Community Forums

The Pun · 11-30-2020, 03:00 PM

Heya all,

I was thinking of going to check out this unit but it is about 3-4 hours away and figured I would drop in here and get some feedback on if it is too good to be true or things to look out for.

Read a lot of good things about the 10 bag chassis and Monaco build quality. In this price range expect to have some issues and am budgeting in funds for repairs and upgrades.

https://www.zoomersrv.com/product/us...40p-1267770-10

Noticed some possible water damage in picture 24 in the bathroom or am I mistaken?

Thanks in advance.

Jeff

jacwjames · 11-30-2020, 03:26 PM

Good eye on the possible water damage. Wonder what it looks from the outside, any delamination???

This year Dynasty is in the sweet sport as far as engine and emission controls. Tag axle is a great feature.

Overall the rig looks good and price seems low so I'd look for other issues. Hours on generate are higher then what I normally see, if it was serviced probably not a problem. These can have a long life if taken care of.

Check tire DOT dates.

I would recommend oil analysis on engine, trans, generator along with coolant analysis. Cost ~$40/sample but worth it.

windsorbill · 11-30-2020, 04:08 PM

Nice looking coach.

also picture #23 next to toilet, the wall seam is split. Probably a continuation of the damage above it in picture #24.

Pictures don't show the outside of that area. Maybe dealer can send you some? I'd look carefully at the wall/roof connection. They are know to leak if not maintained. If you can get in the basement area directly under there, see if you can see any visible damage to the subfloor.
Also see if they have maintenance records.

Outbound · 11-30-2020, 04:35 PM

Nice looking coach, I would ask for more photo's of water damage and if dealer has had it looked at, great price for tag axle four slide Monaco. Does coach come with all manuals and maintenance records, also as mentioned above need oil samples etc.

geordi · 11-30-2020, 04:37 PM

Definitely something going on from the outside in pictures 23 and 24 - I'd bet that it is a combination of lack of sealing from the roof (Monaco uses double sided foam tape between the roof and sidewall joint which dries out) and the rear end of the forward slide, the fiberglass there might be cracked b/c of the slide room. That's not an issue, it is just a reality of slide rooms (LOTS of coaches have a crack there) but if you don't know about it and seal with silicone or dicor, it can cause major issues.

I will say... I bought my 03 40' Diplomat in 2012 for a whole lot less than this price, and yes it also had water damage that I have now fixed - and with my upgrades and renovations, I'm only just approaching what a dealer would have charged me for it. Point out the water damage, and hammer them HARD on the price, they have at least 20k to come down. This generation of Monaco are very well built overall, and if the pics are accurate, this is in pretty decent shape despite the expected and present water damage issues. Nice looking coach.

vito.a · 11-30-2020, 06:50 PM

This will make someone a great coach. After addressing the water damage plan on spending time and money to bring it back into shape.
There will be lots of other systems that require repair or replacing. If you are willing to perform the labor it will be well worth it.

The Pun · 12-01-2020, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacwjames

Good eye on the possible water damage. Wonder what it looks from the outside, any delamination???

This year Dynasty is in the sweet sport as far as engine and emission controls. Tag axle is a great feature.

Overall the rig looks good and price seems low so I'd look for other issues. Hours on generate are higher then what I normally see, if it was serviced probably not a problem. These can have a long life if taken care of.

Check tire DOT dates.

I would recommend oil analysis on engine, trans, generator along with coolant analysis. Cost ~$40/sample but worth it.

Thanks for the reply, how do I harvest the sample and get that analysis?

Yeah I will need to see what the date is on those tires are for sure, 8 of them are not cheap.

Jeff

The Pun · 12-01-2020, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Outbound

Nice looking coach, I would ask for more photo's of water damage and if dealer has had it looked at, great price for tag axle four slide Monaco. Does coach come with all manuals and maintenance records, also as mentioned above need oil samples etc.

10-4, I will ask before I make the drive out there.

Jeff M

The Pun · 12-01-2020, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geordi

Definitely something going on from the outside in pictures 23 and 24 - I'd bet that it is a combination of lack of sealing from the roof (Monaco uses double sided foam tape between the roof and sidewall joint which dries out) and the rear end of the forward slide, the fiberglass there might be cracked b/c of the slide room. That's not an issue, it is just a reality of slide rooms (LOTS of coaches have a crack there) but if you don't know about it and seal with silicone or dicor, it can cause major issues.

I will say... I bought my 03 40' Diplomat in 2012 for a whole lot less than this price, and yes it also had water damage that I have now fixed - and with my upgrades and renovations, I'm only just approaching what a dealer would have charged me for it. Point out the water damage, and hammer them HARD on the price, they have at least 20k to come down. This generation of Monaco are very well built overall, and if the pics are accurate, this is in pretty decent shape despite the expected and present water damage issues. Nice looking coach.

Really you think they can move that much more on the 65k price?

I planned on redoing the wallpaper with paint or some engineered wood when I buy and older unit.

vito.a · 12-01-2020, 02:40 PM

You will need to get down into the main plywood/fiberglass portion of the wall to repair the water damage, not just replace the covering. Remove all rotten wood and re-bond with new. You will also need to repair or replace any metal corrosion going on inside.
And of course repair the leak or leaks that caused it.
This thread has some pictures so you can see what's going on inside the damaged area. Hopefully the Dynasty is not damaged as extensively.
https://www.irv2.com/forums/f112/wat...ml#post5540830

There is always room for movement in the price. Most dealers plan on a cushion for trade in allowance.

The Pun · 12-01-2020, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vito.a

You will need to get down into the main plywood/fiberglass portion of the wall to repair the water damage, not just replace the covering. Remove all rotten wood and re-bond with new. You will also need to repair or replace any metal corrosion going on inside.
And of course repair the leak or leaks that caused it.
This thread has some pictures so you can see what's going on inside the damaged area. Hopefully the Dynasty is not damaged as extensively.
https://www.irv2.com/forums/f112/wat...ml#post5540830

There is always room for movement in the price. Most dealers plan on a cushion for trade in allowance.

10-4, thanks I will check it out.

Yeah, I figured it would be a deeper dive if it's real damage. I was just planning on remodeling anyway since many older coaches are a bit dated.

Jeff

Ivylog · 12-01-2020, 06:47 PM

“Hammer them hard and offer them $20K less”...if I was the seller I’d raise the price by that much for you. It’s a fair price for a 05 and the Dynasty is a great , trouble free coach based on the 16 years mine has been in the family...sold it to my son. Dynasty has a steel structure and any damage from the leak will be minor.

The 4 slides make for a good full time rig and you only have 9000 lbs of stuff (CCC) it can carry. They are heavy on the front axle so you can only use 6000 lbs of the 9K. One solution is to put 315 tires on the front ($1200) and then put 6 11R22.5 on the rear ($2400). You might be able to get new tires thrown in, assuming it needs tires.

Great handling rig and multiple 750+ mile days are easy. Crosswinds or passing trucks are not a problem and it loves curvey roads.

One area of concern is the bottom corners of the slide outs. Delamination is possible and the solution is right angle plates screwed to the edges.

Majority of rigs of that vintage, regardless of manufacturer has paint checking (small white blisters in the gel coat) that’s cosmetic and usually only in the darker paint. This rig is not as dark as many so it’s probably only in the black stripe if not kept indoors most of its life.

The Pun · 12-01-2020, 06:57 PM

Thanks all, emailed the dealer asking some follow-up questions and might take a road trip out there this weekend and will report back.

geordi · 12-02-2020, 03:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ivylog

“Hammer them hard and offer them $20K less”...if I was the seller I’d raise the price by that much for you. It’s a fair price for a 05 and the Dynasty is a great , trouble free coach based on the 16 years mine has been in the family...sold it to my son.

Good for you, did you sell it with a water damaged interior?

I bought mine in 2012 (when it was 9 years old) with water damage and paid 32k for it. This coach is virtually identical, but has 1 more slide and 2 extra tires... And with water damage and 15 years old, is supposed to be worth double what I paid? That's not how it works, each unit is unto themselves after the book value, and what it sold for originally is irrelevant. You say you would raise the price "for me" which suggests you don't like the way I evaluate the unit - It doesn't matter what you like or not about me, it isn't worth what they are asking.

The dealer took this in on trade from someone who didn't want to get the damage fixed (and probably got an estimate of around 15k to fix the damage and rebuild the bathroom b/c the water WILL have gone all the way to the floor in that wall) and the dealer ABSOLUTELY hammered the trade value they gave that owner. They didn't take this in and give the owner 60k for it, no way no how.

They would have done a full inspection of their own and instantly seen that damage, any other issues we can't see from the images, and every single thing would be a reduction in the value from the book number. I'd guess they gave him around 30k for the coach, pointing out that a 15 year old unit even in great shape is not going to be eligible for bank financing (so hard to sell / lowers the offer) and then there are the hidden water leak "features" that they would imply are all over the coach b/c of the one big one that is evident.

Yeah, they DO have a lot of room to negotiate on this, and the OP's knowledge or skill of remodeling doesn't factor into the talks. It's all based on hourly skilled labor rates to fix the damage, and that comes off the asking price until a number that both parties can agree on is reached. They have their profit margin over what was given for the trade.... And that is the only thing you are benefitting by buying from a dealer - you pay their profit. They don't fix things on their lot, that costs them money. If they don't like the negotiation, they just say the deal doesn't work, and hold out hope for someone that doesn't see the water damage or find the hidden damage, and buys it for their profit margin.

The buyer wins when they get a better deal through negotiation. Will they come down 20k? Maybe.... Depends how many people have looked and left that unit and how much they want it gone.