Am I Nuts?

[Roy-c]

I guess I just don't understand why, knowing up front, that you can't get warranty service or replacement parts for months on a new rig anyone would spend several hundred thousand dollars and order one. When you add in the lack of trained employees at the factory and dealer level the issue is insurmountable.
I very seldom have problems getting parts for our 1987 Wanderlodge and if I do then there is always someone on the Wanderlodge Owners Forum that has already run into the same issue and has sourced the parts. I am thinking this is probably due to the parts not being newly designed and running behind in manufacture.

[RichdlP]

Originally Posted by Roy-c

I guess I just don't understand why, knowing up front, that you can't get warranty service or replacement parts for months on a new rig anyone would spend several hundred thousand dollars and order one.

Because we are optimistic masochists and can afford it.

[Xmcdog]

Originally Posted by RichdlP

Because we are optimistic masochists and can afford it.

I'm optimistic so I qualify on one count.

[pilotspike]

Originally Posted by Roy-c

I guess I just don't understand why, knowing up front, that you can't get warranty service or replacement parts for months on a new rig anyone would spend several hundred thousand dollars and order one. When you add in the lack of trained employees at the factory and dealer level the issue is insurmountable.
I very seldom have problems getting parts for our 1987 Wanderlodge and if I do then there is always someone on the Wanderlodge Owners Forum that has already run into the same issue and has sourced the parts. I am thinking this is probably due to the parts not being newly designed and running behind in manufacture.

Maybe because not everyone wants a 35 year old coach. Could also be that maybe the stories on the internet are not indicative of the entire fleet experience.


J

[inthepines]

Originally Posted by pilotspike

Maybe because not everyone wants a 35 year old coach. Could also be that maybe the stories on the internet are not indicative of the entire fleet experience.


J

To counter that, why would anyone buy anything that depreciates 20% the minute you drive it off the lot? Most people wouldnt burn that money but they have no problem throwing it away on new vehicles.
Anyone who does research should know this is a ongoing issue and shouldn't buy anything new right now. Way I see it, you're not going anywhere in your new motorhome for at least a year with the current situation.
Or buy used and take all that money and invest in a solid platform. Problem with that is, everyone lives on credit these days.

[lrwinddancer]

Originally Posted by RichdlP

Because we are optimistic masochists and can afford it.

You made me laugh.

[MontyL]

Originally Posted by lrwinddancer

... The issue is the hydraulic system burst on the full wall slide, which sounds like is the same pump used for the leveling system and the slide is stuck or wedged half in and half out in the rear of the coach.

Going to Spartan for their training is a very good plan, but save your time asking them to look into the slides; Spartan had nothing to do with them. Spartan made the chassis, Newmar added the body, slide mechanisms, levelers, etc. to it.

Although the factory sales brochure lists "Automatic Lock Arms on Non Hydraulic Slideout Rooms - Paddle Style", reviews and dealer write-ups cite HWH hydraulics... you want to talk to HWH in Iowa. Chances are that they will find an error made by Newmar (whether it be installation or mis-engineered to use the wrong combination of parts) but they can make it work properly.

Best of luck and safe travels!

[tqqest]

Originally Posted by inthepines

To counter that, why would anyone buy anything that depreciates 20% the minute you drive it off the lot? Most people wouldnt burn that money but they have no problem throwing it away on new vehicles.

Anyone who does research should know this is a ongoing issue and shouldn't buy anything new right now. Way I see it, you're not going anywhere in your new motorhome for at least a year with the current situation.

Or buy used and take all that money and invest in a solid platform. Problem with that is, everyone lives on credit these days.

I definitely do my research, and have NO problem buying new right now. Oh yeah, I just did! Sure, I could be like the guy that decided to buy a used high line coach a few years back instead of a new one, and he has now spent $60,000 plus on his engine and other issues, and that rig has also depreciated more than my new one. So you pay your money, and you take your chances!

Besides, I love buying new so I’m not living in other peoples dirt and smell, or putting up with all their rigs problems that made them want to sell it. I can afford it, I pay cash for it, and it’s worth to me. I have worked long and hard to be able to do what I want and make that choice. Why criticize?

I do agree with you that I would not burn my money, as that provides no joy or happiness to me. For my wife and me, buying new provides great joy, happiness and peace of mind. Having had used coaches in the past, nope, not doing that again. I am grateful though, for all those that want to buy used!

Not sure why you are losing 20% when you drive off the lot. I buy right or I don’t buy. I lost about 35% after 7 years on my Tiffin Allegro Bus, about 20% after 4 years on my Forest River coach, and about 7% on my 2020 DS4369 that I am selling for my 2022.

I just put 1,000 miles on my new 2022 DS4369 and it was amazing. It drives better than my 2020 DS4369, has several improvements that I find very worthwhile, and I am delighted with my purchase. My dealer already knows that I will be back in 2 years for my next one!

So, I’m not sure why someone wouldn’t buy new right now. The vast majority of all rigs never have the problems we read about here. Sure, my 2020 has had some issues, but neither it, or any new coach I have purchased, has ever left me stranded on the side of the road, or forced me to ever cancel a trip.

I do have an advantage in that I am very handy, and fix most of my coach issues myself. Having been a general contractor, a mechanic, and more, I can take care of most issues that pop up. Sure, if someone has never used a screwdriver, or turned a wrench, they might reconsider.

Anyway, to each their own, it takes all kinds to make the world function correctly.

[stutch]

WOW!!! We have a 2015 Dutch Star 4018 and have had zero problems with Freightliner. Not bragging or rubbing it in, but the RV industry is nothing like the auto industry. RV builders purchase every breakable component from someone else and assemble it. My main beef is that the RV manufacturers do not take any responsibility for their failure to pick reliable vendors. Newmar is pastered all over the motorhome, but if you have a problem, they send you running to someone else to beg a repair.

What I did, is purchase an extended maintenance plan that covers most everything of large expense (engine, chassis components, appliances, etc...) Cost a lot but one call and they handle everything. Many "Tim the Tool Man Taylor" types on these forums will say "If you cannot fix them, don't by them!" Sorry, but vacationing and camping is my hobby, not RV repair! I am very capable, just not willing.

Again, I am lucky I guess. Do yourself a favor, pay for a maintenance plan and drop kick the problem them. I know it doesn't help your missing your investment but it takes the sting out of the expense part.

[Fiesta48]

I buy new because when I've bought used I'm buying something they broke, didn't want to fix or ignored it.
New has got a warranty, and will be a few years before it needs major work. I can fix my own problems.

[pilotspike]

To counter that, why would anyone buy anything that depreciates 20% the minute you drive it off the lot? Most people wouldnt burn that money but they have no problem throwing it away on new vehicles.
Anyone who does research should know this is a ongoing issue and shouldn't buy anything new right now. Way I see it, you're not going anywhere in your new motorhome for at least a year with the current situation.
Or buy used and take all that money and invest in a solid platform. Problem with that is, everyone lives on credit these days.

Oh Phooey.

A few thoughts:

* Buy used and invest the rest. Hmm, why buy at all and just invest everything? Or why by the motorhome when you can buy a small travel trailer? Or Or Or ... The reality is that people spend money on what they value. You can't simply impose your values on another person's financial considerations. You do realize that most people would tell you your dumb to throw away money even on a used motorhome.

* Knowing how much something 'depreciates off the lot' is pretty difficult to do with any type of generic statement or formula, and even if known, is somewhat a meaningless statistic. The current times should demonstrate that. I bought new in '16, and I am sure that my 'depreciation' curve in the last 24 months is pretty different than it was 36 months ago.

* Money lost on depreciation is neither 'thrown away' nor is it the equivalent to 'burning' it. That argument is an emotionally based strawman argument used in this case to justify not buying new. That money was traded for something that they buyer valued, in many of these cases its a new capability, a new technology, a warranty, or the desire to have something fresh, or even to avoid gambling with an unknown history. At best it can only be considered thrown away if the buyer didn't consider their actions and make a cognitive decision regarding it.

* Worrying about how much depreciation you take on a depreciating asset when considering wealth or affordability is a fool's errand. Life is much less stressful if you always stay above water and assume that the asset will be worth nothing when you are done with it. If you need a depreciating asset to be worth something at the end, then there are larger issues that you should be asking.

J

[BBelanger]

Originally Posted by inthepines

To counter that, why would anyone buy anything that depreciates 20% the minute you drive it off the lot? Most people wouldnt burn that money but they have no problem throwing it away on new vehicles.
Anyone who does research should know this is a ongoing issue and shouldn't buy anything new right now. Way I see it, you're not going anywhere in your new motorhome for at least a year with the current situation.
Or buy used and take all that money and invest in a solid platform. Problem with that is, everyone lives on credit these days.

You don't say what coach you have, or where the idea of 20% off the lot came from unless you're thinking of automobiles, but I've never lost 20% on my Newmars in a short period. In fact, I almost got all my money back on my first 4018 after a year and 19,000 miles. I "lost" 10 grand. Plus I had the fun of finding all the bugs. There is a segment of the population who will never buy new. Maybe you'll be the one to buy my pre-owned and bug free LA? (they are never bug free, bugs hatch the longer you own a motorhome )

All I'm saying is that if you're looking at motorhome ownership from a dollar perspective instead of enjoying the freedom, maybe you shouldn't own one.

Bill

[mybluewhale]

What is it Beretta use to say.... Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. RVing especially high-end diesel rigs are very very complex systems. Now more than ever. We are on our second Newmar. First was 4003 MADP and now a 4018 DSDP. In the 13 years between those two rigs the rigs went from the wright brothers to the space shuttle. I'm a pretty capable tech and mechanic but the reliance on the computer control for every single system on the rig results in me just guessing and then trying to find the right folks to work it. I'll never be rich enough to own an airplane but I'll settle for nice chunk of rolling real estate. But as many have mentioned the lack of fully trained techs for support will make it a crap shoot, and the only saving grace would be good techs with the major power plants CAT Detroit and Cummins in commercial truck repair. I have had great luck with both freightliner, Cummins, and Allison at one time or another, albeit at higher labor rates for RVs. But like I said with the airplane, it's a rich man's sport, newer RVs are no different, just less expensive.

[rh2669]

I believe you are still has planning place where they will check your coach out before taking delivery. You pick up your coach from them not the dealer. It's fairly expensive but I think well worth it to have the technicians go over your coach before you pick it up.