Looking for a Monaco

[theBeav]

Hi,

New to the forum. My DW and I are preparing to buy our first MH. The plan is to go fulltime by June 2018.

We had found a very nice 2008 Monaco Dynasty Queen, but it was bought out from under us.

I've read some posts on this forum that talk about Monaco quality going downhill lately. Something about 2009 being a turning point and REV, not being the best steward for the brand.

I've really been fond of the Monacos that I've seen on RVT and RVTrader. But as a first timer a little concern about going much over 10 years old.

We really like the Dynasty, and Executives that we've seen in that vintage.

Any input from the members here is appreciated.

[plasma800]

great coaches.

You might look at the Beaver coaches too. For a number of years they were under the same roof.

[adamfolger]

My Dynasty is 16 years old and everything still works. You are correct about the Monaco line but I would put the cut off at 07-08. I is not about age but condition and maint records. By limiting your search to only 10 yrs old, you are eliminating all the coaches when Monaco was building the best units. The best bang for the buck is 2000-08. You really want an 8rrs or 10rrs Roadmaster chassis. Monaco's, especially Dynasty's, don't sit around waiting for you to decide. If you find one you like , move quickly with due diligence.

[fcmcelr]

In my opinion, the best Dynasty model years were 2006-early 2008.

Beyond mid 2008 model year, built in the summer of 2007, Monaco moved to a chassis multiplex system. These systems draw so much battery power that most of the dash electronics and generator start is tied to the house batteries. A bad design. So stay away from a Monaco chassis multiplex coach.

If I were in the market to replace my 08 Dynasty built in April 07, it would be an 07 or early production 08 without the chassis multiplex system.

One more piece of advice before buying is to have the engine ECM computer printout including an abuse history report. This will tell you if the engine overheated and a lot about how the coach was driven (a 50 page engine history report includes times at certain engine temperatures, power rangers, fault history and a whole lot more.). There would be no way that I would buy a coach without looking at the full ECM history report. Just because no fault codes are present means very little, at least to me.

Frank M
08 Dynasty (original owner)

[jacwjames]

Monaco was on the verge of bankruptcy when we toured the factory in Aug 2009. Only had a skeleton crew building a limited number of coaches, probably using any parts laying around. At end of tour we looked at a coach that had just come off the line, it was a mess with visible problems.

Not sure when Emission issues came into play with engines but as with any new technology there are usually problems.

I would stick with a 2007 or older coach. Ours is a 2002 and still looks good, I'd put it up against most newer coaches.

[Flyin4Fun]

My family (my parents and brothers) have stayed loyal to the Monaco Brand... The 2004 Dynasty I have was ordered custom by my father. Knowing the coach's history can mean a lot. And I can tell you, through experience of my family and still yet other friends, we have a lot of faith in the rigs that were built in early 2000s.

As far as my 2004 is concerned, it was 6th Diesel Pusher that my father purchased... It was the ONLY ONE THAT DID NOT end up going back for factory fixes throughout the first year or two. That history comports with the experience of others in our family... 2003, 2004 and 2005 were rock solid and Monaco was at the peak of their game. I have no experience with the quality of Monaco after 2012.

[JohnBoyToo]

We bought our 2011 Dip in 05/15 and while we did have some growing pains with an electrical short, we felt comfortable in that it still had engine warranty on the Cummins available.
Almost 30k miles later and we still will take it anywhere on a moments notice.

As far as emission systems go, having had 3 or 4 late model diesel pickups with "soot processing plants" thanks to the EPA, this DPF only and no DEF has not been an issue.

The bath and 1/5 tag axle floor plan just WORKS for us, not to say Momma wouldn't shake her head at a new one, though

[Scotialaddie]

We stumbled upon a 1999 Monaco Dynasty last year. I knew nothing about Monaco’s at the time but just walking around it could tell it was a quality coach. After some research we bought it and have absolutely no regrets. We are currently traveling the country as full timers and loving it!
In my opinion, if you find an older Monaco seriously consider it. They are great coaches

[RamiDav]

George ,

I know of an 05 Executive for sale in Florida .
It's a long way from Tx but who wouldn't want to go to
Florida this time of yr .
The owner has recently bought a new Foretravel $$$$
I am quite positive you will find this coach to be as good
as any out there , no , probably better .

Ray D

email at - viperrrr05@yahoo.com

Ph 321 427 6909.

[CountryB]

As others have said, I would advise to go with a coach that is a 2007 or older, so you don't get the diesel emissions. Pre-emissions are easier and cheaper to work on.

You do not want a CAT engine with emissions (Google "Cat ARD head").

Maybe Cummins is better regarding emissions devices - but I would still stay away from it if possible.

Good luck

[jacwjames]

Originally Posted by CountryB

As others have said, I would advise to go with a coach that is a 2007 or older, so you don't get the diesel emissions. Pre-emissions are easier and cheaper to work on.

You do not want a CAT engine with emissions (Google "Cat ARD head").

Maybe Cummins is better regarding emissions devices - but I would still stay away from it if possible.

Good luck

I knew the manager of the Cummins shop in Knoxville TN. I would stop by occasionally and BS. On one visit we discussed the emissions issues with the newer engines. He said that the problem was the EPA was pushing for improvement too fast, Cummins couldn't keep up. By the time they got the bugs worked out of a Tier engine they had the new one come in and take it's place.

He ended up retiring a couple years ago and he told me he was looking for a motorhome. Guess what, he ended up buying a gasser, what does that tell you about his confidence in diesel engines.

[vito.a]

I'm going to slightly disagree with the model years previously recommended. Monaco filed Chapter 11 in Mar 2009 and had been building 2009 model coaches since Jun 2008. I've looked at several 2009 model coaches and not seen any issues since most were built in 2008.
Monaco stocked Cummins engines in large quantities, so most coaches will have an engine from 1-2 years prior to the coach model year. A 2009 coach will have a non-DEF Cummins engine from 2007 or 2008.

I also like the Monaco Intellitec multiplex system introduced in 2006. The switches light up and are easy to read. Prior to this, they are small dark brown rocker switches that are impossible to read at night.

I would search from 2003 to 2009 model year and include sister coaches from Holiday Rambler (Navigator and Imperial) and Beaver Coach (Patriot and Marquis). Also make sure you look at Monaco Executives and Signatures (1 and 2 models above the Dynasty) as there are some great buys out there. The Executive and Signature will come standard with a larger Cummins ISM 500hp engine and have optional Cummins 525 ISX and Detroit 515hp Series 60 (if you find one of these grab it!).

You can find nice coaches prior to 2003, but they likely will have only 1-2 slide outs (1 front and 1 back). Dynasty also switched from the Cummins 350hp ISC to the 370/400hp Cummins ISL in 2002. You will find the 42' Dynasty models will come standard with 3 roof A/C's and an Onan 10k generator as well as a stronger Roadmaster chassis.

Caution: Pricing will vary as much as $100k on the same make model coach. Make sure you search nationwide. An airline ticket is cheap compared the the money you will save.
You can download the legacy brochures and learn a lot about the coaches:
https://www.monacocoach.com/brochures-download/get


Best of luck!

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by RamiDav

George ,

I know of an 05 Executive for sale in Florida .
It's a long way from Tx but who wouldn't want to go to
Florida this time of yr .
The owner has recently bought a new Foretravel $$$$
I am quite positive you will find this coach to be as good
as any out there , no , probably better .

Ray D

email at - viperrrr05@yahoo.com

Ph 321 427 6909.

I know this coach & owner. Would be an outstanding purchase.

[jeanfrey]

My husband and I just went full time at the end of November 2017. We looked at a lot of coaches - new, used Travel Supreme, etc. We accidentally came across our Monaco. It was next to a Tiffin allegro and we asked the salesman about it. It had just been traded in and they didn’t even have it listed yet. He got the keys, we went inside, fell in love, and bought it that day pending inspection. We knew very little about Monacos but we saw the quality in the materials (beautiful natural cherry cabinets and trim throughout the coach) and were surprised by the advanced level of technology in a coach that was 10 years old. The previous owner had all his service done at that dealership so we were able to see them all. The exterior is in great condition and people think it is a new coach. We bought a 2007 Monaco Camelot 42 PDQ with 48,000 miles. We have had no problems and have really enjoyed our coach. The floor plan is perfect for us. It has a large kitchen for an RV so Cooking is almost as easy as it was in our house. Sorry for the long post, but just wanted to let you know about our experience with an older Monaco. Best luck with going full time. There’s an excellent web series by Marc and Julie Bennet called RV Success School. It really helped us with the transition.