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.

[Canuck_Hauler]

So I did in fact bring my unit home on April 6th. I'm the proud owner of a Majestic 28A from Calgary and it lives up In Edmonton and you guys aptly gave it Unit #99, get it? 😉

Anyway, I flew in to pick it up and #99 it was ready to go. I went over it pretty closely and found several items that needed work and they complied right away. I asked to borrow their shop ladder and walked around on the roof inspecting seams, etc and it needed a little work which they fixed on the spot. #99 needed to pass a out of province inspection before I could register it in Alberta and a lot of things were done to make it comply. The short list was 6 new tires, 4 new shocks, Front & rear brakes, stabilizer bushings, an outer tie rod end, new spark plugs, exhaust manifold studs/bolts, oil change, transmission oil change and a new windshield. The mechanical work was done at a 3rd party facility and the coach refurbishment happened right at Cruise Canada in Calgary.

The coach part is where the downfall was as there were a lot of things like loose "T" moldings, chipped boards, globs of silicon everywhere, and it was overall pretty dirty inside. The good things they did was replace the sofa, Fridge shelves, stove grates, picnic table, Dinette table and told me they tested all the on-board systems. I found lots of debris in places that were probably there since 2013! I also asked them since my first camping trip was 6 weeks away would they still honor anything I found wrong since it's still below zero here with no hope of me trying the tanks and systems until then, they assured me I would be looked after. I read lots of warnings on this thread and am treading cautiously here but they were indeed sincere and have given me no reason to doubt them. CC also did a very poor job with a fiberglass repair on the exterior and it will have to be redone properly done when weather permits.

The drive home was interesting as it took about 45 min for the first issue to appear, the front roof vent kept opening on it's own and eventually the rear started doing the same thing. I had to pull over several times in a 3 hour drive home to close them. I also noticed a shudder in gears 3,4 & 5 (in town only) that seems to smooth out at about 60 MPH, I notified CC and they asked me to phone the warranty hotline ASAP. I found this odd since I never got to test drive this unit and it supposedly went through a rigorous inspection at a 3rd party service center. I'm not sure where to go with this but as soon as it's warm out I'll be under it checking U-Joints and Steady Bearings. The fuel economy on the way home travelling @ 65 MPH (110 kph) was 9.4 MPG (25L/100 KM) and I drove it around in town for 60 miles (100 Km) and it was getting 8.7 MPG (27L/100 KM) which was pretty good in my eyes.

I have since gone over it pretty thoroughly at home and found a handful of piddly things wrong and a damaged zipper on a dining seat bottom. I'll hit them up with my defect list before 30 days comes around. I've washed and cleaned the interior properly, cleaned, polished and resealed the floors and looked after many loose doors, rattles and door pulls.

Overall I'm pretty happy for the price I paid and in reality can easily afford to spend another $5K in repairs before I would say it wasn't worth the purchase. I pretty much bought it for $25,000 less than a comparable unit from Craiglist or a dealer.

Next on the list will be getting it ready for the TOAD and installing a backup camera along with some decorator touches to keep the wife happy.

Stay tuned and thanks a lot for the great forum.

[Photomike]

sachilles wrote:
Sales experience has been interesting thus far. My spidey sense has been tingling.

I have found some amazing sales people but they are in the minority then there are those that make you want to run :B Hope all goes well!

[sachilles]

Sales experience has been interesting thus far. My spidey sense has been tingling.

[disc01971]

Had a nasty grinding noise, so they (local ford fleet center) drained rear end and was full of metal shavings. Once everything got straitened out and added new Kona shocks the rv has been great. We had to replace fridge, but no other issues in 20k miles in 12 months. Getting new rear tires this week, for summer of another Seattle to Florida and between trip...

[sachilles]

disc01971 wrote:
Hope you planned on staying in town a couple days.. Theres no way anybody should drive the RV off the lot until everything is fixed. I was lucky to be 2hrs away, and took them a week to fix my to do list. Read through the threads, once its off the lot you'll have hard time getting "warranty" items fixed. They will run you through hoops, take as much time as they want before getting to you. Theres 1 guy that approves any work once its off the lot. The local dealership location can pretty much do whatever you ask them, long as you tell them its got to be fixed before singing paperwork (besides deposit) and leaving. We had 8k worth of work done (rig.pinion, exhaust manafold/bolts, front windshield, toilet, and some random repairs like busted faucet and cabinet hinges. Even had the seller himself on a ladder caulking entire RV !!! The RV we got, was the best of 4 on the lot..

My bet is the exhaust manifold bolts took the longest. What was wrong with the ring and pinion? Was it just a leaky pinion seal?

[sachilles]

disc01971 wrote:
Hope you planned on staying in town a couple days.. Theres no way anybody should drive the RV off the lot until everything is fixed. I was lucky to be 2hrs away, and took them a week to fix my to do list. Read through the threads, once its off the lot you'll have hard time getting "warranty" items fixed. They will run you through hoops, take as much time as they want before getting to you. Theres 1 guy that approves any work once its off the lot. The local dealership location can pretty much do whatever you ask them, long as you tell them its got to be fixed before singing paperwork (besides deposit) and leaving. We had 8k worth of work done (rig.pinion, exhaust manafold/bolts, front windshield, toilet, and some random repairs like busted faucet and cabinet hinges. Even had the seller himself on a ladder caulking entire RV !!! The RV we got, was the best of 4 on the lot..

I'm prepared to stay in town. I have gazillion marriot points, and I can work remotely if necessary. My wife can also work remotely, and my son is on vacation that week. That's why I plan to arrive on a monday. I travel a lot for work, so I'm prepared to be on the road for a while if necessary. However, if I know it will be a long while, I'll probably just fly back home and pick up later, if a few days we'll just go explore washington DC.
In any case we are prepared to walk away if it's a total dog.
Adventure is out there........right?!

[IAMICHABOD]

sachilles,while I can't help you out on the trailer brake controller,mine is on a Chevy Chassis,I am sure that one of our Forum Members can help you out.

Until then I would like to welcome you to the Former Rental Owners Club,you will be # 100 !!!!!!
I see that disc01971(#88) has given you some tips that may be helpful.

Please come on back and let us all know how it all went and share your thoughts and any thing else that would be of help to others.

Congratulations,# 100 and Good Luck and have a safe journey.

[disc01971]

Hope you planned on staying in town a couple days.. Theres no way anybody should drive the RV off the lot until everything is fixed. I was lucky to be 2hrs away, and took them a week to fix my to do list. Read through the threads, once its off the lot you'll have hard time getting "warranty" items fixed. They will run you through hoops, take as much time as they want before getting to you. Theres 1 guy that approves any work once its off the lot. The local dealership location can pretty much do whatever you ask them, long as you tell them its got to be fixed before singing paperwork (besides deposit) and leaving. We had 8k worth of work done (rig.pinion, exhaust manafold/bolts, front windshield, toilet, and some random repairs like busted faucet and cabinet hinges. Even had the seller himself on a ladder caulking entire RV !!! The RV we got, was the best of 4 on the lot..

[sachilles]

Of course now I need to wait until it's in my hands to discover stuff.
Maybe some former owners can answer a few questions. I intend to put a trailer brake controller in. It looks like the E-350 may be pre-equipped with the wiring, depending upon how it was ordered. Usually the wires are behind the coin tray in the upper dash. It indicates if it has a 7 pin rear plug, it should be pre-wired. Anyone know if there is a trailer hitch wiring plug on the rear, and if so how many pins?
I'll bring some tools with me, but because I've flying, I don't want to bring too much. I plan to buy a bottle jack, and 4 way lug wrench in town when I arrive...there is harbor freight and a walmart. I'll bring my electric impact. I'll bring my obd2 tool. Probably buy pillows at walmart, and bring sleeping bags. It's about a 10 hour drive, so the goal is to split that up between 2 days and camp one night on the way home.

[Photomike]

sachilles wrote:
I put a reservation down on a 23a from Cruise America in Virginia today. I'm set to pick it up April 17.
Virginia is about a 9-10 drive to our home in Vermont. We'll fly in to Dulles and drive it back. We'll see what kind of adventure it becomes.
It'll drive me nuts, I'm an obsessive compulsive car guy....until I know the noises the thing will make.....I'll fear the worst. Of course that comes from driving too many british race cars.

Congratulations!!!

Oh how I understand about the obsessive part! I had my wife take me to pick up my Majestic 19G in Calgary which is about 2 hours from home. Did a short test drive but really unless you take it out for an hour or two you seldom hear or see everything. Paid for it, grabbed some gear from my wife's car so I could go camping and headed out. It wasn't 30 minutes later on a major highway that I was just about in tears as the wind noise was so bad, something I never heard on the test drive. Finally got outside the city and pulled over VERY frustrated and I was ready to return it or abandon it!!!

Started checking things out and finally found that the window behind the drivers seat had slightly opened. Slide it closed and away I went without any more noise (it still opens once and a while and I laugh at the memory)!!! I was so happy. Spent the first night in it and started making a list of upgrades that I wanted (towel rack, thicker mattress, different dishes, etc). I have it just how I like it now.

A couple suggestions - Don't rush in the buying process, take your time to check it out and get them to fix and/or adjust everything you find before you leave the lot. Also if you are camping in it on your way home stop at a Walmart for the first night and shop as you find things you need (if you don't already have it at home). I am NOT a fan of Walmart most days but we have spent a few nights in the parking lot to restock on a trip and it is fun to be able to walk in buy a few things several times a night as you are restocking - yes I need a life :B

[sachilles]

I put a reservation down on a 23a from Cruise America in Virginia today. I'm set to pick it up April 17.
Virginia is about a 9-10 drive to our home in Vermont. We'll fly in to Dulles and drive it back. We'll see what kind of adventure it becomes.
It'll drive me nuts, I'm an obsessive compulsive car guy....until I know the noises the thing will make.....I'll fear the worst. Of course that comes from driving too many british race cars.

[IAMICHABOD]

It looks like there are only 19 units at the El Monte RV in Orlando if there is a specific unit you want you could call Mike Dwan,he is the National Sales Manager @562-483 4949. I have spoken to him many times and he always is ready to help,he knows about this thread and has helped others here.

If you rented from them in the past they have a program that will reimburse you for the rental if you buy and they have a fly and buy program where they will put the cost of the flight towards the purchase.

[sachilles]

For what it's worth. I've called Montreal(Cruise Canada), and left a message with no return call.
I also called Toronto with no return call. Odd for sales staff. Wondering if it's just off season and they aren't in the office that often.
Orlando(Cruise America) called back, as I had called them previously, and they had sold off all the ones in my budget range. Seems they have one in my range again...convenient. Nice enough to deal with, attentive and answering my questions. Haven't called Virginia location yet.
Orlando seems to have a good reputation, Virginia comments here, seem to indicate a less than pleasant sales staff member.
Virginia is a day and a half closer. Which only matters for time off from work to fetch the thing. Flight cost difference is negligible, should be covered by CA/CC. I also have frequent flyer miles I could cash in.
I've been searching the web for the last week plus, and always seem to keep coming back to former rentals. Any reason to choose a certain CA dealer over another if I go that route?
Everything is pointing towards a trip to Orlando in my future. Sadly El Monte inventory doesn't look like it will work in my favor for Orlando....as I've done rentals with them in the past with good experiences.

This is were being patient is going to prove to be difficult. I don't NEED this thing asap. First real trip would be end of May, and I could live without it until August in reality. Of course I wouldn't get to enjoy it as much for the season.

Thank you for putting up my with my long winded post.

[Photomike]

IAMICHABOD wrote:
Canuck Hauler welcome to the Forum and the Former Rental Owners Club, when you get your rig you will be # 99 on the list When you get it please come back and tell us how the process went and your thoughts on your purchase.

It is interesting that you can pick out your RV then have it refurbished,I wonder where they do the ones from Canada,most here are done in Arizona. I know that at El Monte you can request a certain model and when it gets in they will refurbish it for you,this has happened to one of our members here.

It sounds like you have it all pretty much covered,I would look at the shocks,they most likely will need to be replaced.

The dealers here do the refurbishing. REALLY depends on the dealer how well it is done.

[IAMICHABOD]

Canuck Hauler welcome to the Forum and the Former Rental Owners Club, when you get your rig you will be # 99 on the list When you get it please come back and tell us how the process went and your thoughts on your purchase.

It is interesting that you can pick out your RV then have it refurbished,I wonder where they do the ones from Canada,most here are done in Arizona. I know that at El Monte you can request a certain model and when it gets in they will refurbish it for you,this has happened to one of our members here.

It sounds like you have it all pretty much covered,I would look at the shocks,they most likely will need to be replaced.