Former Million Dollar RV TRUE Cost of Ownership: My 1996 Newell Coach Experience! (10K Miles So Far)

You have to decide for yourself what is worth your time and money and what is not. Or you can work on this thing all day, your whole life. I guarantee you that right now. There are so many little things wrong here that I just don't care anymore. Today I will do a review of my approximately 10,000 miles of mileage. I have driven almost 10,000 miles on this bus since June. And I will tell you about all the problems, fuel costs, maintenance, and what still needs to be fixed. Just to give you a general idea of ​​what it's like to operate such a technique during this time from my perspective. And in case you're wondering, this is a 1996 model . It was delivered in January 1995. So, it was built in 1994. The first owner was Al Anzer Jr., an IndyCar Series driver. When it was new, adjusted for inflation , it cost a million dollars. So how does a motorhome that cost a million dollars 26 years ago work? He is older than me. Conventional wisdom says it's terrible, like with a car, you know, because you don't want a 26-year-old Mercedes. You don't want a 26-year-old Rolls-Royce because it's a complete disaster. I'm here to tell you right now: this is not the case. This thing has survived better than what comes out of showrooms today. And I'm going to show you exactly why. You're probably wondering, the first question is: what's its fuel consumption? I don't know. Okay, I don't know. It has a tank of about 300 gallons. Good. 300 gallons. And it has an analog sensor. This is the 94th. That is, it is the 96th, but in fact it is the 94th. Sensor from 1994. So that's what I'm going to call things here. It was built from parts from 1994. Yes . It does not calculate such data. There's a Detroit Series 60 engine there. The best truck engine ever built. It doesn't have a lot of computer electronics. This is a DDEC 3 system. Maybe the computer does some calculations, but I don't have a monitor for that. All sensors are fully analog. This is a type of sensor that when you turn it, fuel flows to one side and the needle rises. They are old school, like military sensors from the Cold War era. But they do their job . I mean, I think they're accurate. I've heard that, you know, some water temperature sensors and so on aren't very accurate. Therefore, the Silverleaf system is better. this is what plugs into the DD unit and works like a real monitor. But I do n't have that. So you have to look at it. Here is the fuel level sensor. I would assume, based on my experience, if you drive slowly and on a flat road. I mean slowly, like 60-65 miles per hour, on a flat surface and without a strong headwind. If my calculations are correct, I tried to fill it completely. I filled up to the brim before leaving, drove to the middle of Arkansas, and filled up to the brim again. I tried to get the most fuel economy possible, and the calculations showed 7.8 miles per gallon. I don't know if that's true. Perhaps. From what I've seen on trucker forums, these Detroit engines get about 6-7 miles per gallon, or 5 if heavily loaded. But you have to consider that this engine is designed for 80,000 pounds, and now it only runs at 40,000. That's not bad. This is definitely not a slow car. For its size, it rides very well. The tank is so huge that it is very difficult to fill it up the same way twice. And because the generator also takes fuel, it has its own reserve tank of about 50 gallons. This is strange because I fill up the tank, the generator is running, and nothing changes. The generator runs for a long time, the level hardly drops, and then suddenly the needle drops, as if it's just refilling that tank for the generator. It seems to work that way. But the generator uses about 6 gallons per hour depending on the load, as I found out myself. So, if it runs all day and fuel is about $2 a gallon, it will cost about $24 a day. I figured that out because when I first bought this thing , I didn't have an outlet in the building. And I used a generator. You will laugh at me for this. I used a generator for a month and a half, living in a camper in this parking lot. I've changed the oil and stuff, but damn, this thing is a workhorse. He simply did his job, but hit the gas bag hard. And there is another problem with the fuel tank, which I will talk about later when I talk about what else needs to be repaired. Regarding breakdowns: I've owned this car since mid-June, put almost 10,000 miles on it, and so far it's only left me stranded once, and that was because of one simple problem right here. I actually have a whole video of me getting stuck on the side of the road. You should watch it if you haven't already . But, spoiler alert, it turned out that it was a contact on the EBC. The wire, you know, just came loose over time from the vibration. He broke down. It was a 12- volt signal wire to the ECU. So, essentially, my ignition power trigger for the computer broke off, and the ECU simply turned off because it "didn't see" that the ignition was on. And it's right here. This is the connector of the DEC 3 unit. The problem was precisely the one on the bottom. It was a contact in that connector. And while I'm here, on the subject of maintenance: I replaced the air compressor regulator because it was having numerous air leaks and I thought it would be a good idea. As for the air leaks, I'm still working on it, still need to fix some things , but I had a big leak when I first got this car. So big that I pulled into the truck stop to fill up. I turned off the engine, and when I got out, the trailer chains were already on the ground. That is, the rear of the car quickly sank. And I also have a video of how I fixed it. But it turned out that they were just some kind of quick-release air fittings. The plastic rings let air through. Take this into account. Compression fittings are a 10 out of 10 thing to use for replacement, for this very reason. And if you have to use quick-releases, get brass ones, not ones with a plastic ring. I figured it out. This gave a great result. The cost was about $40, maybe for various brass parts and trips to find where to buy it. I just drove to a random truck stop 10 minutes from here to buy everything. This is quite easy to find if you go to specialized places for commercial vehicles. And remember this: DOT air fittings are different from regular compression fittings. You will want to use DOT-certified ones. You probably don't have to . You can get by with a regular one, but why not use a DOT- certified one? After all, that's exactly what it was created for. It has a different design for a reason. The only major maintenance work I've done here is replacing all the front air bags. Did I have to do this? No. Did I have to do this? Yes. And by that I mean it was a security issue. If you saw the cushions that were removed from the front, you 'd be like, "Dude, how did you even drive all the way from South Carolina when you bought this?" I don't know. They were in a pretty miserable condition. Um, I replaced them. These pillows, man, I definitely don't remember. I would have to look. I think they cost about $200, maybe $170 to $250, depending on the manufacturer. But I replaced all four front cushions and all the fittings on top. Let's just say I spent $1,000 replacing the front air bags in this thing. I did the work myself. It wasn't that terrible. You can do it with regular hand tools, the main thing is to have a large wrench to unscrew those old air fittings, because they are very massive. Large tools are required to work with this technique. I also learned that you don't have to remove the front wheels for this. I removed the wheel from one side to make the first side, then realized that wasn't necessary. So I did the second side without it. I just picked it up, climbed in there, and did everything right. Um, but you'll need big stands, like a 20-ton with a lock, to work safely. Do not climb under the machine unless it is secured. When I lift mine, I fully inflate the pneumatics. I put the stands on, and then let the air out so the car rests on them. It stands on stands. I don't... She's not there for security. She constantly stands on them so that she doesn't move anywhere, because it scares me a lot. And now about the costs of all this. When it broke down on the side of the road and I had to fix it, it cost $500: calling Jeremy, diagnosing, buying parts, and everything else. That's not including the fuel pump, which I was forced to buy elsewhere even though it wasn't needed. Watch the video if you want to see that fiasco. I spent 500 bucks on that mess , but at least I have extra contacts, so now I have them . Um, I invested about a thousand dollars in a front air suspension. I still need to replace the rear cushions. This is not critical, but it needs to be done. Um, I need new tires. There are a few bald spots on the extra rear wheels. I think the previous owner really scuffed the front tires once. Of course, not intentionally. You wouldn't flat a tire on purpose, but he bought new ones up front and put the old ones back. And they, well, they're pretty annoying. I never noticed it until someone else drove me while I was working on the computer. But, um, when you're ahead, you hardly feel it. And when you're at the back of the dinner table, it's, well, completely uncomfortable. So I need to do that too . As far as I can see, all of these switches work, for example, the fast idle—it works well . Here you have the controls. Um, the engine brake solenoids are not working. I haven't bothered with repairs yet because I do n't think it's necessary. Hmm, I'll do it anyway. Maybe I'll turn to old Jeremy and we'll figure this out together. Yes, this, this is going to happen. There is an air compressor switch here. Um, the drain valve on the sidewalk side is disconnected. The previous owner pulled the fuse because he did n't want someone to accidentally trip it and spill dirt on the road. Do you see the fuel gauge? If I fill up with $200 at this level, it won't even get me half a tank. Maybe half a tank. Because when we left Dallas for Bradenton, I put in $200. And when we got to Pensacola, it's about 10 hours from here, I don't remember how many miles . Um, the fuel level was about the same as it is now. So $200 is enough for about 10 hours on the track. The only tuning I did was install a straight exhaust pipe. I made a straight exhaust and then, um, I accidentally drove down a dirt road. It was very bumpy, the bolts fell out from the shaking, and the exhaust pipe fell off. Now it's just a intake pipe pointing into the ground, because the exhaust pipe is gone. But the sound is still great . I like it. Fast idle speed. It seems like the idle speed is a little higher when it's colder outside. Maybe it's an EBC setting or something that slightly improved fuel consumption. I don't know, because the muffler that was there was huge . But I will never know. If you're really concerned about fuel consumption, this is n't for you. I'm telling you this right now. Just don't do it. Don't buy this. If you are considering purchasing a large motorhome, luxury or any kind, an older, high- end model is the best choice. They are built using higher quality, household materials . This thing uses real kitchen appliances and hardware, not cheap camper parts. Everything is built reliably. Made with high quality. Everything is subject to maintenance. Everything can be replaced. Especially with Newells: even if it's an air conditioning control board and the manufacturer is no longer in business. Newell makes an effort to have them made to order and keeps them in stock, so they can fix anything. Although, on the other hand, they can be bought at a very reasonable price. However , there will definitely be something wrong with them. They are already like that. They are all like that. Each of them. It doesn't matter if he's 20, 10, or 25. They're all going to have some kind of problem. And if you're not ready for that, don't buy, because you'll have to decide what's worth spending time and money on and what's not. Or you can spend days repairing this thing for the rest of your damn life. I promise you this right now. There are so many minor flaws here that I just don't care . For example, a step motor. It just broke down one day. I took another one. I installed it, but it doesn't extend fully. I didn't even bother to fix it, because you know why? I can just step over. For me, this is not a problem. My front air conditioner is not cooling. The rear one also doesn't cool, but the central and roof ones work. And even when it's 40 degrees outside, they do a great job. So I'm not concerned about their repair yet. This is not worth my time. Not now. Long story short, when I picked this thing up, I drove away from that guy with the diesel version of the Aqua Hot on. Well, I turned it off and it won't turn on again. It just doesn't work anymore. I don't know why. So I only use the electrical part . This is something I need to fix, and I probably won't do it until I need to shower and the electrical part suddenly breaks and I have no hot water. Then it will have to be repaired. This is one of those things. It's just...It's just little things. I have air leaks on the supply side that need to be fixed. So I don't keep my 110- volt compressor on all the time, because it only serves the sliding doors and the toilet. Well, I don't use the toilet because if I do, I'll have to empty the tank. I'll just go into the house and use the bathroom there. This is insignificant. And I don't need to open the sliding doors often, so I just don't touch them. Changing the oil in the generator is not a problem. It uses a regular filter that you can buy at any parts store. It just occurred to me . It had to be removed, but it is pushed out by air pressure through these valves. You pull on it to open the latch, then you press the button—and it drives out. And another cool thing: if you turn on the engine, it automatically retracts so you don't drive away with it in this condition. Here you have the filter. Drain plug at the bottom. Everything is very simple and convenient. There's the hour meter over there. This generator has 1996 hours of operation. When I bought it, it was 350 or something because the generator was new, which is a nice bonus because it's an important detail. As for other oddities about this thing, uh, one big one is that the fuel tank leaks. This wasn't there when I first got it. It started later. A miracle happened: one day I returned from a trip and there was little fuel in the tank . I do n't usually do that. Usually, if there was half a tank left, I would stop and fill up because I like it to always be full. Well, that time I didn't because I didn't want to waste money, and it just stopped flowing. How do you like that? And I found out that if you don't fill it more than half full, it doesn't leak. So, guess what I'm doing now? I just don't fill up more than half a tank. And that's okay, because, as I said, half a tank is enough to get from Dallas to Florida. This is quite enough between stops. I stop to pee much more often. The only downside to not being able to fill up a full tank without leaks is that if there was cheap diesel here in Texas , I could fill up completely and probably drive to Bradenton without stopping again, which would be cool. So I want to fix that. I'll fill up the tank if I don't mind dripping on everything when I get there. And why, you're probably asking: "Why is he repairing all this? You're an idiot." Well, you know what? You don't know what I do. If you're a camper watching this right now and you're not familiar with my channel, you don't know what I do. You don't know what my priorities are. My priorities are my races. That's what fuels the diesel tank of this thing. So I could nitpick about minor faults all day. But on my list of profit-making priorities, I can do without a working toilet. I can do without steps. It does n't matter to me. It's not as important as being able to be on the road and have a place to lay your head. As for changing the oil in the engine, I've already done it once. It was simple. Nothing complicated. This is a regular Detroit 60. It comes with 10 gallons of oil. Filters can be purchased at any truck store. The biggest expense I have in the near future is tires. I don't want to use those " lin-don" tires on the front anymore. And I don't want to drive around on tires with bald spots on the back anymore. So I want to buy new tires for this thing because it will drive better. It's quite expensive, because a good tire costs, you know, $400, $500, $600, depending on which one you choose. And there are a lot of them here. So that's it. And also replacing all rear air bags. I definitely want to put new pillows in this car. I started with the front ones because they are the most important, because if the front air bag goes off, you will go off the road. So that's not very good. You might even die. That's why I did it right then. And at the rear, if the rear end doesn't lift, the wheel will rub against the fender and the car is virtually stationary, which is a strange feature of the Nules. This is just a new feature. Maybe it's the same on other equipment. I don't know why they allowed this, but that's how it is. In fact, when I was looking at Dale Earnhardt's old van because I was going to buy it, honestly, I went to buy it, it wasn't inflated properly and the back tire was rubbing against the fender, so we couldn't even drive it. That's what happened to him. So I need to replace the rear pads, tires, and do the mechanical part. I need to fix the turn signals because when the headlights are on, the breaker doesn't work. I have to manually click the lever, which is quite strange. There's an old GM steering column there. Someone told me it was because of the bulb socket in the headlights, because they use old Ford headlights. So, I'm going to replace the air bags, tires, headlights, get new headlights with LEDs. I want to install LED taillights . Taillights—it's not that important, but I'd like to do it. I need to fix my leaking fuel tank. I need to fix the air conditioner. I need to repair the diesel part of the Aqua-Hot. I need to fix air leaks in the fuel system, which is different from the brake system. The brakes leak a little, but not much. A little. And I think the air is probably coming out through the power system. There is a check valve that sometimes fails between the two systems. So if I replace it, I can fix this problem, but it would be good if the fuel system held pressure, because then the car would hold the road better. I used to have a problem with air leaks: the rear end would sag so much that the engine compressor would run constantly to compensate. First, the air supply line became very hot and began to melt the wires it came into contact with. And secondly, it drove strangely because the rear part sagged, and this disrupted the wheel alignment. And my wheel still deviates a little. I think this probably has to do with some leaks here. I'm not sure, but I'm not going to pay for the disassembly until I fix all the air leaks in the chassis. So that this thing can stand on a stand and hold air. If it is not calibrated when it is placed on the stand, you will not get a quality setup. So I won't do it until I fix the problem. This is not really a big problem, but it annoys me because I am 195 cm tall. I don't like the position of the pedal relative to my foot. And I think part of the problem is that this air seat is disconnected. I don't know why, but the air line going to the seat just has a tee. And I don't understand why it was done this way. I'm guessing the seat itself is probably broken. So whoever did it just silenced it and left it as is. This makes my driving position quite uncomfortable. You see my leg is bent at a weird angle, and over time it hurts my back. I want to figure it out and change the seat position so it's…