'86 Newell

[luvrbus]

No bad emails from here Cody I was just impressed with the 2000 P it was a awesome coach stainless steel sides, ZF suspension system, hand crafted solid cherry wood cabinets, you would have liked the workmanship on cabinets and with the C-15 625 hp Cat engine nice rig but too much money for me .BK I threw in the 625 HP Cat so you didn't challenge one thinking it was a 400 hp Cummins  LOL         good luck

[Tom Y]

I looked at one at a local shop. It was in for warranty work. The pivoting floor for the copilot did not work. Linkage came apart, I was not impressed. They had to call the factory to see how to fix. Pull front wheel cut through foam to access a metal panel. There was some signs of moisture in there already. It was a sharp coach w/slides and the C 15 Cat, all the glitter. Another had a granite bath counter that was already cracked, maybe the same coach.     Tom Y

[VanTare]

I have had 3 Newells over the years and very few problems and the ones I did have were taken care of without any hassles from Newell and Karl Blades.My new coach is a Prevost only because of the price, Newell could not meet the price of the Prevost converter. BTW the Volvo D13 engine in the Prevost is nothing compered to C-15 in the Newell (I like power)   


David

[Songman]

Judging by the recent additions to my pile of not so nice emails, I may have stepped on some toes by relating my very limited experiences with newell...

You got e-mails? That is just pathetic. Is it really going to get so bad that we can't offer opinions here without people sending nasty e-mails? Especially if your opinion comes from actual experience. That is just crazy. We've had two apologies in this thread because people didn't like opinions of other people. I'm glad I don't know anything about Newells!

[Busted Knuckle]

I'm glad I don't know anything about Newells!

ME TOO!    BK 

[Tom Y]

I hope I didn't sound to negative. I think Newel was covering the problems. The engine area looked good and clean the way they did it. Better than my work.  Tom Y

[cody]

All 3 newells I worked on had been long out of any warrenty so I really don't know how well they take care of their customers, for a company to be in business like they are and charging the prices they are I would think they would have to have a pretty decent support network in place, I've always heard that they were right up by the top of the S&S field, my only experiance is exactly what I said it was, I paid no attention to the mechanics of the coach, only to the interior and what was involved to do what I had been contracted to do, I did think that it was a pretty good looking coach tho and it certainly had it's share of glitz.

[RJ]

Gus -

Most of the newer MCIs, Prevosts, etc. are not monocoque in the same sense as your 4104 is.  Today they're built more like the Eagles - a "birdcage" frame with the exterior panels hung on them.

I will be one of the first to admit that I have NO actual experience with either one of these, but for many, many years, the Blue Bird WanderLodge and the Newell have been considered "Top-of-the-Line" in terms of high-end Class A motorhomes.

It's only been w/in the last 15 years or so that the high-end market has embraced the Libertys, Marathons, Royals, Vantares, etc. done on MCI or Prevost shells as equivalents to the Newell or Wanderlodge.  Ostentatious snobbery, if you will. . . 

Most of the folk who buy the high-end stuff initially, never, ever, turn a wrench on them, and, for that matter, haven't a clue how to do so.  Then again, if you've got the capital to purchase one new, you've got the capital to have someone else service for you, too.

But to answer the question "Is the Newell a bus", based on the common definition of a bus, then the answer is no.  (The common definition of a bus being a vehicle designed & built to carry passengers in revenue service.)

Based on the question of "is it's chassis construction comparable to a normal bus", then the argument may be made that the construction techniques are very similar.  Whether the quality is there or not is a different argument.

All depends on what your definition of "is" is. . . 

FWIW, HTH & Merry Christmas!

[cody]

Bluebirds and newells are fine coaches, there is no question on that and we all agree that they are at or near the top of the line for their respective catagories, if either of them were available and at the right price I wouldn't hesitate to buy one, in this hobby we all have preferences that differ, you'll find people that prefer mci, people that prefer eagles and so on, I'd have no qualms in buying one if the right situation presented itself because I feel that in the market they are filling you'll find people that want certain bells and whistles that they have in abundance, I don't believe that a company will go out of their way to build a bad coach, they all build to suit a particular niche, based on that I think the same rules would apply, have it inspected by a qualified mechanic and based on your needs and final inspection, if the coach fills the need and useages your intending, I would think it would be a good buy.

[plyonsMC9]

Interesting reading.  Thanks for sharing your experiences with the group cody.  Much appreciated.   

Kind Regards, Phil

[gus]

I'm not sure yet if I know yet exactly whether or not a Newell is a bus but i sure know a lot more about them than I did.

Jeremy,

As I understand it the method of attaching the bottom of the body does not determine whether or not it is a monocoque. It can be bolted, welded or riveted among others and still be a monocoque.

In any case I always thought dune buggies were FG bodies with VW suspension and engines bolted on.

In the case of the 4104 the bottom is angle framing and bolted plywood while the rest is riveted Al panels.

To me it means no separate frame.

RJ,

Thanks,

That answers a bunch of my questions.
.............

As for the short tempers and delicate egos. Please guys, give it a break. Disagreement is what life is all about and if you pay close attention sometimes you can even learn something!

It is actually possible than one can sometimes be wrong!