how old is to old

[larry r]

We have a 99 endeavor with 275hp isb, coach is in great shape and has plenty of power for us, we are planning on going fulltime next year. Have a freind with a 05 endeavor and he says that it would be stupid to full time in a coach over 5 years old, with the smaller cummins, would just like some input from folks with older rigs, have you run into any problems because of age of coach or isb engine

[larry r]

We have a 99 endeavor with 275hp isb, coach is in great shape and has plenty of power for us, we are planning on going fulltime next year. Have a freind with a 05 endeavor and he says that it would be stupid to full time in a coach over 5 years old, with the smaller cummins, would just like some input from folks with older rigs, have you run into any problems because of age of coach or isb engine

[UPS 34]

I think Room is more important then power.

[nodine]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by larry r:
We have a 99 endeavor with 275hp isb, coach is in great shape and has plenty of power for us, we are planning on going fulltime next year. Have a freind with a 05 endeavor and he says that it would be stupid to full time in a coach over 5 years old, with the smaller cummins, would just like some input from folks with older rigs, have you run into any problems because of age of coach or isb engine </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Often a new coach can have more problems than a used one. If you have used your coach long enough to get a feel for how reliable it is and feel comfortable going on the road, then I say go for it. You can always trade later on if you feel the need. Most dealers will give you plenty of time to park the rigs side by side for content transfer.

Bob

[AKBrick]

Hi Larry,
Since you'll be fulltiming it, you may not be in too big of a hurry to get anywhere. As long as your engine will get you there, that's all that matters.

UPS 34 hit the nail right on the head when he said "room". You need it for your stuff and your sanity.

We just bought our MH in October and we are still working out all of the bugs. We have appointments for the shop two times this month in AZ. When you live in the coach you find the bugs a LOT faster than when you are a weekend warrior. It's real frustrating since you do live in it. Most shops understand this and will let you stay in the MH during the night in their lot. We enjoy fulltiming so far but are waiting for the day when we will be bug free, hopefully soon. Of course as you live in it and age take hold, bugs pop up anyway as they do in a home.

We had our Winne. Brave two years and got all of the bugs worked out of it (mostly) before we traded it in for a roomier diesel pusher.
Sometimes we miss it but mostly we don't.

Either way you go, the good times stack up a lot faster than the bad.


Good luck and cheers to fulltiming!

AKBrick

[Robin_M]

Larry,

I strongly agree with what everyone else has said so far. We had an 09 Discovery with an ISB. I had added a Banks TLC kit to the engine, and it had plenty of power to push that coach, and tow a small car. We "traded up" to get more room and some of the more modern ammenitites. But the older coach was far more dependable than our new 07 Diplamat has been. Diesel coaches just don't wear out that quickly.

[Sixpack98]

Sometimes there is a lot of truth in the old saying "better the devil you know than the devil you don't"

We have had our '06 Endeavor for about 18 months and I am constantly fixing things. Nothing really major just bad construction. Missing screws, crimped propane hose, wiring issues, water leaks, rattles and the list goes on. I think the biggest downside to new coaches is the lack of quality control and engineering down to reduce costs. I don't think this is unique to Monaco, the industry is very competitive and Customers want "more" for less and something has to give. For the most part the dealer is of little use, often creating more problems than solving as well as very long repair times. I do most of the repairs myself and the rework is leveling off. Monaco tech support is great and has helped a lot.

There's something to be said about a gently used coach and letting someone else deal with the initial problems. That said, however, I've seen older coaches in much better condition than newer used coaches. Of course, with an much older coach you always run a greater risk of major things breaking and a gently used coach may be a food option if it has been maintained. A newer used coach would also provide you with more slide outs thus more room and nicer interiors. They typically also have larger engines which has its advantages but also has the disadvantage of lower fuel mileage. I'd bet you see much better fuel mileage with your ISB than I do with my 400 ISL. The ISL is a great engine and is not intimidated by the long grades in the western US but it sure does like to eat.

It's a tough call to make. You know what you have now and it weaknesses. If you feel comfortable with the power, room and mechanical condition it may be worth keeping for a couple of years. There's lots of older Monaco's and HR's running around with 500k miles or more and still going strong.

mark

[digNbubbs]

Larry - is your friend an RV salesman??



We have only been fulltiming for a year, but in that time, I have seen people living in everything from a teepee to a 45 foot rolling townhouse. Your comfort is way more important than someone else's opinion of how many horses are under your hood.

I can safely say that we have been parked more than we have driven - even though we have racked over 14000 miles this year. The living part is really important.

That being said, you do want something reliable to get you from Life A to Life B. If you coach is a bit long in the tooth, I recommend Coach-Net as a nice security blanket


--kevin

[Acker1]

We bought our '98 Endeavor in '99 and have been fulltiming ever since. No regrets. Our 275HP ISB gets avg 10 MPG and handles the hills good enough for me. And I tow a full size 4-door pickup. Don't even realize it's back there most of the time.
DICK

[Mbl Cndo]

Not to disparage your friend, but that's pretty arrogant thinking. There's nothing wrong with an older unit and as pointed out, the smaller engine will get better mileage. 6 or 7 years isn't too old for a diesel. Then there's the cost factor. Betcha your 99 is a whole lot less money than a brand new 07 or 08! If we hadn't had so many problems with our previous RV, we'd still have it today, it wasn't powerful, but did have all the room we wanted, even a bit more than the larger unit we now have.

[UPS 34]

Im hoping this one gets old someday and we still have it. We bought our first one 4 years ago. I would like this one to last until I can't drive anymore.

[SacsTC]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> UPS 34 said:
Im hoping this one gets old someday and we still have it. We bought our first one 4 years ago. I would like this one to last until I can't drive anymore. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm hoping for the same thing.. Boy, what are the chances of that happening!!! If we keep going to rallies, chances are almost nil...

[MonacoMama]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">If we keep going to rallies, chances are almost nil... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Sacs..Honey,...Did I tell you I signed us up for another rally this coming summer?

[SacsTC]

Hmmmmm, guess thats one way to get rid of old fuel...
Whadaya think Bama ???Sound like a good plan ?? Hey, its another excuse isn't it