Bad years

[luckyd]

What are the "bad years" for Monaco?
I have heard comments around 2006 and 2007
plus 2010 due to bankruptcy.

What are the reasons for the bad years?

We are thinking of moving up from our 2002 Windsor double slide
to a triple or quad slide.
Our Windsor is fully loaded with every option so we hate to give it up.

We have even contemplated having an extra slide put in the living room,
but are concerned about the structure change. This coach has the steel
framing, not aluminum.

[mel s]

Originally Posted by luckyd

What are the "bad years" for Monaco?
I have heard comments around 2006 and 2007
plus 2010 due to bankruptcy.
What are the reasons for the bad years?
We are thinking of moving up from our 2002 Windsor double slide
to a triple or quad slide.
Our Windsor is fully loaded with every option so we hate to give it up.
We have even contemplated having an extra slide put in the living room,
but are concerned about the structure change. This coach has the steel
framing, not aluminum.

luckyd
Every coach is a crap shoot.
If you found one that's so great that you "hate to give it up" I suggest you keep it.
Mel
'96 Safari

[vito.a]

I heard that 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 were the peak years.


Just before bankruptcy (filed in Mar 2009) the workers were on a week to week call up and did not know if they had a job or not. What a shame. In 2005 the company employed 5400 folks and grossed 1.2 billion!


Just need to thoroughly check each coach before you buy. If you don't feel qualified, have a pro inspect it.

[mccrob]

How do you go from 1.2 billon to bankruptcy just saying?

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by mccrob

How do you go from 1.2 billon to bankruptcy just saying?

General Motors took a bigger swing than that.

[CampDaven]

1.2 Billion gross has nuthin to do with the profit margins.
My 09 Camelot has a build date of October 08. It's grand!

[Robin_M]

Originally Posted by vito.a

I heard that 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 were the peak years.

I agree with this. The collapse of the housing market in late 2008 was the beginning of the end for Monaco and other coach manufacturers. I bought a new diplomat in 2007, And after the initial "bugs", it's been a fine coach. This week I'm buying another brand-new Diplomat (made by REV). It will be an entirely different coach with many upgrades. But I hope I fare as well.

[Okiedoke]

Originally Posted by luckyd

We have even contemplated having an extra slide put in the living room, but are concerned about the structure change. This coach has the steel framing, not aluminum.

I've never heard of this. Any reports of someone actually doing such a thing?

[Arch Hoagland]

I've not heard of the "Bad Years" for Monaco. Could you elaborate?

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by Robin_M

I agree with this. The collapse of the housing market in late 2008 was the beginning of the end for Monaco and other coach manufacturers. I bought a new diplomat in 2007, And after the initial "bugs", it's been a fine coach. This week I'm buying another brand-new Diplomat (made by REV). It will be an entirely different coach with many upgrades. But I hope I fare as well.

Robin,

I hope you will post your experiences. I was impressed with the Dip I saw at the Tampa show back in January.

Congratulations on the new ride

[Jeff753]

Originally Posted by Okiedoke

I've never heard of this. Any reports of someone actually doing such a thing?

Call creative coach in Lakeland fl area. I heard they do it. If your chassis had three slide models later it should be fine?

[jacwjames]

We bought our 2002 Windsor in 2008. Luckily in 2009 I got laid off from work and we took the opportunity to go to Alaska. On the way back we did the West coast drive and stopped at the Monaco plant for a tour. They were in (or on the verge of) bankruptcy at the time. They had skeleton crews trying to build coaches. After the tour we were allowed to walk through ~2-3 coaches they were completing. Both my wife & I were amazed at some of the things we saw as to quality issues. They did have crews working on cleaning the rigs and fixing the issues but everyone knows trying to fix something that's already in place is harder the building it right the first time.

Personally I probably wouldn't consider a coach past 2008 vintage.

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by jacwjames

We bought our 2002 Windsor in 2008. Luckily in 2009 I got laid off from work and we took the opportunity to go to Alaska. On the way back we did the West coast drive and stopped at the Monaco plant for a tour. They were in (or on the verge of) bankruptcy at the time. They had skeleton crews trying to build coaches. After the tour we were allowed to walk through ~2-3 coaches they were completing. Both my wife & I were amazed at some of the things we saw as to quality issues. They did have crews working on cleaning the rigs and fixing the issues but everyone knows trying to fix something that's already in place is harder the building it right the first time.



Personally I probably wouldn't consider a coach past 2008 vintage.

Jim,

We took the same tour in the fall of '10. Navistar/Monaco had completed the coaches that were in production when the plant closed. We saw the first 2 Vesta coaches which were in the final stages of built. The Vesta/Trip line were the first designed under Navistar.

I was amazed at the number of Pre DPF Cummins engines that were still in crates.

[Robin_M]

Originally Posted by Steve Ownby

Robin,

I hope you will post your experiences. I was impressed with the [2017] Dip I saw at the Tampa show back in January.

Congratulations on the new ride

Thank you. And I definately will, Steve.