Hey guys!
Let me first say, great thread! This is truly the first thread where I read each and every post.
I've been snooping around RV threads for the last couple of months as the wife and I are looking at getting a Class C this winter. We live in Arizona about 15 miles out from the Mesa Cruise America. We are considering a pre-rental unit from CA. Almost every other weekend we have been out looking at Class Cs to get the idea of what's out there and pricing. We are both very utilitarian people and don't like much foofoo or frills. For us we find ourselves always going back tot eh CA design. very basic, robust and durable. I have seen people complain because CA does not have carpet or the furniture is cheap with zipper covers and square padding. I think to myself PERFECT! It will be cheap to fix and easy to clean.
I was raised with a wrench in my hand so I am very familiar with Vehicles and repairs. I don't have a problem doing repairs or upgrades myself. I also have friends in both the RV and the auto industry that can help if I need more professional equipment. I just need to learn the mechanics, wiring and plumbing of the house side of it which doesn't seem too bad.
We are renting a 28a in October to drive from Phoenix to Valley of the Gods in Utah. We are also hauling our motorcycles on a trailer as well. We will be out for 5 days off the grid with 3 people and 2 dogs. We will be taking the more scenic route which will also give us more hills, some steep grades and curvy roads. We want all the "worst" conditions so we can see how it is on the road. Mind you, we do a lot of driving to areas in our 1991 suburban I have outfitted for long term driving and sustainability. I have also hauled racecars and such so large vehicles on the road don't scare. it's just a matter of learning.
We have already been in contact with a Wayne in the sales dep't at the Main store in Mesa. We have been in 3 times already just going over the RVs and each time Wayne was there for any questions. We are also ones that don't like to spend a large amount of money unless it is REALLY going to be worth it for us. I was able to get the fine print of the extended warranties to give to a friend who works on RVs and see what he says. Wayne also said he should be able to get a service record for whichever one we pick out. The nice thing about getting it from the Main store is we will have the pickings before they go elsewhere. Let me say so far the best sale customer service we have received so far is from CA.
One of things I noticed was not mentioned was the 2008 and older Tritons having the tendency to spit spark plugs out due to bad head casting. Ford will not recognize this enough as a issue and I guess it does not happen enough for a recall. However there are tool companies that have come up with the specialty tools to fix this issue. I have a friend who has a 03 super duty V10 and he has had 6 of the 10 spit and fixed already.
CA, from what all I have seen so far I think does do their refurbishing really good. a lot of dealer owned Cs that were in same year range obviously had a lot less mileage but they showed more wear especially on the outside where the AZ sun just kills everything and they wanted 10 to 20K more over CA. I guess for us what the CA Rvs really does it for us is the "practical" design they put into them. Everything is right there and its all meat & potatoes.
I found the link that Wizard posted on the 15 page check list and there has been a lot of positive info in regards to units from CA.
Sorry for such the long post, just wanted to get everything out there!
