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Purchase of 2001 Contessa

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Jim Camarata:
We are preparing to close on a 2001 Contessa and have recently heard that that year was one lacking in quality control.  That was the last year Beaver was in operation.  Can anyone with a 2001 advise me if they have had excessive problems?  Thank you

George H. Wall:
The old Beavers were made thru the 2002 Model Year. I have a 2002 Patriot, that was manufactured in Dec. 2001. I have had very few problems, after the initial setup and break-in period. You must understand that with vertually thousands of possible things involved in a coach of this size, that minor things are always poping up!  Henry

Marty and Suzie Schenck:
Jim, All the Beaver motorhomes built up to 2005 or 2006 were built at the factory in Bend, OR. by the same employees. The only thing that changed was the management in or around 2000-2001 I believe. The coaches didn't really take on any of the Monaco traits (different slide designs) until 2003-2004. You really should not have to worry about quality control. Marty

Steve Adams:
We have had a 2001 Contessa since August of 2009. We have had a few issues such as replacing the exhaust header gasket, repairing the slide/jack hydraulic pump and a leak in the ice maker.

I felt these were normal items given the demands of moving all that weight over the road.

We thoroughly enjoy our coach and have never regretted the purchase. It was our first coach and we've learned a lot of things about them, Beavers in particular.

If you have any specific questions regarding the Contessa you can PM me.

Enjoy your purchase!

Steve

Steve Huber:
Jim,
I just came across this thread when looking for another topic. We've had our 2001 Contessa since 2005 and love it (125K miles). However it did have some quirks / QC issues when we first got it. The rear radiator and rear mounted generator are (my opinion) design issues that can lead to overheat conditions. However this can be solved by a combination of relatively simple maintenance and operational procedures. The only quality control issues I've run into are electrical; specifically bad crimps, loose connections. This caused us problems with the bedroom slide motor brake and the headlights. Again, both were relatively easy (but time consuming) to solve and not something you want to pay a shop hourly rate for. The loose connections were in the electrical bay (in front of driver side front wheel) and the dash. The nuts holding the wiring to the dash gauges were loose. Fairly  simple to get at after pulling the dash panel. Also suggest you go through the electrical bay and ensure all nuts are tight. IF you got the Contessa, enjoy. It's a good coach and the Magnum chassis is "golden".
Steve

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