Full Time

dmcgiffin wrote:
Appreciate all the replies. Those with a coach that has been pretty trouble free and support from manufacturer is a great recommendation. I certainly don't expect a warranty on an older coach....just want reliability with the power train and workmanship. We have owned numerous RV's over the years...some certainly better than others. The Gulf Stream we presently own, while it was an entry level coach it has been great. Gasser with good power....until we climb a 6% grade, but...since we are retired, not in any hurry. But we are now seriously considering selling the house and doing a lot more travel and believe it is time for a diesel pusher and a better floor plan with four slides. Top budget is $130,000 and we have seen on the internet a pretty good choice to choose from. Will head down to the Las Vegas area and Phoenix area in the spring to trade....seems like a big selection in these two areas.

Good luck on your search - we went through a similar evaluation of USED DPs, we narrowed our search to the following three manufacturers:

1. American Coach
2. Newmar
3. Foretravel

We felt uncomfortable buying a manufacturer that was no longer in business, so we generally stayed clear of those.

We decided we'd rather buy from a private seller, than a dealer. Our dealer experiences were disappointing to say the least. And in my opinion they add very little to a used DP purchase.

We also decided there would be no payments, buy only what we could afford to "pay for in full".

BOTTOM-LINE the recommendation we received, most consistently, from other long-time MH owners, was this: "Set your budget, and buy the highest QUALITY coach you can afford."

So far we are very happy with the rig we bought to eventually begin our full-time adventure - counting down the days.

Isthiswhere you meant the service facility is located?

X2 on the Monaco, Holiday Rambler, Beaver brand family. Lots of bang for your buck. Still a newbie at full timing, on the road since June of this year. There are two company owned service facilities, one in Decatur, ID and one in Coburg, OR. The phone support is outstanding.

I would also recommend a good extended service plan as things will break.

Monaco's customer support has been very good although I've rarely had to use them in the 10 years I 've owned my Dynasty. I plan on keeping it for another 10-15 years which may do it for me. I agree the Dynasty gave the most bang for the buck so $130 should get you a 06-07 with less than 50K miles. The 10 airbag Monaco's are great handling MHs and 12+ hour days are easy on you. We do the 1500 miles to CO in two days. If I had to replace mine I 'd look to a 06 Exe with a Detroit engine.

We just moved in to our new to us Travel Supreme Select 45DS. We started our search over a year and a half ago ... looked at em all .... Floorplan should be your first priority ... then on to the other things that are important to you. We wanted all electric and we love the fit & finish of the TS. and we were able to get in within the mentioned budget ....
Good luck on your search ... and certainly continue to throw out questions as you go .... the folks on this and other forums are most helpful and was a great resource of info for us ....

Appreciate all the replies. Those with a coach that has been pretty trouble free and support from manufacturer is a great recommendation. I certainly don't expect a warranty on an older coach....just want reliability with the power train and workmanship. We have owned numerous RV's over the years...some certainly better than others. The Gulf Stream we presently own, while it was an entry level coach it has been great. Gasser with good power....until we climb a 6% grade, but...since we are retired, not in any hurry. But we are now seriously considering selling the house and doing a lot more travel and believe it is time for a diesel pusher and a better floor plan with four slides. Top budget is $130,000 and we have seen on the internet a pretty good choice to choose from. Will head down to the Las Vegas area and Phoenix area in the spring to trade....seems like a big selection in these two areas.

I would look at Newmar, Tiffin and Country Coach.

Winnebago they have 2 different lines of high end DP coaches to choose from. Winnebago has built RV's before all the others RV manufactures were in business, and they will be in business when most of the others are gone. Outside of rubber and glass they make everything for there coaches in there factory. And one last thing during this last economic trouble 2007 and on they expanded and started making travel trailers when most of the other manufactures mentioned in the post went broke. I recommend not getting a warranty I've been RVing since 1976 and have never bought one. I'm a decade in on my third Winnebago and never regretted buying one of them. JMHO

Ditto what Steve said.

However, the OP is looking for manufacturers warranty, which he won't find on a pre '07 coach. He would be better served to look for a quality luxury coach, Monaco, Newell, Country Coach, etc. and get an extended warranty to cover the things he can't fix himself.

For instance, Monaco made three, now four LUXURY coaches prior to '07. The Signature, Executive (now discontinued) the Dynasty and the Camelot, in that order. The difference between the coaches mainly consists of options. The Sig was fully optioned, the Exec slightly less optioned and on down the line. They ALL have a STEEL structure. The coaches below the luxury line had a composite aluminum structure.

All luxury coaches have solid wood interiors, better fit and finish, upgraded fixtures, screws instead of staples, etc. etc......just my opinion.....Dennis

dmcgiffin wrote:
Thinking about going full time and looking for valued opinions. I would prefer a diesel manufactured before all the new emissions were required...2007? And a coach manufacturer that stands behind their product.

The Monaco Dynasty has always offered a lot of bang for the buck in a high end coach. My wife & I have lived full time in a Monaco Signature, which is the Dynasty's big brother, for 8 years now and have no interest in anything else.