Dealer Recommendations

I talked about this a little bit in an earlier post, but thought that it's important to give recognition where recognition is deserved.  Here's a little bit about our favorite salespeople and dealers.

If you've read our story, we originally wanted to order a 2016 Newmar Dutch Star (after years of research) but ended up buying a new 2015 coach of  the same model.  During the planning and negotiations for our customized 2016, we got quotes from several salesmen and dealers.  In the end, we found a 2015 model we wanted at a highly-recommended dealership in Georgia and were very pleased that we went with them.

Before we sent out our requests for quotes, we researched dealerships by looking them up, pouring through their web sites, seeing what shows they participated in, examining their dealership and service awards, and then combing through forums looking for customer comments - good or bad - about purchase and maintenance issues.

Here are the salesmen and dealers that impressed us the most, and why we think they represent the cream of the crop.

David Scott, Independence RV in Winter Garden, FL.   As everyone knows, Florida is knee-deep in RVs.  And the Central Florida area, home of Walt Disney World, Sea World, Busch Gardens, and Universal Studios is a very desireable area for RVers.  Newmar allows certain top-notch dealerships to sell their products and each of them is given a particular territory.  Independence RV has Central Florida area around Orlando, which includes Kissimmee and Clermont.  The dealership isn't large, but their employee's knowledge about Newmar coaches is incredible.  Their  service department has  won several of Newmar's top service awards (the Mahlon Miller Service Excellence Award - they only give out a few of them each year).

We were fortunate to land David Scott as our salesman.  Every time we went to the dealership, often just to sit in a coach and talk, David was there.  He applied no pressure whatsoever.  As a matter of fact, he took the time to sit with us and talk about the RV lifestyle and design ideas (of which he had many) for our order.  When it came time to send in our "special requests", he prepared the lists from papers we gave him and made several phone calls to Newmar to clear up some things we didn't understand.  After we received several other quotes (we did our homework), we were honest with David and shared our  concerns.  He worked fast to get us the best price of all the ones we had been given.  And when we decided, for reasons related to some manufacturing issues for that  model year, not to buy the coach from him, he graciously said he fully understood and refunded our deposit.

David is easy-going, has a great eye for design issues, and is patient.  We highly recommend him if you are looking to buy a coach, whether or not you live in Florida.  But particularly if you're thinking about Independence RV.

David may be reached by calling 407-877-7878 extension 8817.  His e-mail address is dscott@independencerv.com.

Tony Morse, National Indoor RV Center in Livingston, GA.  I had heard fleeting things in the forums about NIRVC.  They apparently have several dealerships around the country, and people always tell stories about how happy they were when they did business with them.  As it turned out, the only dealership in the country that had the 2015 coach that matched our wish list was this one.  We spoke on the phone with Tony and, the next day, drove seven hours to NIRVC.  When we pulled up about 2:30 in the afternoon, Tony had the coach we wanted to see sitting in an empty parking lot  next to the dealership - with the slides out and the A/C running.

Our experience at NIRVC was wonderful.  The facility was a bit older, but they will soon be moving into a beautiful, large, brand new home that will offer much more in the way of parking and amenities for their  customers.  When we arrived to pick up our coach a week later, they had pulled it into the main showroom area and about six people were rubbing it with cloths like a person does when they polish a mirror.  Slides were out, lights were on, and a tech took his time to show us everything and answer all of our questions

Tony then set us up with three nights of camping at Stone Mountain, only four miles from their dealership (it'll be about 21 miles from the new one).  That gave us a chance to camp nearby and then return for any tweaks or concerns.  And if you have to stay overnight while they are working, they'll plug you into 50 amp power and let you stay overnight.  This is a top-notch dealership - especially in the service department.  All of them - service techs (three of them!), Todd (the General Manager) and Tony individually came up to me and gave me their personal cell phone numbers in case I ever have a question.  The second night we were at Stone Mountain, a Saturday night, I called two of them and they patiently helped me over the phone.  NIRVC should be on everyone's list who is shopping for a new RV.

Tony may be reached by calling 770-979-4051.  His e-mail address is tmorse@nirvc.com.

Chad DeMaat, Midway RV, Grand Rapids, MI.  When I was scouring Internet forums looking for recommendations of places to get quotes, I noticed that there were a lot of positive posts for Midway RV.  I contacted them and happened upon Chad, who not only fired back his numbers quickly, he included a lengthy e-mail that went over all of the details and provided suggestions.  Chad was very helpful on the phone and said that if we decided to work with him, he would meet us at the Newmar factory (about two hours from his dealership) to do the paperwork.  Based on the price he gave us, the details he provided, his quick turnaround time and his friendly talks with us on the phone, Chad seems like he'd be the perfect kind of salesman to work with.  Even though he is so far from where we currently live, he was our second choice - only because we had been working with David at Independence.  When I let Chad know that we were going with Independence, he had kind words for them and was very gracious and understanding.  I hope I can meet him in person one day.

Chad may be reached by calling 800-875-4787.  His e-mail address is chad@midwayrv.com.

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We spoke with several other dealers while we were looking and left with what I'd call "average" impressions.  Some hardly ever returned calls, others passed us from person-to-person, and some were even discouraging.

If you're looking for quotes for a new RV, call David, Tony or Chad.  I guarantee you'll be glad you did.

Our Approved Specials

Here is the list of the approved special requests for our 2016 Dutch Star 4369:

1. 110V GFI OUTLET IN 1ST DS STORAGE COMPARTMENT BEHIND THE DOOR
2. 110V GFI OUTLET IN DS STORAGE COMPARTMENT CONTAINING AWNING ELECTRONICS
3. ADD 110V/USB OUTLET IN NIGHTSTAND TO THE RIGHT OF THE BED
4. 110V OUTLET ON THE WALL BETWEEN THE SHOWER AND THE TOILET IN THE REAR BATH
5. 110V OUTLET ON BDRM WALL (BEHIND IT IS THE SHOWER) JUST UNDER THE WARDROBE TO THE LEFT OF THE FIRST (WILL BE USED TO PLUG IN A VERTICAL FLOOR FAN)
6. 110V OUTLET UNDERNEATH THE RIGHT VANITY SINK
7. 110V/USB OUTLET ON WALL IN CORNER BEHIND COUCH (NEXT TO KITCHEN COUNTER UNDER LIGHTING CONTROLS)
8. 110V/USB OUTLET NEAR PASSENGER SEAT (ABOVE EXISTING OUTLET ON WALL BEHIND PASSENGER)
9. 110V/USB OUTLET BEHIND DRIVER SEAT (ABOVE EXISTING OUTLET ON WALL BEHIND DRIVER)
10. 12V OUTLET LEFT OF STEERING WHEEL ON DASH
11. 2 STD CEILING LIGHTS OVER VANITY TO WORK ON SAME SWITCH AS OTHER CEILING LIGHTS
12. ADD 2 LED LIGHTS MOUNTED UNDER MICROWAVE NEAR BACK WALL. SAME SWITCH AS LIGHTS OVER SINK.
13. 8 AGM BATTERIES ILO STD - ORDER CALLS FOR ALL ELECTRIC OPTION
14. ULTRALUX LEATHER ON DINETTE CHAIRS
15. DS DORMI & ODS 2 RECLINERS<<W/FREE STANDING LAMPSTAND
16. DS16-280 LEATHER "B" ON HEADBOARD ILO STD.
17. ADD 2 EXTRA SHELVES IN BDRM WRB NEAREST PANTRY
18. SPECIAL ORDER EXTERIOR COLORS
• SKIN-56680 CAJUN SPICE OBSIDIAN
• A-64503 MEDIUM FAWN MET
• B-44429B LIGHT CHAMPAINE MET
• C-57714 DARK FAWN MET
• AWNING LINEN TWEED
19. SHURFLO 4048 WATER PUMP ILO STD - NEWMAR #127488
20. RAISE BOTH STOOLS BY 2"
21. INSTALL PLAIN MIRRORS ILO SMOKED IN KITCHEN AND BEDROOM
22. ADD LED LIGHTS INSIDE PANTRY TO TURN ON WHEN DOOR OPENS
23. ADD 2 ADJUSTABLE SHELVES TO WARDROBE RIGHT OF TV IN BEDROOM
24. PREP FOR GROUND TRIPOD SATELLITE DISH ON ODS WITH A/B SWITCH
25. DS16-300 MAIN AND 1/2 BATH WALL BOARD ILO STD
26. VT16-320 TILE INSERTS AND VT STYLE KITCHEN BACKSPLASH ILO STD
27. VT16-320 TILE INSERTS IN BOTH BATHROOMS BACKSPLASHES<
28. LOWER SHOWER SEAT TO 17" FROM FLOOR
29. ADD 110V OUTLET IN KITCHEN OHC NEXT TO MICROWAVE OUTLET
30. ADD 110V OUTLET IN PANTRY (SIDE WALL NEXT TO BDRM)
31. DO NOT MOUNT THE CLOCK (CUSTOMER WILL MOUNT)
32. ADD 110V OUTLET IN REAR CLOSET
33. GE ADVANTIUM MICROWAVE ILO STD - VENTED TO OUTSIDE

Our Basic Order

This is what we've ordered, straight from the 2016 Dutch Star 4369 order sheet dated 7/22/2015.  Specials will listed after they are approved and finalized.  Given Newmar's current workload, it could be sometime next week.

Note that the exterior color isn't specified here.  It was sent to Newmar as part of the e-mail that transmitted this order form.  We requested the Mountain Aire's "Windswept" color scheme to exactly match that of Dutch Star Coach #xxxxxxx, already in our dealer's inventory (see We have chosen our exterior color scheme!).

Hershey Day 2: What we learned

My DW is doing a bang-up job at Hershey.  She spent another day in and out of the coaches, doing research, talking to other people and sitting with factory reps to iron out issues with our order.  She called me several times, at one point even having me on Skype while her and two others talked about some things that had concerned us.

While this won't mean much to people who aren't getting a Newmar, it goes to show the kind of information you get by attending the shows.  Perhaps you can get some ideas of things to ask about your own coach.

Here are some of the things I got from just a few short phone calls with her - when she gets back, I know there will be even more to discuss:

• Outside LED lights.  We know that our coach is going to have LED lights over the door (the "porch"), along the edge of the awning, and under the curbside slides.  But I had read that the porch and awning lights were on the same switch.  Several people said to make sure that we ordered separate switches.  My wife tested them and found out that they are on separate switches by default.  One special request eliminated.
• Upgraded solar panel wiring.  I had understood that Newmar ran 10 gauge wire from the roof to the power bay to allow for the possibility of future solar panels.  Numerous people had advised to request upgraded 6 gauge wire because it can support more panels.  I did make the request and it was initially denied.  We figured that they may only put in 8-gauge wire.  It turns out that we were using a basic order form dated in May 2015 that only said something like "solar wiring upgrade".  The latest order form is dated in July and the option has been reworded to say that the upgraded solar wiring supports 1200 watts using 6-gauge wiring.  Obviously, it was denied as a "special" order because it is an option on the standard order sheet.  We'll now be adding that option.
• Kitchen sink.  Every coach we saw in person had double-bowl Corian (or similar) kitchen sinks.  However, we saw two online videos that showed a single, large stainless steel sink.  Since it wasn't on the standard order sheet as an option, we added it as a "special".   Much to our surprise, it was denied.  As she learned today, the stainless steel sink is the standard sink for our model; it was denied because it's already there as the standard.  It would sure make things a lot easier if they put some indication on their form as to why something is denied.
• Wiring for External Satellite Dish.  Having read about others who did it and seen it on some coaches myself, I submitted a special request to add extra wiring to support an external satellite dish.  It was denied.  Apparently, the right way to phrase the request is to ask for a "tripod setup".  Yes, words matter.  We'll resubmit.
• Smoke and mirrors.  I had never noticed this before, but the large mirrors in the bedroom and kitchen are "smoked"; that is, they have a grayish tint.  My wife sure noticed it, and she wants to request that they be replaced by regular mirrors.
• Engine pre-heat loop.  This is good to have when you're in colder climates.  We don't know when we'll be where, so we thought we'd ask for it.  It wasn't anywhere on the order sheet and we totally missed it in the brochure, where it clearly says that an "engine block heater" is standard. (See the later post called Understanding Engine pre-heat for an update on this)
• Upgraded Microwave Oven.  I have read a lot of posts that recommend that people upgrade the standard microwave oven to the GE Advantium.  Many folks said it was a major improvement.  We put it on our list of specials, even though we heard that the MSRP on the upgrade was a little over $1000.  She found out today that prior to 2015, a different brand of microwave was used and they received a fair number of complaints.  Beginning with 2015, they are using a Whirlpool and haven't had any (maybe just a lot less) complaints.  Both the Whirlpool and the GE are large convection microwaves, but the GE can also broil.  We decided that we could do without broiling, given the extra cost and the rearrangement of the cabinets to accommodate the larger GE.  So we're going to stay with the standard Whirlpool microwave. [Last minute change when we placed the order:  we're going with the Advantium.  It's vented to the outside and we don't want to regret not getting it]
• Slide-out trays under the kitchen sink.  Beginning with the 2016 DS4369's, the single slide-out tray under the kitchen sink has been replaced with two side-by-side trays.  We didn't think we would like that as much, so we requested that we get the single tray.  After reconsidering and thinking about how we would use the space, we're going to delete that request and stick with the standard two trays.
• Table attached to the passenger chair.  The DS4369 includes a table that folds up to a position above the lap of the passenger seat.  My wife doesn't like the table, and said that it's in a position that it could be bumped into when stowed and the chair is re-oriented toward the living area.  She would have liked to have them not install it, but was told that the coach was somehow certified with the table in place and that they would not be able to "not" put it on during manufacture.  If we don't want it, we'll have to remove it after delivery.
• Air conditioner condensation drains.  I was concerned that the air conditioner condensation would run off on the curb side of the coach, so I made a request that it be "plumbed" so that it only drained to the driver side.  My DW was told that they cannot change that due to something with the gutter trenches or something on the roof.  Apparently, it actually drains on both sides.
• Pantry Shelves and Lights.  We had seen some models with five shelves in the pantry, so we thought we'd ask for another one.  However, Mrs. G found out that the 2016 DS4369 comes with six shelves in the pantry.  The pantry doesn't have a light in it.  However, one of the higher-end models (I think the London Aire) has a LED light strip in the pantry that turns on when you open the door - and it can be ordered as an option on the Dutch Star.  Another addition to our list.

There may be more later.  If so, I'll come back here and add to the list.  If you follow by e-mail, I don't if you get another one when something is updated.  If you don't (or aren't sure), you may want to check back here in a few days to see if we've been able to expand the list.

Hershey Show Day!

Great day today, because Mrs. G is in Hershey for the big RV show.  She's there to choose colors, fabrics, tile, wallpaper, sinks, backsplashes, counters, lighting and exterior colors.

We knew before she left that she should meet with four people when she got there:  one of the Newmar factory reps (who we have met before and who is involved in our order), another factory rep who is the lady who handles a lot of the interior customization, and a couple that I've been corresponding with via e-mail.  The couple is about the same place in the ordering process as we are.

While at the hotel this morning having breakfast, she noticed that the two factory reps were at the next table and introduced herself.  And she wasn't at the show long when she ran into the couple!

So far today, she's Skyped twice to show me a few things.  Looks like a big show and I think what we get out of it will be well worth her visit.

The time between order and delivery

Most folks who have ordered coaches will tell you that it's hard to just sit around and wait for the day you can take delivery of your new rig.  You spent all of those months planning, writing down details, talking with people, doing research and walking through motorhomes so you can get to the day that you sit down and write the check.  Then, you wait.  And wait.

In our case, because of some graduations and retirement dates, we really want to take delivery of our coach at the factory around the second week of April 2016.  Knowing that Newmar typically has a four-week build time (start to finish) and a two-week prep time between manufacture and factory delivery, I'd ideally like to see them start the build about mid-February.

So why did we order in September?  There are a few reasons for that.  I recently heard from a person who works at the factory that they have a "four month backlog", meaning that you could expect about four months to pass between ordering the coach and its actual build date.  If that is true, then ordering it on October 1 would mean that the build may not begin until February 1.  Now factor in the holidays, when I would assume that the Newmar folks would want to stop what they're doing for a bit of eggnog and holiday cheer.  Then pile on the number of orders that they could receive as a result of the Hershey RV show that begins next week.  Last year, they sold over 50 Newmar coaches at that show.

Newmar is currently producing 8-9 coaches per day out the door.  That is pretty amazing, but given the possible delays, I want to do everything possible to ensure that we'll get our delivery that second week of April.  We are asking our salesman at Independence RV to specifically ask Newmar if they can plan to start the build sometime in January 2016.

On the other hand, someone recently posted online that they ordered their new coach in August and have a delivery date of October 12th.  That doesn't jive with the 4-month "backlog" we heard earlier, but we don't want to take chances if we don't have to.

Although we have ordered the RV, we are still going back and forth about the "specials".  On the first pass, Newmar denied about 17 of the 40 line items we submitted.  So we obviously are responding with questions and have yet to even finalize the price for the specials.

My wife is headed to Hershey next week to make a final determination about the colors, fabrics, materials and tile for our coach.  Between the specials and her final choices, I don't anticipate our "final" order going in until about the 22nd of September.

So we'll ask for a build between January and early February, hoping that we can meet our goal of a factory delivery around the second week of April.  If they build it earlier, it would have to sit there and "wait" on us - and I don't know how long Newmar will hold something waiting for pickup; we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Ordering Day! The process of ordering your RV

9/11/2015

It was a big day today:  we placed our order!

If all goes well, they'll start building our coach by mid-February 2016 and we'll be able to go up to Indiana and take factory delivery sometime in April.

In the past few days, Mrs. G met with the finance person at the dealership and worked out the numbers.  As it turns out, getting financing from the dealer was just as good - maybe better - as getting it from our credit union or another 3rd-party bank.  We're not only getting a good rate, but we're getting a 20-year loan.  Most RV loans of a similar size are for 15-year terms.

Since we completed all of the financial paperwork a few days ago, actually ordering it today was just a matter of signing a few papers and giving them a deposit.

At this point, we know how much the coach and it's basic options are going to cost, but the factory hasn't come back with their costs on our "specials" - things we want to add or change.  We have a ballpark idea and so aren't overly concerned about the number.  It will be good to hear from them to not only get the number, but to find out if there is anything that they won't do or prefer to do differently.

When you place an order like this, there is a basic order sheet that Newmar makes for your particular model.  You simply (after a lot of thought!) go down the list and check the boxes: two air conditioning units or three? this awning or that one? a couch behind the driver or two recliners?

From this order sheet, the dealer can quickly add up the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP).  It's this number that you negotiate with the dealer.  From everything I've read and experienced, you can get somewhere between 25 and 30% off of the MSRP.  This is no secret - it's all over the Internet on boards, Facebook forums and blogs.

After you've walked through your model a few times and done a bit of research on the Internet, you'll start to make a list of things you want to add or change.  In our case, we wanted to add some outlets, upgrade the batteries, and things like that.  I'll write another post just to talk about our specials.

The specials are sent to Newmar for evaluation and, in many cases, review by their engineering team.  When they have finished, Newmar sends the list back to the dealer as an itemized list with a dealer cost and a MSRP for each item.  Some items may have notes, like they can't do it or won't do it.  Or they may have some additional questions for clarification.  In many cases, a changes may require that Newmar generate an engineering drawing that they have to send to you for review.  We have understood that new drawings can add two or more weeks to the process.

Before the specials list is sent to Newmar, you should negotiate with the dealer to determine how much off the total MSRP for the specials you will get.  This number could be the same as the percentage you negotiated for the basic order, or it may be lower.

In all cases, you're going to have to pay taxes and fees for the tag.  But there may still be one more bill to pay:  the dealer fee.  No one knows exactly what this is.  I think dealers have sworn some sort of oath to never talk about it.  After all, you'd think that any "fees" would just be included in their profit margin.  However, most dealers still single them out as a separate fee that you need to tack on at the end.  We did find some places that had no dealer fees, so be sure to consider this when you negotiate that final price.

Now that it's on order, we wait.  And I hear that it's the hardest part of the entire process.

Choosing a dealer & getting bids

It stands to reason that a lot of RV buyers don't have any choice when it comes to their dealer.  When they find an RV they like and it's sitting in a dealer's parking lot, that pretty much limits their options.

If you're shopping around for a used RV, the only time you might shop for a dealer is when more than one dealer has exactly what you're looking for.  Then it may come down to who offers the best price.

When you know what you want to buy and you're buying it new (and used, in some cases), it's a sure bet that you'll have an opportunity to shop around for a dealer that meets your criteria.  Here's what we looked for in a dealer:

• Price
• Friendly salespeople who frequently communicate with you and take their time with you when you visit
• Location near your home (if in a S&B) or a location that you can visit during the purchase
• A good service center that is recognized by the maker of the RV

We consider Price first, because when you shop around for a dealer for your rig, they can be the nicest people in the world and still have the highest price you've ever seen.  Not what you really want, especially if the price difference with other offers is really large.

Getting price proposals/bids from dealers

If you see a RV you really want, it's probably a good idea to send your itemized list and any special requirements out to at least four reputable dealers.  Be sure to include your local dealer; you may be surprised at how competitive they can be.

In our case, we were ordering a Newmar to be built specifically for us (not a stock unit on the lot).  We wrote down what we wanted and sent it to our local dealer, another dealer we had only spoken with on the phone, one in North Carolina that we had visited, and a very large dealer with a good reputation for selling RVs nationally.

We actually felt a bit guilty when we sent out the requests because our local dealer had spent so much time showing us units, taking us for test drives, and sitting and answering our questions.  We really liked him, but we had heard the prices offered (at our price point) could vary as much as $15,000 between dealers!  We wanted so much to work with the local dealer not only because we liked them, but because we could easily drive over to do paperwork, resolve any issues, and more.   We actually wanted to stay local so much that we agreed (to ourselves) that we would go with him if he was within a few thousand dollars of the lowest bid we received.

When all of the bids came in, the lowest price came from the biggest dealer.  We went over and had an honest discussion with the local salesman who had spent so much time helping us.  He listened to us and came back a couple of days later with a price that matched our lowest offer.  At that point, it was a done deal.  We would be working with the same people who had been spending time with us for the past months as we dreamed about what we wanted and asked more questions that I could count.

Keep a Log

When you talk to more than one salesman, whether it's in person or on the phone, keep a log. Use a spreadsheet, Microsoft OneNote (my favorite!), or some app to write up notes about every phone call.  That way, when you call them back or they call you unexpectedly, you'll immediately be able to recall the details your last conversation.  Here are the columns I use in my OneNote table:

• Dealer
• Salesman
• Phone
• Cell
• Web address (dealer)
• Email address (salesman)
• Notes

Your log should be easily accessible, even from our phone if that's possible.  I always use the notes field to keep notes about my latest discussion with the salesman, i.e. "Spoke w/John 9/8 re: price for the additional outlet.  He thinks $30, but will check with tech and CB 9/9".   When you are working hard to buy an RV, there are a million details.  It's really nice to have this when John calls unexpectedly a few days later and says "Hi, Mike.  Got the price.  It's $45."   I don't have to remember what he's talking about because I'm glancing at my notes.

I use my logs to not only document interactions with salespeople, but with vendors for various products we plan to add to the coach in the future. This includes things like towing apparatus, satellite TV, and wifi range extenders.

The Salesman (or Saleswoman)

When you first talk to a salesman, go with your instincts as to whether you like him and can work with him.  If he says he'll be with you in a minute but you don't see him for twenty, that's not good.  If he seems to always be in a hurry or needing to be someplace else, that's not good either.  You might feel embarrassed, but don't be shy about asking for someone else if you are ever uncomfortable.  When you're making a purchase as large as some of these RVs, you'll want someone who you feel understands you, your goals, your issues, and just about anything else you want to tell him.

If your salesman greets you with a smile, is relaxed, not in a hurry, asks about your life (where are you from, have you owned an RV before, where have you traveled, etc), doesn't just answer your questions but explains things in more detail...then you probably have a winner.

Local Dealer - or not

Working with someone who is near you and who you can talk to face-to-face is a real bonus.  When you walk through a coach and can talk about the stove, and the toilet and more directly with the salesman, he really gets a good understanding of what you want.  You can't get these interactions with someone in another state.

On the other hand, if you've really done your research and been to a few RV shows, you may really have a handle on what you want.  In this case, you're just looking for the best price.  Dealers across the country are more than glad to sell you a RV - even if they never see you.  Everything can be done with e-mail and snail mail.  You can arrange to fly to their location and drive it home, or to have someone drive it to you.

The bottom line is that you can always get your RV at the lowest price you find, but it's hard to replace the intangibles you get from using a local dealer.  Consider that tradeoff when you make your  choice.

Choosing a Manufacturer

Knowing what we were looking for helped us to focus when we went out looking at RVs.  We not only knew what we liked individually but we quickly learned what kind of things the other person liked or disliked.  There were many times when we took two steps into a motorhome and just turned around and walked out.  We instantly knew that we wouldn't like it and didn't want to waste another minute of time walking through it.

We also learned to stick to our price range.  After you've looked at a bunch of them, you'll begin to settle on all of the things that you like that are within your budget.  After looking a while, no one looking for a new $150,000 motorhome is going to be happy with one that costs $50,000.  And it's a waste of time for them to look at ones (except for decorating ideas) that cost $300,000.  By looking only at the type of motorhomes we wanted and staying in our price range, we were able to narrow it down to several manufacturers.

The manufacturers on our original short list were Fleetwood, Tiffin, Winnebago and Newmar.  I had liked some Newmars we saw at a show many years ago, but had dismissed them as a possibility because we had heard that the company was having financial issues (at the time) and we wondered if they would stay in business.

We really liked the Fleetwood Discovery 40E.  It seemed to meet all of our requirements and was a beautiful coach.  I was impressed by their owner's groups and the fact that Fleetwood was such a large manufacturer.

The Winnebago Tour was impressive, both for its floorplan and the fact that it was built by a company with such a long history in the manufacture of RVs.  The Tour is a definite step up from a lot of their models and it had a lot of the features we really wanted.

A few of the Tiffin models and floorplans came very close to what we wanted.  I was, and still am, quite surprised by the large number of Tiffin owners to absolutely love their coaches and the company that built them.  That in itself is worth a lot, and it caused us to pause and consider giving up some of the things we wanted in the coach just to get that manufacturer.

In the middle of our search, we discovered Entegra. I had been looking for coaches (in the $150-$400K range) that were well-built and which, in the eyes of many, exceptionally well constructed.  Entegra popped up as being essentially equal to Newmar in this category.  The thickness of their walls and the overall quality was amazing.

So, in the end, we had it down to three manufacturers:  Tiffin, Entegra and Newmar.  Tiffin for pure customer satisfaction and Entegra & Newmar for build quality.

Would it be possible to get both?  It was not possible to get the same build quality in a Tiffin as in the other two, but which of the other two had the best customer satisfaction?

The answer was Newmar.  When we started querying blogs, forums and anything else we could find, their customer satisfaction was immense.

We first fell in love with some of Newmar's floor plans.  We liked them so much I was afraid to do the deep dive to find out about the company, customer satisfaction, and the quality of their product.  But wow!  Was I pleasantly surprised!  A strong company, tremendous following, and - quite literally - unsurpassed construction quality.  The more I did the research, the more I liked Newmar.  Just about everything I could find on Facebook, the Internet, Youtube, review sites, irv2.com, and by talking to people was positive.  And they have a very active community of users that hold regional and national rallies and provides support to Newmar owners.

Despite our liking the Discovery floorplan, Tiffin's reports of owner satisfaction, and Entegra's equally-amazing build quality, we went with Newmar.  Newmar was the whole package.  And, as a bonus, they allow customers to do a lot of customization of coaches when you order them.  We had our eye on a couple of different models.  Now it was time to choose.