Newbie advise please.....some fears and questions for y'all

[Boat Bum]

What model Newmar, mileage?

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Yes this is the part that I'm trying to get a handle on. Many are saying that even with warranty getting service is hard , especially in peak season and while away from the dealer it was purchased from. Service centres don't like warranty work as it doesn't pay as well as exterior apparently....so do people just hope for the best and call mechanics wherever they are when there are issues? RVs don't generally break while at home near the dealer so I'm scared of the horror stories about other shops not wanting to service you for warranty work

Don't conflate a factory warranty on a new RV with an extended "warranty" (which is not a warranty at all). Dealers get paid at a relatively low rate under a factory warranty. Extended warranty (repair insurance) also pays a standard shop labor rate but it's typically closer to what most shops actually charge. The shop doesn't have to accept the extended warranty/service rate as full payment and typically do not. They charge whatever they like for the repair, deduct what the extended warranty insurer pays, and bill you for the balance.

Getting service for any RV is likely to encounter long wait times for an appointment and further delays if parts are needed. RV dealers & shops typically have a lot of work queued up.

 

[Larry N.]

Getting service for any RV is likely to encounter long wait times for an appointment and further delays if parts are needed. RV dealers & shops typically have a lot of work queued up.

Yes- those wait times could even be weeks or months, depending on the season, the area and the dealer.

 

[Melissarv]

What kind of rv are you buying and from who?

Either a local dealer owasco of a new 2023 Winnie adventurer
Or
An out of province dealer bucars of a 2018 Newmar

 

[rvlifer]

fyi that residential wall cabinets usually can safely hold up to 90lbs. Not sure on drawers. In an rv probably not that much. Based upon how some of them are constructed probably far less.

I always press on the base of drawers and on all the walls and shelves of the cabinets to check for how much they flex. Gives me a hint at the quality of the rv. If the visible stuff isnt sturdy what does the stuff i cant see look like?

 

[rvlifer]

Either a local dealer owasco of a new 2023 Winnie adventurer
Or
An out of province dealer bucars of a 2018 Newmar

Newmar has a better reputation for quality from what i know but i wouldnt go by reputation. I am sure winnebago has made some better quality rvs than newmar over the years and that newmar has produced some bad ones. Both of those are nice from what i have seen.

All manufacturers make nice looking rvs with lots of features. What is behind the curtain makes a lot of difference. For fulltiming i prefer an rv that has a frame that is beefier than just an i beam. I also like to see better better components. If all i see are dometic, lippert, and furrion stuff i get a little wary. Those companies make some decent stuff but they also make some poor quality stuff

 

[Isaac-1]

I just wanted to second the bit about service plans being better than factory warranties, as they will generally work with not only dealers, but also mobile mechanics, RV services, etc.

All else being equal I would buy the pre-covid coach, while quality control in the RV industry took a downward turn after the 2008 economic collapse, it took a real nose dive after covid.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Links are to brochures..........

Again, what model Newmar? The Bay Star, Bay Star Sport, and the Canyon Star are built on versions of the Ford F53 chassis (Ford makes the chassis in several different lengths and gross weights) and beyond these models, the Newmar line is all diesel pushers, a totally different league than the front engine gas motorhomes. MUCH more expensive to purchase and to operate (large tires as used on semi trucks, gallons and gallons of oil at oil change time, and on and on)

Always think of operating costs in terms of a new unit price, not in terms of the used price to purchase it. I have seen people purchase airplanes that had extremely high operating costs, because the aircraft was cheap, and they equated operating cost to their purchase price. Its the same with motorhomes.

The Adventurer is front engine gas motor built on the Ford F53 chassis, which has been around for many years and its quite a reliable chassis. Winnebago builds a solid product and makes wiring diagrams, plumbing drawings, and coach parts diagrams and parts lists all available online for free, making it easier for people troubleshooting and servicing. Rare is it for any other manufacturer to make any of the wiring, plumbing or parts info available.

Charles

 

[Larry N.]

large tires as used on semi trucks

In the last decade or two most class A gassers also use the large (22.5" rims) truck tires, though a few may still have the 19.5" wheels. Class C usually has smaller wheels.

 

[CharlesinGA]

In the last decade or two most class A gassers also use the large (22.5" rims) truck tires, though a few may still have the 19.5" wheels. Class C usually has smaller wheels.

True, though Ford still lists the 19.5 as standard on the F53 I suspect you will only find it on the lower GVWR model. Aluminum wheels are only available in the 22.5" version.

The chassis comes in so many variations, for example wheelbase is 138", 158", 168", 178", 190", 208", 228", 242", 252" and GVWR's of 16,000 - 26,000 lbs.

Charles

 

[Jackiemac]

Which floor plan do you prefer?

 

[Kirk]

Considering a 2018 Newmar , already inspected and it's mint vs new 2023 Winnie adventurer ( more bells and whistles and dealer is right down the street)
I'm torn between the two choices.

Either one should be a good choice, as long as the 2018 is as good as you believe it is and if the 2023 is actually new, never sold or titled. Was your inspection done by a certified pre-purchase inspector?

 

[Kirk]

An important factor for Winnebago products is the fact that they make their plumbing and electrical drawings available to the public on their website. I do not know of any other company who does that and most won't even share them with an end-user. I used to rate new gasoline powered class A motorhomes as Tiffin #1, Newmar #2, and Winnebago as #3. But now that Thor industries has taken over Tiffin and a Winnebago owns Newmar, I would probably change that to Winnebago #1 and Newmar #2 or equivalent.

If you are thinking of buying an "extended warranty," as Gary said those are not actually a warranty. They are actually insurance and are underwritten as such. Some of them have a deductible and some have maximum payments and other things. They are not necessarily bad but it is very important that you understand what it is that you are buying. Like all insurance, the lower the price the less that they will pay. I did a lot of research on them some years ago and had articles about them published twice by Escapees Magazine and once each by two online RV magazines. Some of the information is a bit dated but most of it still applies. As a side point, I found that far more customers of the more expensive contracts were happy with their coverage than were those who bought the least expensive ones. I strongly suggest that if you are considering one, get a copy of the contract and take it home to study in detail before you sign or pay for it.

 

[Melissarv]

Which floor plan do you prefer?

Aromatic non flimsy over head bunk
Bath and a half
Fold out couch not jacknife
King bed
Counter space
In a perfect world bunks too for extra sleeping but I've decided to forgo those as they aren't in the coach I'm trying to buy as the space is used for second bath.