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gschob's avatar
gschob
Explorer
Jun 24, 2014

Monaco Cayman 34' or Newmar Kountry Star 3353, Can't decide

I'm a first time DP buyer and have reduced my search down to two used coaches both of which are 2004 year models. I would welcome the opinion of folks who know more about these manufacturers.

The Newmar 3353 has 2 slides, 62K miles, full body paint, upgraded cherry wood cabinets, new batteries, king dome and two year old tires. The window sticker shows $40K in options for a total sticker price of $182K in 2004. It has a Cummins ISB engine. Overall condition is very good for it's age. Final negotiated price $50K

The Monaco Cayman has 4 slides, 8K miles (Yes only 8K), NO full body paint, 3 point leveling system (instead of 4), 6 new tires, new batteries, all the basic features without a lot of others options. Overall condition is good. Also a Cummins 300 engine, not sure if it's an ISB or C. Final negotiated price $56K

I see the Newmar as the nicer coach all the way around but the 4 slides and low miles are attractive. WHAT WOULD YOU DO??
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  • Tom_Barb's avatar
    Tom_Barb
    Explorer
    Jun 25, 2014
    2gypsies wrote:
    For a 2004 diesel it's better to have more miles on it than the Cayman's 8,000 miles. It's rarely been driven which isn't good for diesels. How many hours on the generator? They should be run under load for at least an hour a month.

    We're also prejudiced. :) Choose the Newmar. Our 2004 has 84,000 miles on it.


    OLD WIVES TALES

    diesel heavy equipment set for years and fire right up and go to work.

    My Newmar/cummins 350 sat for 9 years, after a new battery, fuel, and oil change it fire right up and has ran fine for 30,000 miles.

    my Onan generator has 48 hours in 14 years, starts and runs great. It has a Kobota diesel in it.

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