New Need Advice 2000 Monaco Signature

[JJTL]

Welcome to the forums! As many have already pointed out, the early 2000’s Signatures are a fantastic coach. Bias aside, they were one of the best production coach you could get. Would be great to have another owner join us here!

Many have given great advice so far. Inspect the coach as best you can and take it for a drive. Remember to look on top of the coach and under the coach, including under the slides. Run as many systems as you can. Check the DOT date codes on all the tires. Try and determine age of batteries as they are also a large expense.

Regardless, there will always be some projects with a 20 year old coach. It certainly helps save some money if you’re handy. Working on the coach has been a labour of love for us.

If you want to get some insights on some of the projects ahead, you can check out our thread for our 2001 Signature. We have been documenting all our repairs and upgrades.

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/upg...re-485002.html

All the best!
Josh

PS Here is the original brochure for the 2000 Signature: https://library.rvusa.com/brochure/00Signature.pdf

[Ruffcutz]

Thank you guys again for all the info. I literally have been researching everything. Downloaded all the manuals I could find, engine, Gen, aqua hot...watching numerous YT videos. I would say I have learned so much and at the same time am aware that do not have much experience. The resale on these seems to be good. I am going to hire a pro to go through it. I will be posting more questions and also what I find in it, if I get it look forward to getting to know all of you.

[Ruffcutz]

Again thank you guys for all the info. Yesterday we looked at a few more homes and then last night a ran across a 2001 Newmar Mountain Aire 4095. This thing is in immaculate condition. Always garaged, always maintained. of 20 + units I have looked at including ones up to the year 2008 (trying to stay within a budget) I have not yet found one that is in this great a condition. One of the family members is a diesel mechanic so it was always maintained and serviced. The paint and clear coat look almost brand new. It has 54k mile with a 350 Cummins and Allison Trans. The price however is 72k. So I am a bit conflicted as to the decision I need to make. The Monaco Signature is a top of the line coach but I already know it needs new tires and windshield which for the price difference I can do however it is not in nearly great shape as this Newmar. Being a first time buyer and wanting to be not he road most of the time the first year I am thinking that the Newmar is probably the better bet but wanted some opinions.Here are a couple picts of the Newmar. Also I will loose the deposit I put on the Sig which I ma ok with if I go forward with the Newmar.

[Ruffcutz]

Also new bats, awnings, shocks, Everything is great and the guy selling is really nice and seems to be very honest.

[deandec]

Look for stains for water intrusion from the roof. Inside the cabinets and where ever possible.

It seems you have found two very well cared for rigs with reasonable pricing.

A higher price for a well cared for older rig is a bargain IMHO.

It appears you do not need to rush the decision. If someone else buys one of the rigs, your decision as to which one to buy will be determined.

[zmotorsports]

That looks to be in great condition based on the pictures. Like deandec mentioned, give it a good once over and look in closets, cabinets, etc. for any signs of water intrusion as they can be a killer to an RV.

Short of that the Newmar Mountain Aire and Dutch Star's of the early to mid-2000's were very well made and reliable coaches. A friend of ours had a 2001 or 2002 that he towed their race trailer around with and it did a great job as well as being very comfortable and reliable.

I also agree with deandec in the fact that a highly maintained and documented coach is worth a few bucks extra and more of a bargain than a lesser expensive one that has no history and/or needs some work.

[Ruffcutz]

Thanks guys for the input. Checked all the cabinets and closets and not a bit of water damage anywhere in the Newmar. The Newmar is 72k while the Monaco is 59k. The Newmar also has a new Xantrex inverter. I already know the Monaco needs tires and a windshield which is a full wind shield and the Newmar has a split. In your opinions is there an advantage to either? I would think that the split is more cost effective to replace if cracked because the needing to replace only one side. Again new at this have been trying to do my due diligence in gaining as much knowledge as possible. And again a Hugh thank you for all your comments.

[Ruffcutz]

Yea that shield was an upgrade option with Monaco back then. I saw one on an Executive recently as well.

[zmotorsports]

We've had both the split windshield (2-piece) in our previous coach, Beaver Contessa, and the one-piece windshield in our current Monaco Dynasty. Both have pro's and con's that you already touched on. The cost is less when you have a crack because usually it will be on one only plus labor is usually less with the 2-piece. Some shops do not like replacing the 1-piece windshields. I have had two replaced in our Monaco Dynasty over the past 15 years and they are on the expensive side but not terrible.

That being said, traveling and seeing the country through that 1-piece windshield is definitely nice.

[veraken]

Here are links for the brochures for the 2 MH you are considering.

https://library.rvusa.com/brochure/00Signature.pdf especially

https://library.rvusa.com/brochure/2...dpbrochure.pdf

Look at them closely especially towing capacity and roof type.

[gsgriffin]

Originally Posted by Ruffcutz

Also new bats, awnings, shocks, Everything is great and the guy selling is really nice and seems to be very honest.

I may have missed this, but something I would consider really important to help us give you better advice on which type and model you might want to consider is how you plan to use this.

1) Full-time or little excursion? How often, how far, for how long?
2) Where do you want to stop? Only RV parks, public lands, remote, always plug in, warm climates only?
3) How much stuff do you have to take with you? Do you travel with little or like to bring everything you might want or need?
4) What and how will you be towing? Or not towing?
5) Will you garage this when not in use or cover or nothing? What climate are you in for parking?
6) How long do you want to make this last?
7) Do you have family where larger family glamping outing or taking grandkids out for a weekend might be an option?

There are good perspectives and thoughts expressed by everyone on this thread. Excellent points for looking at the condition and making sure you don't get a lemon. I bought mine from a really nice and helpful guy who assured me everything worked and I didn't need to turn it on to test. That was not true. Not everything worked.

For me, still, just because it looks nice and new and smells fresh doesn't make it a good fit. For me personally, I would never ever get a rig that divides front and back with a bathroom between. Bath and a half for me was more important than having something close by. If you haven't looked on rvtrader.com, then you haven't seen all the possibilities and prices. I have a friend with a nice Beaver, but his storage underneath was a lot less than mine and would never suffice for my storage needs.

I think that perhaps some answers to the questions above might also help people chime in for potential floor plans you may want to consider outside of the rigs you have found.

[okcnewbie]

The OP decided to go with the Mountain Aire. It looks like a beautiful MH.

[mswmckeown]

The following are a few things to check
Chassis and Engine
Check the vertical members on the chassis that support the trailing arms for the rear suspension for cracks around the welds
Once you are set up put some cardboard under the engine and transmission, run it for 15 minutes and make sure there are no oil leaks.
Check the air pressure on your air brakes. The pressure shouldn’t drop a lot overnight. The low air alarm should not come on.
Check your Fluid levels, Engine Oil, Transmission, Coolant, Hydraulic Oil, Leveling System, When did they last change all of the Fuel and Oil Filters on the Engine and the Generator? Have a look to see if they look new.
Confirm the manufacture date on your tires, Michelin says 7 years to replace. They shouldn’t be more than 3 years old and preferably new. New Michelins are around $650 to $770 each
Check for any visible sign of an Exhaust leak, will appear sooty black
Check your leveling System, if you have jacks, make sure they retract by themselves and have no visible signs of leakage. If it is air, make sure your leveling compressor is functioning correctly

Roof, Slides and Awnings
Make sure when your Slides are out all of the Slide Seals are situated correctly with the feathered end of the Slide Seal flat against the Slide towards the exterior wall of the Slide, not tucked in towards the interior
Check to make sure your Slide Toppers retract as the Slide goes in and does not bunch up. May be stretched and need re-tensioning
Check the attachment of the Slide Toppers
Check all your awnings to make sure they function correctly going out and back in.
When you have all your Slides out simulate a good thunderstorm with your water hose and check for leaks on your slide seals
Do the same after checking the roof for any damage or cracks and leaks, especially around the AC’s and front clearance lights
If it has an Anemometer to automatically retract the awning check to make sure it works, (use a hair drier on full blast to get it spinning)

Inside
Check water flow with onboard pump and shore connection at all sinks and Toilets
Check sinks, shower and washer drains for flow
Check AC’s and Heat Pump function if it has it. If it has the Aquahot system, check all functions, Furnace, Hot Water on Diesel and Electric, when was it last serviced?
Sound System, TV’s, Dash Gauges, Tank Monitoring, Cameras etc.

[mswmckeown]

The Signature is a great coach, I am probably a bit biased as I have had my 03 Sig since 2006 with no major difficulties