Looking toward retirement from Nashville

[Bookman]

Hello all,

My honey and I are just in the beginning research phase of motor coach shopping. We are thinking about retirement time when we hope to spend some significant time seeing the country. By way of introduction, I have a bit more than 1.5 millions miles of experience driving coaches, first for Trailways, and then for several entertainers over a number of years. That experience was all in Silver Eagles and MCIs. I got out of the coach driving world 21 years ago. As you can guess, a lot has changed during that time.

At this point in our research, I have carefully looked over several Prevosts, each converted by different companies. I had the pleasure of a slow-paced and thorough personal tour through a Wanderlodge LXi. I have had a lot of very helpful, very congenial conversation over at the Wanderlodge forum.

Now I am turning my attention to a couple of Country Coach models, especially the Concept Alpha, and to Newells. I have been watching ads for early 90s Newell models (I think they are model 2000) and reading the equipment lists in those ads. At this point I have some questions if I may.

1) Has Newell always had independent front suspension? If not, what year did they begin including it?

2) I know that answers to this question can be all over the table, but for those people who have owned or driven a variety of heavy pusher coaches, like Wanderlodge, Prevost, MCI, as well as Newell, how would you compare the ride of Newells from the early 90s to the other coaches from the same time period? My wife has medical issues that will require the softest, most comfortable ride that we can find.

Wow! What a way for a guy to introduce himself!

Thanks for your input.

Tom B

[The Newell]

Hi bookman and Welcome,

I hope you are enjoying the Newell Forums, You have just found and joined the most informative website pertaining to Newell Ownership on the web. If you have any questions/answers please feel free to post them or to send one of us moderators a private message. We are all here to help so don't be afraid to call on us! In addition to the forums Newell Classic offers, Classifieds for buying and selling Newells along with a Newell Gallery so that one can compare the different generations of Newell Motor Homes.

If your searching for a Newell I think the best place to start your search is in the classifieds section of this website which can be found at the following link NewellClassifieds.com (http://www.newellclassifieds.com/)

If you want to compare every era of Newells see this link NewellShowcase.com Newell Coach Photo Gallery, Newell Coach Photo Showcase - Home (http://www.NewellShowcase.com)

Happy Searching and Welcome Again!

Joseph

[speedingsport]

:hello:Hey there! Welcome! Glad you could join us, I know you'll find plenty of great information here. I've only owned a Newell! So, I can't give a comparison to the prevost etc. But I do know others here will be able to give you some opinions.

[NewellCrazy]

Hi Tom,

Welcome aboard I am sure you will make many friends in our Newell community. I think the answer to which coach rides better is kind of subjective considering your on the newell forum lol we might be biased in our opinions :thumbsup: . IMO Newells are in a league of their own in almost every department over the competition. Ride quality I would have to rank Newell and Prevost as number 1. Of course the prevost has more of a bus feel then the newell but again to each their own. I think it would be best if you test drove both to draw your own conclusion, This is the only way you will truely know which one in your opinon rides better and will suite you and your wife the best. Newells are custom built from the ground up and Newell can customize/update both new and classic coaches to your liking if you take it down to Miami,OK . I do reccommend a tour of the factory if you have the time etc it might help you make up your mind once you touch and feel the quality of a Newell.

Welcome again,

Sean

[Neweller]

Welcome Tom B. to the Newell talk forum and website. Glad you are doing some series homework like many others are and many others have. As Joseph stated above we have a collection of much helpful information and available knowledge right here and a lot of it is first hand or factory backed. Ask any question you would like and I along with others will give you what we hope will be more than our 2 cents worth.

I have owned 3) Newells ranging from 76-86 and currently on the hunt for a late 90's or if the ranch sells the choice changes a little. My '76 had rear air with a straight axle front that was surprisingly very smooth riding, the '78 was all air bag suspension and road very similar and more enjoyable than any of the bus conversion I drove which were similar to the over the road buses you just mentioned. The '86 was similar to the '78 but a tad smoother and most people could not tell the difference.

All of them my wife or kids could sleep in while I was driving down the road with out any issues of bumps or dips waking them. I have driven a '95 of a family members and it drives unbelievably wonderful which is very much the same ride as any 2000 model from what I understand.

I don't think your wife will have any trouble with the ride of the year Newell your considering. The only bus that may ride better than the 2000 model Newell may be a late model Prevost but that would not necessarily be a fair comparison as its fair comparison would be against a 2006 or later Newell.

I have ridden in a Wanderlodge and most everyone I have spoken with put their ride below a Newell. Don't think they are in the same performance range and would really be more of a styling preference to most.

Newell offers 24/7 factory support and dozens of available service centers across the US. If your looking at pre 60 series Newell's, then know that Newell's with the DD engine were the marine standard engines unlike say Wanderlodges


Ken

[Bookman]

If your looking at pre 60 series Newell's, then know that Newell's with the DD engine were the marine standard engines unlike say Wanderlodges

Ken

Ken,

Thanks for the quick reply and for your opinion about the ride. I have a question about your DD quote above. It seems that you might be saying that there were different S60 engines available and that the S60engines installed in the Newells were a different version than the S60 engines installed in Wanderlodges. Am I understanding you correctly? If so, what are those differences and how might they impact the owner of either coach?

Thanks again.

Tom

[Neweller]

Tom, I was mainly referring that the 8v92 DD's installed in Newell's were marine engines and because of this, parts are commonality less expensive and many claim they have a longer life expectancy than a none marine version used by bus companies like Bluebird in a Wanderlodge.

I would have to double check these facts with the 60 series.

Ken

[Neweller]

Something that is very common with Newell with their extensive R&D, is they're usually years ahead of the next guy and the first to the table. Such as first to offer a DP motorhome, "C" center channeled monocoque chassis, integrated awnings, level floor slides and the list is much longer. Usually it takes a minimum of 3 yrs for any so-called competitor to offer a similar product.

I have found including myself that most Newell owners originally did the same research as your are currently doing prior to Newell ownership.


Ken

[bigcatwally]

:welcome:to the forums. Hope you enjoy the stay, and learn a lot, and can teach others what you already know.

[Bookman]

Tom, I was mainly referring that the 8v92 DD's installed in Newell's were marine engines and because of this, parts are commonality less expensive and many claim they have a longer life expectancy than a none marine version used by bus companies like Bluebird in a Wanderlodge.



That's interesting! I have a lot of miles under my belt driving an MCI with an 8V-92 engine. It was a brand new, out of the crate engine that replaced an 8V-71 after it went down on me in Colorado. I knew that those engines were also used in marine applications, but I never knew that they were a different version than the coach version. I wonder what the differences were?

Tom

[larryweikart]

Welcome Tom, having been in the Motorhome business for 20 years and driven numerous brands for thousands of miles (I currently have just passed 300,000 miles on my 94 Newell) allow me to chime in with a quick comment. We use our Newell in our business, Racing Hospitality, and I have never missed a race due to the unsurpassed 24/7/365 Newell service. Not just a service to report a problem to, but, a service that gets you a return call from someone who can help solve the problem. Also, this site offers hands on assistants on about anything you could possibly imagine. Newells ride is excellent, but no ride is very good if you're sitting along the side of the road waiting for someone to help. Good luck on your important search!

[Bookman]

Newells ride is excellent, but no ride is very good if you're sitting along the side of the road waiting for someone to help. Good luck on your important search!

Larry,

You are exactly right about the side of the road problem. Been there, done that! I have heard a lot about Newell's service. Does the level of service that you are talking about apply even to older coaches that might not have been purchased through Newell? And how do they charge for that kind of "on the side of the road service?" I am not the type to something for nothing, but it would still be nice to know what to expect.

Tom

[NeverEnding]

Welcome Tom! We are looking forward to retirement and getting a Newell coach too. Everyone here has been great to answer our many questions and it's nice to see another asking questions I may have not thought to ask! Good luck with your search!

[tuga]

Larry,

You are exactly right about the side of the road problem. Been there, done that! I have heard a lot about Newell's service. Does the level of service that you are talking about apply even to older coaches that might not have been purchased through Newell? And how do they charge for that kind of "on the side of the road service?" I am not the type to something for nothing, but it would still be nice to know what to expect.

Tom

Tom,

It doesn't make any difference what vintage Newell you have; you will get good service even if you didn't buy the coach from Newell. They support ALL Newells, not just the newer ones. They will gladly answer your questions over the phone or if you bring the coach in for service. Newell realizes that you have to service what you sell, and remember that they sold that older Newell that you may buy one day.


Newell is a first class operation!