Community Forums

Forza4us · 03-29-2015, 08:43 PM

With the risk of receiving a few biased opinions

I'm hoping to receive some candid feedback between two coaches that my wife and I are considering. We started our search by looking at the brands Newmar and Monaco but have recently ruled out Newmar (DW didn't like the interior or floor plans) and added CC as the second brand. That said, we narrowed to two models, a Monaco Dynasty Emperor IV 42 with the ISL 400 and a Country Coach Intrigue 45 with the Cat 525.
Would like to hear thoughts on how these two coaches match up or any other opinions you may have...

dons2346 · 03-29-2015, 10:25 PM

If the interiors of both are to your liking, then drive them both and see which one handles the best.

I drove a lot of coaches before buying our CC

smlranger · 03-30-2015, 06:09 AM

Sounds like both good choices if the floor plans are what you want and they have been properly maintained. However, if you plan to drive a lot in the West, I might lean toward the 525HP CAT. I have the 425HP ISL in a 42' Country Coach and it does OK but I'd love to have 500+HP.

2 Stroker · 03-30-2015, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forza4us

With the risk of receiving a few biased opinions

I'm hoping to receive some candid feedback between two coaches that my wife and I are considering. We started our search by looking at the brands Newmar and Monaco but have recently ruled out Newmar (DW didn't like the interior or floor plans) and added CC as the second brand. That said, we narrowed to two models, a Monaco Dynasty Emperor IV 42 with the ISL 400 and a Country Coach Intrigue 45 with the Cat 525.
Would like to hear thoughts on how these two coaches match up or any other opinions you may have...

Don't know the year on the Monaco but here is something to look at
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f123/06-c...ms-233849.html
2 stroker

Smitty77 · 03-30-2015, 05:58 PM

No contest on engines, BIG BLOCKS ROCK! The CAT, will take much better care of that heavy of a rig then the ISL. Our ISL, an older CAPS era ISL370 flashed to 400, gets the job done - but I feel the high power CAT will give you a safety edge on the road via more power.

Good tip to validate the build year of the ISL, and understand if the wrist pins are in it.

As far as the coaches, they are both fine coaches. So interior layout would be the deciding factor here.

Both coaches have good support from companies that have risen from the ashes.

Also be aware that a 45' coach, may require different driver's license in many states.

I would put the Intrigue closer to the Executive then the Dynasty in the pecking order. But much depends upon the year. (And, all a matter of opinion

!)

Best of luck to you on your search!
Smitty

B Bob · 03-30-2015, 10:00 PM

5 1/2 years ago when we looked and drove a lot of motorhomes we liked Country Coaches, Beavers, Monaco, and Alpine. I looked everywhere for something like Consumer Reports for motorhomes. The closest I could find was the RVCG (RV Consumer Group) in WA. I joined and bought all their information. This group can provide you with an easy reference guide as there are lots and lots of models. And the models change by years. We found their recommendations to be very accurate.

Monaco and Country Coach were made down the street from each other in Oregon. Literally. The Lee family were involved in the start up of both companies. You will find many similarities in these brands. Monaco bought Beaver. In the year you are looking at a Beaver coach will be very similar to a Monaco, except with nicer wood inside.

I have never owned a Monaco product and cannot comment on their quality, parts, or service. The RVCG rates motorhomes for a living and they liked the CC product in the years around the same as my coach, 2002, better than Monaco.

After 5 1/2 years I still think very highly of our our coach and the current Country Coach organization. Our coach has 122,000 miles on it. I have put on 37,000. It drives like a magic carpet going down the road. The design and execution of the coach is excellent. We have been a number of times to the Country Coach factory in Oregon for service and upgrades. They have done a very good job. We have ordered parts from them a number of times and their prices have been fair and they gave very good service.

We bought our specific coach because we loved the interior floor plan and it's beautiful semi custom south west style. We still love it. We parked next to a one year old class A coach two weeks ago. That coach is the best selling new class A diesel pusher in the USA. They owner commented to me, "Why does your 12 year old paint look better than my one year old?" And our coach lives outside and his lives in a cover storage.

Final thing. A previous poster indicated some States require special license for 45'. Some States require a special license for over 40'. I have one.