Opinions on Newmar Products

When choosing the items that were the most important to us, we listed them on paper in columns of "not negotiable", "must have's" and "like to have's".  Our "not negotiable" list contained 1) residential refer, 2)king size bed, 3)sliding windows, 4) a two speed engine brake (for me) 5) television across from the seating position as opposed to at the end of the RV. 

With those things in mind we started our search. And obviously price was a consideration, but not the main factor. We wanted to be in the 38-40' range max as well.  Our search brought us to Tiffin, and Newmar. One minor issue with the Newmar we liked was that they used a tag axle on their 38' Dutch Star.  That is not necessarily a bad thing, but you do sacrifice some exterior storage with the tag. 

I suggest you list your "not negotiable" items and shop from there, if you haven't already.

"however the LE 3436 is very promising"  If the Vantana is in the running check the cargo carrying capacity of the LE (340) versus the 360 non LE model.  It appears the LE version is very limited.

ferfer said:

"however the LE 3436 is very promising"  If the Vantana is in the running check the cargo carrying capacity of the LE (340) versus the 360 non LE model.  It appears the LE version is very limited.

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Thanks for the tip!  That's one of the first things my husband looks at but I'm always concerned about the layout and functionality. 

If you haven't already found the lists, here is where Newmar Owners hang out, https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/NEWMAROWNERS/ and here, https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/NEWMAROWNERS/.
There are not many members with gas MHs but except for the chassis differences, the construction and appliances are pretty much the same.

I have a 2001 Dutch Star, 3858 floor plan and have liked it a lot.  We are getting out of RVing due to health reasons and will miss it a lot.

For what it's worth, I've had two "entry level" Winnebago Class C's that cost $60,000 (list to list) less than our Newmar Canyon Star did (all purchased new).  The Winnebago's were/have been virtually problem free.  The Newmar had so many problems I traded it in...after 12 weeks! 

BIG problems, not the loose handle/missing screw type stuff but roof cracks (needed a trip back to the factory for a new roof), electrical, dead heat pump, etc.  Heat pump not on Newmar but nonetheless, it did not make for a positive user experience.

Spending more money may get you a better quality unit.  Didn't for me.

Edit: Sorry forgot to add the other reason we traded which was important to you and a major factor in our trade decision.  Canyon Star handling? Horrible is an understatement.  Scary is probably a better word.

Which brings the point that I make-even the best manufacturers can build a lemon once in a while and the next unit out the door behind it can be trouble free. The same thing applies to the entry level lines. I have had two Coachmen's, and they get slammed quite a bit for quality, but the few problems I have had with mine were solved very quickly by the factory. The Salem Hemisphere that's supposed to be a higher quality was a pure D piece of junk. I was tickled to death when I drug that junker back to the dealer when I traded it in on my second Coachmen. It was a pretty trailer, but that's all I could say for it.

All the RV manufacturers have an alarmingly high rate of lemons, i.e. rigs that have faulty components or are improperly assembled. I'm not talking just a few flaws - serious defects such as Spring Creek encountered.  Conjecture is that the rate of poorly built "lemon" RVs is as high as 10-15% of new production.  Few if any rigs achieve the  "zero defects" goal standard of ISO 9001.  Even the $2M Marathons and Newells.

MSRP is a useful measure of the quality of materials and components used in the RV design, and also the intended quality of the construction process, but it does not measure the potential for "escapes", defects that occur despite procedures and methods that are supposed to be in place. Reasons for these include careless workers, rush jobs, insufficient training (new or substitute workers on a task), parts substitutions,  and disruptions during the assembly process.  The many possible reasons why poor quality products get built is too large a topic to get into here, but RV factories suffer from most of them.

kdbgoat said:

Which brings the point that I make-even the best manufacturers can build a lemon once in a while and the next unit out the door behind it can be trouble free. The same thing applies to the entry level lines. I have had two Coachmen's, and they get slammed quite a bit for quality, but the few problems I have had with mine were solved very quickly by the factory. The Salem Hemisphere that's supposed to be a higher quality was a pure D piece of junk. I was tickled to death when I drug that junker back to the dealer when I traded it in on my second Coachmen. It was a pretty trailer, but that's all I could say for it.

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I totally agree. But this is also the reason that I always buy new. In my head, if I buy new and there are continual problems, I have a solid year of manufacturer warranty to correct problems. If I buy used, I may be the guy that gets that lemon that someone else unloaded. And usually once you take the used RV off the lot, anything that comes up after you sign on the dotted line is your responsibility.  Some dealers (really good ones) may give a short good will period to take care of an issue, but unless a aftermarket warranty is purchased, it's not the norm.  I realize that I am in the minority with my opinion, but it has worked for me for 20 years of RV purchases. 

Jim Godward said:

I have a 2001 Dutch Star, 3858 floor plan and have liked it a lot.  We are getting out of RVing due to health reasons and will miss it a lot.

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I'm sorry to hear that you have to give up RVing.  Hopefully you are able to find something else that you enjoy as much!

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!  I've received a much larger response than I anticipated.  Everyone has such wonderful advice that has been very useful during our search process.

We looked at a couple Bay Star floor plans and Canyon Stars this weekend and I have to say that I wasn't too impressed.  This may seem petty, but why don't the Bay Stars have a compartment for your trash in the kitchen?  All the under counter cabinets have non removable shelves.  Is it just me or is that odd?  Why would you want an external trash can that you have to find a place for?  Even the smaller Canyon Stars had no compartment, had to get into the longer ones for that.  Really weird to me. 

I guess I was just hoping to instantly see a quality difference, but many of the visual things didn't look a whole lot better to me.  I guess you have to focus on what you can't see, how it's all put together and such.  At any rate, we are very much in the beginning stages of making a decision.  We saw a Tiffin Allegro RED that was larger than we wanted, but it was the diesel my husband likes and the dash was dog friendly...however the door was right at the passenger seat which freaks me out so much :-\.  It was really nice, but a Tiffin.  While we researched them some and it seems that everyone loves to debate Tiffin vs. Newmar, I am still leaning towards better quality in Newmar.  I guess we just have to keep digging until we find the right one.

I will say that I gave used RV's a try again....the first one I walked into smelled like the black tank was overflowing inside.  I guess I just have bad luck with used RVs!

Sidenote:  Different topic, but I figured you guys could answer for me.  Can you do trade-ins at RV shows?

Can you do trade-ins at RV shows?

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Yes, dealers accept trade-ins no matter where there are doing the selling.

We looked at a couple Bay Star floor plans and Canyon Stars this weekend and I have to say that I wasn't too impressed.  This may seem petty, but why don't the Bay Stars have a compartment for your trash in the kitchen?  All the under counter cabinets have non removable shelves.  Is it just me or is that odd?  Why would you want an external trash can that you have to find a place for?  Even the smaller Canyon Stars had no compartment, had to get into the longer ones for that.  Really weird to me.

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All floor plans are a compromise, trying to squeeze everything that somebody might want into a very limited space. Trash can space is one of the most commonly omitted items, even though everybody needs it.  Apparently most buyers ignore it until after the sale, though. Many, many floor plans seem to lack basics such as trash can and laundry hamper.  Probably a holdover from the days when Rvs were generally weekend use and owners could get along with just a trash bag in the aisle for two days.  Winnebago and Tiffin seem to have the best thought out floor plans, but they still don't satisfy every desire. Have you considered the Winnebago Sightseer and Sunova models?

It was really nice, but a Tiffin.  While we researched them some and it seems that everyone loves to debate Tiffin vs. Newmar, I am still leaning towards better quality in Newmar.

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Tiffin builds as good as any RV maker (which isn't saying a whole lot) but their claim to fame is excellence in factory customer service. Even that has suffered since they became such a hot seller - their intention is still top notch but the factory service facility is overwhelmed these days.

We considered a Ford chassis vs. a Freightliner diesel pusher. It was no contest. So we bought a 2014 Newmar Ventana 4037 that had less than 17k miles on it and is in great shape.

After driving it more than 2,000 miles to Florida a couple of weeks ago, we're more than sold on the diesel pusher over the Ford or any front engine rig. Because the engine is behind you, you don't hear it, and we are able to chat even when our hearing aides are in our toilet kits.

I did all of the driving going up to eight hours a day. This rig is easer to drive and less tiring than our Itasca Reyo, which is on the Mercedes Sprinter van chassis. And it's even less tiring than our 2012 Lexus RX 350, which we drove 2,000 miles over Christmas.

After our first night in our new king bed, my wife got up and I heard her declare, "Hi, House!" I knew she was sold.

Has anyone had an issues with their upholstery?  Any cracks, flakes, etc.?