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Old 01-01-2015, 02:36 AM   #1
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New member here!

Good Morning, (it's 4:15am and I'm in our toy hauler unable to sleep)

Hello all, new member here. I signed up looking for some reassurance/thoughts…

My wife and I ride a Polaris Rzr (Jagged X) with friends in TN. We live in Charlotte,NC and spend a great deal of time driving back and forth.

In the last 3 years, we have been through two custom car haulers (complete package) and two toy haulers.

Currently we are using a 2014 Voltage 3950 which I love (quality wise compared to the last Vengeance trailer we had)

We recently decided to look into buying an RV and decided on a Newmar Ventana 4369. We love the layout (especially the bathroom) and have worked a pretty decent deal considering we're trading in a 2014 F350 and our Voltage)

Though I have been in the automotive business for 30 years (body shop) A very good friend of mine had been desperately trying to talk me out of buying an RV. We all know these are not investments and depreciate terribly. He buys and sells vehicles for a very prominent Nascar owner and has lots of experience with cars and RV's (they have over 30 RV's (mostly higher ends like Prevosts)) in their fleet and can break down the cost per hour for them.

Yet still I am ready to pull the trigger on a new RV…. especially after tonight. We came to TN to ride and because I was in a bit of an awkward position in the particular campsite we're in, I spent over an hour getting the trailer in the correct position and had to manually level the trailer. After doing that for an hour in 20 some degree weather, the thought of an RV is looking better and better.

I'd like some opinions from Newmar owners. I have been intimidated by "facts" of costs, depreciations, aggregation, dependability, maintenance and last but not least, my 20 year marriage to the bank.

My Voltage MSRP was over 110K and after trading and paying a downpayment, I borrowed 20K against it… not a big deal. However, in this case, I'll be financing almost the whole thing.

As it is now, the payment per month of my dually and Voltage is within 50-100 bucks of what my payment will be for the new RV, it'll just be a longer period of time.

Can anyone give their thoughts about their RV experience. We've never had an RV and even though with all the thoughts being put into my head from my friend, many of my other friends have gone the same route with no issues.

I just turned 52 and drive to TN at least once a month with our toy hauler, our plan is to do more traveling so I'm hoping we'll use it even more than we do now.

Help! I need some thoughts from those that own these vehicles….

Thanks


Mark
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Old 01-01-2015, 05:41 AM   #2
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Mark
Welcome to the forum.
Where do you ride in tn? We are in to off-roading and have been to brimstone twice this fall. But any way back to your question, I would go the motorhome route you can pull a trailer and have lots more space than a toy hauler and the whole motorhome experience is awesome

As far as the depreciation thing as we all know they are not investments but when you buy new you pay 25-30% off msrp so you have to take that out of the equation of depreciation also try to find a 1-2 year old Newmar like your looking at and that will give you an idea of where you will be that is if you can find one most people hang on to them. The payment thing and what you want to fiancé is up to you that's personal preference
As far as the leveling I don't think the motorhome will be much different than the 5er you wanna start with a nice level spot but any who good luck
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Old 01-01-2015, 06:38 AM   #3
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Welcome to the Newmar portion of the IRV2 Forum. You have come to the right place for opinions on all things Newmar.

After I had purchased my first motorhome, a used 97 Kountry Star, I devoured information from RV Forums. It was great! It was also a bit confusing at first. As mentioned, there will be many opinions here (or on any other forum). You will quickly learn how to sort out the "Wheat from the Chaff". One secret is the use of sending Private Messages. Some questions are best directed to an individual rather than the public forums. I don't use this a lot, but it can be very helpful.

We personally love the RV lifestyle! Have met some wonderful folks. Gotten some awesome advice!

For me, motorhomes have become a hobby. I've now owned four Newmars. So I'm pretty stuck on the Newmar brand.

Enjoy the research, converstions and hopefully some laughs! BTW, there are some really smart guys on these forums......
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Old 01-01-2015, 07:48 AM   #4
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Dan,

Thanks, I appreciate that and yes, over the years, I've learned that there is much to be learned from listening to the advice/experience of others.

Like you said, you can separate the wheat from the chaff….

I could kick myself in the rear end if I could.

My father passed away about 5 years ago. He had bought a Newmar Dutchstar and when he passed, it only had 1800 miles on it.

My mother offered to give it to me since she wasn't going to use nor drive it.

I didn't feel that it was right and that it was her or her money should she decide to sell it. (at the time, I wasn't riding again)

Long story short, she sold it back to the dealership for 75K. I was sick. For that kind of money, I would have let it rot in my driveway and here all these years later, I'm looking to buy a similar product…. sure wish I had taken that offer.



Anyway, thanks for the welcome, hope to learn more about the product and rv'ing in general. We're pretty well set since we've been using our 5'ver anyway but it's still different.


Thanks,

Mark


Quote:
Originally Posted by danleininger View Post
Welcome to the Newmar portion of the IRV2 Forum. You have come to the right place for opinions on all things Newmar.

After I had purchased my first motorhome, a used 97 Kountry Star, I devoured information from RV Forums. It was great! It was also a bit confusing at first. As mentioned, there will be many opinions here (or on any other forum). You will quickly learn how to sort out the "Wheat from the Chaff". One secret is the use of sending Private Messages. Some questions are best directed to an individual rather than the public forums. I don't use this a lot, but it can be very helpful.

We personally love the RV lifestyle! Have met some wonderful folks. Gotten some awesome advice!

For me, motorhomes have become a hobby. I've now owned four Newmars. So I'm pretty stuck on the Newmar brand.

Enjoy the research, converstions and hopefully some laughs! BTW, there are some really smart guys on these forums......
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Old 01-01-2015, 09:27 AM   #5
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When I was 52 I was all about "payments". Since I got rid of ALL of my payments and have enough money in the bank to buy a new motorhome my advice to you would not trade based on payments. Heck I want a new MH but even though I could pay for it I don't want it enough to pay for it with my nest egg, and considering how much interest I'm earning on this money and how much interest I would pay in a payment, I dang sure ain't going to buy one on payments. If you use the dually as a daily driver you have to "budget" more money for a daily driver. I don't know if one bad experience with an uneven campground in 20 degree weather is enough to justify a trade as much it is an excuse to do something that would make you happy. Personally I just want you to be happy and if you decide to trade and extend your payments I'll still be happy for you. Good luck
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Old 01-01-2015, 09:39 AM   #6
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Hi orangecrush,

It sounds like you are thinking things through pretty well. Probably one of the biggest expenses in the RV world, is constantly trading around to get what you want, you actually don't realize the cash cost of the depreciation until you sell or trade ( it looks like you're already learning that lesson) there's some wisdom in the concept that you should buy your third RV first if you can, saves a lot of money in the long run. We've done the ATV thing with both 5-ers and Motorhomes and we definitely like the comfort of traveling in the motorhome better. Good luck and keep us posted on your choices.
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Old 01-01-2015, 10:37 AM   #7
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Welcome to the forum and irv2.
Here is a Brochure and Owners Guide for you in the Ventana line.
There are some mid engine coach's toy haulers that may also fit your build if want to buy used.---Owners Guide
Good luck in your quest.

MADE 09-10 also
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Old 01-01-2015, 10:39 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by harleyman134 View Post
When I was 52 I was all about "payments". Since I got rid of ALL of my payments and have enough money in the bank to buy a new motorhome my advice to you would not trade based on payments. Heck I want a new MH but even though I could pay for it I don't want it enough to pay for it with my nest egg, and considering how much interest I'm earning on this money and how much interest I would pay in a payment, I dang sure ain't going to buy one on payments. If you use the dually as a daily driver you have to "budget" more money for a daily driver. I don't know if one bad experience with an uneven campground in 20 degree weather is enough to justify a trade as much it is an excuse to do something that would make you happy. Personally I just want you to be happy and if you decide to trade and extend your payments I'll still be happy for you. Good luck
Thanks HM, I appreciate it. The dually was bought just to pull the 5'ver.



I actually downgraded my vehicles, I was able to trade in a 2 year old Porsche and buy myself and my daughter both brand new Jeeps and my wife a 2015 Challenger and still have money left over.

I don't spend like I use to, in fact, I'm getting ready to sell two Harley's we simply don't ride anymore.

Other than my home, my truck and trailer are my only payments and since I only owe 20K on the trailer, it's not much. Payments on the truck and trailer are within dollars of what I would be paying on the motorhome. I would love to say that I could pay for the motorhome in cash but that is not ever going to be a reality (not in the immediate future)





Quote:
Originally Posted by nforus View Post
Hi orangecrush,

It sounds like you are thinking things through pretty well. Probably one of the biggest expenses in the RV world, is constantly trading around to get what you want, you actually don't realize the cash cost of the depreciation until you sell or trade ( it looks like you're already learning that lesson) there's some wisdom in the concept that you should buy your third RV first if you can, saves a lot of money in the long run. We've done the ATV thing with both 5-ers and Motorhomes and we definitely like the comfort of traveling in the motorhome better. Good luck and keep us posted on your choices.

Yes, I've definitely wasted some money upgrading to something that fit our needs more each time. A very costly lesson.

I'm hoping that we're done, we've tried different things and I after much thought, I think we're good to go with the Newmar. I think it fits our needs now and in the future.

One thing I didn't see in the new RV is a dishwasher. That is not a make it or break it deal buster but since we're hopefully keeping this one for a while, I want to make it the way we would have ordered it.

I'll keep ya informed…


Thanks,

Mark
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Old 01-01-2015, 12:12 PM   #9
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Hi orangecrush,
Welcome to iRV2 and the Newmar Owners forum. My first coach was in 1978. Having a motor coach is a lifestyle choice. Too many buy a coach without really knowing how they will use it. You have taken the smart route. You know what you want to do with the coach. Now you just need to get the plan moving. I have financed every coach I purchased for the longest possible term. I can work a better deal when the coach is financed via the dealer. However, I understand what the minimum time is for me to keep the financing, so the dealer get his money. Then I pay off the loan, at my leisure. I have never had a coach loan go to term. I paid off the current coach in 8 years (original 20 year loan). Unless you already have a 2nd home, the interest on the loan should be deductible on your income tax.

Make sure of these 3 items are yes for the coach you are considering:
1. Floor plan -Usually the wife's choice. If she doesn't like it, don't buy it.
2. Will the coach carry you, your people and all your stuff? This is CCC or NCC depending on the Brand. GVWR minus UVW.
3. Will the coach tow what you want to tow? GCWR minus GVWR and the receiver weight rating.

If these items are okay, then proceed.


As to the dishwasher, Newmar will customize just about anything you want as long as it does not require them to recertify the coach. This is your home, get it the way you want it. The lifestyle has cost me a bunch of money. And I have no regrets.
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Old 01-01-2015, 01:01 PM   #10
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We decided to go new for several reasons and we are glad we did. The depreciation thing is something I'm not really worried about. You will only relize the depreciation if you sell it, just like in a house you only realize the appreciation if you sell it. First of all we generally keep our stuff for a long time, and I maintain them myself. Most of my vehicles still look better that the day we bought them and run perfect. I tried to buy my last MH first, so we will not be buying another one soon. If we did decide to move up(which is unlikely as we love ours) it would be a to a Newmar Ventanna. If I were to do that I would give this one to my kids to use so they can join us on trips, if I'm going to give my money away it will be to my kids not some dealer or a used buyer looking for a great deal. The depreciation on ours has not been bad as we got a great deal to begin with.

We bought new as we didn't want someone else's problems, and didn't want to buy something where all the "facilities" had been used by who knows. Some may say that is dumb/stupid or whatever. At the end of the day the one with the money gets to make the decision. Once we started using it we liked it even more and made the decision to buy new even better in our minds, we like being the original owner and knowing how it has been taken care of.

As far as buying a Class A we like ours alot better than a TT. We have already had a couple of times where we pulled into a CG during a rainstorm, parked/leveled the MH without ever going outside. Once the weather cleared I went out and hooked up the electricity and water. It is so much more convienent in my opinion. When you are traveling your passengers can use the bathroom, get a drink, make a sandwhich, watch TV ect. without ever stopping, and you can run the AC's or heat with one push of a button on the generator. If the payment is going to be a wash or at least close it would be a no brainer for me. We were going to pay cash but got a little better deal financing and got a 3% loan. We put down a huge downpayment and will most likely pay it off in the first two years of the loan.

As far as going with the Newmar you will not be disappointed. We didn't even know about Newmar until we heard people talking about them and then ran into our dealer by chance. He is a real ethical/honest guy and owns the dealership. He assured us we would not be bringing the MH back for warranty stuff that should have never left the factory or nusance type breakdowns you always hear about. Everything he has told us has been true so far. We have had ours for 11 months now, put over 8000 miles on it, been out camping/traveling over 100 days so far. I have only had to take it in for some minor issues and adjustments. My total time in the shop is 4 hours(not days or weeks) and took the MH home the same day on both visits. Newmar's quality is great compared to others in the same pricepoint. Good luck in your decision, it's never easy to make, but if you make the right decision for you, it's alot more fun to live with.
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