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billdye · 09-08-2021, 08:51 PM

I have been searching for a used motorhome for about two months and have been listening to those on this forum that suggest purchasing an older high quality DP rather than a newer gas motorhome.
Tomorrow I am going to look at a 2000 Monaco Dynasty King being sold by the owner. The coach has 83,000 miles on the 350 HP Cummins/Allison 3000 and during the last four years of ownership, the current owner has spent $25,000 in maintenance, repairs and upgrades to the coach and has receipts. The coach appears to be in good to very good condition and apparently well maintained (hard to tell by pictures).
Having previously owned an older Fleetwood American Eagle DP myself, I am somewhat familiar with DP motorhomes, but have no knowledge of the Monaco product other than the perceived quality of the manufacturer of the coach.
Can those of you that own or have owned similar aged and equipped Monaco motorhomes give me some ideas of what to look for and perhaps what to look out for and maybe suggest what a realistic selling price be might be? Would it be wise to try to find a local qualified individual to perform an RV inspection?
I appreciate your feedback.

barmcd · 09-08-2021, 09:35 PM

A 2000 Dynasty is a good coach. There's not a whole lot of things that you need to worry about, but its 21 years old.

The Cummins ISC of that vintage has a fuel delivery system that is susceptible to catastrophic and expensive failure if it develops a leak. Many have no issues and some have replaced the stock lift pump with a FASS or similar pump. Do a search for FASS in this forum.

Other than that, the Norcold 1200 is a fire hazard if the recall hasn't been done on it and maybe even if it has. A residential replacement is popular.

Some people have replaced the stock Shepard steering with a TRW and report it makes a big positive difference.

All the systems are 21 years old and can be expected to fail at some point. I'm in the middle of a total rebuild of my slide out. I've rebuilt the three hydraulic cylinders and am replacing all the hoses. I've replaced both AC units, the inverter, the refrigerator, propane stove and both air horns and have plans for a new hot water heater and microwave.

Have it inspected by a RV inspector and a heavy duty truck shop. Look for signs of a leaking roof, soft floors, wall delamination, just like with any other RV.

MSHappyCampers · 09-09-2021, 09:48 AM

Hi ! Dennis covered all the points that I would have mentioned. Monaco built some really high-quality coaches in the early 2000's. We have had very little trouble with our 2002 Windsor.

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

Rusty Kramer · 09-09-2021, 02:55 PM

Bill,
Check the steering box as Dennis mentioned.
These are a couple of Monaco specific issues for this vintage.

Assuming this has the common living room slide. Check the slide out floor for soft spots. Water can get in the side wall to floor outside trim and soak the wood. There is a fix but check it.

The rubber trim molding that seams the roof top and front and rear caps from the side wall can and will leak if not maintained. This is commonly called the belt line. There is a lot of info on this repair but if it has a gap and water leak there can be a lot of damage. I needed to reseal mine but they will pop at some point. Mine had leaked a bit.

The chassis is good but the suspension system can have some side movement and cause the coach to "hunt or wonder" and not track straight. Many will say their coach drives great but the ones that do not can be a handful. Again there are fixes for this if it comes to that. I installed Monaco watts products and it helped mine a lot.

The BMW headlamps in that coach are not great, not aimed well because of how they are jammed in the cap, and not mounted well. There is a lot of info on replacements, voltage issues etc. I spent a lot of bucks and a lot of hours replacing mine and still very poor lighting.

I have needed to replace leaking air line connections, grey and black tank dump valves. Ride height valve due to air leak. Slide out Rollers, Lower slide out seal. Just common 20 year old stuff. .