Newell vs Winnie/Itasca

[Deucenut]

This thread is two years old. I wonder what his choice was?

[encantotom]

who knows what he actually did but the conversation is quite interesting.

i have nothing bad to say about any coach. it is all personal preference and what you are looking for. i have had other coaches before i got my first newell. i just sold it and it is 23 years old and still rides and drives like new.

i bought a 2 slide 2002 newell and i am a "common guy" they are great values for what you get. you just have to get over the buying a 10 year old coach vs new. these are timeless amazing machines.

i do most of the fixing and updating myself except the very heavy stuff like engine and brakes etc.

my newell drives and rides like a big cadillac.

it weighs over 50k pounds and still stops easily.

that said, the winnebagos and many other coaches are fine rigs too. just a different kinda rig. as for value, it is right there is no book value, but if you follow them (which i and many others do, we have a good feeling for what is a good deal)

later

tom

[JackHammr']

someone dug deep to resurrect this one

well in my opening post I stated "some things may come together" , and they didnt , which in the end was not a bad thing ..

So I got neither one ..

I'm just a 'regular' guy too , and I learned long ago to be content with what I have .

If the circumstances I was referring to in the OP happened today and I got one or the other I most likely would go with the Tour or Ellipse

Either of the brands is a winner in my book

[encantotom]

thank you for the update. yea, i know what you mean on being happy with what you have.

they are all good choices. any day in a coach is a good day.

they all have problems, no matter what year they were made or make.

just as long as you have the ability to fix it yourself or pay someone all is good. i do most things myself as it would be wayyyy too expensive to pay someone everytime i needed something done.

regards,

tom

Newell Gurus

[2Labs]

Interesting discussion for sure ...

If I had the option, I would lean towards a Newell *although* I'd have to search hard to find a mid-2000's Newell that didn't have a white/off-white interior.

It seems that was the style in the '90's & 2000's and I am not a fan of it at all. Kind of reminds me of the white laminate kitchen cabinets of the '80's found in so many S&B's

At $500K for a used coach, I need a little color to go along with style.

[encantotom]

there are quite a few that have the woodgrain interior. mine happens to have the light color inside and we enjoy that.

it is just whatever you like.

tom

Newell Gurus

[Trekkers]

Buying a used Newell is like volunteering to be in someone else's fantasy. They designed it and used it and even when they've tired of it, you've decided "I'll take it because it's a fantasy," I'd have to reaaaaallly love that fantasy too, or I'd just as soon have some I want and like. There are other, and more important, considerations than nameplate - floorplan, storage space being two of the more important. I'd never buy ANY Rolls-Royce because service is a pain; they are as ugly as sin; at the end of the day it's still "just a car" and I'm just not into being "noticed." I'd never buy a Ferrari because I'd never fit in it; I don't like sitting on the ground and I don't want to worry about my car getting stolen every second of the day. I'll take my solid, spacious, functional 2013 Itasca Ellipse any day thanks.

Jim (only, not Irene too)

[Christian51]

Fun read, looking forward to a trip up to Miami to see what they have myself. I've spent months reading here and everywhere about motor homes and to meet my desires of a super built machine and the wife's desires to drive it, the Newell just hits all our spots. A steerable tag axle with easy steer, how you beat that? The Newmar Essex can be ordered with that setup but they call it Comfort Drive, the only other coach with such a set up. I have pondered the idea that it's more of a mobile condo rather than a camping coach but at our age, camping isn't our goal. Seeing the country in comfort and in the convenience of our own space, that is our desire. With such a coach you have resource capacity giving you more freedom to maneuver, opening more options as you move through your adventure. I'm hooked so I'm going to look for an 08 to 13 to find the right one for us. I'm hoping I have my ducks in a row by Christmas.

[steveclv]

Christian51

What you describe is the motivation behind most of us who own RVs, be they million dollar H3-45s or $5k Winnies

If you have disposable income then get the best you can, you only have one life to live, you never know when your 'expiry date' is, so you had better make the most of it. Accumulation of a bunch of zeros on a bank statement is no life goal or achievement, enjoying spending it is!!

[B Bob]

Christian 51,

We have a very nice motor home. Not a Newell but close. Yesterday I am driving up I 86 in Idaho towards Idaho Falls and sort of rambling on at about 65 mph. I am so used to driving my coach and it rides so smoothly that I don't have to pay much attention to driving and steering. My thoughts turned to Comfort Steer or steering assist. After about 15 minutes my conclusion was, "how is it possible to improve what I already have". Well made and operating steering does not need complication that likely will need repair and adjustment. That is very likely why only Newmar and Newell offer "comfort steer". To adjust for crowned roads and wind means that you have to constantly adjust for changing conditions. BMW and Honda have offered similar things. They failed to make the steering better.

When the "Google Drive" comes out where auto cameras read road conditions and steer automatically I am all for it. Until then I am sticking to simple. As it is when you bounce complex systems down the road stuff goes wrong.

[Christian51]

I hear ya Bob, but everyone I have heard from that has it never wants to be without it again. I'm with Steven on this one. At 62, the wife and I want to get all the enjoyment we can and from what we can tell, no one is more pleased with their motor homes than Newell owners. Service is another concern and the factory is just next door for us here in Texas and if you get stuck far away from any service and the issue is bad enough, they will send a tech to your location. Who else does that? Retirement is time for enjoyment and my shade tree mechanic days are over so I don't plan on doing any work myself on the thing unless it looks like fun. We're starting out by looking at a 3 to 5 year old Newell and if we like it and my paintings keep selling, we'll go for a new one in a couple years. I do landscape paintings and this will be my mobile studio, a complete tax right off for my business. Without that benefit, I'd be looking at a Newmar or Entegra. Someone said that these high end coaches are usually owned by people's business or company and I know I could not spend that type of money if it wasn't.

[B Bob]

Christian51 - You are right about Newell owners saying good things about their coaches. And Newell has a very good reputation for service. Keep in mind my comment is second hand as I do not own a Newell, but have just read on this forum about others good experiences. The Newell story is interesting too. That was originally a California Company. And a Sooner bought it and moved to OK. I have been by the factory and know it is in OK. So close but not a Longhorn Company. Of course Texans have a brand to be really proud of, Foretravel. I have also been to their factory. Foretravel is a great make and they have a similar high quality reputation. Some close friends of ours have a newer Foretravel and it is a great motorhome.

We went with Country Coach as there were quite a lot of them for sale when we were looking four years ago. CC also has a high reputation with their owners and we have found they have excellent factory support. We have been to the factory twice for service and are very happy with the results. I found that I liked every Country Coach I drove. They seemed to handle really well and that impressed me. Ours has a tag and just seemed glued to the highway. Still does. Country Coach would be a 1,000+ mile drive for you to go to the factory.

One of my long time buddies at work and for the last ten years as a friend bought a new 2005 Dutch Star. He had about 18 months getting everything fixed so that it ran right. This influenced my thoughts on Newmar. But I have three friends with Dutch Stars and they seem to like them.

I still have no interest in doing anything with my steering as it is perfect as is. I am not against advancements in technology, but steering is very complex and only a few companies get it right. Country Coach from my experience does a very good job with steering. I know this from having driven a bunch of them and mine. The fact that many Newmar owners like Comfort Steer concerns me that Newmar does not have their basic steering geometry right and need an add on to correct issues. This may not be true, but does come up in my mind. The fact that no other maker uses Comfort Steer somewhat confirms this to me. And Newell will add anything you want to a coach. BMW tried to enhance the steering of their cars over the last few years with electronics. There were so many people who loved the basic simple standard BMW system that they backed off of it. I had the same experience with smart cruise control. I had it in my last car and when I traded in a few months back I went back to the old style. The adaptive cruise IMHO was not an improvement. The problem was the adaptive cruise brain did not work as well as mine. Adaptive steering IMHO has a good chance of being a similar situation.

[Christian51]

Bob, I hear you and you have good points. This is going to be my first coach and since I can afford to splurge just a touch, I don't want to miss out on something that just might make the experience that much more pleasurable. Once the wife told me she was going to learn to drive it and take it out with her sisters, I decided I wanted every drivers aid possible so it comes home safe and in one piece. Having a 45' that turns like a 37' coach is helpful and from what I can tell, the easy steer system would make it much more controllable in a blow out and assist when in bad roads, side winds and going through reconstruction with the uneven surfaces. If it was just me driving it, I am sure your machine would make me quite happy. I really want her to enjoy driving, I'd enjoy that copilot seat myself at times and the more she enjoys it, the more places we'll get to go. She is not a camper, there isn't a reason for us to have an out door entertainment system on one but she loves to travel and see the country so a mobile condo fits the ticket with her. They are actually a little glitzy for me but I'll suffer that one. It's the build quality that seduces me.

[jrs1958]

Have you looked a the Entegra brand? They give you a super coach with tons of features for a lot less then Newell or Newmar and their service is great. 2 year unlimited warranty!