Are there 2 different Monaco's?

While I 've owned two Beavers and was looking for a third one I would not buy any of the last years with a Cat engine. Poor mpg and poor reliability with the Acert engines even after several computer reflash's.
IMHO the Dyansty gave the most bang for the buck.

i would add foretravel to your search still in business aznd making their travelride chassis.

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.

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.

For years 2005-2009 the top three, Signature, Executive and Dynasty were considered "Luxury" coaches. They were built with a steel cage as opposed to the next models which were constructed of an aluminum allow framework. Later, the Executive model was dropped and the Camelot was elevated to the luxury level below the Dynasty. The Signature was always the top of the line. What we found when looking was all three were built basically the same. What was an "option" on the Dynasty was standard on the Signature, etc.

I would not hesitate to search for a well taken care of 05-09 top tier coach. The MSRP on my coach was $585,900. These can now be picked up for about a third of that. They're well made and the fit and finish are excellent. We have the 10 bag system which are all outside the frame rails. This gives you excellent ride and handling. Only negative on our coach was the Norcold which we've replaced.....Dennis

HOM wrote:
That is truly excellent information and allows me to shorten my search. My thanks to you all for that great stuff.

I’m looking for a 45’ and now know that I can add a Monaco coach from 2005 to 2009. Do you happen to know the top model of the Monaco line on down?

I’m impressed that these units were built on the Prevost and/or Roadmaster chassis!

I've been told that the Country Coach is a good choice and you'll save some money because they are out of business. Is this also true of the Monaco's I'm talking about?

HJ

Monacos top model was the Signature, then Executive, Dynasty on down.
The originals (2009 and earlier) were built on the Roadmaster chassis and were well-built coaches--we stopped by the factory a couple of times while they were still in production. Interesting note: in the early 90's they did not use fiberglass for coach outside walls--they used a composite from Germany--perhaps similar to Vitricor? The 8x40 sheets were laminated to the sidewalls. Not sure when they went to fiberglass sidewalls.
Nobody builds on a Prevost chassis except Prevost. They come fully assembled--like a bus, and coach companies install the RV components like appliances, furniture, electronics, water tanks etc.
Both Monaco and Country Coach as well as many others made such Prevost conversions--some are still in business.

When Navistar owned Monaco they also built some gassers on the Ford chassis with the V10. Very well built with lots of bells and whistles. Dealers dumped them for almost cost because they thought Monaco was going bankrupt again. Monaco covered all warranty on my unit. I'm happy I bought it.

The pre-Navistar roadmaster chassis came in four different models. 4 bag, 8 bag, 10 bag and the roadmaster semi-monocoque S-series (from the Prevost).

I believe the s-series was only available in the high end coaches (including HR, Beaver, and Safari), with the 4,8, and 10 bag units in the "lesser" models.

A certain group of the 4-bag units had a design defect in the trailing arms that could break causing the coach to go out of control. Source Engineering makes a replacement for the defective arms.

Ron

That is truly excellent information and allows me to shorten my search. My thanks to you all for that great stuff.

I’m looking for a 45’ and now know that I can add a Monaco coach from 2005 to 2009. Do you happen to know the top model of the Monaco line on down?

I’m impressed that these units were built on the Prevost and/or Roadmaster chassis!

I've been told that the Country Coach is a good choice and you'll save some money because they are out of business. Is this also true of the Monaco's I'm talking about?

HJ

There were actually THREE Monaco "companies"...

1. The original Monaco RV, built coaches on their own chassis, the Roadmaster, used Cummins, Detroit and Cat engines. Went Chapter 11 in 2009.
2. Navistar International, (originally International Harvester) bought the rights to Monaco thru the bankruptcy. They continued with the Roadmaster chassis but installed their own engines, the MaXXForce. However, they tried to get their engines past the Feds mandate for emissions and failed. So they put the RV division up for sale.
3. Allied Specialty Group purchased the entire caboodle from Navistar last year. They went back to the Cummins engines, (CAT and Detroit no longer making engines for RVs) They are using a modified Roadmaster chassis starting with the 2015 model year. The jury is still out on whether that chassis will be as good as the original.......Dennis