New Newmar owner questions

[gsmit2]

Hi...we have just purchased a new 2016 3124 and are very excited to pick it up this coming Saturday! I have two questions for this esteemed body of experts:

1. We have owned a large (Chalet) truck camper, and most recently an arctic fox 5th wheel. On both occasions when we signed the papers we were offered extended warranties, both were new units and we did purchase the extra warranty for the camper, and used it - but declined on the 5th wheel. (and just completed the warranty year with very few issues)

My question is - what would be the recommendation from experienced Newmar owners on buying an extended warranty...are they worth the money? And if they are - in what areas should I look specifically for coverage? This is both our first Newmar, and first motorhome.

2. I am looking at vehicles to tow and would really appreciate advice. I am looking at a couple of jeep models, the Rubicon and Cherokee. (not grand cherokee) My main concern is towing weight. If I'm towing 4500 pounds vs. 4000, will I notice a difference - especially on hills? Or should I be looking for something under 4000?

Thank you VERY MUCH for any advice!

GS

[Mike and Cha]

As to the warranty we bought one from our Dealer, he sold it to us for a couple hundred over his cost and to me it was pretty reasonable. There are different ones you can buy. Ours covers the MH only, for 7 years bumper to bumper, with a $50 deductible. It takes over when the original warranty ends as all things in the MH are not just warrantied for one year, for example the roof is 12 years, and I think the slides are 3 or 5 years warrantied thru Newmar. There is really no need to buy an extended warranty(at least right now) for the chassis as the powertrain is warrantied by Ford for 5 years, and I think either 50,000 or 70,000 miles. The rest of the chassis is a 3 year warranty. So at least for 5-7 years I will not have any high dollar repairs to worry about.

A lot of people will tell you it is a waste of money, but something like the fridge going out or a major electrical or slide issue could pay for itself in one use. The way I look at it, it gives me peace of mind and if I never have to use it all the better and I will still think it was money well spent. You spent a lot of money on your MH, a few thousand more is no big deal to insure it.

As to towing the Jeep you should be fine. We are looking at Jeeps right now for a Toad, and everyone I have talked to say you won't even know it's back there.

[RattVader]

Yeah...and then there's that whole App. UVW and App.NCC thing. And on our 3401 that was already close to the limit straight outta the plant,throw in people,cargo,propane,fuel,holding tanks...and bam! Your there. We tow a 2014 Chevy Cruze..about 3100 lbs.And yes I can tell the difference when I'm not towing it!!! Just my $.02

[TonyDi]

Make sure when looking at Jeeps that the ones you're interested in can be towed 4 down. Not all Jeeps can.

You will barely notice the toad.

[lucyh]

We were all set to purchase an extended warranty but then when we looked at the fine print, the limit of coverage on the policy wasn't really all that much higher than the cost of the policy. We had mistakenly thought the limit would be at least close to the cost of the coach, but it wasn't even close. We decided that definitely spending thousands of dollars to maybe get a few thousand more than that didn't make sense to us. The salesman tried to tell us the low limit of liability wasn't a problem because they don't see high claims anyway but that just seemed to us to be further indication that it was a bad idea to purchase it. So, just be sure to ask about the limit of coverage before you make your decision.

[gsmit2]

Thanks all for the quick responses - I should have stressed that we purchased the 3124 Bay Star which has the gas V10 - not sure if that impacts responses on pulling the toad. (new term for me... I guess there will be lots of them :-))

[HHIDan]

Rubicon is more than 4000 4500 pounds. It's more like 5700.

[wildtoad]

I chose a Chevy Sonic as a toad primarily because it can be towed 4 down ( automatic ) and it weighs next to nothing. I have to believe that if you are towing something in the 4-5k lbs range you will know it when going up moderate to steep inclines.

As far as extended warranties do not buy one at the point of sale. You have full warranties from 1-3 years on the RV components, 5 years on the motor and power train from Ford. I'd wait and see what if any problems you have and decide later.

[RattVader]

Yep..Sonic was also a choice, we opted for the Cruze which is a little larger and ours is a 6 speed stick. And again at 3100 pounds I can tell and feel the difference even on level ground when I'm NOT towing it.

[Mike and Cha]

Originally Posted by wildtoad

As far as extended warranties do not buy one at the point of sale. You have full warranties from 1-3 years on the RV components, 5 years on the motor and power train from Ford. I'd wait and see what if any problems you have and decide later.

You actually have to decide by the end of the first year, even though some of the components are warrantied longer. So you do have some time to think about it. I pretty sure the price will go up if you wait, or you will not get the same length of coverage. So just ask they will explain everything. Our dealer cut to the chase and gave me the lowest price he could as part of the deal. But a lot of these guys will start at several thousand and work their way down as you negotiate. like I said we did not buy the option that included the Chassis is that is warrantied for 5 years anyway.

[JCGibson]

We had a 2016 Tiffin Allegro gasser and towed our 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. We weighed it when we weighed the rig and it was 4700lb. I could definitely tell when I was towing it. Quite a bit different handling when I was. I would recommend something lighter.

[Andyfarmer]

We purchased a 2015 3124. We purchased the extended warranty and added it to the balance financed. Hardly a difference on the monthly. We had one on our 2013 2901 which we traded in and we received over 50% of the cost back for non use. You just never know.

As to the tow, for a long time the Honda CRV was a very good choice but the new models cannot be towed 4 down. If you were to find a 2 year old used one you most likely could tow it and they are very light.

[travelhawk]

What you call Rubicon is actually a Jeep Wranger with Rubicon package, a particular set of features. Other packages are called Sport, Willys W, Safari, and a few others that come and go. All of these simply modify aspects of the Wrangler, they do not affect its towability or weight more than a few dozen pounds (a package might have auto or manual trans, soft top or hard top, a different bumper, or steel skid plates, or different size tires, for instance).

It is sometimes believed that Rubicon is the "top of the line" or best, but it's actually just a specific seat of features for rock crawling, while most people should instead choose a jeep optimized for road running. No vehicle is as customizable as a Wrangler. Some Jeep hobbyists will buy the most basic Wrangler Sport and add their own features based on what they want the Jeep to do, far surpassing Rubicon's capabilities if 10mph rock crawling is their thing. Of course the ability to build a Jeep for all types of situations is terrific, but no particular setup is correct for everything. So you need to decide why you want a Jeep -- to do what, exactly?

Whatever the package is, any Jeep Wrangler package tows very easily and very well. The biggest weight factor is 2-door vs. 4-door (this is called Wrangler Unlimited), about 500 pounds. Most people who have 2-door admit they wish it was 4-door. I tow a Wrangler Unlimited. Second biggest weight factor is roof, hardtop or softtop; i have hardtop. My Wrangler is Willys W package which has a driveline optimized for exploring from paved roads to forest roads to goat trails. Driving roads at 15mph to 75mph I would never use the Rubicon rock-crawling axle locking and sway-bar disconnect which can only be used under 10mph. Sahara package, in contrast, is more for mall-crawling, with highway tires and plush interior. This is a simple overview, there's so much to say about Wrangler because so much can be done to/with it (take off the doors!).

I've towed Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Liberty (same size as Cherokee) behind DP, behind V10 gasser, and even behind a Sprinter B+. Sure I could feel it, but not enough to matter. It never caused me to not take a route, or not go up/down a mountain, or even to feel I was slowed down by the extra weight. The only question is how much weight your motorhome can tow, 5000# is typical for a gasser, but not a certainty; look for a sticker near the driver seat that declares what is allowed for that chassis+driveline, compare GCWR and GVWR, and check the tow hitch rating.

However, some people want a more car-like vehicle, which is what Cherokee (and its predecessor Liberty) provides. However, with any Jeep model other than Wrangler, be very sure it can be towed 4-down, which requires a particular driveline that only some models/packages have. I've met some sad people who bought a non-towable Jeep. Don't believe a salesman!

[Boomer]

Got extended warranty coach, just for piece of mind. We tow Wrangler unlimited (mostly mall climbing) without any issue. One word of advice is to not scrimp on tow connection or braking system.