Community Forums

chev · 01-17-2010, 09:05 AM

Greetings...........my wife and I have had 4 coaches, all Beaver Marquis as you know Beaver is now basically Monaco. While traveling we met some folks that had either King Aires or Essex coaches and fell in love with them. We are actively seeking to buy a coach and ask for advice. At the moment we are pretty focused on a new 2008 Essex that has been sitting on a dealer lot since new. It has the oasis furnance which I understand is better than some other brands. I am concerned about the furnance as the one that came in our Beaver almost burned up the whole coach. Can anyone give us some good advice about what year Essex to buy or not to buy? Like with Beaver there were some years you didnt want to go near because of major problems. I just read where the 2011 Newmars have some serious issues with the paint............any advice would be most welcomed and appreciated.

Route 66 · 01-17-2010, 09:25 AM

I don't recall seeing any posts about paint problems.

I posted that I thought the 2011 MADP sidewalls were not very smooth.

I looked at the Essex's and KADB's at the the Tampa show and there were no problems with either paint or sidewalls.

Raca-roni · 01-17-2010, 09:51 AM

They are both Great coaches. I'd be more concerned about the coach sitting at the dealers since it was new.....

FlyingDiver · 01-17-2010, 09:57 AM

We have a King Aire with the Oasis furnace. No safety problem with it that I know of, as long as you don't stand by the exhaust pipe.

We did have a problem a couple times with the diesel burner not wanting to light, but cycling the unit usually takes care of it.

It's pretty quiet, much quieter than a lot of propane furnaces I've heard. And it puts out a LOT of hot water.

joe

Lee Litchfield · 01-17-2010, 11:11 AM

Any 2008 coach is going to have some issues after sitting outside on a dealer's lot for 2 years or more. It will be up to you to negotiate any cosmetic problems such as scratches in cabinetry, paint scuffs, chips, etc. with the dealer as they are not Newmar warranty items. I would also suggest you should find out what you can buy a 2-year newer 2010 Essex so you can compare. You might be surprised to find out that it would be a smaller investment than you imagined. Any additional money would probably be more than offset with the additional value the 2010 would be worth at the next trade-in time.

This is especially true with high-line coaches like the Essex that put in state-of-the-art electronics. These are rapidly changing and often you can get better quality for lesser price. Remember the $3-4K we paid for 32" LCD TVs a couple of years ago? Essex buyers usually want the latest and greatest and that is a moving target. This is why we've worked so hard to take our losses on our 2008 and 2009 products so we could have only 2010 Newmars. We only have 1 2009 Ventana in diesels and 1 2009 Bay Star in gas. Everything else is 2010. Now I've got my eyes set on blowing out all 2010's so we can start getting 2011's in July.

Which Essex floorplan are you considering? Lee

sjcaldal11 · 01-17-2010, 01:13 PM

The 2008 K2 has to have a cooling fan upgrade, probably. Spartan was very aggressive on this issue. They actually did mine at Fort Wilderness. The 2008 will soon be three model years old. There is a two year bumper to bumper warranty on 2008 and one year on the newer coaches.

Thanks, Daryl

PFMCDM · 01-17-2010, 05:14 PM

I think you are on the right track....It is hard to beat the Essex in my opinion. There is a beautiful one parked right down from us now....WOW...That thing by far outshines anything here,,,,,

To somewhat answer the question - I would be VERY interested in the diesel engine the unit has. If I had to buy a unit sitting on the lot to get an engine without all the new emission stuff, that's what I would buy and I would save a lot of money in the process. I am not a fan of all the EPA stuff on diesels - it's bad now and will get worse very soon. I would not be scared of a new 2008 if it was properly checked and I bought it at the right price and if I liked the floorplan and if it had the right engine without the new filters and was a serial number without any wrist pin issue..I would rather have an older engine.

Route 66 · 01-17-2010, 05:23 PM

Quote:

was a serial number without any wrist pin issue.

The wrist pin issue was only with the ISL.

The Essex has an ISM.

a k · 01-17-2010, 05:33 PM

I looked at a NEW 2008 4508 Essex last April and it had already been sitting on the lot for a little over a year. Wanted $388,000. $585 MSRP.
No way.
Open the kitchen cabinet overhead door and look at the paint date.
I bought a great used 06' 4503 with 18,000 on it for half that.

"007" · 01-17-2010, 09:49 PM

Welcome chev to the Newmar forum and irv2.
Stick withn us and you may find the coach you want, some good answers already.
Its better to hear from people in the know before putting down the money.
Do post often for any further questions and good luck in your quest.

chev · 01-18-2010, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by "007"

Welcome chev to the Newmar forum and irv2.
Stick withn us and you may find the coach you want, some good answers already.
Its better to hear from people in the know before putting down the money.
Do post often for any further questions and good luck in your quest.

Thanks for the welcome, I know owners give a guy a straight answer on issues a dealer might be reluctant to discuss.

chev · 01-18-2010, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee Litchfield

Any 2008 coach is going to have some issues after sitting outside on a dealer's lot for 2 years or more. It will be up to you to negotiate any cosmetic problems such as scratches in cabinetry, paint scuffs, chips, etc. with the dealer as they are not Newmar warranty items. I would also suggest you should find out what you can buy a 2-year newer 2010 Essex so you can compare. You might be surprised to find out that it would be a smaller investment than you imagined. Any additional money would probably be more than offset with the additional value the 2010 would be worth at the next trade-in time.

This is especially true with high-line coaches like the Essex that put in state-of-the-art electronics. These are rapidly changing and often you can get better quality for lesser price. Remember the $3-4K we paid for 32" LCD TVs a couple of years ago? Essex buyers usually want the latest and greatest and that is a moving target. This is why we've worked so hard to take our losses on our 2008 and 2009 products so we could have only 2010 Newmars. We only have 1 2009 Ventana in diesels and 1 2009 Bay Star in gas. Everything else is 2010. Now I've got my eyes set on blowing out all 2010's so we can start getting 2011's in July.

Which Essex floorplan are you considering? Lee

the 4514

Chickadee · 01-19-2010, 05:43 AM

chev: Hi! 4502, 08 Essex here and...WE LOVE IT!!! You're likely to find that the VERY BEST FEATURE is that WONDERFUL, 3 zone, in-floor, heat. Well......maybe ya won't think it's the best feature, but......."IT'S A DOOZY!!!!". Steve & Lynette