Western PA Newmar Class A Motorhome Service

[Sam15146]

HI There. Wife and I are currently looking to purchase a relatively new (2022 as the oldest) class A Newmar DP motorhome but we live here in Western PA which does not from what I have researched many reliable service dealers. Any suggestions as to handle this situation? Thanks

[Psp6158]

You are correct, most newmar dealers are south of us. Hershey, Pa. has one of the largest RV shows in the country. The Newmar reps were from Florida. That is in November. There is a huge show in Florida that people fly into from around the country for. I found an older one local. Looks like you'll have to fly to Florida lol, at least you'll get away from this weather. I checked the RV show this weekend in Harrisburg and no Newmar reps. RV trader can give you some prices so you have an idea. I'm sure you are, but make sure you go on the Newmar owners forum. You could ask there and get more responses. Good luck...

[Country Road]

Originally Posted by Sam15146

HI There. Wife and I are currently looking to purchase a relatively new (2022 as the oldest) class A Newmar DP motorhome but we live here in Western PA which does not from what I have researched many reliable service dealers. Any suggestions as to handle this situation? Thanks

Welcome to the forum. I actually don’t believe your concern will be a problem. A ‘22 coach will be out of warranty anyhow, so all you need is to find a good independent truck shop to handle future repairs.

For example, we’ve had our coach for several years and all repairs have been handled, in our case, by Freightliner. I’d never given a second thought to take it to a dealer.

As far as the purchase, you could travel across country to make the purchase.

Good luck on your search.

[theroc]

Welcome to the forum. When you refer to "service dealers," are you talking about a dealer that sells Newmar products? As Country Road has said, typically, you are not going to need an actual "dealer" for any Newmar coach/house service as the coach you will most likely purchase will be out of warranty. Warranty service would be the only reason you'd be required to take it to an authorized Newmar dealer.

Newmar's five year structural warranty does not transfer and is only applicable to the original owner so you'd have no need to take it to an authorized dealer should you need structural repair. Their one year warranty for a new coach will most likely not apply to you either if you are considering buying a pre-owned coach that's more than a year old.

Now if you're referring to chassis work, a Newmar dealer most likely will not address those issues anyway. For engine, transmission, brakes, etc., etc., you'd want to find an authorized Spartan or Freightliner (FCCC) dealer for warranty work.

For normal routine chassis service, you can choose any service provider that works on diesel chassis in your area who has a good reputation and agrees to work on motorhomes (not all do). You don't or won't necessarily need one that is authorized by the chassis maker unless it's a chassis warranty issue you want addressed.

If your Newmar coach will be on a Freightliner chassis and you insist on taking it a factory authorized service center, I see five of them in western PA. Or you can go a bit further if you want a Freightliner Oasis dealer ...they have dedicated services for motorhomes but you don't necessarily need to use an Oasis dealer.

If your coach should be on a Spartan chassis, I also see 4 or 5 authorized Spartan chassis service centers in western PA.

Or again, you can choose any diesel truck service center who works on motorhomes for routine service on your chassis. Choose one that has a good reputation for working on motorhomes and is equipped to do so.

[Sam15146]

Thanks. This is the information I was looking for. This should help us a lot to get things organized prior to making a decision on a purchase.

[d23haynes57]

As a thought while 5 years may be a good spot to save on depreciation it does become the start of other maintenance requirements. Tires, belts, hoses, coolant, suspension parts etc. many owners will also try to get a higher selling price as at this stage many are upside down on the loans. You also need to be aware of why they are for sale. Anything for sale has one fact in common, their current owner no longer wants it. You would want to know why. Some do trade every few years, some do trade up for something different, most were disappointed in some way.

Regardless of brand chassis and running gear service will be reasonably available. Isses with the "box" will sometime require specialized support and it is not that uncommon to need a factory level or specialist repair. Think slide rooms and any exterior body issue.

As you narrow down brand and model go look at some older and higher mileage units to see how they age. In 5 years your 5 year old coach will be 10 years old. Will you still want it? How many miles, generator hours? How many days/weeks per year do you plan to live in it. Consider location and storage. Most northern and coastal coaches will have some corrosion concerns. Often in places you can't see such as inside the walls and basement framing. Road conditions also effect how an RV ages. They can get torn apart. Look for your preferred coach with 10 and 15 years, 100,000 to 150,000 miles if you are planning to keep this rig that long. There are many that just will not last that long.

[Sam15146]

Those all are great considerations that need to be thought upon. Greatly appreciated

[pilotspike]

Older threat, but for a while at least, Ansley was a preferred Newmar Svc center.

[Domo]

Perhaps Newmar would know which dealers give them the fewest issues with customers. Maybe a phone call to them?

Of course the forum is also a good source of information and followup with searches for current/past litigation in your state.