As we traveled last month we talked about how good our 2000 Dutch Star was running and driving and wondered why we had decided to trade for a new Dutch. In nearly 66,000 miles and almost six years of fulltime living in it we never had a major problem and the interior looked like new, but the exterior was looking worn. It was a good home and had the smoothest and quietest ride of any motorhome we have ever been in. We were excited and wondered what the new motor home would hold for us.

We arrived at Tom Stinnett RV Freedom Center in Clarksville, Indiana and took a full hookup site while waiting for the new arrival. Finally, two days late, our 2005 Dutch Star arrived on a Friday afternoon forty five minutes before the service department closed for the weekend. Three technicians hurriedly did a prep job and parked it in front of our old motorhome. Ken, our assigned technician, gave us the keys and told us we could "hug it" over the weekend and he would see us Monday morning.

We are not typical buyers who take a short walk-through, sign some papers and drive off the lot. We stayed at the dealer's lot a total of six days and no one complained, but we're sure they were happy to see us finally leave. The day our new home arrived we entered it with a flashlight, tape measure, screwdriver and a notepad, and did not leave for seven hours. During that time we removed and inspected every drawer, opened and closed every window, operated the slideouts a dozen times and watched them from inside and outside, tested every appliance, opened and closed all shades, inspected every inch of carpeting and much more. Norm climbed in the engine compartment for an inspection then slid under the motorhome and checked for any problems from front to rear. He adjusted tire pressures, inspected the roof, applied protectant to the Diamond Shield covering the front and to the tires. In daylight and darkness we used a flashlight to inspect every inch of exterior paint and to check every inch of wood inside from every angle.

The above inspections and testing took seven hours on a Friday and we still had two full days before our walk-through and test drive. Over the rest of the weekend we did several more hours of inspections and modified the rear ladder. Using test equipment Norm checked the generator, inverter, charger and load tested the batteries. He scooted around the basement on his back using a flashlight to find any problem areas. We pressure tested the water system and then we tested everything in the motorhome again. All together we spent about twenty hours with the new motorhome before the technicians finish prepping it on Monday.

Newmar makes quality motorhomes but we expected to find some problems and we did - six minor problems, some too trivial to mention but we will - engine oil leak (drain plug needed tightening), entrance door needed to be slammed to fully close (will have Newmar fix it later), missing wheel decal (dealer replaced), stripped screw in bathroom (dealer fixed), rear air conditioner noisy (dealer fix, fan rubbing housing) and poor television reception on antenna (dealer replaced switch box). After taking possession we found three other very minor problems the dealer fixed immediately.

We took a thirty-eight mile test drive - just the two of us with no one from the dealership. We connected our Silverleaf monitor to watch all engine and transmission indicators and to watch for any error codes. The monitor showed everything was working properly and the engine had never recorded any errors since being manufactured. The ride was not as smooth as our 2000 Dutch Star but we expected that since our old motorhome had a perfect ride. We have asked Spartan (chassis maker) to check the rear tires and check the ride height adjustments and we'll report on that next month.

On our fourth day with the new motorhome we began moving our stuff and that job took one and a half days to complete. Norm did the basement, Linda did most of the interior and we did the living room together. But that was only the beginning of Norm's work. He moved four solar panels from the old motorhome to the new one, moved the solar charge controller, Surge Guard, water filter system, storage shelves, satellite receiver and other items. Then he removed the bathroom vent and installed a low profile smoke colored MaxxFan and new entrance step cover. Then there were many items to install inside such as towel rings, soap dishes, toilet paper holder, several pictures, clock, plus Norm modified the bedroom mirrored closet doors' handles and latches.

Our old dishes did not match the new decor so we bought new dishes, cups, glasses, silverware, more pictures, clock, vases, flowers, bed linens, etc. Linda did a great job decorating our new home and she is still adding touches.

The Dutch Star is 40 feet and 9 inches long with a Spartan chassis, Cummins 370 hp ISL engine and Allison six-speed transmission. We chose a salsa exterior and interior decor with many standard and optional features including a 600 watt Sony home theater system, natural cherry wood, ceramic tile, automatic satellite dish, wood window treatments, air conditioner / heat pumps, 12-gallon water heater, R-19 insulation package and too many other items to mention.

We did not like the two piece washer and dryer Newmar offers so we bought a large capacity washer and a 110-volt dryer at Lowe's and had them delivered to Tom Stinnett RV. The technician did a professional job installing them. Everybody at Tom Stinnett RV treated us great and went out of their way to make sure we were a happy customer.

Below are some pictures of our new home. Click on a picture to see a larger view. If you really want to see more pictures click here.
 

FMCA Rally

Our first trip in the new motorhome took us to Kokomo, Indiana where we boondocked and met Norm's sister Gloria Martin and her husband Don. The next day we traveled together to Berrien Springs, Michigan and the FMCA GLASS (Great Lakes Area Spring Spree) Rally. The seminars were good, we enjoyed shopping the vendors, the meals were delicious, new motorhomes on display were beautiful, but "rally time is party time." It was nice to spend a week with Gloria and Don and we got to meet several old friends and make many new friends. We didn't get pictures of everyone but below are some friends.