. We are looking at more storage and some of the upgrades this has. Thanks in advance for the help.

["007"]

Welcome to the forum Marv.
To start here is the Brochure and Owners Guide for you.
The 4018 is a popular model this year we have many of same model being sold in the DSDP line and many happy users.
Ventana is the DP entry line and some of the DSDP owners had the Ventana coach, I am sure they will fill you in on your model.

[Deek]

Originally Posted by railrider1

Looking at trading in our 2006 Itasca Suncrusier on a work horse chassis. Any one have any pros or cons to offer. The unit has some bells and whistles. We are looking at more storage and some of the upgrades this has. Thanks in advance for the help.

Hi, Marv and Holly! We had a 2011 Ventana 3433 and now have a 2013 Dutch Star 4018 -- same layout you are looking at in the Ventana. We loved our Ventana and we love our Dutch Star 4018. There is nothing about the Ventana that is anything other than excellent in my opinion. There are different features and trim when you go to the Dutch Star but no difference on overall quality as far as we are concerned.

We wanted the independent front suspension, the larger motor, the tag axle, the upgraded trim in the Dutch Star and those are the main reasons we went from our Ventana to the Dutchie, but for sure, we were very, very happy with our Ventana. We loved it on the day we took delivery and we loved it on the day it got taken away on trade for our DS.

We were absolutely taken with the 4018 layout and that hasn't changed to us in the least. It was, for us, love at first sight! We did make some custom changes -- tile and glass inserts, leather, fabrics, counter-tops, some appliance upgrades -- but we stuck with the exact 4018 layout that was stock -- and we are as happy with it now as when we took delivery. We continue to feel that it was the best choice for us.

Favorite features of the 4018 layout: We love the televator, the fire place, the "L" sofa, the mid-coach half bath, the rear coach full bath, the generous storage underneath the coach. We also got ours with the optional Queen bed instead of King and in doing so we got larger nightstands and more room around the bed and bed area which we really appreciate.

For 2013, Newmar also put on the Ventana and the Dutch Star the mechanical slide locks -- they make a really nice difference and keep the slides perfectly flush when retracted and they keep the slides from over-extending when out.

I think you would find the 4018 design to be a terrific use of space and a layout that is very livable. We recently returned from a full month trip in the Fort Myers area and we felt extremely comfortable the entire time in our coach. Plenty of room. Never felt we were in each other's way. The coach design is very well thought out and very functional all the way around.

There are in our Newmar Owners' Forum, several threads about the 4018 layout as 007 suggested and if you spend a little effort looking to find them, you will find a real wealth of info to help you in your search.

Hope this helps. Best wishes in your search.

Deek

[Roadweary]

I’ve enjoyed my 2013 Ventana 3634 for two months now. For me, stepping up from a 30’ Fleetwood gasser has been transformational so lots of my opinions could probably apply to many diesel pushers. I do know that the quality difference between Fleetwood and Newmar is almost beyond belief. After several thousand miles of use, I’m having a difficult time finding any warranty issues with my coach....and I’ve been looking hard. All I’ve found so far is my smallest bedroom slide needs a slight adjustment to tilt the final 3 inches into place. The second problem is our opinion of the flexsteel furniture in the Ventana. The frame on our loveseat is poorly made and we see a large gap between a seat cushion and bottom apron. My DW also thinks the stitching on all the furniture is haphazard and poorly done. We’ve complained to our dealer about this and they’ve promised to make us happy. Can’t ask for much more than that.

The Ventana hit the price point we wanted while providing many of the best features of a much more expensive coach. And while we did see floor plans we liked better in other brands, I would never, NEVER, own another coach that didn’t have comfort drive. I used to call 300 miles a good day in the Fleetwood. With the Ventana I’ve done multiple days in a row of over 500 miles and could have kept going. What a joy.

Good luck with your shopping and if you do get serious, the folks on this forum will help you with decisions every step of the way.
Gary

[gmpartsvet]

We traded in our 06 Suncruiser on the Workhorse chassis and we pick up our new Ventana 3634 TOMORROW!

[Deek]

Sincerest congratulations, gmpartsvet! Welcome to the Club!!!

Deek

[Roadweary]

Originally Posted by gmpartsvet

We traded in our 06 Suncruiser on the Workhorse chassis and we pick up our new Ventana 3634 TOMORROW!

Wow! That's really exciting. Try to get some sleep tonight because tomorrow will be a VERY long day.
Gary