Fleetwood Discovry or Monaco Safari Cheetah

Thanks so much for replies. You have given us some food for thought. We are actually revisiting some of the Tiffins and Newmars that we ignored because we were afraid they were too old. We will keep you updated and if you don't mind may ask some more questions. You guys are great!

I'm not saying which brand is better, just giving you our experience with our '07 Discovery. We have almost 45k miles and besides just general maintenance, all we have had to do to this coach is replace a jack. We've spent months in Alaska on their roads and it has held up well.
Good luck with your search.

You will find a Monaco knight looks just like the cheetah except it will have a Cummings engine in those years. Monaco bought up a bunch of 06 engines and used them all the way up through 09, especially the. cummins ISL 400.

06 and older cheetahs have RR4 trailing arm problem chassis so stay away from those older years and the RR8R is a much better handling coach.

DEF is not a problem and in fact has made it so they can produce more power while running clean but is not going to be on a coach in those years.. The DPF in the early years of using them did have teething problems. If i was buying in those year ranges i would buy pre DPF. Newer coaches with DPF and DEF are not as problematic as DPF alone.

Don't think you will find many Cummins in the Safari line in the Cheetah, most if not all would have a C-7 Cat. And I don't think Cat went the DEF route, they pulled out of the over the road market. Might head over to IRV2 and the Monaco section for more info. In the later years there is a direct cross over to Monaco and Holiday Rambler models that are clones of each other except for the latter two you can get the cummins and up to the ISL 400 but you may have DEF which is another discussion.

LEN

I had a 07' discovery and liked it a lot but have not issues with Monaco either but (any)the 07 will have the engine that has fewer electronic controls and no DEF, the engines really went down in power the first couple years of the new emission controls 08' forward. I'll bet those years had the ISB engine with only 660ft/lbs of torque.

I think this is simply a matter of opinion. You are full timing, get what you like best. :)

If you buy the Discovery you can get a lot of help with problems or questions by joining the DOIA

Here is a 3MB PDF Brochure for a 2007 Discovery

Thank you. That allows us to understand much more clearly what you are asking. As mentioned above 2008 and 2009 are reputed to be years when Monaco was 'cheating' on quality due to the effects of the Bush recession. I have no personal experience of Monacos at that time but if they're cheaper than others of that age the market may be reflecting that sentiment. OTOH, Safaris have alsways been a lesser-known brand and any price difference may just reflect brand awareness. in either case, a full inspection would be warranted. You don't just want to make sure every feature works, but also look in detail - verify that the frame is solid, that there are eight or ten air bags, which model of Allison is there, etc.

On the older unit vs newer question, my approach has been to buy the best model I could, old enough to afford. My last coach was bought at 13 years old after a long search.

The other piece of advice I give everyone is there's no substitute for looking at real coaches.....if you haven't done it yet spend a day or two at PPL in Houston and MHSRV outside Dallas and you may have different questions on what is important to you. For example, I was set on an American Eagle until a visit showed me that our most frequent visitors wouldn't fit in the commode rooms (Both are broad-shouldered)

My personal favorites are Beavers for the interior quality and Foretravels for the 'Hidden' quality. Also, if you're going to sit anywhere for the winter (or summer) I'd look at a coach with air levelling. If your co-pilot, like mine, wants to adjust the jack pad at the last minute it saves a lot of stress. As well the lower ground pressure saves on jacks that make their own hole and reduces frame strain and breakage on the windshield.

Thanks for the reply! We searched nationwide within our budget over the last few months and then made a list of floor plans and amenities that were important to us. We researched as much as we could and read forums such as yours to help weed out coaches that we didn't feel fit our needs. One of the motor homes is here in Houston with us, one is in CA and the other is in FL. If we choose one that isn't close we are willing to fly out and look at it and if we like it bring it home.

We will live in the home full time and most of the time it's just the two of us. We will be traveling and either work camping and/or playing some music and local VFWs and other venues that have an appreciation for classic country music!

As well as our extensive research as to whatever the World Wide Web has to tell us we will also be walking in, touching, and examining similar models to the ones we are considering. So I suppose what we are hoping to find out from seasoned motor home owners such as yourselves includes the following:

• Opinions and facts on manufacturer quality and/or reputation
• How important is it to go with the newer model?
• Based on reputation and/or experience what model do you prefer?
• Any other comments and information is more than welcome!