Serious question

[Troy Tikalsky]

John,

As a former Blue Bird owner, I'll share my experience. Driving differences, the Newell drives like a corvetteand rides like a caddy, great acceleration, cornering and handling with a smooth quiet ride. I've learned to watch the speed and monitor the gauges for systems status. The Newell is much simpler and systems are not nearly as compact, I can sit inside the engine compartment with the access doors closed, the plumbing systems are all run in the storage bays and easy to access. Both coaches had a split copper line that was not winterized properly, the line in the Newell was in the storage bay and fixed in 1 hour, the Wanderlodge line was behind the kitchen cabinets and required removal of the center furnace and much conditioning and time to fix. The Wanderlodge relies on heat tape to prevent plumbing lines from freezing, the Newell has electric, propane and hydronic heated bays that keep the lines from freezing.

My experience with Truck and Bus shops is similar for both Newell and Blue Bird, RV shops are clueless on either coach.

As for maintenancethe Newellhas fewer 'gadgets'andtherefore less points of failure. Both require annual maintenance and my Newell has fewer lube points and no hidden filters, in fact all filters are in the engine bay. The Newell is much easier to access,maintain and repair.

With that said the Wanderlodge is good coach but it is more compact and complex than the Newell. The Newell is simple and fun to drive.

I would not be afraid of either brand.

Troy Tikalsky

1986 Newell 40' Wide Body

(1983 FC33SB)

----- Original Message -----

From: "bbartonwx@hotmail.com"

To: "wanderlodgeforum@yahoogroups.com"

Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 7:51 PM

Subject: RE: [WanderlodgeForum] Serious question

John,
As a former Newell owner, I'll give you a little of my experience. If you have trouble on the road, the easiest, most universal coaches to be fixed on route are Marathon, MCI and Prevost because they have so much in common with trucks and OTR buses. Blue Bird is probably next with identifiable components youcan often replace on the road. Newell is more of a proprietary coach. If you have a mechanic with experience with Newell coaches, you're fine at home. On the road, I learned the hard way that most truck, bus and RV shops are clueless. Just the air-leveling system onthe Newell had three different air tanks, automatic road, automatic park and manual park leveling controls with I don't know how many valves. I got the last Bendix air cruise control sending unit and the last air bags for that model. Air operated doors, different suspension, different water and climate control systems, they're all different from jsut about everyone elses'. They're generally high-quality components, but I think Blue Bird on average has the edge on interior fit, finish, materials and quality.In my opinion, Newell's ease of handling and drivability was superior to bothBlue Birds I have owned.
If you can make a pilgrimage to Miami, Oklahoma once a year for regular maintenance, you could solve a lot of problems before they happen from filters, lubed hidden parts, etc. The guys who remember making your Newell would probably be the ones working on it. They have a nice overnight park. They'll even let you borrow a car to go into town. Last I knew, they were still family-owned and operated, great people, great service, but like Mac users, you have to be a sold-out Newell Kool-aid drinker to get the most out of your coach.

BradBarton00LXiDFW bbartonwx@hotmail.com

---

To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
From: jehdds@hotmail.com
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:48:27 +0000
Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Serious question

As some of you may know I am looking to move up from my 1973 FC to
something a little newer. I am actively looking at PT's SP's and a
very nice Newell coach. My concern is my relationship to the BB
fraternity of owners if on the off chance I would buy a Newell coach ?
And I haven't seen the coach as yet so I can't say how serious I am
about the Newell but I would hate to be "tossed out" or "unwelcome" in
the BB community. I am serious. I hold this group and the friends I
have made in such regard that I would likely factor out the Newell and
not consider it at all if I was to be excommunicated from the BB group
functions. How's this handled and what should I expect? This is a
little premature but I want to know so that I factor it into my
decision making about what I would buy.

John Heckman
central Pa
1973 FC at

---

You live life beyond your PC. So now Windows goes beyond your PC. See how