Opinions please

[RobinsBill]

My husband and I have been looking at RV's for years.  We will be full timing and pulling a toad.  We seem to like the Beaver's quite well.  I would like to hear everyone's opinions on which model and or year may be best and why. The floor plan remains about the same for most of their models.  We have been looking at 2002 and older as those are in our price range.

I have spent the last few weeks reading everything on this forum...  what a wonderful site full of great information and knowledgeable people.

Thank you,

Robbie

 

[bucks2]

I'm very happy with my 07 Beaver. I wish they were still in business and doing well, but that's not the case so no use crying over it. The quality and amenities in our MH are exactly what we were looking for after we spent hours and days physically looking at different brands and models. Once we found what we liked it was just a matter of finding the right one which took some time too. It's worth the time to look at everything (all brands and models) and make lists of things you want when the time comes to buy.

We're happy and I expect you will be too with the Beaver brand. Good luck with your hunting.

Ken

 

[99WinAdventurer37G]

I would get something like this: http://rvs.oodle.com/detail/2003-beaver-contessa/3225749899-mount-vernon-wa/?cm_mmc=OODLE_PREVIEW-_-www-_-NA-_-NA

1999 to 2003.  Those motors I've purchased 2004 to present, have had three times the visits to the shop for repairs.  Also, my opinion is that a Cummins or a Detroit are the most reliable and lowest cost of ownership motors.  But I'm not aware of any bad motors made in those years, it was a good time for a diesel motor.  And that diesel should pull any toad you want to drag.

As for the Beaver itself, I haven't had any experience with them.  I'm sure others will have opinions on the brand. 

 

[RobinsBill]

Thank you.  We have looked at everything...  well, everything available in our area in person, and online all over the country.  We fell in love with a 2000 Beaver Contessa that was on the lot at RV sales of Oregon.  When we drove there to see it, it had sold just hours before we got there  :-\

When we started this process we thought we wanted a fifth wheel...  Then we changed to thinking we wanted a class C gas.  The only reason for that thinking was that we "thought" it would be easier to drive and would be so much cheaper.

When we really started doing our homework, we could clearly see that a class A DP was the only way to go for our needs.

I guess one of our concerns is the quality going from Beaver to Safari to Monaco, etc.  and certain years or models to maybe avoid?  Just checking to see if anyone here had any opinions on that.

Thanks again,

Robbie

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Beavers are reknowned for their cabinetry and fine interiors.  The years you are looking at are basically pre-Monaco takeover, so those will be under Safari Motor Coach stewardship and probably on a Magnum chassis (SMC's proprietary chassis brand). Monaco bought Safari/Beaver in 2001, but production of Beavers didn't actually change until about 2004 or so.

Old time Beaver owners felt that the last few years under Safari, which was struggling to avoid bankruptcy, were bad years for Beaver and that quality suffered. Maybe some of them can pinpoint what they felt were issues, but I can't recall any particular issues with those years.  I do recall that the 2004-2006 Marquis was an absolutely glorious coach and the Patriots weren't too far behind. The Monterey wasn't all that special, though still a nice coach and competitive in its price class. Contessa was between Monterey and Patriot and also quite nice.