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D_E_Bishop's avatar
D_E_Bishop
Explorer
May 06, 2013

Checking out El Monte rental sales

I have read a lot of posts regarding the purchase of a rental unit and after PMing IAMICHABOD and discussing his experience with El Monte RV, I went to look this afternoon. We are not quite ready to buy but, I was interested in the various rigs they have for sale. The one I liked best from the online ads is the 2005 Jamboree 31W. I looked it up on NADA and the notes on that year and model state that a awning and some other items are standard equipment. I understand that rentals are special ordered without things like awnings, my question is does one deduct from the NADA price because they don't have those items? I feel I should deduct them from the low retail price before making an offer. What do you Guys think?

The salesman that I met with is named Howard and a nice guy but not an RVer. He said I was the first person who ever asked him what brand of converter/charger was in the rig in his 17 years selling RVs. In fact I had to explain what I was talking about. There were several other things I asked about that he was totally in the dark about. Other than that it was a really nice experience and he showed me what I wanted to see, even the one rig that he knew I was just interested in seeing what it looked like. Way out of my stated budget.

I pretty much settled on the Jamboree due to the storage. Most of the "C"s they have only have the one really big rear storage area and that causes the bed to be really high and hard for the DW to get into. Speaking of She who must be obeyed, she came up with this wild scheme, when we finish refurbishing the S&B, sell our condo, buy a Winnie VIA and spend a year traveling around the country and then when we're through touring, go home, sell the VIA and buy a "C" that is big enough to travel with the DGKs and maybe even their Mum on occation. That may be a viable thing but one thing that is important right now is that I spend a lot of time keeping the Bounder running smooth.
  • To the OP:
    Hire an RV tech that does service work on both the house and chassis to inspect whatever rig you are seriously interested in. The tech will call out all of the defects that need to be addressed and give you the list. You can use it to (try to) lower the price or demand that the sale won't be completed until the repairs are made. Also have the tech review the vehicle's service history and recommend any service (oil, tranny, differential, etc) that should be performed before you complete the sale.

    Why? Because once that former rental unit leaves the lot they will wash their hands of you. Outside of servicing their rental fleet, they are not a retail service center. Service after the sale is something that they don't want to do or expect to do. Other than maybe a replacement for a missing window screen, or a cabinet handle, or possible a replacement pancake light - expect a very cold shoulder. Been there, done that.

    BTW - the Cruise America salesperson that sold me my MH is a clueless seat warmer - and told me directly that they knew nothing about RVs.

    Also, there's a good chance the included warranty is pathetic. Carefuly read what it covers. If it is not listed then it's not covered. I did not opt for the extended warranty on mine because the language in it didn't make any sense. IMO, poorly written warranties are a Pandora's box for denying claims.
  • All I know (and I shouldn't admit this) is that my son rented a MH when we traveled together on an RV trip to Yellowstone. He drove that MH to places I would never take one...rough roads, steep grades. The generator wasn't working correctly but he ran it the way it was. I'm not advocating his practice, but I sure wouldn't buy a rental if they are treated that way month in, year in and out. My son only used it for two weeks...but months or years? I'd be scared to death to buy one.