ok Newmar owners - pluses and minuses?

[bpaikman]

We’re considering a older Newmar that’s pretty close to what we need.
I’d like to hear about your experiences with service, reliability, etc.
It’s a LONG drive home for us if we go for it.

 

[redbaron]

What year and model. The answers will vary based on that data.

 

[bpaikman]

2014 Ventana

 

[bpaikman]

sorry I posted before I finish typing I'm on a tiny phone
2014 Ventana LE 3436. I'm especially concerned about the Flexsteel leather couch and captains chairs

 

[redbaron]

I had a 2013 with Flexsteel leather. Never had a problem with it. My build date was Dec 2012.

Flexsteel leather that did have problems was evident in the first 2 years.

To redo all leather in the coach would be around $4k, just to give you an idea. That's assuming highest grade ultraleather.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

sorry I posted before I finish typing I'm on a tiny phone
2014 Ventana LE 3436. I'm especially concerned about the Flexsteel leather couch and captains chairs

We had that very coach (wonder if the one you are looking at might be our old one) and had no issues with the FlexSteel “leather.” It is actually vinyl, BTW.

The only reason we replaced the coach was to get more interior space and engine HP/torque. In retrospect, we may have been better off if we had kept it. It was a great coach, though slightly underpowered for some of the long, steep, high-altitude grades in the Mountain West. We towed a 2014 Honda CR-V behind it with no issues other than being a little slow on some really hard pulls.

TJ

 

[bpaikman]

We had that very coach (wonder if the one you are looking at might be our old one) and had no issues with the FlexSteel “leather.” It is actually vinyl, BTW.

The only reason we replaced the coach was to get more interior space and engine HP/torque. In retrospect, we may have been better off if we had kept it. It was a great coach, though slightly underpowered for some of the long, steep, high-altitude grades in the Mountain West. We towed a 2014 Honda CR-V behind it with no issues other than being a little slow on some really hard pulls.

TJ

I don’t know if it’s yours ? . We’re still considering. My husband likes Newmar because they’re supposedly built by Amish. I favor Tiffins because they have so many thoughtful design details and they just feel good to me. Both seem like excellent motorhomes.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Does it look like this?

Newmars do, indeed, have a lot of Amish craftsmanship in them. That said, Amish woodworkers are not always the best interior designers. Both Newmar and Tiffin have made good coaches.

TJ

 

[bpaikman]

No, it’s the other color they made that year. I rather prefer the black, but the one we saw for sale in NJ was quite a bit more expensive, and didn’t have as many improvements..

 

[Old Bubblehead]

Our first coach was a Newmar Canyon Star (2019). It was well built and reliable. The factory support was great. We went a different way on second coach, but not because we didn't like Newmar. We liked what the Entegra offered space, floorplan, and styling wise. Plus the longer warranty. Both Newmar and Tiffin are good coaches in general, when looking at a used coach it starts with the builder but really becomes dependent on how the unit was cared for and maintained.

Best of luck.