I am looking at both Cruise American and EL Monte. I have spoken to both companies. I would have no problem buying from either as my wife worked at a RV rental place for years and I know how they inspect each as they come in for damage and possible charges to the customer and how they maintain them while they are in rental service. The worst thing that can happen to a rental is to have it brake down while under rental as everyone loses in that case and they do what they can to make sure that does not happen. People will say well they have been rented by folks who don't know what they are doing, but in actuality that is a good thing sometimes as they many times take it very cautiously to make sure they don't get charged for damage at the end of the rental period. And who is to say buying from a private party did not abuse the motorhome or lend it out to others who mistreated it? By the way in my last communications with El Monte, they told me they would reduce the sale price by what it costs for one person to travel to any of their places as Cruise America does. I was also concerned in the fact that most El Monte places are in states with sales taxes up to almost 9 percent. We have them also in my home state. I was concerned that I would have to pay sales taxes in both states which could be thousands of dollars. But the guy at the Texas El Monte place told me that in their case, they can get me a certificate from the state that will allow me not to pay sales tax to Texas and only have to pay to my home state. That is good news to me. I have had motorhomes before and no matter what you had better be prepared to have things break down from time to time have to fix them or get them fixed. Just part of the ball game. Even if the engine and transmission were to blow up and you would have to replace them both, you would still be money ahead in my opinion.
