Dutch Star vs. Ventana

[yogus]

Hello All!

I've come for some advice. (like lots of Newbies)

My husband and I are looking to go fulltime in the next year or two.

We've looked at Newmar vs. all the rest and really like Newmar and keep going back to that.

It's coming down to models we can live in. We like the 4369 in both the Ventana and the Dutch Star.

We've gone over the books and Newmar's website and other than the engine, what are the other major differences and why did any of you purchase a Dutch Star over a Vantana?

Also, if purchased new, did you purchase from dealer stock or order? Why? If you ordered, did you feel you got as good of a price as purchasing dealer stock?

My husband is open (very slightly) to used model, however, he really wants new. I am leaning towards new so we can break it in, etc. (that could be a pun, I know)

We are open to suggestions and all advice.

I would really appreciate feedback and any and all positive or negative things you can tell us.

We are in our late 50's, no kids, 2 cats.

Thanks a bunch!

[Ricci]

Hi Yogus - We are long time RVers but about to get our first Newmar. Because of this we have done a good bit of due diligence regarding Newmar.(Our 9th coach) There are some significant differences between the Dutch Star and Ventana depending on the wheel base. The biggest issues for us were the availability of the Spartan chassis on the DS and the HWH full wall slide as opposed to the electric slide. Otherwise it is a matter of what your expectations, pocket book and future use are.
The dealer pays the same whether it's your order or his for drawing customers in and with some obvious exceptions you can get the same deal. Down side of ordering is the wait. Downside off the showroom floor is there will be equipment compromises and it may have lived at shows for part of it's life. Tires and fluids will possibly be older as the coach sits and diesels do not like to sit.
The perfect coach is the one that meets your needs and taste. Be careful and don't let the process get ahead of you. It's easy to get emotional about something that takes a lot of rational thinking.
Good luck in your quest.
Tom

[jondrew55]

They're both very nice coaches. I'd say the Dutchstar is a step up, whether it's worth the extra cost or not really depends on what you like.

New vs used? My Discovery was 2 years old and I'm so glad we bought it. Saved a bunch of money and got a coach with most of the bugs wrung out.

Have you looked at Entegras? Similar quality coaches and very nice too.

[C.Martin]

Ventana...rear ladder, rear radiator, 400hp 1250 ftlbs torque, QI phone charger, electric slideouts, flat ceiling in bath...different levelers starting 2017.

Dutch Star...side radiator, 450hp 1250 ftlbs torque, no rear ladder, roof trim, upgraded awnings, larger wheel cut, frieghtliner and spartan chassis options, hwh levelers, cathedral ceiling in rear bathroom, hydralulic slideout with "more floor", larger fuel tank, upgraded brakes? disc... Larger front wheels, lighting switch plates, generator slide out???2018...

This will just give you some ideas. Really try to go and see them. Even better, take a trip to the factory. Chances are a 4369 model will be on the line being built. RV shows that have Newmar represented usually have these popular models available to see. Focus on Model year specific YouTube videos to catch more highlights.

[BBelanger]

You'll never regret buying the best you can afford. My 2 cents.

[jk70]

Originally Posted by Ricci

The dealer pays the same whether it's your order or his for drawing customers in and with some obvious exceptions you can get the same deal.
Tom

Actually, I think if you ordered one vs. the same one sitting on a lot (let's assume they are identical), the ordered one you should be able to negotiate lower. Talk to the dealer about how they won't have pay insurance or interest or other fees for having the MH on the lot.

[Stuart W]

The wife and I went through this and we ordered a DS 4369, price is the same but wanted colors and interior and most of all the Spartan chassis. I am a very analytical person ([emoji4]anal) and built both on paper for months. This is what I found: the rear side radiator on the DS was on my wish list because of self maintenance, the independent front suspension give a very nice ride although the Ventana was no slouch. Where the big difference comes in is what options are important to you, if you start adding standard Dutch Star items like: one piece fiberglass roof and insulation, automatic slide locks, power cord real and power water hose real, tile in bedroom,the difference closes from about a 60k difference to more like 50k and in addition the wife also could not stand the carpet under the refrigerator as she felt this would get spilled on over time. For that $50 K we found that the Dutch Star comes with a lot of nice perks. Have you guys looked at the build sheets for both? Also one more thing to add, ordering is a great way to not pay for options you don't really want and add things you do want.

[yogus]

What does "HWH" mean?

BTW, I'm doing all the communicating and on the message boards because the husband still works and has email to deal with. He asks questions and then asks me to post them. I'm going "Huh?". He says just ask someone will give us direction. Sorry.

I will say that the dealer steered us to the Ventana right away. I don't know if he thought we couldn't afford a Dutch Star etc. We never saw one. He showed us Entegra and the Ventanas which we thought were very nice. We kept going back to the Newmar models.

Then we went and saw some Tiffins at another dealer and they had terrible inventory. We didn't like them at all. Then, this past weekend, we went to a "Resort" that sells lots for RVs and a dealer was there for Tiffins and they were much nicer. 600hp.

I'll be honest, I have a Mustang GT that gets 435 hp that gal can fly! How can a 400-450 engine pull that amount of weight plus water, gas, all your stuff?!

The sales guy said it's no problem. I call BS. I know my sports car (which I'm willing to give up to RV FT) can go like a bullet; a 50,000 lb vehicle can't. I pass them on the right all the time.

I appreciate the information so far. This is what the "Life Style Salesperson" at dealer couldn't explain.

So far I can point to major differences. Would these make a difference to a Newbie?

[Stuart W]

The difference is 1250 foot pounds of torque and gearing.

[Runaway4002]

Here is our decision and reasons for it. After months of research we narrowed it down to Newmar versus Entegra. After the test drive the comfort drive and tag axel on the 40 foot Newmar versus no tag on the 40 foot Entegra made it a no brainer. We were in early August of 2015 so printed the 2015 and 2016 price sheets for comparison. For us, as future full timers, we felt a loaded Ventana offered more than the base model Dutch Star for about the same money. We did not want the Spartan Chassis, did not need the 450 HP, and did not care about the side radiator. That said the Ventana was for us. We started our search nationwide (and Canada) on line and felt we needed to go factory order as what we wanted was not on anyone’s lot and we were not going to settle for anything less. After developing our build sheet and shopping it around we were ready to factory order and got a call from our local dealer we had used for our test drives. He just got a model 4002 (bath and a half with kitchen on driver’s side) with exactly what our build sheet had with one exception. It had a front TV that we did not want. The colors (inside and out) were what we wanted, all the options were what we wanted (safe, recliners, all electric, etc.) and it was built in late April of 2015 on a 2016 chassis. On about the last day of August we closed the deal at a far better price than any other dealer on a custom 2016 order by a large amount. We understood we had a coach a year older but the VIN number shows this as a 2016 not a 2015 although the title shows it as a 2015. We did not compromise and got what we wanted. The Ventana is the best coach for the money with our needs in mind in our opinion. Those that disagree and have the Dutch Star have a different set of reasons for their decision and are absolutely correct as well. For us it was not about price but what we wanted. Either coach is quality. Our only regret is that had we factory ordered we would have benefited from the PDI experience at the factory versus our local dealer. No other regrets besides that and certainly not a big deal at all. Enjoy your future purchase and welcome to the Newmar family.

[TomandGloria]

We also considered the DS4369 over the VT4369. I do not do my own maintenance so side versus rear radiator did not matter to me. The torque is the same for both coaches, but the DS gives you 50 more horsepower.

We have a fully loaded VT4369 for about 60k less than the DS4369. We don't fulltime, but winter 6 months in Florida and travel throughout the rest of the year.

My thought was throw that savings into the fuel tank and enjoy ourselves. Either coach will be a good decision. Newmar is an awesome company. We just left the factory after taking a tour. So far, no warranty items that need immediate attention. Almost 6 months of ownership and over 4k miles of usage and not one complaint.

Hope this is helpful.

[smlranger]

Since you will be full timing, IMO I would go with the Dutch Star. IFS, side radiator (important if you do your own maintenance and just makes sense on that level of coach....other reasons why side radiator is better).

HWH is the company in Iowa that makes the hydraulic slide mechanism.

No DP will be a rocket, not like your Mustang GT. Cars and DP's are totally different animals.

IMO, I would do factory delivery. That will give you the best opportunity to have the experts deal with the multiple things that will likely need fixing before you leave the factory. Folks who have done Newmar's factory delivery speak very highly of the process.

Have fun shopping.

[pasdad1]

Originally Posted by yogus

I'll be honest, I have a Mustang GT that gets 435 hp that gal can fly! How can a 400-450 engine pull that amount of weight plus water, gas, all your stuff?!

The sales guy said it's no problem. I call BS. I know my sports car (which I'm willing to give up to RV FT) can go like a bullet; a 50,000 lb vehicle can't. I pass them on the right all the time.

Well a big motorhome is not like driving your car. To get up to speed in a diesel you push the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor, and it slowly gains momentum. You need to be planning ahead all the time....you can't simply just see a gap in traffic and shoot into it like a sports car.

Once it's up to speed, it cruises down the highway no problem. You don't want to be driving a big motorhome at 75-80 usually like you might be tempted to do. You need to give yourself much more stopping room as well.

[BBelanger]

In my 2017 4018, the wife was behind me at a stop light in our 2010 Wrangler and when I took off, she couldn't keep up with me. It's quite quick for such a big machine.