2008 Camelot or 2011 Cayman

[StuckySB]

Any opinion on buying used 2008 Camelot? I am aware of Navistar not honoring pre-purchase warranty and with age shouldn't be a factor. We're more concerned about build quality after reading some VERY disgruntled employee posts on other sites. Any Camelot owners out there give some feedback?

Our other option is the new 2011 Cayman very interested in what everyone thinks of the new Monaco.

Thanks for the feedback!

[MonacoMama]

StuckySB...first of all- welcome to iRV2! My personal opinion would be the Camelot, hands down. For Starters..You still have a different chassis and bag system on the Cayman that is unproven in my book. I know that SacsTC would still lean towards the Camelot.

Okay...so can anyone else give some feedbaks on their 08 Camelot???

[I-LOVE-RAMBLIN]

The new Cayman uses the RR8R chassis which is very similar to the Camelots except for the radiator placement (in the rear for the Cayman).
Monaco has upgraded the Cayman several levels for 2011. One huge advandage for the Cayman is that you can get a residential refrig. A big plus with all the problems Norcold is having with their 1200 series gas refrigs.
Ed Robbins
2011 Diplomat DFT

[womps]

The differences that come to mind are:

1- Side rad on Camelot
2- More power & torque on Camelot
4- Real wood throughout on Camelot
3- Prestige with the Camelot name.

Probably more differences but that's what comes to my mind. Previous poster said with a 2011 Cayman you can get a residential fridge. Getting rid of the Norcold would be a big plus for me!!

[Hossandjo]

In seminars etc at various RV shows we were always that if you had X number of dollars to spend on an RV - buy older high quality vs new lower quality. We went with a 2006 Camelot.

[StuckySB]

Thanks to everyone that responed, all good info! This has definitly made a difficult decision easier. We are going with the Camelot and hope to have a deal done soon!

Thanks again!

[deaton]

StuckySB -

I've also got a 2008 Camelot 42 PDQ. I can't say much about the Cayman alternative since I'm not that familiar with the coach.

In the case of the Camy, mine does NOT have a Norco, it has the Dometic 14 foot. I'd probably rather have a domestic fridge, if the coach had the upgraded inverter and extra batteries to support it, which mine does not. Dometic hasn't had the recalls that Norco has, but that's not to say there are not safety issues.

All that said, we love our Camelot and while the Cayman has been upgraded in 2011, it is still three levels below the Camelot in overall build level (Camelot, Dipo, Knight, and then the Cayman). If the unit you are buying has been reasonably maintained, you should be getting a lot more coach for, perhaps, less money.

Depending on the particular unit, the one you are looking at might also have Aqua Hot, which is quite often bought by Camelot folks, and that's a real nice upgrade. And as pointed out above, you are getting a 400 ISL AND that side radiator which makes maintenance much easier.

Our previous coach was a Knight, and we upgraded to the Camelot for more room, full tile floor, washer/dryer, more power, higher trim level, etc., all of which come with the higher level coach.

IMHO, new coach warranties are over-rated.

[LewF]

StuckySB -

Tag axle or not? 36, 40 or 42 ft unit - it makes a difference in my opinion. If it is a 42 ft tag model then that alone is worth going with the Camelot over the new Cayman. I agree with all of the posts here. We moved up from a 2007 Endeavor (Diplomat), just one notch up, and am very pleased with the large number of "enhanced" features on the Camelot - tag axle, side radiator and better engine access, Aquahot, 10K generator, larger refer - Dometic, more room, better ride and stability, and on. Look at it this way, someone else has taken the big first hit on depreciation and you don't have to do same on Camelot as you would on the Cayman. Camelot, hands down in our opinion.

Oh by the way, we bought our coach without warranty and got a 6 year, 60k miles coverage package, pretty complete, for about $3000. Play hard ball with them on this because most places will start you at a price that is about double or more of what they will really sell the policy for.

Lew

[StuckySB]

Thanks again for the feedback, we are now the proud owners of a 2008 42PDQ Camelot! Coach did great on the 1100 mi trip from Florida back to Houston.
Fit's in the driveway for overnight loading. I am amazed at how easy it is to back compared to my 5th wheel.

Now we're looking for a service center in Houston to service engine (Cummins ISL400), tranny (Allison 3000-MH) and Onan 10Kw generator.

[JohnRR]

OK Congratulations, now where are the pictures?

[StuckySB]

Here are a couple of photo's.

Previous owner removed the road side couch and booth dinette and replaced with euro loungers. We really like the configuration but wish he had left one side of the booth next to the refrigerator. Anyone know where we can buy half of a booth dinette?

[I-LOVE-RAMBLIN]

StuckySB
Try RV Mobile Lube - Home They are located in the Houston area and do good work at a resonable price. They will come to your coach whereever located to do the work. They are familiar with all the items you have listed to be done.
Ed Robbins
2011 Diplomat DFT
League City, Texas

[deaton]

StuckySB -

Congratulations on your new coach!

For Cummins service in Houston you can't beat Cummins Southern Plains on the 610 loop northeast. I don't have the exact address, but you can look that up. You should still have some warranty left on that drive train.

The generator needs it's first oil change at 100 hours. You can probably do that yourself.

Now that you have moved to a coach, you are also eligible to join FMCA (Family Motor Coach Assn). If you do that, and you are into clubs, you are invited to check out the various area FMCA chapters. The DW and I are happy members of the South Texas Renegades. We're a very active group and our next rally will be February 10, 11, 12th at Branig RV Resort Southeast of San Antonio. PM me for the details if you are interested. You don't have to belong to FMCA to attend as a guest.

Another good local alternative is the Texas Boomers, and they take all RV'ers - coach, 5ver, travel trailer - doesn't matter. They are well represented on this forum.

As a fellow Texan, we are looking forward to meeting you down the road.

[itdave]

We don't have a lot of RV shops were we live in Arizona. For service I found that our local GMC dealer is fully trained to do service on Cummings Engines and Alison Transmission I am not sure about the generator. They did very good service on mine and the price was reasonable.