Tiffin or Newmar and Newby Questions

[mncp8r]

I really don’t think you can go wrong with either Newmar or Tiffen. I personally own a Newmar. One thought though is given high quality coaches maybe it’s best to go with the most convenient high quality service for your purposes. The best advice I ever got was to “buy the dealer and the service”. Worked for me on boats and RVs. I owned two coaches before my Newmar. Both were absolutely fine and given even decent service at the places I bought them I might still own one of them. But after frustrating service after frustrating service I finally researched the closest highest rated dealer with highly rated service that sold either Tiffen or Newmar. Bingo. Under an hour away and purchased the Newmar by email after checking it out over a weekend. This method might not be for everyone but it has taken the biggest pain in the a$$ completely out of our family’s RV life - great service whenever it is needed. Good luck. :-)

[jaykris]

We recently purchased a Newmar and love it! The biggest reason believe it or not was TV placement. Tiffin just cant get away from putting the TV over the drivers cab. Newmar put it where I can watch it easily in front of our recliners.
All your choices are fine coaches, it just goes to the personal touches.

J

[namvet]

Can’t add anything to the DP discussion but I live fairly close to the Ashland CW. I have been MH RVing for almost 18 years and in all that time I have yet to find a satisfied customer from that dealership - even before CW bought it out. Once the glow of the initial purchase wears off, the dealer disappoints terribly. Have a friend who purchased a MH (of another manufacturer) in April and is still waiting for warranty repairs. The unit has been at the dealer for more time than in the owner’s hands. Apparently the purchase by CW did absolutely nothing to improve customer service!
Best of luck with your search.

[JD22]

Originally Posted by wkm01

Hello. I have been researching Class A DP MHs for about 1 year and am nearly ready to buy one. I know this topic is frequently discussed on this site, but thought I would create a new thread for the conversation. I have learned a lot from the posts on this forum.

I am considering 4 MHs in 2 price categories. 1st category is Tiffin Phaeton 40 IH or Newmar Ventana 4002 or 4037. 2nd price category is Tiffin Allegro Bus 40 IP or Newmar Dutch Star 4002 or 4018. All are rear bath.

My questions are how important is the tag axle and the comfort drive on the Newmars? How important are the side radiators on the Bus and the DS? Are the Newmar's side wall and roof construction really better (sound, insulation, stud spacing, and outer fiberglass shell)?

Any important quality or other issues to consider?

Part of my problem is that I like the interior styling and the tag axle and comfort steer of the Newmars, but the dealer and service center (CW north of Richmond, VA) near me for the Newmars is very poorly rated. I have a local Tiffin dealer and another within 1-hour who are both highly rated for sales and service. How much should I allow this to drive m decision?

I am also considering ordering new (2019) or buying lightly used (2016 or later). Any thoughts on new vs. used? Thanks for any and all guidance.

I bought a 2018 DS 4018 new. I too don't have a good service center for Newmar close. But, Newmar knows it. I was told if i ever have an issue and its not convenient for me to get to a reputable service center Newmar will send someone to me. I have tested that yet but, I have no doubt Newmar is going to stand behind their product. As for Tag vs not: I have only driven a tag but researched it lots before I pulled the trigger. One thing I kept seeing in posts is the tag eliminates porpoising. My experience, albeit limited, only 7500 miles, is not a single time have I had to deal with porpoising, and I have been on some pretty gnarly sections of Route 66 near Oatman/Lake Havasu that were anything but flat.

Other than that, in my humble opinion you have picked the top two manufacturers. What ever you decide you will be happy.

[RossWilliams]

I can't help you on your choice, but we were looking for class B Roadtrek and had a bunch of dealings with Steinbring Motorcoach in Garfield MN. We bought elsewhere but were extremely impressed by the help we got from this small town Newmark dealer.



We were ready to buy a new Zion from them when a used Etrek coach showed up at a different dealer. They actually encouraged us to buy it if we could get it for a good price. And then told us what a good price would mean.We ended up getting what we wanted used for the same price we could afford new, with the features we really wanted.



If you want to buy a Newmark and are concerned about dealer service and honesty, I would encourage you to look at them. At least based on our experience.

[willbush]

TIFFIN all the way - they take care of you - the owner Bob Tiffin will even let you call him and he calls you to make sure you are happy. Well built inside and outside - we have had our 2008 (got in 2007) for 12 yrs and it still looks like new;we love the model Open Road TSA 35 (36ft).

[GreatDane37]

I own a 2014-45’ Newmar Essex. We all have our bias so now you know mine. My first coach was a 2006 Travel Supreme-45’. Bought it 3 years old with 22,000 miles on it. My Newmar was also 3 years old & had 24,000 miles. The net result was a purchase price about 50% of original list. Most factory issues have been resolved at that point. I would urge you to go on the factory tour & see what & how they build their coaches. Even more important - tour around the Newmar repair waiting area and talk to owners to find out why they are in the shop. Most owners will share info. Finally, go to several RV shows & talk to as many people as possible. I have a Spartan Chasis with a tag axle and wouldn’t buy anything else. Main thing - TALK. The more opinions you get, the better informed you will be.

[e4services]

As a Motorhome Service provider, Allego, tiffin , Bus, some of the worst made Big motorhomes made. [Mod Edit]
I charge $80/hr, and $125 to work on those rats nests.
Just one man's opinion.

Originally Posted by wkm01

Hello. I have been researching Class A DP MHs for about 1 year and am nearly ready to buy one. I know this topic is frequently discussed on this site, but thought I would create a new thread for the conversation. I have learned a lot from the posts on this forum.

I am considering 4 MHs in 2 price categories. 1st category is Tiffin Phaeton 40 IH or Newmar Ventana 4002 or 4037. 2nd price category is Tiffin Allegro Bus 40 IP or Newmar Dutch Star 4002 or 4018. All are rear bath.

My questions are how important is the tag axle and the comfort drive on the Newmars? How important are the side radiators on the Bus and the DS? Are the Newmar's side wall and roof construction really better (sound, insulation, stud spacing, and outer fiberglass shell)?

Any important quality or other issues to consider?

Part of my problem is that I like the interior styling and the tag axle and comfort steer of the Newmars, but the dealer and service center (CW north of Richmond, VA) near me for the Newmars is very poorly rated. I have a local Tiffin dealer and another within 1-hour who are both highly rated for sales and service. How much should I allow this to drive m decision?

I am also considering ordering new (2019) or buying lightly used (2016 or later). Any thoughts on new vs. used? Thanks for any and all guidance.

[bgtrees]

I will only address th Newmar since that is my 3 rd DP. At first, was skeptical of comfort steer but would never be without it. Last spring, Had crosswinds with gusts to 70 mph from Carlsbad to SantaFe that would have parke me without CS. Just pulled in from an 8 day trip from CC, Tx to SW Ks, SE, Ok and back. Experienced two frontal passages that made for gusty cross winds and again, CS left me rested enough to make this reaponse after 400 miles of holiday traffic an winds from directions. Don’t have a clue why the dealer ships bad mouthed Newmar tags. My chassis etc is all Spartan an is flawless. Besides better weight distribution and stability, being able to adjusting the weight on the tag for more traction on the drive wheels,, or the ride height for approach dips that can cause excessive dragging in the rear areas is big in my book. Lastly, the side radiator is a big improvement over the long time rear location. Cleaning the rear rads on my last two DPs was never less than an annual event..

Trees

[kb7uxe]

Hello from Dan. kb7uxe.
With my limited experience,
I find your questions very intuitive.
in my opinion::
stay away from tag axles.
usually smaller tires 17" or 19", ( less weight rating )
and add drag maint etc..
if possible, go with 22". They are truck tire and you will prolly have to change them because they are out of date before you ever wear them out.
Weight is also a factor to consider. here in Washington state, below 26,000 lbs no CDL required, even if air brakes. once you hit the 26K lbs, then you invoke CDL, air brakes endorsements, medical endorsements etc..
as to the radiator on the side, thats a big YES..
problem is when radiator is in the back, it pulls air up into eng compartment and out the back. When the sun is out, the air on the asphalt is extremely hot.
Pulling air from just a few feet above the asphalt is much cooler.
our was a rear radiator, and never over heated, but, ran substantially hotter ( norm 190f - hot asphalt =up to 220 F+ ) mind you it never over heated, but it would run hot and cook the oil. here in washington it was never much of a problem, but in hot california, missasota wyoming etc I had to watch the temps..
Best of luck to you in your search!
73!
Dan kb7uxe

[MDomoCal]

I just purchased my very first MH. It came down to a Newmar or a Tiffin Phaeton both used coaches. After some research I was told Tiffin Phaeton had best resale of any coaches today but we couldn’t go wrong with which ever one we chose . We were happy to hear that and ended up with the Phaeton. Good luck in your search. Sounds like you won’t go wrong which ever way you go.

[a7pilot]

Newmar is the only MH manufacturer I am aware of that puts the R-value (insulation) in their brochures. I have been to both Tiffin and Winnebago factories and asked the representatives of those companies the R-value of their construction and they could not give me an answer. Knowing and displaying the R-value tells me more than the insulation value, it is an indication of the quality of the construction. Tiffin produces more DP and sells more DP than any other manufacturer. Does producing more coachs than anyone else make it a better product? Not saying Tiffin is a bad product, IMHO I think Newmar is better. wkm01 you have made a good choice. Have an enjoyable RVing experience.

[Zarbek]

If you are going to spend the serious money to purchase new go to both factories and get the tour. I've been to the tour at Newmar. You get to see how they are built from the chassis up. I would also suggest you purchase a 2 year old one. The bugs are worked out and the depreciation is steep. EVERY MH has bugs to work out. The new systems are complicated and there are just so many things from sub-suppliers that can go wrong.

[mrcummins]

If is hard to beat the Phaeton for storage space and value but the tandem axle helps stability in cross wind and passing trucks. Buying used lets someone else share initial depreciation and fix initial issues due to lousy pre delivery inspection typical in the industry. I would run from a dealer with a terrible service reputation, but there are many Newmar dealers with excellent service