Why did you pick Newmar over Tiffin?

[Quincybear]

Thanks for all of the info, great! I forgot to mention we will be buying a used one, probably a 2008 or 2009 so we get comfort drive. Appreciate all your time and any other future comments.

[gtsum2]

Been looking at both but lack of pantry and tv viewing angles in tiffins keep me going back to newmar...not to mention comfort drive

[newmarpusher]

Originally Posted by Quincybear

I would love to hear from newmar owners why they chose newmar especially vs tiffin other than just floor plan. I am looking at 40 ft diesel and figured many of you researched newmar and tiffin and picked Newmar. I would appreciate tapping into your knowledge because I am leaning towards newmar but like them both. Thank you

THE main reason we didn't go with a Tiffin was floorplan. After years of looking, we never found a Tiffin floorplan to our liking. The Main tv is always at a right angle from the primary living room seating.

I do like their cabinetry.

Newmar's willingness to customize various options like recliners vs couches, etc is a huge plus over Tiffin. There is no substitute for Comfort Drive. We also wanted a TAG on a 40'.


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[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by newmarpusher

Newmar's willingness to customize various options like recliners vs couches, etc is a huge plus over Tiffin. There is no substitute for Comfort Drive. We also wanted a TAG on a 40'.
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If I could afford a new rig, it would be Newmar for your reasons above. Even ECC won't make build changes, and they don't have Comfort Drive.


Dave and Nola, RV Mutants

[glenspence]

My wife and I own a 2012 Tiffin Phaeton 40QBH (bath and a half model). We have customized our Phaeton a LOT and it has been great. We've taken it from Sea to Shining Sea and from North to South. Yes, it has had it's problems, especially that first year. Yes, we took it to Red Bay Alabama and have sat in Bob Tiffin's office, where he personally addressed any issues we had.

My wife and I start our full time RV experience on June 1. Since January, we have been discussing getting a different RV for our full time use. We were very attracted with the Dutch Star 4369 at the RV Show in Tampa in January. It has the features we wanted, which include the double recliners opposite the televator, the full wall slide, the flat floors, the Comfort drive, etc. We are heading northeast starting in June. We are changing our route to go to the Newmar factory on the way so we can really look at all choices, colors, etc.

Having said that, there are some things we don't like about the Dutch Star compared to our Tiffin. Despite the additional three feet, the Dutch Star has less basement storage than our Phaeton. We also don't like the shallow cabinets in the Dutch Star as compared to our Phaeton. However, this is compensated by the pantry in the Dutch Star, so we think this compensates. Generally, we think the Tiffin woodwork looks better than the Dutch Star. I don't like that the cameras for the turn signals are mounted on the body of the coach, not the mirrors like my Phaeton. We previously had another Phaeton where the cameras were mounted on the body like the Dutch Star. You get a better view when they are mounted on the mirrors. I also don't like that the Dutch Star cockpit seats do not have the integrated seat belts like the Tiffin has. I also think the navigation unit on the Tiffin is superior to the one I see in the Dutch Star. Finally, although we really like the full wall slide and the flat floors in the Dutch Star, we find it strange that the slide out is not level.

So we are not quite convinced on the Dutch Star. I have been lurking on this board for a few months now and check it every day. Still trying to make up our mind...

[wnytaxman]

Just as a point of information...if you are looking at a used Tiffin you may want to make sure that the "big three issues" have been resolved on the used unit. Tiffin had some major issues with roof cracks, rotting wet bays, and slide issues. If you read the Tiffin RV Network Forum regularly you will see all kinds of roof issues. Some have even had the roof replaced multiple times. That just doesn't bode well for Tiffin.

[ficodek]

Originally Posted by C.Martin

Oh.. 40' steerable tag axle...did I mention that. Comfort steer...three position engine brakes. I know I said I love this thing. Come checkout the 40' Ventana or Dutch Star. Me thinks you will like!!!

All of that. Unbeatable. 500 miles in a day, no problem, no stress!

[101stveteran]

I have to agree with all the positive points mentioned prior.

Our decision was made for us. We went to lazy days in Tampa. Spent all day with a salesguy looking. He wrote up a deal on a tiffin. Went over to the crown club for an hour only to be told that the closer was tied up on a phone call. Told to come back the next day. Yah right. Went to north trail. They were happy to take my money. Lazy days did me a huge favor.

[JCGibson]

For us it was total length. Our garage inside dimensions are a hair under 39', however didn't realize that until we had already put down a deposit for a Tiffin RED 37PA. The dealer we had purchased our Allegro 36LA from had one on their lot and loved it. We measured it and thought we were good to go. Fortunately, we were to take delivery the following weekend. So in the meantime we measured our garage and it was going to be 6" too long anyway we thought about trying to make it fit. The dealership was understanding and they cancelled the purchase. We had our heart set on a Tiffin since we loved our 36LA, but we decided to give Newmar a look. We are so glad we did as we feel the Ventana 3709 we ordered and just received is perfect for us and fits nicely in the garage.

[Mr_D]

In our private club there were 12 MH's, one a Prevost, one Foretravel (my parents) and 6 Newmars. When we went looking to replace the '98 Santara that I literally had to work on the cabinets every time out we already had a good idea of what we wanted/could afford. That led to us ordering a 2000 Dutch Star, then the DW wanted more slides and I wanted more HP/torque so we ordered the '02 DSDP that we kept for 13 years. Another big thing was Newmar being willing to customize. Removing walls, doors and substituting vanities and countertops is not something most will do.

[Dutch Star Don]

When we went looking we had narrowed it down to Newmar and Tiffin. Here are the things that influenced our decision. The Newmar 4018 floorplan was the first floorplan that my wife was willing to trade in our old coach for. I wanted a true 40' coach with a tag axle and side radiator. I really knew nothing about Comfort Steer, but now that would be a very important issue.

Now that I've had the coach for 2.5 years, there are some things that I think I would want to see improved before buying again. I've never liked how the front door of the Newmar has to be slammed when ready for travel. It has weakened the door post and that may be a problem in years to come. I'm also not happy with the paint work, it was nicely painted in terms of design, but the clear coat is definitely lacking. I've already had issues I'm not happy about. I would NOT buy another until/unless they improved the clear coat work, which they are apparently now doing. I'm guessing others were not happy.

My full wall slide works fine, but with the issues some have had, I'm always a little nervous when I open or close it. Each time it works successfully, I gain confidence.

With all that said I'm not a hater, but someone who understands that there is no perfect coach and accept that BEFORE buying. I still think my Dutch Star was the best bang for the buck. I would buy another now that 2017 has had the paint upgraded.

The last issue I see for both Newmar Dutch Star and Tiffin Allegro Bus is the size/weight of all the features they are adding to these coaches. The ISL is really becoming a marginal engine for the weight and may soon need the small ISX.

[JohnT]

We also compared Tiffin and Newmar when we started researching 5 years ago. In fact, I still continue to add notes to my ever growing file. We really liked the Tiffin Phaeton. It had everything we wanted. Unfortunately, it came with two things we didn't like. First was the super hi-gloss finish on the interior. Second was the fit and finish. Those items in a Newmar Dutch Star were not apparent. The smaller cabinets plagued the Dutch Star. Not quite ready to commit to a new coach, we decided to buy used.

We started to look at 4 and 5 year old Dutch Stars and Tiffins. The items we looked at were: fit and finish, cabinet and drawer locks, chaffing of cabinets doors caused by being loose or poorly adjusted, general overall condition. Our research determined that the Tiffin did not fair well at all compared to the Dutch Star. Others have mentioned the design flaws in the Tiffin. Although Tiffin will stand behind their product better than any manufacturer, I didn't want to buy a coach that I would be required to travel 800 miles and wait weeks to have major design / manufacturing flaws repaired. My research did not find any such issues with the Dutch Star.

We bought our 2008 DS in 2013 and it looked new (40k miles). 3 years and 26k miles later, it still looks new. Recently we started to looking at others brands of new coaches. Every time we got home and saw ours in the driveway, we couldn't justify replacing her.

[cwk]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed.

After hearing comments about Tiffin, Newmar, and many others, it sounds like Newmar is where we want to be.

I am leaning towards a 2008 or newer DSDP. We just started looking this year and have only had the opportunity to view a few. We did attend an RV show this spring and had a chance to visit a few dealers including North Trail in FL. We are considering full-time when we retire in a few years, so there is no rush. Our first concern is floor plan. I have been through the Newmar archives and found some that we both really like.

Is there a "rule of thumb" for estimating the annual depreciation on a Newmar? Say, x% when you drive it off the lot, then y% per year? Does it vary with the model Newmar? Say, Dutch Star?

Also, from reading this forum I have learned that discounts from MSRP is typically 30-35% for new units. (Is this correct?) Is this the same for used units? Are the dealers using a list price (maybe NADA pricing) for used models, then a discount can be negotiated?

How about prices listed on sites like rvtrader? Are the used units there subject to the same discounts? From dealers? From private sellers?

I know: If you don't ask you don't get. I am just trying to learn what is commonly accepted practice in the RV world.

We still have a lot to learn, so more research is ahead of us. Thanks again, iRV2!

[az99]

Originally Posted by cwk

How about prices listed on sites like rvtrader? Are the used units there subject to the same discounts? From dealers? From private sellers?

Good Luck with that. I have found asking prices on used to be crazy high. Right now on RV trader there are several DS that are priced higher than what a new one of equal MSRP can be bought for. The NADA prices on used are total jokes. They list original MSRP and then retail prices much higher than what original costs were.
In some cases private sellers still owe $ on them so they are asking too much so they can pay them off.
Used dealers are even worse. Especially if they are not Newmar dealers.