Community Forums

Cotton Hawes · 02-07-2016, 10:31 AM

Hi all, first post here on the Newmar forum. We are retiring in a month and have been researching MHs for almost a year now, have visited six dealers so far, and went to the Hershey RV show last fall. We plan to part-time for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks at a time several times a year, traveling secondary roads, and stopping at whatever roadside attractions catch our eye. Stay overnight somewhere and move on the next day, so we really want to stay small enough to not have to pull a toad. We can always change our minds on that one after we've gotten some miles behind us.

For those reasons, and for our budget, we are focusing on entry level new coaches. We started out looking at Class C and quickly determined that Class A is a much better fit for us. I've read and studied the new vs. used arguments, and although we are handy enough to do much of the maintenance and repairs that come along with MH ownership we've decided used is not for us. So far we've narrowed our choices down to the ACE 29.2, which is little longer than I'd like, but has a great floor plan (for us anyway), an AXIS 24.1, which is the length we like, but not a great floor plan (for us), and most recently the Newmar Bay Star Sport 2702. That's the reason for this post.

Feedback on the Newmar seems to be consistent with respect to high quality, even for the entry level Bay Star Sport, and the 2702 has a floor plan we really like. At exactly mid-way in length between the AXIS and the ACE, it is looking like a great choice.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has the Bay Star Sport 2702. What are your impressions of it - anything from build quality to ease of driving to factory support. For long-time owners, what do you know now that you wish you had known when you purchased? Would you buy the same model again?

Two other questions come to mind right away, but I'm sure others will pop up as I learn more about the 2702.
1. Nothing in the material I've been able to find indicates whether the queen size bed must be folded when the slide is retracted. Can the slide be fully retracted with the bed lying flat or must it be folded?
2. The TV seems to be in an awkward spot for viewing without getting a crick in one's neck, and I'm wondering if it could be relocated for better viewing. Has anyone moved the TV? if so, where to, and how that did mod work out?

Sorry, didn't mean for this post to be so long.

cwsqbm · 02-07-2016, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cotton Hawes

Two other questions come to mind right away, but I'm sure others will pop up as I learn more about the 2702.
1. Nothing in the material I've been able to find indicates whether the queen size bed must be folded when the slide is retracted. Can the slide be fully retracted with the bed lying flat or must it be folded?

The mattress tucks under the shirt wardrobes. That's what the middle row of drawers is recessed. That's pretty standard across many brands of motor homes.

I like the size of the a 28' class A. There was a BSS 2705 parked next to me the last couple days.

wildtoad · 02-07-2016, 11:53 AM

Cotton, We don't have the 2702, but we did a lot of looking at it and the 2705 before we opted for the 3004 which we have on order. Already answered, but the bed does not need to be folded. I think the TV is or can be put on a swing arm to reduce the crink in the neck issue.
You might want to take a look at the 2705 as the TV is located better, has a split bath setup which I think is a better option. It appears you can close off both the bedroom and bath from the rest of the area for privacy while bathing and dressing. The 2705 does not have a dedicated dinette but has two alternative setups (a table in front of the sofa, or a small table between the two captain chairs). I also like that the 2705 does not have a slide on the awning side, less chance of running into it.

Obviously we are sold on Newmar, and hope what is delivered meets my expectations, and I suspect it will.

Good Luck

purrin along · 02-08-2016, 05:12 PM

We really like the the 2702.It's a good floor plan for the size.I
will send you a pm.

nothermark · 02-08-2016, 05:39 PM

I would not call a Newmar Entry Level. It's just smaller. ACE is entry level. Just compare the chassis, tanks and build quality.

You are fooling yourself over the towed but will have to live with the idea to really figure it out.

We looked at a 2702. You are good to catch the TV location. I thought the answer would be ot move it over to the right over the passenger seat. Flat panels are not heavy enough to be an issue if off center. I also like the 2705 better.

Cotton Hawes · 02-09-2016, 04:40 AM

Thanks for the feedback, everybody. We'll be checking these out in person in March, including both the 2702 and 2705. The kitchen on the 2705 looks more functional, but I would like to have the 2702 dinette. We are staying flexible until we actually see the coaches. Meanwhile, we are still doing our homework.

Anybody know if the 2702 will accommodate dual recliners instead of the couch?

Romeo · 02-11-2016, 08:32 AM

What are you going to pay for a BayStar... $130,000? For $130k to 150k you can get a much higher quality used late model Newmar Dutch Star or Mountainaire diesel pusher. And you won't have to keep going back to the dealer to have warranty issues fixed... read some of the many posts related to new coach issues, and you won't that the giant HIT on depreciation.

If you look carefully you should be able to find a well cared for, well maintained, for sale by owner coach.

When I upgrade I will not be buying new, I will do as I mentioned.

I think you will also quickly find that you will want to pull a tow vehicle, for many reasons.

wildtoad · 02-11-2016, 09:02 AM

You can probably get a new 2702 for under $100k and its in the size he's looking for. Cut 13 or more feet of those two DP's and it might work��

purrin along · 02-11-2016, 09:22 AM

I paid $86k for my 2014 2702 new.You just have to find the right
deal that fits your need.

Romeo · 02-11-2016, 10:23 AM

Oh yes, and think of the saying "buy your last RV first".... there is much discussion about that on this forum.

Question: How many BayStar owners keep their BayStars longer than 10 years?

gremlin · 02-11-2016, 01:18 PM

I downsized from a 36 Foot Triple Slide Monaco Windsor to a Bay Star 2903. We love it, has similar living room, yeah we gave up tow capacity and a cargo in the under compartments but we gained being able to get into more parks and not always needing an XL spot in a campground, meaning we had more choices of where we could go. If someone would make me a Diesel with a floor plan like the 2903 I'd be all over that, but the smallest class A pusher is a the Allegro Breeze and it has pitiful tow capacity for a diesel and didn't have the sleeping arrangements we were looking at.

We don't all need/want huge rigs.

Cotton Hawes · 02-13-2016, 08:30 AM

Besides being almost 50% over our budget, the DPs that were mentioned are also about 50% longer than what we want. I am sure they are great coaches, but they aren't right for us.

Still researching the Bay Star Sport models, with the 2702 still at the top of the list. The closest dealer with one is a little over two hours away, and we won't be able to get out there for a couple more weeks, assuming they still have it by then.

Thanks again to Purrin for patiently answering tons of questions about his coach.

Still wondering if anyone has replaced the 2702 couch with recliners.

gremlin · 02-13-2016, 11:08 PM

We looked at the 2702 prior to buying the 2903 and it had one major flaw in my opinion. That was when the slides are closed its difficult to get in the bathroom because the door slants to the rear of the coach and you have to sneak through a small and low opening to get in. I hit my head three times in 20 minutes doing this and I felt it would get old. Going two feet longer fixed that issue

As for the recliner question it depends how wide they are id suppose

lundy · 02-14-2016, 03:25 PM

Gremlin, we, too, downsized from a 36' DP to a 2903 in 2011. Things that I don't like is the engine noise and lack of handling. The size is not a problem and is in fact is nice.

I did make a mistake of not going to the 2nd A/C and upgrading to 50 amp. We chose the micro/convection and when using the Keurig or when my wife NEEDS to blow her hair, a fuse is blown. Last summer, one unit (the 15,000 unit) just did not cut it. Another area (and $2700) was to upgrade the chassis. With driver and passenger, 1/2 tank of water, full fuel and empty holding tanks, we exceed the weight limit. Add my Bronco II and we exceed the loaded limit. Penny wise and pound foolish (I do it every time!)

To solve the crooked neck TV viewing, we replaced the hide-a-bed with 2 wall recliners that will move and swivel into a comfortable viewing position. Newmar could fix the TV situation when symmetry is no longer their paradigm.

I do wish that I could get better mileage -- 6.5 is as good as it gets. A big plus is the service cost. My Ford dealer keys the work sheet as a pick-up and the charge it as such because they do the same thing to a pick-up as they do to a motor hme. Newmar does build a quality unit. My warranty issues were almost will. Not having a local dealer was kind of a problem because my local approved service provider would not bill Newmar because of slowness in payment. After paying for a work personally, I submitted my paid bill and I had to wait almost 2 months for payment. Tiffin gave them a credit card at time of service; a good policy as I see it.

One other think that I did was to have the factory install a Winegard Travl'r satellite dish. Great addition.