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.

[calcanrver]

After not much being available on the used market over the summer I am back looking at the possibility of buying a used majestic 23 A from Cruise Canada. The prices for the same model year vary depending on mileage and I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts as to whether it is worthwhile to pay an extra $2000 for one that has 15,000 less miles on it. Unfortunately in Canada they have reduced the warranty to 5,000 km or three months.

Any input would be appreciated. Thankyou.

[Canuck_Hauler]

Majestic31 wrote:
Majestic 28a What are the loose wires coming out of behind rear bumper for,

Those should be for the hitch wiring. I had to hook mine up properly on mine as CC did not wire my bumper connector before delivery. Post up a pic if you can.

[Majestic31]

Majestic 28a What are the loose wires coming out of behind rear bumper for,

[IAMICHABOD]

CaptR welcome to the forum and the Former Rental Owners Club,I will put you on the list,you will be #103

It sounds like you are handy and can fix what is needed. As for the batteries, all the Majestic that I know of come with only one battery,if there is room for 2 I would suggest getting 2 6 Volt Golf Cart batteries, that is what most people have. They can be wired in series with no extra wiring except for a jumper between the batteries,they will give you more amp hours.
Good ones can be bought at Costco.

Get rid of the valve extensions,they will always leak,get solid valve stems,A few companies make them,they are worth the money and you will not have anymore leakage,they are easier to use to fill and check your tires.

Also I don't know if you saw it or you have a ladder in the rear,most Majestics don't, here is a Link to one.

Congrats on your rig and keep us informed on how it is going.

[CaptR]

My story, starting a construction project out of state, rented a car, stop to take a look at another business opportunity and Bullhead city Arizona and found an ad for an RV that seemed way underpriced. I responded to the ad and found out that they put the wrong picture of a wrong coach. I went to look at it anyway on a Wednesday morning and by that Wednesday afternoon I returned the rental car one way and was out the door with it for a 400 mi journey to Utah. This was fairly new to their lot and they hadn’t prepped it yet so I was taking a huge gamble- I negotiated fairly good deal (Magestic 28’, 2000, 101,000 mi, prior owner bought it in ‘06 and put 6,000mi on it. Needless to say it sat a lot must have been inside because it’s in good shape. Heater motor/fan was frozen, got it working, roof leaked and there is a soft spot by the rear air vent- I put two coats of white roof paint and now leak free, grey water plumbing was loose and separated in one spot- fixed that, the uppassenger side drain black water valve was frozen (not good for connecting sewer hose) got it kind of working, the refrigerator was replaced with 110 only so when not plugged in and don’t want to run the gen all the time, use a cooler, cruise control not operative- trying to figure that one out, I think the over drive over heats (especially in hot weather) and shuts off for a few minutes I think to kool and then works again- on a 100 deg day, that happens about every 10 mins- other than that, it and the transmission runs great. Engine runs great other than hard to get gas to it at cold start up- the C forum diagnosed that a few weeks ago when I first got it- thank you!, gen and everything else runs great. The dealer replaced the house battery and I noticed it has room for two but no electrical for a second batt... do these typically have one or two back there? Rear tires have valve extensions and a couple of the rears seem to have a hard time holding air. And thank you to who posted about the 100,000 mike timing belt heads up... as no papers came with this coach, I have no idea what’s been done... I’ll put that on the list at next service.

Very best, CaptR

[Majestic31]

AC failed last week , AC repair service (a friend of mine) checked it Blower motor shot, compressor not much better.It would cost more to fix it than replace it.

[IAMICHABOD]

Majestic31 wrote:
Replacing my AC unit on my Majestic 28A RV. Ordered Dometic # 3314850.000 13.500 BTU Brisk Air II. Install was easy, found out new ac needs special controller to work and also my old Dometic thermostat will not work with new AC also .
AC # 3314850.000
Controler # 312020.000 $122.88
THermostat # 3314082.011 $ 82.00

Did this A/C fail so soon after purchase? Or was it an upgrade you wanted to make?

[cencerrita]

Tequila wrote:

sachilles wrote:
Two weeks in. My only real "issue", is a minor one, the green light indicates that the battery is solar charging does not seem to work. I took out the tamper proof allen screws from the panel, and replaced with standard philips head screws. I found the panel is producing power and gets to the led, but the led doesn't illuminate. Almost looks like someone tried to re-solder the led to the mini circuit board it's on. I don't need the light, but wonder if they sell a replacement board and LED. I swear I read somebody has had the problem recently.

I have not seen the lED light up on mine either. I havent been up there, but i am guessing its a small panel on the A?C which is probably only good for trickle charging. I plan to put at least 100 Watts up there.

I took the information off the panel a couple of years ago but the manufacture never answered me. Failure of the unit seems to be a common problem. Ended up fitting a new small unit above the panel to control the roof solar panel and wired into the existing sytem having completly removed the exisiting neon unit with charge contol.

[Majestic31]

Replacing my AC unit on my Majestic 28A RV. Ordered Dometic # 3314850.000 13.500 BTU Brisk Air II. Install was easy, found out new ac needs special controller to work and also my old Dometic thermostat will not work with new AC also .
AC # 3314850.000
Controler # 312020.000 $122.88
THermostat # 3314082.011 $ 82.00

[IAMICHABOD]

Tequila,I almost forgot to add you to the list of Former Rental Owners :S
I will put you in right now, you will be #102!!

Welcome aboard and I hope that it will work out for you down in Mexico,let us know how it all shakes out.

[IAMICHABOD]

Majestic31,welcome to the Forum and the Former Rental Owners Club,you will be #101 on the list There is a nice picture of it in your Profile

Thanks for the list of improvements that you made,this may help others.

I hope your camping season will go well and those improvements work out for the best!

[Tequila]

sachilles wrote:
Two weeks in. My only real "issue", is a minor one, the green light indicates that the battery is solar charging does not seem to work. I took out the tamper proof allen screws from the panel, and replaced with standard philips head screws. I found the panel is producing power and gets to the led, but the led doesn't illuminate. Almost looks like someone tried to re-solder the led to the mini circuit board it's on. I don't need the light, but wonder if they sell a replacement board and LED. I swear I read somebody has had the problem recently.

I have not see the lED light up on mine either. I havent been up there, but i am guessing its a small panel on the A?C which is probably only good for trickle charging. I plan to put at least 100 Watts up there.

[Tequila]

BoxinTheCompass wrote:
Wow here we are 94 pages later.... great thread and very informative through and through.

Not sure if I can post URL but rvtrader shows a Majestic updated and refurbished interior. I would jump on this one but its over 1000 miles away...

Refurbed Thor Majestic Former RV Rental

They took out the dinette and put in a counter... painted the cabinetry all white...

This is along what I would like to do with refurbishment. Not sure how hard it is to paint the cabinets.. I guess start with good base coat of Kilz primer and then go from there.

Nice, except I dont think losing the dinnette is a good idea.

[Majestic31]

I purchased a four winds Majestic 2011 28a last year, 120.000 miles on it I had to replace all of the tires, all new Bilstein shocks.rear camera,TV mount, 3 Vent covers, Roadmaster Reflex Steering Stabilizer Best addition so far, Sumo Springs bump stops Rear HEAVY DUTY, Front regular, Wheel alignment Looking to buy Sumo springs heavy duty rear fake air bag to try to stop the heavy bang in rear going over bumps, water empty rv unloaded still bangs going over bumps Sumo bump stops helped 50%,New passenger side mirror,Water filter system, Screen door bar, All new valve stems,

[IAMICHABOD]

I thought that if some of you that follow this thread may have missed a post that I made on a Majestic 28A that a family member just bought that had a ladder on it,this may help if you decide you want put one on.
Here are the pictures that I have of the ladder on his 28A

Click For Full-Size Image.
This is how it is mounted at the bottom
Click For Full-Size Image.
Mounted 14 inches from the edge
Click For Full-Size Image.

This one is like the one installed


I hope this helps,:B

I hope all you Former Rental Owners are having a great camping season,I know that mine has been outstanding.