Just drove my first Ventana LE ••• WoW

[WyoFree]

Went to my nearest Newmar dealer yesterday. I knew they didn't have the Ventana LE 4044 that I actually want but they had a 4037 that should ride and handle the same.

The LE is everything I expected and more. Quiet, powerful and the ride was exceptional. And the Comfort Drive is really quite impressive. I also got to see the 4037 with the slides in and although it was cramped. It gave reasonable access to the 1/2 bath, refrigerator, kitchen and of course the two opposing couches. I assume the 4044 would be similar!

The hardest thing to get use to is that the air break is right next to the gas peddle. I kept picking my foot up like I would in my car and then was afraid I'd put it back down on the gas instead of the break! Strange experience and I'm sure you all had to adjust to it as well.

It's funny because I never felt as thought I was driving a 40 foot plus and almost 30,000 pound vehicle. And quite with no engine noise and no creeks and rattles from the cabinets etc. There was a creek up and to the right of the passenger door and without that it would have been quiet to the max. The salesman wasn't sure what was making the noise but was confident they could find it and fix it.

I will actually pick my coach up directly from Newmar and spend a few days with them to learn all about my coach. It's my first coach and I want to know all I can about it before taking off on my first adventure. I will also go to the 2 day Freightliner school in South Carolina so I can learn as much as possible about my coach.

The salesman told me they haven't sold a 4044 from their location and felt Newmar may discontinue it because it must not be very popular. He also said that the 4000 series with the full wall slide would have better resale value than a coach like the 4044 with the four slides.

The Ventana LE will be my coach that I can tell you for sure. Had a wonderful experience and could not have been more pleased, it was most impressive!

[Switt]

Harry
Like I told you RV salesman only lie when their mouth is moving. I brought my 4044 from that location and it was on the lot for 1 day before it sold and they had 3 others that wanted it. The coach was probably first one made. My salesman was one of their top salesman but still had the Tom Johnson attitude so they fired him as well as one in Concord 3 days after she sold a London Aire. They have run off many long time Tom Johnson employees. If the 4044 in Concord was optioned out it would have been sold.

[JMH]

Yep, never believe a salesman unless the statement is in writting and signed off on by a REAL manager (one that can legally bind the company). We all have our stories If the floor plan you got works for you then that's the right coach. We bought the last VTDP 3725. I asked why it was discontinued and our tech said maybe not a big seller. IMHO the Millers change designs too fast. It takes time for a floor plan to take hold. Most floorplans that don't look good at first work well in the field and word of mouth starts selling them. But it takes time. Our last coach, a class c, hasn't changed their floor plans in 20 years. One plan is I think 40 years old. Sparten to the max, but once you spend some time in them you "get it".

Going factory delivery, best decision you could have made! If you can help it, do not ever take your coach to a dealer. There are 3 to 4 out there that are honest and do good work. Some are identified on this forum. Proceed at your own risk though. If my coach broke down in front of my "dealer" (hey aren't dealers those folks that take your last dollar in Vegas ). I would have it towed somewhere else . Again YMMV.

[Luv2go]

Originally Posted by Switt

Harry
... My salesman was one of their top salesman but still had the Tom Johnson attitude so they fired him as well as one in Concord 3 days after she sold a London Aire. They have run off many long time Tom Johnson employees...

I was afraid that would happen when I learned who it was sold to. Next they'll stop carrying Newmar because "it does not sell well".

[Boomer]

Originally Posted by JMH

Yep, never believe a salesman unless the statement is in writting and signed off on by a REAL manager (one that can legally bind the company). We all have our stories If the floor plan you got works for you then that's the right coach. We bought the last VTDP 3725. I asked why it was discontinued and our tech said maybe not a big seller. IMHO the Millers change designs too fast. It takes time for a floor plan to take hold. Most floorplans that don't look good at first work well in the field and word of mouth starts selling them. But it takes time. Our last coach, a class c, hasn't changed their floor plans in 20 years. One plan is I think 40 years old. Sparten to the max, but once you spend some time in them you "get it".

Going factory delivery, best decision you could have made! If you can help it, do not ever take your coach to a dealer. There are 3 to 4 out there that are honest and do good work. Some are identified on this forum. Proceed at your own risk though. If my coach broke down in front of my "dealer" (hey aren't dealers those folks that take your last dollar in Vegas ). I would have it towed somewhere else . Again YMMV.

Not sure where/who your dealer is, but it is a shame you have that opinion. We purchased at Ansley RV in Duncansville in Pa, salesmen and owner gave us a real personalized experience. Being we never had a MH before, they were exceptionally honest about pro's and con's between diesel's and gasser's. We were shown various manufactures homes (Thor, Fleetwood, Forest River) and they pointed out very truthful comparisons with Newmar. They also suggested we get out to shows and see as many floor plans as we could (no dealer carries all floor plans of all makes) so we could determine what was important to us. Once we realized what we wanted, we sat down with them and ordered our CS3953, customizing a few things. Priced out to a reasonable price (no surprises at this dealer, everything out the door), ordered in April. When to Nappanee mid-June to see our baby being made, picked up just after 4th .. 3 months order to ours. Went for pickup and were walked through all systems in detail (including the toad system), since we only lived 50 miles away we decided to take it home. So far (1 year, 10000 miles) have had every issue we had handled fantastically, in fact they even replaced some wood planks (slide marks) for us. I would have to assume that Nappanee might provide wonderful service, but so far see no reason what so ever, to make that trip for repairs.

BTW: One of the reasons we bought at Ansley RV was word of mouth from lots of people in our area (not all Newmar purchases), with the emphasis being on service.

Shame you have that feeling about your dealer.

[WyoFree]

My salesman said he's been with the dealership 16 years and I found him to be very knowledgeable and helpful. He showed me around the coach inside and out pointing out unique features like comfort drive, masterpiece finish etc.

Best of all he wasn't pushy which is one thing that drives me nuts! After the test drive we went to his office where he took my name, address and phone number and printed me a copy of retail sheet for the 4044. I then met the manager for a few minutes and all and all had a pleasant experience.

I would not have been happy looking at a $200,000.00 motor coach and be shown around by a used car salesman type! I wasn't happy with him telling me he thought the 4044 may be cancelled with nothing to substantiate it. But for the most part it was a good experience!

[newmarpusher]

Originally Posted by WyoFree

Went to my nearest Newmar dealer yesterday. I knew they didn't have the Ventana LE 4044 that I actually want but they had a 4037 that should ride and handle the same.

The LE is everything I expected and more. Quiet, powerful and the ride was exceptional. And the Comfort Drive is really quite impressive. I also got to see the 4037 with the slides in and although it was cramped. It gave reasonable access to the 1/2 bath, refrigerator, kitchen and of course the two opposing couches. I assume the 4044 would be similar!

The hardest thing to get use to is that the air break is right next to the gas peddle. I kept picking my foot up like I would in my car and then was afraid I'd put it back down on the gas instead of the break! Strange experience and I'm sure you all had to adjust to it as well.

It's funny because I never felt as thought I was driving a 40 foot plus and almost 30,000 pound vehicle. And quite with no engine noise and no creeks and rattles from the cabinets etc. There was a creek up and to the right of the passenger door and without that it would have been quiet to the max. The salesman wasn't sure what was making the noise but was confident they could find it and fix it.

I will actually pick my coach up directly from Newmar and spend a few days with them to learn all about my coach. It's my first coach and I want to know all I can about it before taking off on my first adventure. I will also go to the 2 day Freightliner school in South Carolina so I can learn as much as possible about my coach.

The salesman told me they haven't sold a 4044 from their location and felt Newmar may discontinue it because it must not be very popular. He also said that the 4000 series with the full wall slide would have better resale value than a coach like the 4044 with the four slides.

The Ventana LE will be my coach that I can tell you for sure. Had a wonderful experience and could not have been more pleased, it was most impressive!

Yep, driving a DP is like nothing else!

We have a 2015 Ventana 4037 (regular with the TAG). It drives like a dream. Quiet and stable. It's actually FUN to drive. Since we don't full time, it's nice to feel like we're on vacation the second we step into the Ventana.

[JMH]

Boomer, glad you found a good salesman. I have met some good honest and hard working salesmen. My experience is they are few and far between. YMMV. If your salesman is good, make sure you recommend him to folks on this board. We need to support the good ones. And yes, word of mouth is important. That is how we bought our first coach. Best buying experience we every had.

When we bought our Newmar we were actually looking at Winebagos at a local dealer. They showed us a Newmar and my DW said, we have to get one of these. The salesman at the local dealer did not even know how to turn the wipes in. It was raining on our test drive. Real story, and I have a witness 😉 When we decided on a coach the local dealer wouldn't discount below 13 percent 😡. Walked into their service shop and the place was a pig sty. Looked up reviews on their service on line and most folks said they wouldn't take a rock there for service. We walked fast away from them.

So looked on the Newmar website and called one of their recommended award winning dealers. Called and salesman said how much you want to discount and I said 25 percent (yes I know some folks get better deals). He said ok, and the rest is history. Unfortunately to make the deal he provided some "inaccurate" information. Resulting in some added miles (2600) to our first trip and we had to miss my wife's mothers 85th Birthday. We had a could people step up and try to make things better. Maybe we should have talked to them first. My big mistake was not to ask for a recommendation from folks on this board.

Even at the best dealers you can find a salesman that will say what needs to be said to "make the deal" and try to explain away later.

My main point in all of this is make sure you get everything in writing. Maybe you had an honest salesman, or maybe he didn't have to tell you something inaccuarate to close the deal. Wasn't there, don't know.

Best of luck to you. What I have found out is Newmar owners are some of the best people I have ever run into. After ordering ours, several folks went way out of their way to help. And the Newmar employees have really impressed me with their honesty and commitment. These are the folks that you work with long after the salesman forgets who you are. So I'm happy about the final out come.

Mark and Louene
VTDP 3725, proceeding at a high rate of speed back home from Newmar.

[WyoFree]

By the way; Do you guys agree that driving a 4037 will give me the same driving experience as the 4044?