Does a high end coach mean high cost of ownership?

[resqguy]

I was surfing around looking at used coaches, like I always do, and came across the following coach.

http://www.rvdeals.net/1411/

I realized that I could almost afford the purchase price but then wondered about the ownership costs etc. Given this coach may need tires and all the maintenance brought up to date (I would add in another $5 - 7K to cover) but what about the long term cost of ownership? Would a coach like this cost proportionally more to maintain than say a low to mid level diesel like my Journey?

I do a good deal of repairs myself on my current coach.

Thoughts?

[Pairajays]

Quote:

Originally Posted by resqguy I was surfing around looking at used coaches, like I always do, and came across the following coach. http://www.rvdeals.net/1411/ I realized that I could almost afford the purchase price but then wondered about the ownership costs etc. Given this coach may need tires and all the maintenance brought up to date (I would add in another $5 - 7K to cover) but what about the long term cost of ownership? Would a coach like this cost proportionally more to maintain than say a low to mid level diesel like my Journey? I do a good deal of repairs myself on my current coach. Thoughts?

The maintenance on any diesel pusher, with the same drive train, is about the same. The Monaco Executive is second from the top of line Signature. It is a high quality coach and will probably require less corrective maintenance than your Journey. Notice it has a tandem axel which means two more tires. Also, the tires are more expensive. It is 42' so more soap and water to keep it clean.

Jim E

[Steve Ownby]

That's a definite yes and no!

The routine chassis maintenance on that coach will be some what more just because that ISM takes almost 10 gal of oil for a change and the Allison 4000 tranny also holds 10 gal of fluid. The AquaHot needs annual maintenance to the tune of $150. The tires are bigger and there are 2 more of them. For the most part both your Winny and this Monaco have the same maintenance needs & the costs are the same.

The good news is that the Series S chassis under that Exec is as good as it gets. It's a semi-monicote design and does not flex. It goes straight down the road and passing trucks don't push you around.

My wife & I are going on our 5th year full time in an '03 signature so I'm well aquatinted with the coach. Like you, I do much of my own maintenance.

I would talk to them about a set of tires and a complete maintenance cycle to include the transmission and front wheel bearings.

Good luck and safe travels,

[Ottawa]

My experience with an older MH, was that most of annual expense was on the chassis. In my case a V10 gas engine, which I spent about $3000 a year. That however pales when you consider the depreciation of $7000 and the interest expense of $4000.

[TXiceman]

Maintenance and operating cost will be about the same. The more bells and whistles, the more to break and the more to repair.

Ken

[moisheh]

$5 to $7,000 will not be enough. 8 tires will run you around $5000. I dont know how many and what kind of batteries you have but that could easily bring you to $1500 more. Then figure on changing all the fluids: oil, AF and tranny. If it does not haveTtransynd there goes a whole bunch of$$. Now what if it actually needs some repairs?? The miles are very low. Was someone living in that unit full time??

[njs42]

Some thoughts:

The add says to make an offer---I would certainly do that for sure--you may just be suprised by how much of a deal you can get---maybe enough to offset some first years cost.

"Almost afford" is not the same as I can afford.

Good luck what ever you decide I hope it works out well for you.

[Mr_D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by njs42 "Almost afford" is not the same as I can afford.

We were looking at a 2011 Newmar Essex, list was $630,000 and we could "almost afford it" We'd have had to rob one IRA, sell the stick house, trade in the DSDP and get rid of two grandkids to make it a reality. My wife refused to do it so someone else bought it! But, we could "almost afford" it!

[squeak]

we have a 2003 43' ism 500 hp tag steve ownby is corect.

[krnlueck]

I hope not. We just bought an 03 Monaco Windsor from a dealership. They went through the coach and checked and fixed everything they could find, but we still found a few more things ourselves (which they also fixed). We ended up getting new tires, slide seal in living room, 6 new batteries, one slide topper, toilet (cost of which was $800), water pump, power cord, air filter sensor, and a water separator. They fixed squeaks, leaks, broken tiles, generator slide, re-caulked the roof and front and rear marker lights, changed oil and lubed chassis, repaired fantastic fan, generator serviced, fixed hidden fans in back of refrigerator that had mud daubers, shampooed the carpet, and probably some other things.

Just so you know, there can be a lot of little things that no way can you notice right away. Look good! Even with all these minor things, the dealership doesn't want us to leave until we're happy, so we are not complaining. There are a lot of things that can go wrong on a house that bounces down the road.

We love our new coach so far and I'm sure you'd love that one as well. It's a beauty.