Are there 2 different Monaco's?

bluwtr49 wrote:
One thing to remember is that during that era Monaco also made the Beaver which model for model was an upgraded interior and other features.

The Patriot Thunder and Marquis in that time frame was really the top of the Monaco line although largely forgotten about since Monaco decided that coaches at that end of the spectrum no longer had a market and discontinued the line in 2008/09.

And this marriage was blurred as well. Up until around 2009/2010, all Beavers were assembled in Bend, OR and used a "frame rail" chassis (called the Roadmaster "M" -- for Magnum) versus the true Monaco semi-monocoque Roadmaster chassis. All house framing in these coaches is 3/16" tubular aluminum versus solid steel on the Monacos. In the last year or two the Beaver line used the standard Monaco chassis and steel framing. All drawer interior construction was dove-tailed plywood versus solid wood.

In the Patriot and Marquis lines all the interiors were solid wood with dove-tail design on all drawers. All cabinet door inserts on the Marquis were special burl wood construction. While the Marquis and Executives got close in price, the wood interior on the Marquis had a high-gloss lacquer finish which I thought made it more of a show vehicle versus the luxury home feel of the Executive.

The one thing you get with some of these "older" coaches is a history of stability in design and build knowledge. With all the changes that have occurred since they were acquired by Navistar there has been little time to develop a stable design. So you are really getting a new design that does not have actual customer experience behind it. Something to take into consideration.