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.

[raydf]

Cruise America vs. El Monte RV

In general, would you say there is an essential difference between buying a used rental RV from Cruise America or buying it from El Monte? Cruise America offers more information about their products and the refurbishing process that they apply to each rental unit destined for sale and it looks good but would it be similar to El Monte's?

Thanks!

[cencerrita]

Congratulations kirbymurphy on the 27G. I do not seem to be getting auto emails about this and other forum topics I subscribed to soo slow in responding!

Exactly 1 year ago today we got our 27G and having a great time.

Enjoy

Alan

[IAMICHABOD]

kirbymurphy wrote:

Thanks!
What company did you buy from? Sounds like the first one to make the **** list. I would like a warranty but if the used RV places are selling worthless paper we need to know who the scummy companies are.

The company was Monarch,they are no longer in business.They folded 9 months after my problem with them.My RV shop spread the word about them and no shop in Calif. would work with them, he found out many others had the same problems. I didn't do too badly,the shop owner felt bad about it and gave me the parts at cost and we split the labor cost.

I scoured the thread and I found no one that had the extended warranty used it.There were a few that bought it from Cruise America.

I did find on Page 13 two that used the 1 year 12000 mile warranty that was given to them at purchase with very good results.

I found when shopping for my RV that Cruise America pushed very hard to buy the extended warranty,where as El Monte RV didn't offer one.
When asked why, the General Manager told me that they stopped selling them years ago, he found them useless and expensive and it reflected poorly back on them when they didn't work out.He did say that the very few problems that occurred were within the warranty period that was given at time of purchase.

I have had my Former Rental for over 5 years now and have had no problems.

My suggestion if you are worried about a problem I would take that $1650 and put in the bank to use if you had a problem. If I had done that, today I would have $1651:B

[kirbymurphy]

IAMICHABOD wrote:


True story on my last RV,I bought a extended warranty. My A/C went out and I took it a repair shop,he called the warranty company, while I was there and they said it was covered,he faxed the repair order.They faxed back the approval. When it was done the shop faxed the final bill,they denied the claim.
We asked why,when it had been approved,he had the fax approving it.

They quoted a clause and faxed it to us. Buried in the fine print,it said the work had to be completed and billed within 5 days of the repair order being received and approved.

It took 5 days to get the parts and another to install it,the bill was sent 7 days after the approval. CLAIM DENIED.

I will never buy a warranty again.

Thanks!
What company did you buy from? Sounds like the first one to make the **** list. I would like a warranty but if the used RV places are selling worthless paper we need to know who the scummy companies are.

[kirbymurphy]

Kinda my past experience too, but I'd like to hear from folks who actually had to use a warranty and how well (and which) company handled their case.

[IAMICHABOD]

I have to agree with all the others,save your money.

They will do everything not to pay up.

True story on my last RV,I bought a extended warranty. My A/C went out and I took it a repair shop,he called the warranty company, while I was there and they said it was covered,he faxed the repair order.They faxed back the approval. When it was done the shop faxed the final bill,they denied the claim.
We asked why,when it had been approved,he had the fax approving it.

They quoted a clause and faxed it to us. Buried in the fine print,it said the work had to be completed and billed within 5 days of the repair order being received and approved.

It took 5 days to get the parts and another to install it,the bill was sent 7 days after the approval. CLAIM DENIED.

I will never buy a warranty again.

[Mocoondo]

"Extended Warranties" are actually not a warranty at all, but rather a "Service Contract" that typically covers only a very specific list of parts and only if that part is physically "BROKEN"...i.e. busted in half. By the time a covered part physically breaks, it usually ends up damaging other components that are probably not covered, so you end up with a large repair bill either way while the warranty company buys a used {insert random broken part here} from the junkyard.

As a general rule of thumb, these products are not worth the paper they are printed on. If you ever decide to buy one, read it carefully and understand what it covers and what it doesn't.

[lacofdfireman]

I also agree with previous 2 comments. They will try and weasel out of any claims. There is a reason insurance companies make so much money.

[socal77]

I'm in agreement on extended warranties. The insurance companies are motivated to have as many "outs" as possible.

I prefer to save up my money if/when a repair is needed.

[samven1]

Others may have a different experience but I have found that most 3rd party extended warranties are barely worth the paper their written on. They usually exclude the things that are most likely to break. They have multiple outs for the things that are covered or they only cover part of the repair. A first hand example was, I bought an extended warranty on a brand new motorcycle, 3 years into ownership it started making a bad noise from the valves. I took it in and was told they would need to replace the valves and seats and possibly the cam. The warranty company said they were not covered because they were not broken just making noise. The dealership said if I waited for them to really break they would cause much more damage, the warranty company said I was responsible to stop malfunctions I should be aware of. Long story short I had to pay for the repairs almost the same cost as the extended warranty. My advise is put the money in a savings account marked for emergency repairs.

[kirbymurphy]

How are after-market warranties?

I noticed CA has a 5year/100k plan for $1650. I seldom buy warranties on appliances but when spending $25K to $30K for a rental with +100K miles it seems like it might be worth it.

Anyone with experience in how well they honor the warranty?

[Mich_F]

Both El Monte and Cruise America post their used vehicle prices online, while Road Bear gives a starting at price.

[lacofdfireman]

Is it unethical to ask what some of you are paying for your used rentals? Really considering downsizing and getting a smaller RV. We currently have a 36ft Class A. I'd like a 28 or smaller class c. Also trying to decide between diesel or gas. If anyone is willing to share there sales price I'd love to hear. Or you could pm me. Thanks. Great thread.

[Harvey51]

Congrats, Robbie! Looks like a great MH and good to see you getting lots of use out of it.

We found out ours is good down to -10 on our first trip. We were on highway 40 south from Grande Prairie, in April I think, and ran into snow and cold. We pulled into the tiny Southview campsite about 60 km north of grande Cache and just enjoyed our house until the weather cleared the next day. Wonderful way to travel! No serious problems with our 2004 ex-Fraserway Adventurer in 8 years now.

[IAMICHABOD]

robbie2013,Welcome to the Former Rental Club! you are #77 on the list and the 3rd Canadian to grace our Club,I hope to see more,WELCOME.

Thanks for the nice write up on your experiences with the CanaDream sales force,very humorous indeed :B.

The Picture is a nice touch,I would like to see more of our members do the same. Please come back later and tell us about your adventures in that Former Rental.

Having a 4 season RV is a plus for you,I go camping year round but it is a much milder climate here, I don't think I want to try that cold of a Camping trip.