Newmar Help

[JGIBBS]

Looking for my first RV. After a couple months of obsessive research, I have narrowed my search to Newmar. I have a budget of around 50k. This puts me in around a 2000ish MH. In my price range I see a lot of Dutch Stars and some Mountain Aires. My list of “must haves” . Solid roof., Privet toilet. solid wood cabinets, “not just doors“. I would also like to sleep as many adults as possible. Any recommendations?

[Newmar_guy]

A 1999 Dutch Star 3884 Spartan chassis, 300 hp Cummins, and Allison tranny. They are around 50000$

[dennis45]

Originally Posted by JGIBBS

Looking for my first RV. After a couple months of obsessive research, I have narrowed my search to Newmar. I have a budget of around 50k. This puts me in around a 2000ish MH. In my price range I see a lot of Dutch Stars and some Mountain Aires. My list of “must haves” . Solid roof., Privet toilet. solid wood cabinets, “not just doors“. I would also like to sleep as many adults as possible. Any recommendations?

An early 2000 Dutchstar would fit your must have list to a tee.
You mention a solid roof. Newmar does not build a coach that does not have a solid roof but I suspect you are referring to fibreglass? Newmar builds with both fibreglass and a rubber material called Britek. My 03 has a Britek roof and after having other RV's with fibreglass, I can tell you the Britek is my 1st choice. With a little care, this roof will almost outlast the coach. In a rain storm or hail, you will most certainly notice the difference. If you find a Newmar with a Britek roof, check it for any dark spots which indicate the white coating is gone. Bad sign. Also check to see if there are any "bubbles" where the bonding underneath the material has come loose. This could be a sign of leakage. Again, not good.
However if the roof passes this inspection, I would much prefer the Britek any day.
Newmar and the early 2000 Monaco are two very well built coaches that I'm familiar with. There are many other makes that I would personally steer clear of. Not naming names though.

[dennis45]

Originally Posted by Newmar_guy

A 1999 Dutch Star 3884 Spartan chassis, 300 hp Cummins, and Allison tranny. They are around 50000$

Not to high jack your thread Newmar guy, but to the OP, here are a few comments from a current thread on the same subject.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f103/99-d...ve-327628.html

[Newmar_guy]

Originally Posted by dennis45

Not to high jack your thread Newmar guy, but to the OP, here are a few comments from a current thread on the same subject.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f103/99-d...ve-327628.html

No worries[emoji106]

[Newmar_guy]

No worries👍

[DAJO]

If you are looking for a private toilet many of the older models had a walk through toilet area. Our 99 MADP had one and wife never did like it.

[Mr_D]

Bright Tek roof is a solid color all the way through and you will never see black showing through. We had it on our '02 DSDP and all I ever did was wash it with a brush and spray 303 on it. Still looked almost new after 13 years. You do have to check the Dicor every 6 months though. Much quieter in the rain than fiberglass (as we had on the '00 DSDP).

[Sandy Swede]

If you are considering a Newmar, and specifically the Dutch Star, a recent search on RVT showed several '03 models listed in the $50's. One of the major differences between the 38' and the 40' models is the fuel tank capacity (100gal for the 38' and 150gal for the 40'). I believe both are Cummins ISC 8.3L engines, with the 330hp version on the FL and the 350hp on the Spartan chassis. For roughly $5k more, you can find '04 models which come with the ISL 8.9L Cummins and the Jake brake. Not sure if the FL at 330hp is still the ISC, but the Spartan chassis with the 8.9L ISL is rated at 370hp and 1,200 ft-lb (or lb-ft, if you prefer) of torque. It is my understanding that the 330hp ISC was rated at 950 ft-lb and the 350hp at 1050 ft-lb. In the '04 model DS, there is still the fuel tank capacity change when you go from 38' to 40' (100gal to 150gal). Depending on the date of manufacture, make sure any 2004 Newmar has the ball joint (TSB #271) work completed.
https://comnet2.newmarcorp.com/insta...ges/TSB271.pdf

Go to the Newmar website and look up 'Brochures' to get specs and floor plans for the various models and years. I hear you on the private toilet room - wouldn't want the open one either.

Best of luck on your search and please let us know how you progress.

[Romeo]

Originally Posted by JGIBBS

My list of “must haves” . Solid roof., Privet toilet. solid wood cabinets... Any recommendations?

I think you are on the right track with a 2000'ish Dutch Star. They have everything your looking for. Our 2000 DSDP has the fiberglass roof, solid wood cabinets, Cummings engine, Spartan chassis and Allison 6-speed transmission. The Dutch Star also has independent front suspension, and air ride for a smooth ride. In fact we will only go with Newmar for a upgrade, which we will be doing shortly (I hope). I would like to upgrade to a 2008 Dutch Star to obtain Comfort Drive steering. Agree on the enclosed toilet, which we have, and the garden tub/shower stall is nice since it gives a "roomy'er" feel to the shower with glass panels adjacent to the shower door.

Oh yes, I almost forgot... the 2000 DSDP has a driver side door that I find really nice to have. It helps when I stop for fuel and my wife has the passenger door blocked with her feet up on the foot rest and the Laptop on her lap. I think the 2000 was the last year for the driver side door. It is also reassuring to have a second door.

[JGIBBS]

Thanks for the responses,
From what I have read the britek roof is generally preferred. I still need to read up on that some more but currently, I think for my intended use it would be nice but not a deal breaker if I find one with a fiberglass roof that better fits my needs in other areas.

I stumbled across the newmar brochures pretty early on in my search. very handy for seeing the floor plans and other specs.

I am currently eyeballing 2 Mountain aires on RVT.com one is a 2000 and the other is a 2001. They are very similar, both have two slides but one has the kitchen on the solid side the other has the kitchen on the slide side. with no research on this matter I seem to like the kitchen being on the solid side. anyone have any feedback on this matter?

[joes2901]

JGIBBS, RVs require a lot more cost than the purchase price. A 10 to15 year old one will probably have old TVs, inadequate inverter/charger, batteries may be old, tires can cost multi-thousands, and since this is your first RV you may miss problems with appliances and intermittent electrical problems. Be prepared to spend for new filters & fluid changes, check all hoses, any recalls not done, valve adjustment, signs of water leaks, etc. If you are very lucky your RV will not have repair & maintenance costs above 10% of the cost of the RV in the first year.

[Patti Brown]

Originally Posted by joes2901

JGIBBS, RVs require a lot more cost than the purchase price. A 10 to15 year old one will probably have old TVs, inadequate inverter/charger, batteries may be old, tires can cost multi-thousands, and since this is your first RV you may miss problems with appliances and intermittent electrical problems. Be prepared to spend for new filters & fluid changes, check all hoses, any recalls not done, valve adjustment, signs of water leaks, etc. If you are very lucky your RV will not have repair & maintenance costs above 10% of the cost of the RV in the first year.

Excellent advice! Buying an older RV is not like buying an older car. It's like buying an older car AND an older house at the same time! You want a much-loved, meticulously cared for older coach with impeccable service records as a starting point. Have it professionally inspected and be ready to be surprised how much you may have to spend beyond the 50K on maintenance and repairs or upgrades. Just a new set of tires can run you $6K easily. Our first RV was very gently used, but we still incurred repair/maintenance expenses of ~20% of our purchase price before the first 6 months of ownership.

RVing is like many hobbies. The expenses keep mounting over time! Expect something to break each time you take a trip...

[Romeo]

Originally Posted by JGIBBS

Thanks for the responses,
From what I have read the britek roof is generally preferred.

I don't believe that is the case. A fiberglass roof is an upgrade/option in the 2000. I prefer a solid roof and don't want to deal with a "rubber" roof and any of the problems that come with that type of soft roof. Don't discount a fiberglass roof due to one one opinion.