Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?

[IAMICHABOD]

While researching these pages for my next Motor Home I saw a few threads discussing Rentals, most were Pros and Cons but very few posts from people who had purchased one.

I thought it may be a good resource and helpful to hear from these people. The good, the bad, what they liked and what they didn’t. Also if they had any problems, things they changed, if they would recommend this to others or do it again.

Here is my story: I am not a novice, having owned a Class A for more than 15 years and doing the camping thing with my wife and two daughters, I can say “been there done that” But life changes, and I sold everything so I have been away from this for several years. Starting over I lurked here for a while and got a lot of good insight then went looking.

My criteria was: A Class C within by budget, less than 30 feet so I can keep it at home, saving storage $, a rear bed, and a lot of storage space.

What fit that was Winnebago, Fleetwood and a few others, what I found mostly was Jamboree / Tioga 26Q. In the year models 2002 thru 2006. I did my home work looking at NADA and other sites to find the fair prices for the models that I was looking for.

After several months of searching the internet, Craigslist, private ads and Dealerships for a Class C that suited my budget and needs, this is what I found. Of the dozen or so I inquired about.Most were upsidedown in their payments, owing more than they were worth. All were on Ford Chassis, 7 needed tires, all had the original 7 to 10 year old tires, and they all needed repair of the awning and most needed some work inside or out and the maintenance records were sketchy, but most had low mileage. The Dealerships offerings were better but they had a profit margin to maintain so I got older models within my budget or huge up sales that didn’t work for me.

My next step was looking at the rental market for sales. In my area there are 2 large companies that have rental sales, Cruise America and El Monte RV,who also sell Class A RVs.

First up was El Monte RV Their units are production RVs that are made by major manufactures, with TV antennas and hookups inside and out, Ducted A/C and heat, 2 house batteries, a rear ladder and parts are readily available from those manufacture’s. I looked at their web site and it detailed their warranty and what was checked and serviced by their factory trained technicians. The unit I looked at was like new inside, the upholstery on all the seats was new as was the floor mat in the driver’s area, it had a new mattress, still in plastic and a new bedspread. All of the curtains were new also. Newer (2010 mfg date) tires with 98% rubber and the mileage was ninety thousand (90,000).

Then there was Cruise America: Their units that I looked at seemed to be Spartan,no TV antenna or hookups for one,non-ducted A/C,small counter space and only one battery, no rear ladder for inspection and maintenance of roof and built just for them, they were all “refreshed” their words not mine. They offered extended warranties at a huge cost. All had high mileage, one hundred and thirty thousand (130,000) or more and the price range seemed a little high. The sales staff had a take it or leave it attitude and were not very forthcoming when asked about maintenance records and service,they claim to have proprietary info in those records,It doesn't seem to be a problem for El Monte RV.

At El Monte RV I took a test ride; This Unit was a 2006 Tioga 26Q on a Chevrolet Chassis it rode
Drove and handled much better than the Fords that I had driven. It also had more leg room and was quieter. We got back and I asked about the service and maintenance on it, the salesman, Joey, handed me a 28 page single spaced document asked if I wanted some coffee or something to drink and said “read this and if you have any questions I will answer them”.

It detailed everything that was done before and after each rental, the mileage, generator hours and hours billed. Each time it was washed and detailed inside and outside, all fluids were checked and replenished if needed, the holding tanks were washed, LP system was checked for leaks, all torque on wheel lugs were checked, brakes front and rear checked for wear and cracks, pressure in tires, all appliances, generator oil, lights inside and outside, the list goes on and on.

It also listed all oil changes,coolant change,trans service,fuel injector service and cleaning,fuel filters,air filter, new brakes, all repairs and replacements all with date, mileage and time spent in complete detail from day one to when it was pulled from the rental fleet and was refurbished. I have a complete service record on this vehicle.Also the service records on the Onan Generator,all oil changes,air filter and spark plug replacement with hours and date. I negotiated a good deal with them and am very happy with my purchase.

It came with a 1 yr. 12000 mile power train warranty and 30 day on all appliances. It also came with a 28 page maintenance record that detailed everything. Also the original sales packet from Fleetwood with the manual and serial numbers on all appliances,refrigerator, microwave,furnace, AC, water heater, etc. and the manual for the Chassis. I have had no problems with it so far.

(ON EDIT) 5 Years and close to 14000 miles.Just Scheduled Maintenance and new tires,old ones were at the 5 year mark and I wanted new Michelin LTX M/S2s.

There were a few things that it didn’t have as it was a rental and the ones from private parties did have.
• Power steps, outside Stereo/CD don’t need or want them.
• An Awning, this I wanted and had installed. A Swivel Seat and a new Window in The Door that I installed.
• Wheel Simulators, I like the looks so I had them installed and at the same time had Tire Man valve stem kit put on.
• Replaced the Chinese WFCO with a US Made converter/charger
• It came with mini blinds and not the day/night that most have, these are more practical and have a lot less failure.

• It also came with Stainless Steel sinks,easier to maintain than the cheap plastic ones that come in the noncommercial units.
  

I am very happy with my Rig, it suites my needs and it was in my Budget range, I think I got a good deal.

So if you bought a rental please share your experience here for others to use as a resource.
Or if there are any other questions that have not been covered in these pages, just ask, there are many helpful people on this thread.

[Mocoondo]

joelcop wrote:
I would like to jump in for a few questions.
Do the rental companies drop prices significantly after the season?

Not really. Prices are usually set on the exclusive basis of age and mileage.

How much bargaining room is there on the rental company asking price?

Very little. They will instead steer you to a unit that fits your desired price point. In other words, less money = more miles or older unit.

[joelcop]

I would like to jump in for a few questions.
Do the rental companies drop prices significantly after the season?
How much bargaining room is there on the rental company asking price?

[adlereins]

I lucked out too because a previous buyer had El Monte install an awning and then the buyer backed out of the deal. His loss, my gain:)
I think all dealers install a new mattress as a matter of course. At least I sure HOPE so.
Take Care & travel safe.
Al

[LRover]

I purchased an ex-rental Thor 21c with about 70k miles on the clock from a Camping World here in Virginia back in February. It runs great and so far I'm very happy with it. It seems to have been well taken care of and I'm having lots of fun learning how things work. Camping World installed a new awning, ladder, and threw in a really nice new mattress. I was able to get new tires through the recall even though the ones it had looked great after learning about the recall here on this site.

[KristinU]

adlereins wrote:
I'm back. I got my Tioga back from El Monte RV and here is what they did. Removed, balanced and re-installed complete drive shaft (little over $400), removed and repaired frame on jack knife sofa (was bent), repaired kitchen faucet leak, replaced water pump with new one, installed new rubber grommets on stove grate, replaced reefer shelf and filled gas tank!!
Just got back from a weekend dry camp trial. Everything worked as it should. No problems with sway or handling in the Santa Ana winds thank goodness. Only problem with dry camping is limited water as there is only a 30 gal water tank. Thinking about adding a tank somewhere but will have to check weights and balances involved first to see if it is even possible. Meantime a couple of 2 1/2 gallon jugs for emergency use.
I haven't been RVing for a while and while I tried to remember the things you need and don't need, it's amazing the things you still forget (or is that old-timers disease;))
Ford ran just fine and I DO like the tranny. Downshifts as needed for downhill runs. That's it for now and any questions about El Monte RV or a high mileage rental purchase, just let me know.
Take Care,
Al

Thanks checking back in - many happy trails!

[adlereins]

I'm back. I got my Tioga back from El Monte RV and here is what they did. Removed, balanced and re-installed complete drive shaft (little over $400), removed and repaired frame on jack knife sofa (was bent), repaired kitchen faucet leak, replaced water pump with new one, installed new rubber grommets on stove grate, replaced reefer shelf and filled gas tank!!
Just got back from a weekend dry camp trial. Everything worked as it should. No problems with sway or handling in the Santa Ana winds thank goodness. Only problem with dry camping is limited water as there is only a 30 gal water tank. Thinking about adding a tank somewhere but will have to check weights and balances involved first to see if it is even possible. Meantime a couple of 2 1/2 gallon jugs for emergency use.
I haven't been RVing for a while and while I tried to remember the things you need and don't need, it's amazing the things you still forget (or is that old-timers disease;))
Ford ran just fine and I DO like the tranny. Downshifts as needed for downhill runs. That's it for now and any questions about El Monte RV or a high mileage rental purchase, just let me know.
Take Care,
Al

[adlereins]

I think I'll piggyback on this thread as I just purchased a 2006 Fleetwood Tioga 29V with 130,000 miles from El Monte RV in Santa Fe Springs for just over $20K. I have one week of ownership! Defects are water pump leaks, drive shaft has weight missing (higher speed vibration than out of balance wheel/tire), minor things like rubber grommet missing from stove, minor fading on sidewalls, etc. Tires are all 2012 in age. All defects will be repaired or replaced by El Monte. The only problem is that they are 95 miles away and at present CA gas prices, it would cost me over $100 to have repairs done at no charge! However, El Monte has agreed to fill my tank with gas to get back. That is FILL, not partial. Went to a certified scale to have weights done, added a Flojet portable macerator. Had a few things left over from previous coaches so not too much extra to buy. Will try to post as things happen, good or bad. Questions/advice welcome.

[judelaurenzo25g]

I got a deal (at least I feel I did) on a 2010 Jamboree 25g with 70K miles. I have put 10K miles in 2 years on it with problems as of yet. I went this route because I wanted the newer 450 ford front end, slide, awning, electric steps, back up camera... All the bells. Im glad I did it and would do it again

[campmansd]

Last year I purchased a rental 2013 Forest river Sunseeker class C. It had 8000 miles on it. New it sold for 85000.00 or so. I bought it for 56,000.00 has everything I need on it. I used it 9 times last summer and love it. No problems yet. I would highly recommend buying this way if it is a good dealer that has taken good care of it.

[D_E_Bishop]

RetiringSomeDay wrote:
Quick question to those of you who have bought a CA rental. I was looking at their current line up and noticed the AC is non-ducted. As I live in Florida, I am curious as to how well that would work in our temperature and humidity on the longer model.

It depends on which unit you look at. The 2008 31T has ducted. We are looking after deciding that at 74 and having some serious health problems that a used Class C foe between 24K and 33K is better than an 80 K Class A for our needs. So I do have some specs already and have looked at that.

[John___Angela]

Snowman9000 wrote:
I never see leveling blocks under a rental C. Do the fleet operators care about that? How is the fridge life in rental fleets, and for the subsequent purchasers?

Well, 12 years and 180,000K and still going strong. I have no idea how the renters treated it but we tend to try and keep it level. We are kinda hoping it dies so we can put in a compressor model with a little more room. Until then.....

[Snowman9000]

I never see leveling blocks under a rental C. Do the fleet operators care about that? How is the fridge life in rental fleets, and for the subsequent purchasers?

[donrebyct]

54 F sounds wonderful. Here in Little Rock, AR, it's been struggling to reach 25 F, making it the coldest day on record in March. Normal is about 60F. Ah well, spring will be here sometime, probably followed immediately by summer.

Don

[gotsmart]

RetiringSomeDay,
The roof AC on my 2005 Cruise America 28R is a 13.5k BTU Coleman (9330A713). I fulltime in western OR and WA. Summers here are nothing when compared to FL, but we do get the occasional 95F heat wave (lasting less than a week). On those days my roof AC can have difficulty keeping up. Here are solutions that I have done:

Block sunlight in roof vents and skylights: The roof of the 28R is not thick enough to use a vent cushion. The vent isn't recessed enough and the cushion falls out. Inside vent covers ( product link) are the next best thing. I have vent covers on the cabover vent and rear bedroom vent. I don't have a need for roof vent covers. The inside vent covers serve 2 purposes - blocking the sun and (here in the winter) blocking cold air from coming down from roof vent. If I want to sleep/nap during the day I can darken the rear bedroom by inserting the vent cover.

I replaced my bathroom with a Fantastic Fan that has a smoked brown cover. It gets no vent cover. Other RVers have come up with DYI solutions to cover that shower skylight. I can't be bothered. My shower heats up a bit in the summer, but not enough to overcome the AC.

Coach door reflective window cover: (product link). The fogged window in the coach door is a heat radiator. It gets hot in the inside when the sun bakes it. Many RVers have the window permanently blocked with a reflective window cover.

Reflectix foil (product link 1 , product link 2😞 I slid foil between the curtains and the windows on the rear window, and driver-side bedroom window and the dinette window. It's not taped in place. The curtain holds in in. I have no use for the rear window and don't care for looking out my dinette window into my neighbor's patio or inside when they open the door. These 3 windows stay covered with foil. Some day I'll add foil to the driver-side cabover window.

The last thing that I do is I attempt to get RV sites where the rear of the MH points South and the driver-side points West. Doing this puts my patio space in the afternoon shade and all of the shielded windows against the mid-day and afternoon sun. On the extremely hot days I'll start the AC when the outside temp reaches about 75 F (25.5 C). By doing these steps and by starting the AC early enough it can easily maintain the coach at about 72 F all day.

----
Now here in the PNW winter I have the coach-side (passenger-side) facing SSW. I want it to be broadside with the curtains open to the winter sun. Right this moment it is 54 F outside, 74 F inside and the electric space heater (kicks on at 70F) and the propane furnace (kicks on at 63F) are not running.

[IAMICHABOD]

If you want to look at some Jamboree models that have ducted A/C El Monte R/V in Orlando have a few.

I have ducted in mine and it works well and I have had the non ducted type too. While the non ducted performed ok. I do prefer the ducted for more even cooling.