Community Forums

Mr. T · 08-19-2018, 07:24 AM

Have any of you owned a Newmar or traveled with one? We're going to be purchasing a new coach next year and my short list is the 42-Aspire or the 43-Dutch Star. Now I know one has an upgraded interior but my main decision point is

which one has a reputation for fewer reasons to have mechanical or electrical problems worked on, and overall better customer support.:
Thanks for your comments!

Trapper56 · 08-19-2018, 08:21 AM

TWO year warranty / customer support / pricing

buddy110 · 08-19-2018, 09:09 AM

Have owned both. Both have excellent CS after the sale, both are great coaches. Newmar is more customizable, and also more expensive. Or at least that has been my experience. What sold me on Entegra was the two year bumper to bumper warranty and 2 year free PDI.

Marcosdad · 08-20-2018, 03:44 PM

Also a Newmar refugee. Bang for the buck and customer service...goes to Entegra. Speed and convenience on warranty claims...goes to Newmar.

Canuck53 · 08-20-2018, 05:39 PM

Might want to post on the Newmar forum to see all perspectives.

lowejug · 08-20-2018, 06:32 PM

Yes... entegra all the way for me.. Newmar has a nice exterior and the king air has some great quality features such as 200 gallon fuel tank... but then I walk into one and they loose me at the door... floor plan and color combination is big and I just never see it in a newmar... jmo...

ghaynes754 · 08-21-2018, 08:30 AM

Aspire is more aligned with the Ventana in the Newmar line. Dutch Star aligns with the Anthem. Not much difference in price between the two anymore, since about 2016-17 price changes at Entegra. Newmar can have items from other coaches in the line included as specials. Example I have the wood plank ceramic tile from a King Aire in my 2017 DS.

It really starts with which floor plan works for you. That is usually more important than anything else. Something like having a fireplace, available in Newmar's as a Special but standard on some of the Entegra models.

wnytaxman · 08-21-2018, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghaynes754

Aspire is more aligned with the Ventana in the Newmar line. Dutch Star aligns with the Anthem. Not much difference in price between the two anymore, since about 2016-17 price changes at Entegra. Newmar can have items from other coaches in the line included as specials. Example I have the wood plank ceramic tile from a King Aire in my 2017 DS.

It really starts with which floor plan works for you. That is usually more important than anything else. Something like having a fireplace, available in Newmar's as a Special but standard on some of the Entegra models.

I would tend to disagree on your comparison. Now I think the Insignia is more comparable to the Ventana and the Aspire is pretty darn close to the Dutch Star. Since Entegra made the Aspire an IFS and all electric coach on a Spartan chassis the Aspire is closer to the Dutch Star.

I went through the options list on a Dutch Star and added the items that were standard on the Aspire. Next I took a look at what many have reported as being their discount on each unit. The Newmar's seem to top out at around 25-28% and the Entegra's around 35-38%. Taking into account the difference in reported discounts the Entegra comes in about $40-50,000 less than the Dutch Star.

Dutch Star David · 08-21-2018, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by In2flyfishin

Have any of you owned a Newmar or traveled with one? We're going to be purchasing a new coach next year and my short list is the 42-Aspire or the 43-Dutch Star. Now I know one has an upgraded interior but my main decision point is

which one has a reputation for fewer reasons to have mechanical or electrical problems worked on, and overall better customer support.:
Thanks for your comments!

My personal experience: 2014 Cornerstone-lots and lots and lots of problems. 2018 Dutch Star-very few so far. However, I think the dealer makes all the difference in the world. National Indoor vs. Lazy Days. No comparison in my opinion. NIRVC head and shoulders over LD.

brobox · 08-21-2018, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by In2flyfishin

Have any of you owned a Newmar or traveled with one? We're going to be purchasing a new coach next year and my short list is the 42-Aspire or the 43-Dutch Star. Now I know one has an upgraded interior but my main decision point is

which one has a reputation for fewer reasons to have mechanical or electrical problems worked on, and overall better customer support.:
Thanks for your comments!

Just my experience, but that is going to be the luck of the draw on vendor items. 90% of my problems were vendor, customer support from Entegra was fantastic.

Both manufacture use the same vendor items.

WeekendRVers · 08-21-2018, 04:59 PM

I owned a 2018 CS. I pick up my 2019 Dutch Star in 7 weeks. That's all I can say.

lowejug · 08-22-2018, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WeekendRVers

I owned a 2018 CS. I pick up my 2019 Dutch Star in 7 weeks. That's all I can say.

wow... now thats one you don't read every day... brand new conerstone to a dutch star...

WeekendRVers · 08-22-2018, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowejug

wow... now thats one you don't read every day... brand new conerstone to a dutch star...

I'm sure but we originally were buying a DS until the salesman said, let me show you an Anthem. We looked at it and just for the heck of it also looked at the CS. The bling got my wife and I so we bought it. I couldn't justify spending another 100k for a motor and chassis but I did and custom ordered one. Did we have problems? Six months later we were out of it and two very happy campers especially since we didn't lose a dime.

At that point it was too late to custom order any new coaches so we had to wait for the 2019's to be released. We decided to order the DS which was what we originally wanted due to Newmar's quality build reputation.

FYI... Salesmen make an additional commission when they sell Entegra's directly from Entegra for pushing their stuff.

Its been a long wait but we custom ordered the heck out of the DS including awnings on the drivers side, Essex flooring and counter tops, custom paint, etc, etc. and we're doing an FPU.

Live and learn.

Jtrving · 08-23-2018, 09:45 AM

I agonized for over six months comparing the two brands. At the end of they day both will be excellent coaches, and both will have their share of problems. I know I would have been happy with either. I wound up buying Newmar beacause I already had one and was most impresssed with the service in Nappanee. But, I do feel like you pay more for Newmar's because of the ability to customize, and having that extra year warranty with an Entegra is huge, especially with how technical these rigs have become and all of the stuff that seems to wrong the first 2-3 years.

You will be fine either way. Go and see and drive the heck out of them (Comfort Drive is REALLY nice), pick the best floor plan for you, and never look back.