[tuga]

Dean,

I had a 1993 Newell 44' that was white with blue heart-beat accent stripes. It was painted with Imron, and in 1992 when the coach was built Newell really put it on thick. I could run my fingers over the area where the white & blue colors met and you could feel a ridge!

My 1999 Newell does not have the paint on that thick. It is painted with Imron and 2 coats of clear polyuretane. It is beautiful and the paint is in very good condition for its age.

When I first bought my coach in 2005 I wasn't crazy about the colors: white coach with black, gold, and silver accents. So I started talking to Jerry Allen who is the manager of the Newell paint department. At that time a Newell paint job was running about $32,000. Today I think they are about $40,000. That's a lot of money, but you have to understand that they remove every spec of old paint and get down to the bare aluminum. Then sand, and prime and paint every inch of the coach. Keep in mind that ALL of the mirrors, awnings, etc. have to be removed and re-installed after the painting is complete. It is a big job. If I remember correctly, it takes about 3 weeks or 120 hours. As far as how much paint is used I don't know. Imron paint is about $550 per gallon plus the cost of the catalyst.

The end result is beautiful. Personally, I don't think that you can get your money back out of a new paint job when you sell the coach. If you have it painted, I would just plan on keeping it forever. Newells will last forever!

Just my .02