2006 Alfa see you Gold

[map40]

We are looking to this unit 2006 Alfa See You Gold
We have a small rental operation with 6 units, all class C, and we want to get into the Clase A market. The unit has 8900 miles (which I'm not crazy about).
Any suggestion on things to look for?

[wolfe10]

J-Rooster wrote:
What I like about Alfa's is the CAT motor...

Suspect this coach has the Cummins ISL (listed as 400 HP and that decal on the back of the coach).

[qtla9111]

Friends have one just like it. They bought it used. They are from Canada and winter in Mexico. Perfect for a rental, huge windows, good solid furniture. What´s not to like about it. Looks like it would be an easy rental.

Good luck with your business.

[Rice]

dougrainer wrote:
The OP is in Florida. This is a bad area to utilize an Alfa unit in heat. Alfa units(motorhomes) could NOT cool the interior below 80 degrees in temps above 90 degrees.

That is a good point. It's not uncommon for owners to install a roof air unit in the living room, and if this unit was used as an office in Florida, it might have that.

I'll also point out that part of the problem with cooling an Alfa has to do with the enormous windows, which let in tons of heat when the sun is shining on them. It's an acceptable trade-off for people who prize that openness (along with the high ceilings), but might not be noticeable (and therefore of value) to people renting an RV.

The basement air has two compressors, and with only one running, there's not much cooling at all. You can run both compressors on 30 amp power, but you have to know what you're doing (you can't just turn individual roof air units on and off), and I'm certain that would be beyond the skills of your average renter.

Also, the Gold model has more complex systems than the See Ya model, which as others have pointed out is not good for a rental. And Alfa used a unique (and terrible) split house/inverter battery bank system that causes owners untold grief until they really get their heads around it, or rewire it to be just one bank for the house and inverter batteries. This is not a rental-friendly situation.

The roofs on Alfas are really high because of the basement air, so it can be challenging to maneuver under trees and the like, and if you scrape, you're more likely to scrape actual roof than the tops of air conditioner units.

As for the slide failures, those were fixed by changing out to a center-drive system by owners, and Alfa started installing the center-drive system on new units in about 2005, so this unit might already have one from the factory, or the previous owner might have done the retrofit.

[J-Rooster]

What I like about Alfa's is the CAT motors and the high ceilings! When I was looking to buy a Alfa what turned me off was the structual integrity of the front end of the coach. Take a look at what I'm talking about! If your in a front end accident you'll have everything in your lap!

[map40]

Thanks for all replies. The input is greatly appreciated.
The coach was used as an office/winter homes.
I'll keep you guys posted.

Thanks again.

[Bill_Satellite]

I suppose, as always, I will present a differing opinion. I think the mentioned coach would be a great way for you to get into the class A rental market. While there are differing opinions on the Alfa products you should visit one of the Alfa forums and you will you find some really strong Alfa supporters. Service is available. Parts are available. Similar specs are not available from most other manufacturers. I love many (not all) of the Alfa floor plans and I would have loved to have had an Alfa as an option when I was renting RV's prior to purchase.
Now, I can't tell if the ad is a fraud or reality and it is important that you understand that many RV's listed for sale on line are being listed by folks looking to take your money (even if it is only the $500 "required" deposit). Don't do it, don't do it for any reason on-line. You need to be able to see, inspect, test drive and verify ownership before you put forward a single dollar. My wife actually saw one of our friends RV's listed on line (all Prevost paint jobs are unique) and we called to see if they were selling. They were not but someone grabbed some pictures from the previous seller and listed it for sale. You just needed to send a deposit and they would deliver it to you!

[Effy]

donfrump wrote:
I can just imagine what a piece of junk a 35-38 ft $60K gasser Class A would be new never mind after its rented out a few times.

For the rental market you really want bare bones which is what you find on entry level units. Upgraded things like residential refers, heated floors, solid cabinets etc will just get messed up and cost a fortune to replace or fix compared to entry level items. Everything from tires to AC gets more problematic and expensive to fix and replace because of abuse. I also doubt you would want a 35-38 foot rental. This invites people bumping into things. Most Class A rental units are 30-32' entry level gas, many of which stripped down special orders. Even so much as not having awnings or TV's. Again, mitigating the risk of things going wrong and costing money. You rarely see anything more upgraded than that unless it's a personal RV someone rents privately. In the commercial space you want cheap and small.

And by the way, My MH was less than $70k and it's not a piece of junk. We like it a lot and it's been trouble free. Lots of nice gas units in that price range.

[dougrainer]

The OP is in Florida. This is a bad area to utilize an Alfa unit in heat. Alfa units(motorhomes) could NOT cool the interior below 80 degrees in temps above 90 degrees. That is one reason we quit selling them after taking on the Franchise in the mid 2000's. At one point Alfa Motorhomes were the top selling Diesel for about 1 year. The reason they could not cool the motorhome was simple. They used a Basement air system(mounted in the rear under the bed) and due to the forward slideouts build in the storage area, they did not and you could not run an adequate hot air return from the front area of the motorhome to remove the hot air when the cold air was forced in. They had NO return air at all from the mid section forward. So, if you want to use these units in HOT climates, not a good idea to use one. Your customers will not be happy. They were also notorious for breaking the drivers side front slide motor/gear rack assbly. The Rack assbly was not strong enough for the motor/rack system as designed for the weight of the slide. Trade value is pennies on the dollar. Doug

[barmcd]

We're looking for a used coach and see these come up from time to time. They seem to be really inexpensive compared to other similar units so I'm assuming they are hard to sell and the resale isn't so great on them.

[RayChez]

The Alfa always got a bad rap in this forum. But just about every owner that I met liked their Alfa coaches. I personally did not like them because they were designed for tall people. My wife at 5'4" tall would have trouble reaching for some of the top cabinets. As far as the chassis goes and if you know anything about mechanical parts, it is no different then a Newmar or Tiffin with a Freight liner chassis. The house part some that did not ever own one claim delamination, but owners never complained about it.

I would be concerned as to the low mileage for a 2006. Why such low miles? Has it been parked and not driven by a full timer or what. Any diesel or gasoline coach when they sit for long periods tend to have problems with seals drying up and leaking.

Other then that, it might be a good coach to start a rental company.

[mike_brez]

Effy wrote:
Curious why you would pick an older, orphaned DP as a rental to break into the class A market. For the same money you could get a new or close to new gasser which mitigates a few issues that might come to mind; Diesels are more costly to repair and maintain, some states require the driver to have a different license, they are unfamiliar to many drivers - especially ones renting RVs. I would suggest that if you want to break into the class A market as a rental, go with something less intimidating, easier to maintain and overall more budget friendly. Most rental places in the Class A market use entry level gassers (Vista, ACE, etc). Just a thought. Good luck.

X2

[Effy]

Curious why you would pick an older, orphaned DP as a rental to break into the class A market. For the same money you could get a new or close to new gasser which mitigates a few issues that might come to mind; Diesels are more costly to repair and maintain, some states require the driver to have a different license, they are unfamiliar to many drivers - especially ones renting RVs. I would suggest that if you want to break into the class A market as a rental, go with something less intimidating, easier to maintain and overall more budget friendly. Most rental places in the Class A market use entry level gassers (Vista, ACE, etc). Just a thought. Good luck.

[prstlk]

They have a lower ground clearance than most class A'S. Might consider this if used as a rental. An inexperienced driver can take out the front lower cap on curb.

[bluwtr49]

I might be a good choice for a rental unit. They do have the advantage of high ceilings but. Folks that have seem happy and they can be had quite inexpensively.