[Doug]

Chuck,

We looked at Newell before Prevost hit the radar. Newell’s are nice for sure.

This is what I don’t like:

-The high positioned side rear-view mirrors cause the sunshade to not reach the A-pillar on the passenger side leaving an 18″ gap. It is done that way as to never block the driver’s view. The lower positioned mirrors (like a Prevost) that Newell offers are not affected by the shorten width of the sunshade, it goes all the way to the A-pillar.

-The Bi-fold cargo doors seem quirky. I found them hard to close the day we looked at Newell’s in Miami, OK. And, to me, they are just asking to pinch your hand if you put it in the wrong place.

-Personally, I didn’t care for the pneumatic door. You will have to keep the compressor on all the time and that’s just another point to have an air leak.

The good:

-You get window awnings.

-Option of a mid door.

Safe travels,

Mark

[steve]

It’s not my job to beat the shit out of Newall but if you know buses and coaches it’s easy to do.

One thing every Newell buyer finds out is if he decided to get out and go back to a bus you will take a bath.

Newall prices are only reflected if you continue to buy Newell. On the open market they are worthless.

I have a very good friend who made a mistake and found out the hard way. He own’s a 2020 and a 2018 Newell.

Trawick in Dallas has his 2018 that’s been for sale in Miami, OK and now Dallas for almost a year with no buyer or support.

He will sell you either one or both together for a package deal, he wants to build a Marathon and as soon as he can rid himself of these coaches he will.

Obviously Chuck you are a Liberty guy because of your bunk coach question the other day. You need to get out there and see what people are making these days. If you want inside height the new X3 chassis is over 91 inches inside.

Later

bv

[Larry]

I never had a Newell but in a couple of weak moments we looked at several. They are nice coaches, but we were really struck with how little actual storage space there was available. That may or may not be an issue depending on how you use the coach.

The other thing and this may not have any influence on your decision is I would be concerned with axle weights and distribution of weights. We have a very steep driveway so at about 29 to 34% it can be a challenge. We have had quite a few Prevost coaches back up our driveway for visits, almost every conversion that I can think of and none had a problem.

Newell with their professional driver took about half a dozen attempts with some very impressive burning rubber smokescreens until we went with the dangerous option of accelerating on the flat part of the driveway and hoping the driver could get it under control as he reached the breakover just before hitting the garage. Every trip down was equally exciting with some wheel lockup. To me it was clear the front axle had a lot of weight and not the amount i was used to on the drive and tag.

[steve]

IMHO, there’s two huge differences between a Newell and a Prevost:

1) Chassis (Prevost wins)

2) Availability of Factory (chassis) Service (Prevost wins)

With that said, there’s a lot to like about the newer Newell coaches. They are true custom coaches and they will build you just about anything you want. The interior fit and finishes are simply gorgeous and they are spacious. The Newell owners (those who purchased new coaches) I’ve spoken with seem to be very happy with their coaches…even though they need to return to Oklahoma once per year for the annual checkup.

Another advantage to Newell’s is their steerable tag axle as it truly is a pleasure in tight spaces. (I learned to drive a motorhome in a Newell with a steerable tag).

Alas, the previous post is correct (at least from what I’ve learned) is that they can be difficult to sell outright for a reasonable price. But on the other hand, I took a bath when I sold my Marathon so I guess it’s fairly even in that regard.

[Dick]

The reason you took a bath on your Marathon is because who markets their bus?

The Gadget Guru is selling his bus.

Is Andy selling his bus?

Did Andy Sell His Bus?

A bunch of hokie stuff, no one wanted to make it their own. It was known as the Gadget Bus.

Later

bv

[Archived]

I know nothing about Newell other than comments made by Newell owners who converted to Prevost. One thing for sure, Bernie is dead on, if you try to sell a Newell outright, good luck. It’s almost like a cult. The other thing that comes up is the need to have any work done in Oklahoma, seems there are few if any Newell secondary service and repair places like we have with Prevost.

[Archived]

Granted when I was looking it was the 90 – 95 range. But in that range I looked at Newell, Prevost and Country Coach. The Newell and CC coaches were nice and less money than the Prevost. I’ll admit that the silver sided Prevost stands alone! I personally liked the fit and finish of the Prevost and it seemed to me you can’t beat that it’s a “BUS”!

I also read almost all Jon’s what papers and had numerous conversations with Jon in email and phone. From that I learned many things, not the least of which, the many places you can get a Prevost conversation worked on and the number of Detroit Diesel shops around the country for service. It also was nice to know that ETLC and Jeff’s group of Merry Men (Jeff please tell the boys I said that with a smile ð ). I may now have to go to Florida for my next maintenance. And that’s another thing, all Prevost converters will work on my bus!!! There are many of them, only one of Newell.

Harry

[Archived]

A very close friend had 4 Newells, 2 new ones, a 2010 and a 12. He now owns an 07 Marathon, ’nuff said. He got tired of taking them to Miam, Ok every trip.

[Larry]

Every Winter Newell maintains a service fleet in Indio Ca. They only work on Newells . I also do not care for all the air related systems on the coach . I watched a Newell tech dig out insulation on a 2010 to find a air leak .

[Jeff]

Thank you everyone – I have been educated-:)

[Frank]

I have zero experience with driving anything other than a Prevost. When I bought our first in 1990 I can say it was very easy to drive. It did not wander. I was not affected by winds to the extent a lot of other vehicles were. I was not always making steering corrections.

I thought that coach with a 1987 chassis was great, but my 97 coach (1996 chassis) was even better. It went where I pointed it and it required even fewer steering corrections.

Then I got the 2006 (2005 chassis) and it was even better. The improvements were subtle, but with each succeeding coach there was a noticeable improvement. Then I took the 2006 to Prevost for an alignment and the technician not only put all values in the center of the acceptable adjustment range, he biased the steering to the RH lane where i spend most of my time.

Just when you think the coach steers really well you find it can be even better.

I think almost every member here can share similar stories. The point however is very important. Prevost has hundreds of millions if not billions of experience building coaches for commercial service and based on that vast level of experience they have fine tuned the chassis and handling to where they are today. They are clearly influenced by feedback from commercial drivers who probably drive anything in the bus company’s fleet, from MCI, to Van Hool to Setra, etc. Those drivers who easily are racking up 100,000 miles a years pretty quickly know which buses make their life easy. If the steering and handling is not as filly developed or refined they are working harder and thus are getting tired earlier because they have to work to steer the bus.

I am not saying a Newell drives bad or makes driving a little more work, but I cannot imagine how it is possible for the subtle changes Prevost has made over the years based on so many miles of actual use can be compared to an annual production of RV’s (yes, Newell is an RV) that probably has few professional drivers offering feedback, and so many fewer miles of road experience that it cannot compare to what Prevost engineers get.

My one experience with a motor home really drove home the point about how refined the Prevost driving experience is. Prevost really sets the bar pretty high and only by spending a day of hard driving a Newell and a Prevost will anyone be able to evaluate that aspect of ownership.

[Philip]

I drove a 2016 Newell from Dallas to Houston …. very heavy and feels huge which it is… drove fine …. but very different from a Prevost …

My friend bought the coach new and used it extensively …of his first 23,000 miles, 7,000 miles was spent driving to and from Miami, Ok. for service. I have been completely through the building process at Miami … The sides are pasted on but I feel the workmanship in the interior is fine… I do not like their engineering experimentation with engines and transmissions… some combinations may not work well..

You will be a very, very welcome guest as long as you are a potential customer for a new coach or an upgrade….. beyond that, they do not even care about your name….

Been there and done that …

Pres

[Archived]

Ah the challenges of first world problems – Prevost vs Newell.

I had the opportunity to drive a new 2015 Newell. It drives and rides nicely.

Likes

1. Good looking unit – nice lines and distinctive look.

2. It has a nice power plant. You can tell a difference in acceleration with the 650 hp engine – a little more pep than my Series 60.

3. Good view from the driver’s seat.

4. Very spacious interior when you open all four slides.

5. Air operated entry door.

6. Engine access.

7. Steering tag axle.

Dislikes

1. A little more road wander than the Prevost, but it probably wouldn’t be noticeable to most people.

2. Mirrors that hang down from the roof line.

3. A few more rattles than my older Prevost – not severe or enough to make a huge difference.

4. Difficult to get to the bathroom with all four slides in.

5. Resale values scare me (I am not sure what demand is – I see some really nice late model units selling at low prices).

6. Frame rail chassis.

7. Small storage bays with strange doors.

I looked at a couple of Newells but never got too far. Even took the factory tour. Before the 4 slide Prevost I thought that the Newell would be a great coach if you spent a fair amount of time parked (slides out) and not as much time driving. Still a nice coach, but I like the drive better in the Prevost and I know what resale looks like with the Prevost. It all boils down to your tastes and what you want and how you use it. It is certainly a fine coach and would serve you well.

I would expect on PC you will get a large majority that would never consider a Newell. If you go to the Newell site it most would not be caught in a Prevost. Funny how loyalty is influenced by what you have.

Good Luck

[Loc]

I do not think handling or steering is a big deal until you go backwards. I don’t mean backwards as in a Newell is a step back except in the sense the steering or handling might not be as well refined as a Prevost.

It is subtle. My Mercedes wanders, roams, whatever you want to call it compared to my pick up truck or Corvette. It is not even noticeable unless you jump from one to the other and track down the same road or highway. It is then that you notice there is a difference in how a slight extra bit of effort is required to keep it pointed in the right direction.

It might not even be important to most owners. But now that I know how well my coach tracks, steers and handles compared to the conventional RV I drove. It is easy for me to see that a long day behind the wheel in something that isn’t as good as my coach could have an impact on how tired I get and how fast.

[Archived]

Jon you are spot on. I thought my 92XL was an incredible driving machine especially compared to my 00 Fleetwood diesel that I sold when I bought the 92XL. Then I stepped up to the 02XLII and was blown away by how much better it was. I figured the 08XLII would be very similar to the 02. I was wrong. The 08 is a completely different experience than the 02. The 08 is exponentially more refined and significantly more fun (less tiring) to drive.