A Not So Diamond in The Rough Newell Coach!

[Neweller]

I'm thinking this section should be renamed to cover almost dead or dying Newells that may or may not be worth bringing back to a useful life.

I just arrived back home after about a 1400 mile round trip journey to check out a 1985 too good to be true Newell again. This Newell was located in Alabama and the seller supposedly used it for a gospel singing group. Talk about a story with a bunch of spin, I could write a book on this deal. This coach had "Bad Deal" written all over it. I wasn't interested in the thing for free. The short of it was it had a bad 8V92 with a cracked head or something major (water in the oil), so much rust every single panel in the basement was almost gone, the supposed great tires were aged and weather cracked, and the interior was beyond deceiving from it's pictures I looked at prior to ever looking at it, which has much needed dry rot repair.

The seller was putting so much pressure on me making the deal that I backed out and supposedly a back up buyer from Nashville was on the phone with him offering him more money. rollinglol I hope this poor soul is only interested in maybe using it as a place to live and never travel. For the price I wouldn't have cared if the engine turned out to be bad. I would have been fine with that, but would have hoped the rest of the coach condition would have been much nicer and could have at least drove it home and save a $3000.00 tow bill.

My wife took some photo's of the coach but probably mostly of the good as she doesn't understand the bad. She was busy thinking about the make-over for it and liking the floor plan. But when I told here that I could easily stick $30k into it by doing most of the repairs myself, she understood that.

4207




4208

[MrE]

What is that, two in a row that weren't worth fixing? Don't lose faith, third times a charm.

[prairieschooner]

Agreed Ken,
When we bought our '82 it was a toss up if it was worth the work. With the cost of rebuilding and the selling prices these older coaches, they need to have "hands on" owners. The Suspension alone was quoted at $4-5K since there were no Schematics available. Add to that Tires at $3,500.00, Batteries, Interior, Windshields, Interior and Electrical issues these older coaches are not always cost effective.
Luckily we were able to live aboard for the Winter while we did the work. Besides I like to looks of the older rigs and now look at her, our Prairie Schooner is ready to and willing.

[Neweller]

Jon, third times a charm can be a good thing or a bad. But, I may already be past three depending on how you look at it. I have looked at more Newell's in the last few months not just for myself, but for others and I'm actually a little tired of it. I like those straight up deals without all the BS that some like to throw into the mix. To think what one person thinks is a good shape coach and what I or someone else thinks is, can be the difference between night and day. Just like tires being like new but way past the dates and cracked. By the way, this guy who was selling me a song and dance on the cheap, turns out to be a baptist church pastor, which he didn't know I knew that, but after he was acting so darn squirrely I had to check him out and was shocked to find out who he really was. He also told me while I was looking it over, that I have to move it out that day, because he needed to get started on the hay storage barn they are building there. Something else crazy was that the coach had been moved at a prior time from another area in the yard that had a bunch of oil on the ground from it leaking like a sieve and they moved it to this newer location supposedly only a couple of days prior, yet the ground in both spots was well dried and brown compared to the rest of the yard. It had been sitting much longer than he was leading on. The funny thing is that the price was so right, that he could have just been honest on the whole deal unless something fishy was going on.

Steve, I'm with ya brother on the classic design. The more I look at Newell's I still love the classic and my wife really liked the floor plan of this particular coach. She told me the same thing, she really wanted this coach as a keeper but not in that condition. We were seriously looking to do something like what Forest has and others are talking with a later model slide etc...,but we really do like the hotrod look of the classic. This it what drew us to the Newell in the first place. We could have bought a new or almost new cracker box but the bus conversions and then the Newell rocked our world. And if I decide against a slide, I'm sticking with a classic. And even if I decide the slide or slides are on the table, I'll have them put in. I could care less what the thing is worth when I'm done, as I'm not doing it for resale, that's only a bonus if and when the time comes. And like Tuga I believe said one time, if you enjoy the son of a gun, it's priceless.

[rellick]

My 77 needed more work than most people would care to put into an old coach and will probably never make a profit if I sold it, but I like it, its an old hot rod. It still needs more work, but when its finished it will be one of a kind and a head turner( it already was when I first bought it) the first time I stopped for fuel with it I never thought I was going to get out of the gas station, this guy that was there was just amazed with it a lot of people really appreciate seeing a vintage coach out on the road, and there is so much you can do with them as far as upgrades with engine trans, suspension, paint, interiors etc, the list goes on. One can really make them one of a kind head turning very usable coaches. I think there is tons of value in them and they should be sought after more than they seem to be, there wasn't that many built and there are going to be less of them as the years go on. There is a lot of people that fix up old cars and trucks and put tons of money into hotrod engines, nice paint jobs and upgraded parts, I think these classic and vintage Newells deserve the same treatment.

[1993Newell]

There is a lot of people that fix up old cars and trucks and put tons of money into hotrod engines, nice paint jobs and upgraded parts, I think these classic and vintage Newells deserve the same treatment.

:thumbsup:

[stewart33]

Some coaches aren't worth the time, effort or money if you're in it to try and make a profit. But some don't mind a big project. I on the other hand prefer not to take on projects like this either.

[prairieschooner]

yes there has to be some passion involved. The best part is that if someone is handy he or she can get a great deal and keep a great older rig alive.
In my case we only have around 125K miles on a Million Mile Coach...priceless

[NEWELLWIZARD]

My 77 needed more work than most people would care to put into an old coach and will probably never make a profit if I sold it, but I like it, its an old hot rod. It still needs more work, but when its finished it will be one of a kind and a head turner( it already was when I first bought it) the first time I stopped for fuel with it I never thought I was going to get out of the gas station, this guy that was there was just amazed with it a lot of people really appreciate seeing a vintage coach out on the road, and there is so much you can do with them as far as upgrades with engine trans, suspension, paint, interiors etc, the list goes on. One can really make them one of a kind head turning very usable coaches. I think there is tons of value in them and they should be sought after more than they seem to be, there wasn't that many built and there are going to be less of them as the years go on. There is a lot of people that fix up old cars and trucks and put tons of money into hotrod engines, nice paint jobs and upgraded parts, I think these classic and vintage Newells deserve the same treatment.


We love our coach but you are right it's always a pleasure seeing a vintage coach on the road. Seeing people who are keeping the Classic Newells alive and on the road is fantastic. If you have it in you Keith the more power to you. It keeps the values up when people like you are making sure the older Newells are still out their restored rolling down the road. :thumbup:

[Wheeler]

Classic Newells are worth the restorations if one has the means to make them luxurious again. Can't say that for a bounder. ;)

[Randy J]

Ken I don't doubt you made the right call. You have owned more then one Newell. You will know the right coach for you. when you see it. We were lucky when we found our newell. we didn't have to travel that far and we didn't even know we had found a gem.

a gem that still needs work but its a good enough home on wheels for us.

[stewart33]

Ken when you have time please do post photos. Inquiring minds want to know...well in this case SEE. :laugh:

[Cheri Smith]

Randy we feel the same way about our coach. It's a gem that still needs work. But when we are finally finished with it, we hope it will shine for a long time. It still gets us where we want to go and we enjoy our travels every trip.