Greetings,
I am new to this wonderful site and new to the world of Foretravel. I have heard great things about Foretravels and would be interested in any feedback you have for a would-be owner. I currently drive a 2002 Monaco Signature 42', which is our first RV. I have been RVing for roughly 5 years now and learned a lot during that time, but by no means consider myself expert.
We have a budget of ~$350k.
Any and all advice is appreciated!
Don
Blairsville, GA
As you probably know Monaco customer service on older Monaco's is not that great. My brother has a '05 Camelot and that is his main gripe. Monaco's slide's use wipers instead of bladders for sealing air and water out. My brother complains that maybe his coach was built on a Friday as the interior of his '05 has lots of misalignment on doors and cupboards. A later year Foretravel would have the Allison 4000 if you get U320 'S or newer models. You have the top of the line with your Sig. but have nothing compared to this Forum for support on it. I can't give you coach info on models later than my '99 so others will come aboard.
Don, Foretravels are good coaches, so are Monacos. We all love our brand, but my advice would be to consider keeping what you KNOW. Many of us drive our Foretravels for 20+ years.
And many who have changed motorhomes at some time say "I wish it had my old one back". All coaches, even at 350,000 have unknow issues. But then how will you know if you don't take the leap. Check Motorhomes of Texas for info.
Don, you have a great coach for sure. Had a buddy with a Signature and it was a solid coach. If you truly want to go into Foretravel's, I would look in the neighborhood of the '98 though '03 models. Then I would look at the Phoenix which came out in '06 with the Nimbus. The Phoenix at that time was their top of the line model. There was a ownership change in late '03 and the coaches that followed were a little suspect, if you get my drift. We have owned a '98 U320 and now have the 2000 U320. The U320 was their top of the line and now they have the iH45's and the Presidential,Realm, etc., which these are out of your budget. I have always been a fan of the Monaco's back in those years, as they were solid coaches and rivaled the Country Coach in the day. Good luck in your decision, as I regret selling my '98 as it was as solid a coach as I have dealt with in the Foretravel line.
Monaco has the reputation of being a well built coach and Foretravel is a well built coach as well. I've never visited the Monaco forum so I have no clue of the group support offered there. If you study this Forum for a bit, the support will be obvious. Something for you to consider with your budget is you "could" buy a similar year model 42 ft FT or even a bit newer and have enough money left for any upgrades that you choose .You will find it recommended on this forum to have a pre purchase inspection done by someone who knows Foretravels inside and out, top to bottom. An inspector that comes to mind in my area is Keith Reich in Nachogdoches Tx. He owns and runs a repair shop in Nachogdoches and has worked on Foretravels ,and done inspections for decades. Money well spent when hiring him. Another plus for choosing a Foretravel is they are still building coaches today. Good luck in your search, you have a lot to consider and can get any question regarding a Foretravel answered here.
I have had a Monaco Dynasty before my for my Foretravel both are good coaches but
this forum is the best.
Slight correction...
Foretravel nearly went bankrupt in 2004. Things were definitely at a low point at the factory in 2004 and 2005. We saw it when we went in for service and there were "no part available" for many things.
An investment group bought the company in late 2005. That group still owns the company, although at least 2 of the principals are no longer involved (one passed, one retired. Lyle Reed remains AFAIK).
Approaching 2016, the group from MHSRV got involved in coach design and specification, which resulted first in the Realm and now the Realm Presidential and Realm FS450.
Foretravels 2005 and earlier are one entity. 2006 and later another. Whatever year MHSRV and crew started driving designs is yet another.
Monaco filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and assets were bought out by Navistar which sold out to Allied Specialty Vehicles. They moved from Or. to Indiana. Before the move customer service was on par with Foretravel I could personally call a tech's personal line and talk to him and get parts. Not now.
You did not say if you were looking to buy used or new. I assume used.
I saw this coach yesterday on Andrew Steele's YouTube channel, I thought wow, that is nice.
Its a Country Coach, only problem is they are long out of business, but do have second party support for parts and service.
2008 Country Coach Magna Rembrandt For Sale In Florida (https://www.themotorcoachstore.com/2008-country-coach-magna-rembrandt-quad-slide-mid-bath-2/)
Thanks to everyone who took the time to share your thoughts.
I am looking at used. I may need to raise my budget a little, however. Here are two that caught my eye:
2017 Foretravel IH-45 Bath & 1/2 W/ King, W/D, Power Shades, Aqua-Hot, D (https://mhsrv.com/2017-foretravel-bath--and-amp--1-2-w--king--w-d--power-shades--aqua-hot--d-used-diesel-pusher-tx-i3381255)
Used 2016 Foretravel Ih-45 in Rapid City, SD- RV Trader (https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2016-Foretravel-IH-45-5027036871)
I have been mostly happy with our Monaco. It does need considerable work, however: Paint job, replace cracked windshield, repair leaking hydraulics for slides... My thinking was to let the next owner take care of those, which would obviously be reflective in the price. We did take good care of it and recently replaced some of the carpet and tiles (which were cracked) with luxury vinyl flooring. With less than 100k mi on it, it certainly does have a lot of life left in the 500hp Cummins engine.
I guess mostly I just want a change.
Not much was said about more recent models and the quality. How was quality in the 2016-17 era?
Don
Blairsville, GA
Before I bought my IH, I was ready to buy a brand new Entregra Cornerstone. In looking at each coach they looked close in quality. That was until I bought the IH. Once I bought the IH, there is no comparison of quality between the two.
The one thing you will run into is the newer coaches have lots of gadgets. I went from a 1997 U295 that I had owned for around 20 years to the IH. There were so many changes. The learning curve to know and all of the systems is fairly steep along with all of the different things that can break.
I had a good friend that had a Foretravel, he told me he thought his coach stayed up at night to figure out what it would have broken in the morning.
Both of those coaches have the same Foretravel chassis that I feel is way superior to the chassis they are using on the Realms.
If you have any specific questions, ask away.
I appreciate your willingness to help! It's already good to know that the chassis is looking good.
What about this 2010, which is under my budget?
Used 2010 Foretravel Phenix 4540 in Amarillo, TX- RV Trader (https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2010-Foretravel-PHENIX+4540-5027285726)
The thing that I struggle with is there aren't any jdpower / nada estimates for most of the coaches I try to look up. When I bought my Monaco, I used the (then) nada site quite a bit to get an idea of fmv.
I guess it would be helpful to know what typically fails on Foretravels and, if possible, a $ value to accompany. And if you have a way to tell which coach spends nights thinking about what needs to break the next day, that would be extremely helpful. ;D
Don
Blairsville, GA
There was a member that had a 2010 Phoenix and his had some expensive issues. P.TO. and generator invertor.
Great feedback! Thanks!
Don
Plus a 2010 has the questionable 2007-2010 ISX in it (dropped valve issues). The only engine we won't touch. FT used those through at least the 2011 Nimbus and 2012 IH (first model year) due to a last-time-buy. I would avoid that engine in any coach.
The things that only this group knows about. Thank you!
Any other years/models I might want to pass on?
Don
Wasn't Country Coach owned by National at that point? If that Magna has the ISX I suspect it does, hard pass. There's a guy on iRV2 who had a Magna with the dropped valve issue twice. That's 2 $30K engine rebuilds...
[ETA - per the ad link that Magna has a Cat, not a Cummins, so not an issue]
Didn't we have a member with that engine that lost the use of her coach for a year over dropped valve issue?
Yep, and it was over a year they were without the coach. That was a 2010 or 2011 Nimbus with a 500 ISX.
One would also be wise to read the posts on the 2007 Nimbus in general (brand new model, some decontented, some obsolete parts you can't get such as dash A/C). 2008/9 are fine as long as someone else has already had the delamination addressed or someone like Xtreme confirms it doesn't have that issue and they don't have the ISX.
A wise camper said:
"The more complicated, the more repairs. KISS"
Just my opinion.
KISS and you better be able to DIY or ownership can be very expensive and may be very time comsuming depending on what's wrong. Emission engines have a lot more problems than the older models.
Pierce
Please buy one with a diesel engine. I made the mistake of buying one with a gas engine. A pusher even. ;-( Believe it or not there are Foretravel coaches out there with gas powered engines. The previous owner of mine blew his diesel engine in Mississippi and towed it to Arkansas where he installed a Ford 460 in it. Granted the engine had only forty thousand miles on it when he installed it, and I haven't had a problem with it. But she is a gutless wonder going up an incline. (Heck when Mopeds pass ya on the highway you know you're goin slow.) ;-) He He. Anyhoo best of luck in your search, you wont have buyer's remorse with a Fortravel. The people here are an amazing resource of information when it comes to these coaches.
I re-powered a 29 foot SOB from a 440 Dodge to a 7.3 mechanical turbo Ford with manual trans. Mileage doubled with the power excellent but about the same as with the 440. It made a Monaco 8.3 look like an exercise bike at a stop light or on grades.
Thousands of mechanical 5.9 Cummins out there to put in a gas coach and probably the best conversion in front or rear engine gas. 7.3 mechanical Ford turbos are rare but excellent as there are only 6 wires to connect with the glow plug timer mounted on the engine.
A Foretravel with a bad engine is only worth a couple of thousand at the most.
Pierce
Bill D's Monaco forum is very busy.