Community Forums

M_King · 02-20-2019, 08:55 AM

After months of research and looking at various makes and models I will be looking at a 2003 Monaco Windsor pwd 73,000 miles 370 hp cummins in the coming days. Any thoughts on this make and model, possible shortcomings and what you consider to be attributes that make this model worth purchasing.

I would like to say in closing that this sight and what y'all have put on the forum pages has been a wealth of information.

Will keep y'all posted... Mike

gsgriffin · 02-20-2019, 09:08 AM

You might want to add the model letters (PDQ, DST) and mileage and where it is located. That matters a lot in providing insight for you

vito.a · 02-20-2019, 10:09 AM

The Windsor is a great coach. You will immediately notice the interior wood cnstruction is much better than most new coaches built today. It is built on a Roadmaster chassis with eight air bags, eight shocks, and a side radiator.

2003 was a transition year. My first question would be does it have the Cummins 350hp ISC, or the Cummins 370/400hp ISL engine?
Another great option is Aqua Hot. Aqua Hot replaces both the LP furnace and the LP water heater. It provides interior heat and unlimited hot water from either a diesel burner, electric element, or even the engine coolant loop.
Be careful on pricing as it varies greatly.
Best of luck!

8.3Oilbuner · 02-20-2019, 10:21 AM

Good morning Mike; I am on my second Windsor in over a 12 year period. Both have been and to me are great coaches. The information you will get here is great. If you are not experienced with class A diesel pusher coaches and do not have a lot of mechanical experience, make sure you get a total inspection of the coach, chassis and the house systems. This will save you lots of grief down the road. For some reason Monaco has no brochure on line for a 2003 Windsor so not sure about the floor plan you posted. Have the floors inspected on the slide outs as they can get water intrusion into the floor because of a design flaw, but don't let that stop you as there is a fix. Just some more price wiggle room if the floors are not solid. The best thing you can hope for is maintenance records from previous owners. This tells a story of what has been done in the past. Set money aside for batteries, tires and the usually upgrades along with some repairs. Windsor's are solid coaches, but they do need care. Make sure the inspector checks all the roof seems for proper sealant. The engine from what you posted should be an upgrade to the Cummin's ISL. Make sure that the lift pump is operational or has been replaced. Keep asking questions here so owners can give you their perspective on your future purchase. Sorry, can't say anything bad about a newer Windsor. I say newer. Mine is an 01, now 18 years old. Good luck on your purchase!

mlh2013 · 02-20-2019, 05:49 PM

Mike we purchased a 02 Windsor about a year and a half ago and absolutely love it. It is a very solid coach with the ISC 350

bubby124 · 02-20-2019, 05:57 PM

I also have a 2002 Monaco Windsor it is a great rig. as for things to look for the lift pump was mentioned I had to change mine. also the top edges of the clear coat tend to peel after years in the sun if they are not already peeling off then have it wax with a UV protectant, if it has a clear protective 3m shield if its cracked and dirty they are a pain to get off. i have had very little break on my coach an airconditioner and i replaced the cooling unit on the norcord with the Freon compressor cooling unit. how much do they want did you buy it?

bubby124

Coreyph · 02-20-2019, 07:05 PM

I have a 2003 Monaco Windsor PST. Bought it about two years ago and love it. It seems to be a well built coach. I have done some upgrades over the last few years, mainly cosmetic, but have really enjoyed the coach. I would agree with previous people in that if you can get maintenance records that is a plus. Good luck

sfeenstra · 02-20-2019, 07:39 PM

I purchased a 04 windsor pst with 400 hp 3 years ago. Love the coach. Woodwork is beautiful. First year was a little trying. Replaced both ac,s and norcold. Second year was fixing fan controller and blow off valve on brakes. Last year was new toyo,s and bilsteins. Just returned from a 10 day trip socal to new Mexico. Runs great everything works

gsgriffin · 02-21-2019, 07:51 AM

I don't know if this is your first motorhome, but as a Monaco owner in this age group, they are great rig. I'm predicting that the early 2000 will have a great value in the future at the transition when they were bought out did some some quality reductions (as you will see from other posts and reviews). When I'm ready for a new coach, I will simply look for another in the 05-06 range.

My thought for you is to really think about the floor plan, if you haven't had one like this before. For a house, it is location, location, location. For a motorhome, it is floorplan, floorplan, floorplan (and manufacturer). I had a trailer long ago and remembered that the biggest hassle we had as a family was one bathroom and shower in such an awkward placement that you could get from end to end when someone was using either. If someone was in the shower, another invariably needed to use the toilet.

For myself, I went straight to the DST model to half a bath and a half. We're almost full-timers and absolutely love having the two toilets. All this to say, really think about how you plan to use it, how often and what is going to be used the most in the floor plan. We don't cook a ton, so we don't need a large counter space. I have a computer station (that was built in by the previous owner) which is perfect for me as I spend most of my days working on the computer.

There are options out there, but the Monaco owners will almost never tell you to buy anything else. This isn't a fan club. It's just knowing that we have a good reliable brand that put good quality into the build (relatively speaking, of course). To get the model and options and variables I wanted, I flew 1,200 miles with my wife to purchase ours. Made for a nice drive back getting used to the new rig at a slow pace.

M_King · 02-21-2019, 01:05 PM

Thanks for all the input. Returning this afternoon to do a walk around of the exterior and check slide functions and the like. Asking price is in the $40,000 price range. Will post more this evening once we get back.

Mike

M_King · 02-23-2019, 07:50 AM

Upon further inspection of the RV I found mildew on numerous wood surfaces, the fan motor on the AC unit by the driver and passenger made a terrible noise, the windshield had a crack not much larger than a nickel, there was a gas smell coming from around the hot water heater outside the RV, found cracks in the fiberglass and in the shower I reached up to brace myself to look through the skylight and my fingers sank into soft wood. The owner was not even aware of this problem. At that point I decided it was time to walk, based on the amount of wood damage my first thought was the shower would need to be removed and how much of the roof would need to be replaced. Another topper was there were no service records to go with it.

Mike

jacwjames · 02-23-2019, 09:40 AM

Sounds like you made the right decision and explains the lower asking price.

MSHappyCampers · 02-23-2019, 01:20 PM

Hi Mike! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

As hard as it is to walk away from what you think is a good deal, sometimes that's the smart thing to do. We love our 2002 Windsor and have had no major problems in the 7 years we've had it!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!