Community Forums

BillJinOR · 11-01-2014, 06:14 PM

In my search for a replacement Mh to "Long" time or full time in starting in'16 I have come to look currently Beaver coaches ( among many many others

). a FT friend has a '04 Monterey, and loves it, with minor issues, mostly aqua Hot related.
I found a 06 Monterey C9, Roadmaster M in reasonable "new" condition especially inside. But I was also directed to a 03 beaver Marquis Ruby C12, Maxuim Tag with considerable miles ( a little over 100G ) also interior in this one excellent condition.I know nobody with a Marquis. Both are roughly 40' So..

My question is , providing these coaches both price out about the same ( they have the same $$ starting point) is the 03 a bad deal with the additional glitz and electronics being a negative ( repair points) assuming another 10 years use ? Both of the coaches have no service records.
Other than doing the usual Oil and trans fluid analysis . any other things to look for on these specific Models?

UncleBilly · 11-02-2014, 12:09 AM

I to am looking at buying a Beaver. I'd like too get a Patriot or Contessa. The Marquis is their top of the line coach and the Monterey is their starter coach. From what I've seen the features can vary quite a bit between the two. From what others say, it should come down to floorplan all the rest is gravy...

I've found a nice 96 Monterey, love the floorplan but don't like the body style. I'd rather have a Contessa but they are more expensive and harder too find. I should just buy it but I keep hoping the rig I want will show up! 😜

super_rep · 11-02-2014, 06:03 PM

Go for the Marquis. We had one and put 154,000 miles on it. Just got it broke in at 85,000. We loved the coach and still miss some of it's features. Only problem was no slides or washer and we were getting ready to go full time.

Now were full time in a Monaco 45' Signature with 4 slides, and are finally getting this coach to the reliable point that the Beaver was.

docj · 11-02-2014, 06:11 PM

We have a 2000 Beaver Patriot Thunder. The Patriot was the second-ranking model until ~1999 when Beaver took the engine/transmission from the Marquis and put it in the lighter Patriot chassis. In addition, the Thunders had all possible Patriot options.

The result was a hot-rod MH! I've been told that Beaver used to have "drag races" at some of its rallies. Putting an engine with 425 HP and 1550 ft-lbs of torque in a 32,000 lb chassis creates a rig that is a lot of fun to drive.

I highly recommend the SMC-era Beavers built before the Monaco takeover in ~2002. They are solid machines without a lot of the fancy electronics that became popular in the 2000's but that means they also seem to be easier to maintain. Yes, we've done a lot of modernization of our MH but it has seemed worth doing because the underlying structure is good. Our automotive-quality paint job is so good that we continue to have people ask if the rig is new.

billr1 · 11-02-2014, 09:35 PM

We just got an '05 Monterey a couple weeks ago. Yes, it is the bottom of the Beaver line, but the bottom of the Beaver line is so much nicer and more solid than most other coaches of that era (or even newer), that it seems like a real luxury coach. I don't think there are a whole lot of features in the Marquis that we would really want or need - for us, but then we're not full timing either.

1948boat · 11-03-2014, 09:46 AM

Not trying to promote our coach, but when we were looking, we fell in love with a four slide 2004 Beaver, not sure of the model. Then we found the Monaco Diplomat 40DST three slide bath and a half. We have been full timing for two years and couldn't be happier. We now have had a change of plan since we stay on family's property 3 months in MI, 3 months in CA then south TX. We are planning to place trailers on the MI and CA property and then rent in TX or FL. All that being said we have our 2005 Monaco Diplomat 40DST for sale, feel free to look on this site there are some DST's for sale along with ours. BTW to the best of my knowledge the Beaver is a Monaco product on the same chassis.

Twomed · 11-03-2014, 02:33 PM

Go for the Marquis...

I maintain a 2003 Safari Panther which is the identical power train and chassis...bulletproof!!! That big CAT loafs along at 67mph and about 1200 rpm, never sweats uphill. Most of the 2003's were the Roadmaster 10S chassis and just can't be beat. The ride and handling is great with the tag axle and 10 air bags. Just turned 96k on our Dynasty, same chassis, smaller motor, wouldn't trade for anything new out there today. JMHO some folks may differ. BUT...I drive them both.

Bob&AnnaMari · 11-03-2014, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twomed

Go for the Marquis... Most of the 2003's were the Roadmaster 10S chassis and just can't be beat. ...

Not really. The 2003s were the Roadmaster "M" chassis (for Magnum) which was Beaver's rail chassis. Only the last couple of years of Beavers were Roadmaster 10S chassis (when they moved from Bend to Eugene).

Twomed · 11-03-2014, 04:54 PM

http://alliedrecreationgroup.com/leg...03_marquis.pdf

Enjoy the brochure with all the specs including the Roadmaster 10 S chassis.

We lived through the takeover as Safari owners and while 2002 had some strange combinations as inventories were used up, by 2003 most all coaches were Monaco with Safari or Beaver badging. Odd that the brochure cover shows a two piece windshield, friends Panther has the one piece...more use of parts? or new cap not ready when pictures were taken??

Again GREAT platform, GREAT coach.

jollyjim · 11-03-2014, 07:04 PM

We have the 04 Beaver Monterey Laguna which has 4 slides. We love it. As someone else said the low end of the Beaver line is pretty darn good. But the one you really fall in love with and that feels like home to you is the one to get.

BillJinOR · 11-03-2014, 08:56 PM

Thanks all for the input. We are still early in our search ( we have given ourselves a year to replace our winny .. Just a little small for our extended use but ymmv) i was looking at mid 2000 dynasty's when I came to Beaver ( Duh ! I'm from oregon, ! )
I will pursue both in the next week or two and see what's in the cards. There's always another deal waiting ;-) . And I'm planning a month in Texas in the spring , possibly good hunting grounds!
The Monterey is slightly overpriced ( more wiggle room ;-) ) and the only thing I'm not confident on in the marquis is the high miles .. I know it doesn't matter ( I'm a truck driver and my current co. Tractor has 1.2 mil miles ) but it is a "give pause moment" considering I want 10 years min life out of this next rig. With constant use and maybe another 100, grand on the odometer. That and it needs new "shoes" ;-) !

Denali · 11-04-2014, 05:47 PM

We have been living in our '04 Monterey since buying it new. Aside from replacing the Aqua-Hot twice (!) it has been a great coach. Nice ride, beautiful cabinetry, sturdy running gear. We have boondocked for months at a time, driven on every imaginable road surface in every kind of weather, and it keeps on going.

The one defect is the POS Se-Gi dual pane windows. Every one of them has fogged by now. We have had several de-fogged, but that's an expensive repair.

BillJinOR · 11-07-2014, 11:08 PM

Thanks everyone. We took plunge and Bought the Marquis. Looking forward to all that space! That and I made the number one mistake .. I drove a Tag axle .. I quess it is true never drive a tag unless your prepared to Buy!