new to us motorhome

Thanks everyone for all the good info. it looks like the Monaco diplomat will be our choice. it also has low miles and next to nothing for generator use (under 40hr)
Again thank you for all your input

Nosnow :):)

We are pretty happy with our 2002 32' Itasca Horizon. 5.9 Cummins, 6 speed allison, 2 driver's side slides.

Here's a link to our blog, goes back to 2009. Mostly from BC to Mexico and back, did it once the hard way, via Alaska.

JimM68 wrote:
all being equal, I'd take the Diplomat.

HR Ambassodor (and Monaco knight) depending on the year, either had the roadmaster rr8r chassis (same as the dip) or the ill fated rr4r chassis. Good/bad/ or replaced trailing arms, the rr4r is a cheap freightliner imitation, and I'd not touch one. Monaco does better.

If the ambassador you're looking at is new enough to have the rr8r chassis, it is pretty much identical to the Dip, the dip has an ISL400, the knight/ambassador has an ISC, 350 or 360hp depending on year.

I'll take a Spartan chassis over any you mentioned.

all being equal, I'd take the Diplomat.

HR Ambassodor (and Monaco knight) depending on the year, either had the roadmaster rr8r chassis (same as the dip) or the ill fated rr4r chassis. Good/bad/ or replaced trailing arms, the rr4r is a cheap freightliner imitation, and I'd not touch one. Monaco does better.

If the ambassador you're looking at is new enough to have the rr8r chassis, it is pretty much identical to the Dip, the dip has an ISL400, the knight/ambassador has an ISC, 350 or 360hp depending on year.

after 4 Winnebago products I will be first to admit I am bias but by the same token they have been in continuous business for many many years and customer support is very good. All 4 units have been basically trouble free except small things like day/night shades need restringing after 6 years etc. the 400 ISL would be nice but our little cummins 5.9 has been down the road for 90,000 miles now (bought new)with nothing but maintenece. so all things being equal with maintence records, fit and finish etc between the units you are looking at, I would pick the horizon. It is also on a Freightliner chasis that has services centers all over the country. Good luck and enjoy your choice. tom

Ro646a wrote:
If you are buying a full body paint coach of that vintage be sure to check the dark colors for any signs of crazing or checking of the paint. Many manufacturers had the same problem.

I think I read somewhere that Winnebago did not have that issue, but I'm not sure. It might be worth your while to look into this.

Ro646a,
Well Sir, first off, the "crazing" is not only on the dark colors. I've seen it an all colors, dark, light, in between, and, even on non-painted motor homes. And second, oh yeah, Winne and Itasca both had that problem. We drove 65 miles to look at '06 Meridian and was never told it had the problem. We got there and, the display side was almost totally free of crazing. But, the sun side, had it all over, top to bottom, end to end. More so on the darker shades of the graphics but, again, it had it on the lighter stuff too.

Many, many coach builders have had that issue, mostly in the past. I haven't read of any complaints about it on later ones, as in say, '10 and newer.
Scott

Having owned a 1984 34.5 Airstream Classic I'm definitely biased toward the Airstream Land Yacht xc360.

We sold our 2005 Monaco Diplomat SKT 36' coach last year. It was a great coach and came with something you'll find hard to get in a 36' or older than 2006 coach....that's a Cummins 400 ISL.

If you are buying a full body paint coach of that vintage be sure to check the dark colors for any signs of crazing or checking of the paint. Many manufacturers had the same problem.

I think I read somewhere that Winnebago did not have that issue, but I'm not sure. It might be worth your while to look into this.

nosnow wrote:
Looking for advice on used diesel motorhome. We are looking at 36 ft and our choices are all 2001 t0 2005, Itasca Horizon, Holiday Rambler Ambassador, Monaco diplomat, and Airstream xc360. How do these rank in build quality, all have one piece solid roofs either alum. or fiberglass. Major problems with any of them?

Thanks for any info,
Nosnow :)

Nosnow,
Well Sir, we have pretty much exactly what you're looking at or, thinking about. Ours is an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT and Allison 3000MH trans. It's been an outstanding unit in the 3.5 years we've owned so far. Yep, I've had to do some repair here and there. And there's been general maintenance. Ours is the full body paint model. Having a unit like that, with that finish, I don't think I'd ever go back to a non-full body painted unit. They're so, SO much easier to maintain and polish.

The Itasca and Winnebago product are pretty much bullet proof. There is outstanding support from both Winnebago/Itasca and, Freightliner chassis too. The C-7 has performed outstandingly. The Allison trans has also lived up to its name and reputation, just great. We have the fiberglass roof which, in my opinion, is far superior to any rubber roof ever made. I know because we had one on our previous coach, a '99 Fleetwood Bounder 34V.

The interior construction, fit and finish is top notch. Our cabinets are solid wood, doors, drawer fronts and framing. The basement A/C combo Heat pump unit has also been great. The only thing I've had to do to that unit is, install a bearing in one of the fan supports. That's something that's been done by many owners. It's a simple task. Freightliner has been outstanding in support when ever I've called about a question or, a repair issue. They know every nut and bolt that went into my particular coach.

Our unit, a 36' coach, handles great. I've even mounted a Hydralift on the back and carried a Honda GL1800 Goldwing on it and it still, ran down the road true and straight with no ill handling effects, no wandering, no porpoising, nothing. The coach took care of itself in terms of ride height. That's since been changed and we tow a GMC 1500 Sierra Extended Cab 4x4 that carries the bike now.

I do all of my own maintenance and repairs. We hover around 7,000 to 10,000 miles a year in travels. It has never let us down with one exception. And even that, it still kept on running and driving normal. I'll explain later if you want to know, in a PM. I will say this, if you go the later model, as in '04 and above, you'll get a slide out tray for your generator which, by far, is an outstanding feature to have in terms of maintenance and repairs for that generator. I have friends that would kill for a slide out unit.

The later models also have better interior lighting and, in many cases, better dash componentry. And, the later ones, as in '04 and above, have better electronics in terms of computer controls, engine analysis and more. The '03 units and older utilize what's called a VDC or, Vehicle Data Computer for coordinating signals between engine operations and, your gauges. The newer coaches, as in '04 and above, utilize what's called the MMDC or, Multi Module Data Controller. It does the same thing only it's much more refined and can process information much faster. The VDC was trouble prone due to inferior solder joints in the circuit boards. Not all of them, but many.

We get many, many nice comments on our coach. Many folks think ours is way newer than it is, based on it's looks. Of course, ours has had the good fortune to be under a roof for its entire life. We recently moved to Lake Havasu City and it's now sitting in brand new home with an RV garage attached. It only sees the elements and the sun, when we're in it traveling.

Please feel free to PM me if you'd like any additional info pertaining to the Horizon model. Be very glad to help.
Scott