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]

CatchinBluegill wrote:
FWIW, what my regular mechanic (at one of the top independent garages in my city) said about the V-10 is that even on the later ones, the spark plugs have a tendency to break in half when removed, so I should either:

A) Steer clear of the V-10, or
B) If it's anywhere near 90,000 miles, ask the rental company to replace the spark plugs before I buy it, so that the person sitting there with half the plug in his hand isn't me. This is what I call the "new plug problem." The old one was just blowing the plug straight out of the head.

The spark plug matter has been resolved since at least 2008 when a redesigned plug was put into service, but for some reason the drama refuses to die. If plugs are breaking upon removal, the mechanic is doing it wrong. Ford has a TSB out with very specific instructions on how to remove a spark plug. Some mechanics are just too lazy and don't follow it, resulting in broken plugs. I've never once seen a plug break when following the Ford procedure.

[Snowman9000]

Aliceinwl wrote:
We've put a down on a 2011 (2010 chassis) Cruise America Class C 23A RV. It's the Ford E-350 V8 SuperDuty. We plan to flat haul a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport behind it and use a Brakemaster system. Any comments or suggestions?

You should be good with that combo. You might ask specifically in the Dinghy Towing folder, though.

[CatchinBluegill]

FWIW, what my regular mechanic (at one of the top independent garages in my city) said about the V-10 is that even on the later ones, the spark plugs have a tendency to break in half when removed, so I should either:

A) Steer clear of the V-10, or
B) If it's anywhere near 90,000 miles, ask the rental company to replace the spark plugs before I buy it, so that the person sitting there with half the plug in his hand isn't me. This is what I call the "new plug problem." The old one was just blowing the plug straight out of the head.

The unit I'm looking at had its plugs replaced at 66,000, currently has 90,000. Going to ask them to put in a new set, anyway. It'd take me a long time to take the current plugs up to 90,000 miles, I think, but you never know. I'd almost certainly never have to replace a new set. Even my nine year old car only has 65,000 miles on it 🙂

[path1]

jonthebru wrote:
Any rental RV for sale by the large companies would be built after Ford fixed the sparkplug problem. If I remember correctly engines built after 2005, RVs after 2006, have a redesigned head. There was a definite issue but it was was fixed.

Is that the "PI" or "PE" head that is stamped into the head somewhere? "PI" or "PE" as in performance enhanced?

[BoxinTheCompass]

Just a mention here...

Was at Lowes here in Port Orange FL and in pulls 28A Majestic with tow dolly and Toad on back. Got out and talked to older French Canadian couple

They loved their Majestic. They been 3 times from Montreal to FL to California and back to Montreal with their Majestic class C. This is their 4th trip! No problems at all with their RV

Comforting to know!

[GalinAZ]

We've put a down on a 2011 (2010 chassis) Cruise America Class C 23A RV. It's the Ford E-350 V8 SuperDuty. We plan to flat haul a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport behind it and use a Brakemaster system. Any comments or suggestions?

[jonthebru]

Any rental RV for sale by the large companies would be built after Ford fixed the sparkplug problem. If I remember correctly engines built after 2005, RVs after 2006, have a redesigned head. There was a definite issue but it was was fixed.

[CatchinBluegill]

That may be the case, Snowman, but that doesn't make you feel much better if you're the one sitting there with half a spark plug in your hand, and the other half is still in the head 🙂

The plug change interval is 90,000, which is what the MH at El Monte has on it, so one of my Big Questions when looking through the service records will be if/when the plugs have been changed. If they haven't been, I'll ask for that as a condition of sale.

[Snowman9000]

I know you trust your mechanic, but the spark plug problem is overblown IMO. And fixable. Get the MH that fits you.

[CatchinBluegill]

Been following this thread and read the whole thing end to end when I discovered it 🙂

I'm going to look at a class A at El Monte this weekend. I'd kind of prefer a Workhorse chassis, I think. I've recently test-driven a unit based in the W22 and sat in but didn't drive one based on a Ford. Both were comfortable to sit in, the seat in the Ford was maybe a bit more comfortable than the one in the W22, but both were way better than any class C, at least for me.

FWIW, my mechanic recommends the Workhorse and avoiding the V-10; he said it's not unusual for the spark plugs to break when removed, even on the newer ones, and that the 8.1 liter just runs and runs and runs. Plus, it's got the Allison transmission, and you sure can't go wrong with one of those.

If I buy it, I'll be sure to post back here with my experiences. Thanks to everyone for all the great info in this thread!

[samven1]

kirbymurphy,

I am sure that either one will serve you well. Todays engines are light years ahead of the older models. I went with the Chevy because I wanted a smaller RV and the leg room and quieter ride were important to me. I think generally I get about 10% better mileage than the Ford but my engine is 10% smaller and the Chevy has a 6 speed tranny vs the Ford 5 speed. On the other hand the new Ford has an 8000 lb tow vs the Chevy 5000 lb and when crawling under both the Ford has a beefier frame. I originally went in to buy the Ford because of the frame and tow rating but after the test drive in both I went with the Chevy. It really comes down to personal preference and how sensitive you are. If my plan had been to drive 400 or 500 miles to a resort and camp for a few weeks and come home I would have gone Ford but my plan was to drive the hell out of it across the country hitting as many National Parks as I could find. In the last 6 mos I have hit 15 parks and 11,500 miles so the driver seat noise and ride comfort became paramount.
Just an aside my avg mileage for the whole 11,500 has been 10.8 mpg calculated not the meter reading. SD and KS killed the avg with 30 mph cross winds the avg there was only 9.1 but through New England and the Rockies it was a solid 11.3 and most of the central US was in the 12's.

[adlereins]

kirbymurphy:
I can only relate to my own experience & research. The Ford V-10 is widely used because of it's dependability even with high mileage. On a Ford chassis built from 2005 on, the front end was reworked with much better suspension components resulting in better handling. It is the reason I went with the Ford vs the Chevy. That and the weight ratios for a given coach gave a little more wiggle room for towing and cc weight. The main drawback (for me) is the doghouse intrudes more into the cabin seating than does the Chevy. On the drivers side it is not too bad but you may find the passenger side a bit tight in legroom depending, of course, on you or your traveling companions height, weight, etc, etc.
Mechanically, I think Ford, after 2005, is the better choice. Of course this is my opinion only. I encourage you to drive both and sit in the passenger seat in both models for comparison. Good luck in your hunt!
Take Care,
Allen B.

[kirbymurphy]

Love this thread since we too are looking. I do have a couple of questions.

Do you prefer a Ford or Chev chassis? I always thought the Chev vans I drove had a better feel than the Fords (too loose)

I see a lot of the the MH's come with the Ford V-10. Good? Bad? Same as the rest?

Thanks!

[IAMICHABOD]

Op here, I was going to put this in the “What did you do to your Class C MH today “ thread but thought that it would be more informative to all of us owners of Former Rentals.

After I had changed my oil and filter and air filter I decided to take it in for that 100,000 mile checkup, a little past but it was time.

I took it to my trusted mechanic of 20 years, an RVer himself and he specializes in them. I told him to check out everything. It was good that I had a detailed copy of the service record of everything that had been done with the mileage and dates that El Monte RV had given me when I bought it. We went over that and he did a check of everything plus what it was time for, like my Smog Check.

So here is what was done. Trans flush and refill, new plugs and plug wire set. The cooling system was checked and coolant was replaced, it was time, Fuel induction system service, and the serpentine belts were replaced, full lube job. While it was up on the rack I had him check the brake hoses, they found that one was soft so I had them all replaced along with the fluid, a very good idea on a rig at this age and mileage.

They did find a small leak on the transmission tail shaft seal and it was replaced. Everything else checked out just fine.
It seems to stop better with a firmer pedal, and has much more pep. Can’t wait for the next fill-up to check MPG.

So I guess that I am ready for that next 100,000 miles.

[HeWhoIs]

Thanks for the info!

We ended up not going this route. Could not reach a deal I liked with them.

Ended up buying a 2004 Coachman Leprechan 314SS instead.

Will look into those GPS units.

Thanks!

--Chris