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Old 03-04-2014, 08:59 AM   #1
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Monaco/HR vs. Entegra

We currently have a 06 Fleetwood Providence that we purchased to see if we really wanted to do RVs. Needless to say that we are newbies and have learned a lot in the past few months. We believe that a tag will give us a better ride plus some of the newer coaches have some interesting upgrades. Aqua Hot and residential refrigerators. There are two coaches that we are interested in both 09s. A Monaco Dynasty Stafford at $219K and a HR Imperial at $200K. However we just looked at a 12 Entegra Aspire for about $210K. I am prone to go with a newer model but would like some feed back about our choices. Thanks in advance.
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Old 03-04-2014, 09:01 AM   #2
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What are the horsepower numbers for the Dynasty and the Imperial?
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Old 03-04-2014, 09:07 AM   #3
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HP

Both have 500hp Cummins.
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Old 03-04-2014, 09:13 AM   #4
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Depending on where you travel and how you like to drive the 500hp will make a difference. You didn't mention mileage but if that's fairly equal in your mind then I would simply pick the one with the floor plan/best condition that you and DW like the most. They're all nice coaches.
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Old 03-04-2014, 09:18 AM   #5
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Thanks for the reply. DW likes the Monaco best at this stage.
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Old 03-04-2014, 09:33 AM   #6
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Go with the Monaco, I think if you look at the coaches really close, you will see the difference in quality. Plus most of the Entegra's have 450hp and even with the Monaco's at 500hp you can never have enough power. Look at the weight of the coaches and that will tell you a little about the build quality as well. Not trying to start a coach war, just giving you my honest opinion. Plus I think the coaches you are talking about are at MHS and they are great to deal with! Randy
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Old 03-04-2014, 09:34 AM   #7
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#1 Consideration should be floor-plan. Because you can only do minimal tweaks to it once you own it.
#2 Should be CCC - is it enough for your needs
#3 Should be towing capacity - can it handle what you want to tow.

There are others but that is how I start to narrow down my choices.

As far as the three you mention my choices would be

#1 Monaco
#2 HR / Entegra

The reason is that I don't think HR's age particularly well, their wood tends to fade or needs lots of maintenance, I have seen flooring problems and more roof leaks than the norm. Entegra is a reborn motor coach that Jayco bought from a defunct manufacturer. They look promising but as most "new" models they are doing some tweaks every year to work out the bugs, I would be hesitant to buy a 2012 only because they have had some issues, which Jayco has addressed incredibly well.

Monaco has been doing it for a long time, they are a known commodity and build a very high quality coach. You don't hear a lot about great customer service "after" the fact with Monaco because most of their coaches come off the assembly line in excellent condition (unlike other coaches that need lots of TLC from customer service people). Monaco's tend to hold value slightly better than other manufactures and their interiors, roofs, and sidewalls seem pretty bullet proof.

As always JMO - YMMV.
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Old 03-04-2014, 11:04 AM   #8
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Thanks for the comments. Yes the coach is at MHS. Looks like this will be the one that we will buy. The Monaco is really quite nice. I agree with the comments about the Entegra being a good coach but still a work in progress.
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Old 03-05-2014, 07:08 AM   #9
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Hi folks. I read this thread with interest Great comments. Do you guys think IFS should be a consideration when choosing a coach? I don't think the HR Imperial has it. Not sure about the Monoco. I think the Entegra does. Just wondering if it is a must have option.
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Old 03-05-2014, 07:26 AM   #10
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Quote:
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Thanks for the comments. Yes the coach is at MHS. Looks like this will be the one that we will buy. The Monaco is really quite nice. I agree with the comments about the Entegra being a good coach but still a work in progress.
These two coaches are sisters under the skin. One thing that hasn't been mentioned, both these coaches are build on the Roadmaster S Series semi monocoque chassis. No one is building a semi monocoque chassis anymore until you get up to the Newell, Foretravel coaches. The S Series chassis uses welded steel framing in the floor, side walls and roof. This produces an extremely strong chassis.
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Old 03-05-2014, 07:32 AM   #11
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The Entegra's I've looked at don't have air leveling. It has become an option on the middle one and standard on the cornerstone. Also make sure the Aqua-Hot is diesel fired, one of them lists a propane option.
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Old 03-05-2014, 07:47 AM   #12
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Hi folks. I read this thread with interest Great comments. Do you guys think IFS should be a consideration when choosing a coach? I don't think the HR Imperial has it. Not sure about the Monoco. I think the Entegra does. Just wondering if it is a must have option.
After much study about the question of IFS vs straight axle on a motorhome, I dropped it off my "must have" list. Monaco never used it on their lines of coaches. The Roadmaster chassis used a H frame suspension system, front and rear. They used 2 air bags/shocks at each wheel position and these air bags are mounted in an extreme outboard position. This produced firm but stable ride characteristics which most like but some do not.

I had a long conversation back in '06 with Ron Doyle who was the president of Western RV. WRV was the parent of Alpine coach and they built the proprietary Peak Chassis for the Alpine. The Alpine/Peak was known as a superior chassis, with excellent handling characteristics. Ron was adamant that on a motorhome IFS was more for the sales/marketing effort than engineering considerations. After many test drives and much consideration, I decided that I agreed.
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Old 03-05-2014, 08:44 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Ownby View Post
After much study about the question of IFS vs straight axle on a motorhome, I dropped it off my "must have" list. Monaco never used it on their lines of coaches. The Roadmaster chassis used a H frame suspension system, front and rear. They used 2 air bags/shocks at each wheel position and these air bags are mounted in an extreme outboard position. This produced firm but stable ride characteristics which most like but some do not.

I had a long conversation back in '06 with Ron Doyle who was the president of Western RV. WRV was the parent of Alpine coach and they built the proprietary Peak Chassis for the Alpine. The Alpine/Peak was known as a superior chassis, with excellent handling characteristics. Ron was adamant that on a motorhome IFS was more for the sales/marketing effort than engineering considerations. After many test drives and much consideration, I decided that I agreed.
I came to the same conclusion.
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Old 03-07-2014, 09:03 PM   #14
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Hi Rogueag, I see the Monaco at MHS is sold, did you buy it? I hope you didn't loose out on it, it's a beautiful coach! If it's yours Good Luck with it and Happy Travels!
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