Luxury Coach Lifestyles - View Single Post - Does age of a used Newell Coach matter?
View Single Post
Old 03-05-2013, 05:28 PM   #12
77newell
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Just North of Detroit, a surprizingly great city
Posts: 380
Default

Ringo: you've come to a site that can deeply inform you about Newell coaches. There is no pat answer to your question because there are coaches that are crap and there are those that are gems, the nameplate will not tell which it is that you are looking at. The best advice is to read all the postings on this site. You will learn what to look for to separate the weak from the strong and the just good looking from the actually well cared for.

Since you will be looking for a vintage coach be aware that there is stuff that deteriorates with time despite good care. As others have rightly noted the chassis or "house" is really well built and won't decay anything like you would experience with your typical class C, but there is stuff to watch out for. Anything organic or elastomeric will degrade with time (think hoses and seals which these coaches have lots of). In the vintage you are looking at it will probably be a V92 series Detroit Diesel, as you read this site pay attention to what is said about what works and what doesn't. These engines are different that your typical diesel, not in a bad or good way - just different, and you need to understand what it takes.

So, I believe age matters but not in the same way as with a class C. A few decades ago I was working in Great Britain and conjured up the idea of sailing back home to Michigan despite having only been on a sailboat once. A year and a half later I successfully sailed into my Michigan harbor. The key to pulling this off and not dying was listening to the people who had successfully done what I was intending and learning everything I could from them. It wasn't easy and there was plenty of effort involved in preparing, but I'm here to tell the tale. This site is populated by those that have done and are doing what you intend, learn all you can and there is no reason you too won't be happily touring in a comfortable economical coach.

My coach is 36 years old and we are now toward the end of a round trip from Michigan to the gulf coast in weather that has not met our desires. And yes we have had a problem/failure - with the 9 year old power converter of all things.
__________________
Jon and Alie Kabbe
Started with 77 Coach
Now have 39' 93 coach
2007 civic toad
77newell is offline   Reply With Quote