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.

[IAMICHABOD]

Hello Everyone OP here again.

It has been a little more than 2 years since I have given a progress report on my ownership of a Former Rental.
I have completed my 9th consecutive successful week long Thanksgiving trip with my extended family.

This year it was a lot different because of Covid,much smaller,all outside and social distance and mask rules were in place. We had 20mph winds late in the day after the early meal,just got it cleaned up before it got real bad. We all survived and no one has gotten sick.

As in my previous report, all the appliances are still in excellent working order and trouble free, all the doors, cabinets and drawers are working as they should and the fit and finish is still very good. All the tank sensors are still working as they should and the generator now has a bit more than 1400 hours on it without a single problem, if it hasn’t been run at least monthly I will start it up and put it under load for an hour or so.

I have kept up all the routine maintenance, checking all seams and openings and making sure that they are sealed and weather tight, washing waxing and all fluid check and changes that are needed.Plus a few Mods like the Wireless Backup Camera and moving the TV To a better place

I have not encountered any problems since my last update.

I am very happy with my choice of this Former Rental and its performance; it has given me great confidence in its use and dependability. I look forward to many more years of trouble free trips with family and friends or on my own,we have some trips planned for this year.

I hope others on this thread have had the same luck and dependability and would share with us how it is going with your Former Rental.Many have and by all reports most if not all have had the same luck and dependability.

Everyone out there stay safe and healthy,we will get thru this and return to our camping ways.Lets get Camping.

[CwglIndn]

IAMICHABOD wrote:
So far the information and opinions on the extended insurance have been straightforward and honest.

So I will add this,of the more than 130 members here on this thread there have been no reports of any CA units that have had an engine,transmission or generator failure.

I did find on 2 occasions that El Monte RV did honor their warranty This One and Here
They both happened in the Warranty period that was given to them when they bought the unit,not an extended warranty.

FWIW, my sales contact at El Monte told me, when I asked about drive train extended warranties, that they used to offer them, through the same company that CA uses. The reason they stopped, and just went with offering their own 12/12 power train warranty, is that he wasn't aware of any case in which the extended warranty company actually paid on a claim - which, of course, made for unhappy customers.

Just a reminder, I did report a generator circuit board fire the first day, but CA repaired with no issues. I skipped the RV warranty, but took the powertrain because it was a small cost compared for 5 years when we typically do 5-6k mile usage per year. like about $400 per year is nice. CA did state to me the reason they got a great deal on the powertrain was because of their service monitoring with Ford allowed for lower costs. But I agree no one here has had a power train issue. Although I think I may have a compression issue that I will check on soon.

[CwglIndn]

Update after owning our CA 2015 23a since last March.

Backstory: bought fully refurbished from Las Vegas, drove home and immediately had a generator circuit board fire which was repaired by CA, along with a waterline leak and smoke detector. Also got the power train warranty and an awning.

We have done a long 3 week 3000 mile trip, and many short trips. Only big mods were side steps, mud flaps, VanTop rear camera, tire pressure monitors, trailer brake controller and a 7 pin trailer connector. Little things include TV mount, wood sink cover, stove cover, brace bars in cabinets and a large bar across the top cab to hold supplies steady.

Driving: Been great, we struggle steep 7% or higher grades and will get smoke if I push it too hard. Our tow says 5k capacity, but towing a 2500lb horse trailer empty really slows on those steep hills. I plan to get the engine pressure checked to make sure everything is good while I have the warranty.

Inside: We have had some insulation disappear on the bottom of the door, which really increased noise, luckily I had some weather strip left. A clasp on the drawers broke and we had to replace. A rear mud flap and its support got pulled into the tire, probably in strong wind, still have to replace. Had to do minor caulking in bathroom and exterior mainly for prevention, especially around the front clearance lights. While driving in high winds the stove vent flap got pulled out of it's plastic socket, as i didn't have time to check on the highway I duck taped it shut. Later, after pealing the duct tape off, I was able to pop the vent back into the socket. I want to add a vent tab (like non-automatic vents) to switch the vent on and off (then I'll have to remember to slide it open).

Everything is pretty routine, and the only significant issue is our refrigerator no longer works on electric. I think I know the issue (possible heating element or loose connection) but gas works fine.

Recently did our 1st 5k oil change. Only regret is we wish it was a E450 instead of E350 because towing is really important to us. Might add better stabilizer bars, primarily to rear later. Also might try to steal horsepower with better exhaust or intake, but not anytime soon. Level towing or light hills are fine with about 4300lb horse and loaded trailer.

Good luck all!

[IAMICHABOD]

SJ-Chris wrote:


I have two 28a Majestics from Cruise America. there is a good chance that in 5 year's time I will actually put on 100,000 miles. That last part I think is KEY.


-Chris

Chris good luck with that warranty.

[SJ-Chris]

IAMICHABOD wrote:
So far the information and opinions on the extended insurance have been straightforward and honest.

So I will add this,of the more than 130 members here on this thread there have been no reports of any CA units that have had an engine,transmission or generator failure.

I did find on 2 occasions that El Monte RV did honor their warranty This One and Here
They both happened in the Warranty period that was given to them when they bought the unit,not an extended warranty.

FWIW, my sales contact at El Monte told me, when I asked about drive train extended warranties, that they used to offer them, through the same company that CA uses. The reason they stopped, and just went with offering their own 12/12 power train warranty, is that he wasn't aware of any case in which the extended warranty company actually paid on a claim - which, of course, made for unhappy customers.

I have two 28a Majestics from Cruise America. I use them a lot and will likely put 100,000 miles on them over the next 5 years. When I bought the first one, they offered me a 5-year 100,000 mile warranty on the Powertrain (engine, transmission, drive axle, water pump). It cost $1700 (or $1800, I can't remember). My thinking was, "Well, the unit already has 120,000 miles on it...I'm betting that over the next 100,000 miles *something* is going to happen that will be covered and it will cost MORE than $1700". Another important thing....with how I'm using the RVs, there is a good chance that in 5 year's time I will actually put on 100,000 miles. That last part I think is KEY. If you are like most RV owners, you will probably put only 2000-5000 miles per year on your RV. Then, maybe the warranty isn't as worthwhile because the chances of failure definitely goes down. But in my case, I felt it was worthwhile for the above reasons AND the peace of mind.

Now.......with all that being said, I did learn something. On this CA RV with the warranty my exhaust manifold started leaking after about 15000 miles. If you've had that happen before, you know the familiar and LOUD rumble sound... It is common for BOLTS to rust/corrode and break off (there are 10 bolts that hold the manifold together). When I read the fine print, and called the warranty company, and asked my mechanic to investigate, I noticed in the warranty it specifically says it doesn't cover anything related to bolts breaking! Ugh. That meant this repair wasn't covered. In order to do the repair, my mechanic had to pull the engine so they could get at all the bolts to tap them and get them all out (several had broken off). As long as he was doing all that, I had him change out EVERYTHING that made sense as long as he had the engine pulled. A long list of things, that hopefully now I won't have to worry about for years to come. The total bill was over $8000. I took it in stride and don't let these things get me down. But it was unfortunate that it wasn't covered under the warranty.

And all that being said....I still am glad I have the warranty that I bought. I've got another 4 years and ~80000 miles and I'm betting there will be something else that ends up breaking and hopefully when it does it will be covered.

-Chris

[eldel]

As a follow-up - a quick google search gave me this helpful link which seems to validate the advice I was given - the 6.8 V10 is a long-term hauler as long as you look after it.

With an annual oil change I fully expect the powertrain to outlast my usage of the vehice.

[IAMICHABOD]

So far the information and opinions on the extended insurance have been straightforward and honest.

So I will add this,of the more than 130 members here on this thread there have been no reports of any CA units that have had an engine,transmission or generator failure.

I did find on 2 occasions that El Monte RV did honor their warranty This One and Here
They both happened in the Warranty period that was given to them when they bought the unit,not an extended warranty.

FWIW, my sales contact at El Monte told me, when I asked about drive train extended warranties, that they used to offer them, through the same company that CA uses. The reason they stopped, and just went with offering their own 12/12 power train warranty, is that he wasn't aware of any case in which the extended warranty company actually paid on a claim - which, of course, made for unhappy customers.

[FunTwoDrv]

For what it’s worth, I look at these insurance plans as they have statistics that say your repair will not equal, or exceed, the police price...and you’re betting it will.
Gary

[TwistedGray]

Floridastorm wrote:
I am hoping that you folks are right. I could self insure. But replacing an engine, transmission, generator, refrigerator can set you back a whole bunch. But then again it's $4,000 for the service plans which I would have to exceed in repairs in order to break even. So, guess I will think about this a little more.

It is also your time and heart ticks sitting on a phone call with an insurance agency who has a reputation of making things extremely difficult on the policy holder. Do you want to put yourself through that?

What's the likelihood that those big ticket items are going to break down before your extended warranty period is up? One in ten, one in a hundred, ...

Is it worth the stress and uncertainties working with the company on repairs, or would you rather bank the $4k and fix things when they come up immediately without concern if the company is going to pay out? $4k can fix a lot of things!

[Floridastorm]

I am hoping that you folks are right. I could self insure. But replacing an engine, transmission, generator, refrigerator can set you back a whole bunch. But then again it's $4,000 for the service plans which I would have to exceed in repairs in order to break even. So, guess I will think about this a little more.

[eldel]

I bought an extended warranty on a new TT about 12 years ago. It was for 4 years. In that time I tried to use it 6 (if memory serves) times. Only once did they part with actual money and that took months - fortunately I hadn't planned on using it during that period. They didn't cover call outs, the unit had to go to an 'approved' repairer - a list of which was 'not available' and they would not necessarily cover the complete cost. Treat it like medical insurance but with less chance of personal suffering.

I wouldn't go so far as to say they are a scam, quite - but they don't exist to pay money out.

In our situation (ex-rental units) the appliances and everything else are as simple as possible to enhance the lifespan. There's very little to go wrong {edit to add - as long as you keep up with basic maintenance}. My personal response to the offer of the extended warranty was to glance at the fine print, chuckle, and politely refuse.

[Hoerschel]

FLORIDASTORM: I would echo many others on this forum who passed up extended service warranties in favor of self-insuring toward future repairs. Seems rare that anyone in this group ever had any of the major mechanical issues the warranties are supposed to cover. Those who purchased warranties and thehn tried to use them often complained about caveats in the small print that rendered the 'coverage' virtually useless. YMMV...

[Floridastorm]

Since Cruise America gives the option of purchasing Power Train and Coach extended service agreements along with the purchase of the motor home, I am wondering if any Cruise America owners were able to get them on their own without going through Cruise America? Many of the extended service agreements will not apply to units that are over 100,000 miles. I guess that CA has agreements with companies to cover their units regardless of mileage. If there are companies out there that would cover mileage over 100,000 and would sell to a private individual I would appreciate knowing about it. :@

[TwistedGray]

Floridastorm wrote:

Sullyd61 wrote:

eldel wrote:

Sullyd61 wrote:
Hi
I ordered a 28a2017 through the Manassas va. Location . Anyone have any information about getting an inspection in that area . They say they are refurbished in Mesa Az. And then driven to va. Via .hired driver or 1 way rental. Has anyone purchased extended warranty and attempted to use it . Should I expect or ask for anew set of tires . Should batteries be new ? Do they do a complete trans mission fluid change with a new screen.

I skipped the warranty when I looked at the small print. The 30 day one is quite comprehensive though so make sure you take a trip in that time.

They don't change fluids - or test them. I had a complete fluid test and was told "well you can change it if you want". I did.
The battery will be original as long as it holds some charge. The tires will be as is unless illegal.

I did use an outside inspector (in Denver so not a lot of good for you I'm afraid) and I'm glad I did. When they refurbished the roof they didn't finish it correctly.

Thanks for the information

According to the Cruise America brochure and the Orlando Sales Manager they provide a 3 month/3,000 mile Power Train Warranty. We will plan on using the motor home quite a bit within that 3 months in order to shake out any imperfections. By the way, does CA give you any of the supporting equipment such as Water Pressure Regulator, 30 AMP Surge Protector, Water Hose and Sewage Line, etc.?

Water house and sewage line - yes

Everything else - not to my knowledge

[Floridastorm]

Sullyd61 wrote:

TwistedGray wrote:

Floridastorm wrote:
Just ordered one of the 19G's today and will be available for pickup February 25th. Will get it professionally inspected including fluids analysis before final payment. Don't think I will be getting the Extended Service Agreements. CA pays up to $300 for a one way car rental to Orlando. Will keep the forum appraised of the progress.

Congrats!!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/402432987512698

Congratulations, Do they refurbish in Orlando ? (Or Kissemmee)

Kissimmee is in Orlando actually what you might call a suburb. The Cruise America facility is located in Kissimmee.