clintonmotor Report post Posted October 19, 2010 You have to weigh out your situation when picking a coach. I have studied these things for 6 years. I had a 31' National RV Surfside with a 454 Chevy. It was great for short runs , because you have the comforts of a home where ever your at. For long trips it is challenging, We installed airbags on the chassis to try and help with Wind Sway. You have to stay on that steering wheel and pay very close attention. It was not relaxing. Also it had a gas generator which was located in the rear next to the bed and it is just too noisy. So we sold it. I researched 1000's of DP's, I narrowed my search down to certain criteria to fit OUR NEEDS. 1. The shortest Diesel Pusher used that we could purchase, 2. Had to have a Diesel Generator of at least 7.5kw 3. Generator had to be mounted in the nose of the bus 4. The largest engine I could find for that type of coach ( nothing less than a 7.2L Cat (3126) or a 8.3L Cummins ) 5.9's are pickup diesels. 5. Large 22.5 tires 275/80 series or bigger 6. One slide if available 7. 6 way leather seats for comfort 8. twin a/c's with heat strips 9. Electric heated mirrors 10. I was looking for a hi mileage coach ( 60,000 -100,000) WHY? The engine a trans are just broke in. And most of any problems that could happen were probably fixed. The coach that met our criteria was a 1999 Monaco Windsor 36ft with 330hp 8.3L Cummins with the 6spd Allison, 75,000 miles. We wanted a 34ft Monaco Dynasty because they came standard with a 350hp Cummins and they are the next step up from the Windsor model. Anyway, you have a 10k hitch 8 airbag suspension, Fiberglass roof, and FRP sides, Insulated glass, and all the amenities needed to go anywhere you want. You have a higher maintenance expense, but you have a better ride, and I feel they are built better than the Gas units. Tons of power. We pull a 24' race trailer loaded with Race equipment and vehicles and you don't even know you have it behind you. My Gas burner took forever to come up to speed and the chassis was to light with the 19.5 wheels and 454 Chevy. Now, here is the thing, Make sure you buy a Warranty package from someone your comfortable with. We used GOOD SAMS RV Warranty with the $500 deductible. It fit our package. In fact the previous owner had this same Warranty on this coach. You never know about these motorized giants, they all have Gremlins. So protect yourself. One last thing: DP's that we used for our selection process. 1998-1999 Model year - To fit our budget as a first DP! Monaco 32'-36' Country Coach -Intrigue, Allure 32'-36' Safari Sahara 30' Beaver Monterey 30' Winnebago Journey 32'-36' Itasca Meridian 32'- 36' Phil Barr -Clinton, Michigan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
