Community Forums

Madrona · 05-19-2010, 12:48 PM

New member, potential new (used) Monaco owner. I've found a 1999 Monaco Windsor. 35,000 miles, 125 hours on the generator. My wife and I have spent about 3 hours going over the coach from fore to aft, but that doesn't mean much. At my age, I've probably already forgotten everything I looked at. I know next to nothing about diesel engines and even less about Alison transmissions. We have owned 3 coaches, always used, none as nice as this. It is at a dealers lot. We have NOT taken it for a test drive, yet. They said they only had two people on the lot and no one could leave to go along. Seems odd for a Saturday, but so be it.

We put money down to hold it and arrange financing with the understanding we would drive it before the deal was made. So far, so good. Financing is in place. The dealer called and said the engine and transmission gauges were not working and he wanted to get it to Cummins for a fix. Fine, we'll drive it another day. Later in the day, the sales gal called and said they had it out test driving it and it "lost pressure." Now they said they were going to take it to Freightliner to find out why. I didn't think to ask what kind of pressure, my immediate thought was air pressure, but I don't know. They are supposed to be doing that today.

Meanwhile, I've used some papers found in the coach to find and contact the previous owner. Older people, even older than me. Not mechanically inclined, at all. They were surprised it was being sold already. They sold it directly to the dealer, but didn't know they were a dealer at the time. The lady told me the coach has been sitting about two years. They live on a peninsula with salt-water on both sides. There is some corrosion of the mirror arms, some rust underneath, but nothing out of the ordinary for Western Washington. At least not that I could see. She said they had spent "thousand of dollars on it" while they've owned it since 2005. She wasn't specific, even when I questioned her. New awning, service I presume, and new batteries. Now, to the point of this post!

She said her husband bought the wrong kind of coach batteries and they had to have it rewired. They are four Les Schwab 6v batteries. They don't fit well on the tray and it looks like you could put a fifth one in there. Are these the wrong kind of batteries? The engine battery is under (IIRC) the coach batteries and looks to be correct. It is really big, and long, 12v, of course.

So, the batteries, wrong kind? Should we go ahead with the test drive and if so, shuld I be "unhappy" with the test and back out of the deal? It's a nice coach, the nicest we can afford. I've read many posts here and am concerned about some things I've read. Many folks seem unhappy with the ride quality of their coaches, saying "bone jarring", etc. I looked without crawling under and didn't see any air bags. Would this coach have them? It does have Bilstein shocks, probably original, but I don't know. The lady gave me the name of the dealer they used for service, and I can call them, but I don't know how much info they might give me. A couple other problems are, someone installed an omni antena which I guess doesn't work. The passenger side windshield is cracked near the bottom. Neither are big issues, but just wanted to let you know.

I'm sure I'll have lots more questions and issues, but for now, I guess I just need to know if this is the coach for us, or not. Pricing I have found on the net seems to indicate, for the most part, $70,000 and up. The lady sold it to the dealer for $30,000 (he said $35,000) and we are paying $50,000 with $10,000 off of that for trading in our beloved 1994 Bounder.

There you go, fire when ready!

Thanks, Phil

cb5300 · 05-19-2010, 01:42 PM

Lets see Dealer said he paid 35K for the ciach, the owner said 30K...The owners said that they spent 1000's of dollars on the coach when they owned it...Had to rewire because of putting in wrong batteries...Coach looses pressure when driving???? I don't know, but I think I would move along and look for something else. There are plenty of good used coaches out there that can be gotten at a fair price...

Madrona · 05-19-2010, 02:09 PM

Thanks Charles, for the reply. I knew I shouldn't have included all the details and un-nececessarily cause someone to misunderstand what I am after. I need to know what kind of batteries it should have and does the price sound good, normal, bad. Also, is the ride on these coaches good or bone-jarring? The price the dealer paid isn't really important as long as I am getting a good price when I buy it. MY bad, I shouldn't have mentioned it.

Thanks again!

bigskymt · 05-19-2010, 02:30 PM

You didn't supply any details on length, model or options. I searched NADA and found a '99 Monaco Windsor 36' with 330 Cummins average retail was $35,840.........low was $32K. You can find what yours is worth also.
Air ride suspension will soften the ride. Rear engine is quiet.
If the batteries are 6v you can use golf cart batteries from Costco about $78 each (X4).
You might try searching crankape.com for a repo. If nothing else they show dozens of photos of units and you can compare floor plans.
good luck on your search

denochs · 05-19-2010, 03:02 PM

Is the dealer willing to fix the cracked windshield, replace the 6v batteries, and anything else you find wrong? After the sale is more important than anything else.

Dave

DtBt · 05-19-2010, 03:13 PM

I have a 99 Windsor and love it. That being said there are lots of well maintained Windsors and other models out there. This is not one. Walk away and keep looking.

bdpreece · 05-19-2010, 03:18 PM

One big thing is check the date codes on the tires. They could have 99% tread and still be past their life cycle. If you have to replace the tires right away that would be a big investment.

rf4 · 05-19-2010, 04:06 PM

Phil, I see you are not getting answers to your main questions, but I have to agree with previous posters. This unit may be alot of headaches down the road. It already has some pretty major issues now. I am troubled by the fact that the first few times you wanted to test drive, it "wasn't available". That right there should be ringing bells in your head.

Without knowing what the "thousands of dollars spent" by the previous owner are, you are assuming alot by thinking it was awning, service and batteries.

This may have been a lemon from the start and it could keep on being one.

Good luck in your decision

sip · 05-19-2010, 04:23 PM

Some motorhomes use 12 volt batteries and others 6, they could have put in the wrong ones. I look at motorhomes the same way I look at boats. The less they are used the more problems you have. If the unit sat for two years, you will need new tires, diesil fuel also gels when it sits over that long period. I think I would pass

Madrona · 05-19-2010, 04:32 PM

Lots of interesting responses, and agreed, not directly addressing my questions. I was afraid I was too detailed and the discussion would go off track. I also agree, there is lots to think about as far as the condition of the coach. That was my first thought, also, when told of problems they wanted to fix. Then I thought, well, better they fix them than me. There is much to like about this coach. It is 38 ft. and as I stated, it is a Windsor so comes with all the amenities those would have had in 1999. Slide, climate control, 7500 watt diesel generator, awnings all around, power drivers seat, power step cover, tile, corian, etc. The fabrics are in very good condition. Everything seems to work. The outside of the coach is beautiful, no real dings or scratches.

I got a phone call today from the dealer. They have ordered an air dryer as they think that is what caused it to lose pressure in the suspension. I have checked the dates on the tires and they are from 2005 so I should still have around 2-3 years to go. I went to Nada guides and priced it out and it comes to just under $70,000 as equipped with a low book of $54,000. The dealer will not fix any cosmetic issues, but I don't mind that. It's something I can work at a little at a time. They do seem willing to fix anything mechanical and in fact, are fixing things I didn't know about.

If anyone is still interested, I would love to know what kind of batteries it should have in it. Apparently, it does have air bags or some other type of air suspension as that is what they are fixing. Can I expect a smooth ride if everything is working as designed? Anything else you can think of mentioning directly related to this 1999 Monaco Windsor and my expected happiness or lack there of, with it?

Thanks again, Phil

Always-RVing · 05-19-2010, 04:48 PM

Bottom line is going to be your gut feeling and how much you like it. All the pro's and con's will make little difference if you have already made the decision in your heart on which way to go. After that, it's just doing it and taking the ride.

You'll need to get all the manuals for everything in it and more. Electronic manuals are often online and whether you are new to this or old-timer RV'er, there's so many things to learn. Become very aquainted with every aspect of your new Motorhome friend and enjoy it to the limit.

Madrona · 05-19-2010, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Batman_777

Bottom line is going to be your gut feeling and how much you like it. All the pro's and con's will make little difference if you have already made the decision in your heart on which way to go. After that, it's just doing it and taking the ride.

You'll need to get all the manuals for everything in it and more. Electronic manuals are often online and whether you are new to this or old-timer RV'er, there's so many things to learn. Become very aquainted with every aspect of your new Motorhome friend and enjoy it to the limit.

Good advice to be sure, Batman, thanks. I just looked at 8 pages of Class A's in the Classified section. There is nothing there that remotely comes close to the quality of this Monaco for 50k. Since I have had sort of a forced cooling off period while they get everything working on the coach, I have given this a great deal of thought. First thought was "whoa, better re-think this if it has problems." Then it was, "well, what the heck, they are fixing the problems." The truth is, all of this could have happened before I even looked at the coach and I would have been none the wiser. That is true of any used vehicle, you're always taking a chance. I guess I'll give it a test drive (apparently now that will be Friday) and see how it goes. Answers to my questions would certainly still be appreciated.

Thanks to all, so far.

Phil

rex · 05-19-2010, 05:46 PM

There are two sets of batteries in a motor home - chassis for running the auto type things - house (often called coach) for running everything else in the unit. The house batteries should be 6-volt deep cycle and the coach should have a minimum of 4 but could have 6 of them. The chassis batteries will be large 12-volt and it could have either one very large or two which will be larger than the house batteries.

Hope that helps clear up that question for you.

As to price, well you need to step back and let your emotions settle a bit. I seriously doubt that coach is worth anything close to $70,000. The Windsor is a great coach and a 38 footer will have 8 air bags which should give you a comfortable ride.

If you purchase it have all the fluids and filters changed. Oil and oil and fuel filters should be changed every year or 12,000 miles. There also may be a coolant filter which should be changed every 6 months unless a long life filter is used, then change it once a year. Have the antifreeze changed out and the chemical balance established and have Cummins do this. Keeping the chemical balance right in the coolant is critical to the engine.

tickranch · 05-19-2010, 05:51 PM

As far as the cracked windshield goes, you might check with your state's DMV. In Mo. a vehicle has to pass inspection, and it won't pass with a cracked windshield. I'll bet you can get them to replace it if this is one of your state's requirements. Years ago, I was buying a used car that had a broken tail light. The dealer said that he wouldn't replace it. I called the DMV, and they said he had to replace it before selling it, and if he refused & I bought it like that, to contact them, and they would take care of the issue. I think this was only if buying from a dealer...not an individual.