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]

Jecraig4734,Welcome to the Forum and to the Former Rental Owners Club.
I will add you to the Happy owners club, you will be #136
It sounds like you gave it a real good shakedown cruise,good to hear it all went well.

It is great to hear that the Forum and all the members that have contributed helped you in your choice to buy a Former Rental. That just shows how well this Forum has helped others by the free flow of ideas and good information.

Again Welcome and come on back if you have any questions or observations you would like to share.

[Jecraig4734]

Picked up our CA Thor Majestic 28a in Mesa on February 17th, and drove it about 1900 miles home over a week and half. Love it so far with no issues during the trip. This forum was a big influence in our decision to purchase from CA.

[IAMICHABOD]

Racerboy75 Welcome to the Forum and a future member of the Former Rental Owners Club!

I hope all goes well with your inspection and maybe ownership of a Former Rental.

I know that there is a lot to sift thru here but as you can see there are some very helpful members here,if there is anything that you have questions about just ask or send me a PM,I have a lot of stuff archived so I can go back and see if there is anything I can help with.

Please come on back and tell us how everything turned out. The Twilight Zone,I like that.

Again Welcome and good luck with everything!

[IAMICHABOD]

Hoerschel wrote:

IAMICHABOD: Thanks for the photo which leads to me now standing corrected! Found the manufacturing date on my replacement unit. The date was actually printed on the faceplate of the old unit rather than on the back as they are doing now.

That is great to know.What was the MFG Date on your new one?Hopefully it is fairly new.

[Hoerschel]

IAMICHABOD wrote:

That is interesting,my new Safe-T-Alert has the MFG Date stamped on the back side just as the one that I replaced that was a bit over 5 years old according to the MFG date that was stamped on the backside of the old unit.
The original one that was in the RV when I bought it had a MFG Date that was over 6 years old when it failed.

IAMICHABOD: Thanks for the photo which leads to me now standing corrected! Found the manufacturing date on my replacement unit. The date was actually printed on the faceplate of the old unit rather than on the back as they are doing now.

[cencerrita]

Racerboy76 wrote:
Whelp I may be joining your ranks, if all goes well I will be looking over a Thor Majestic 23A from Cruise America. I am a first timer and am new to owning an RV. These rental models really appealed to us with their simplicity. I felt like it would be a good fit for us with our limited RV'ing knowledge. I did RV as a kid with my parents but now its time for me to do the same with our children. I gotta say thank you guys for all the good information in here. I've been reading over all the posts in here to help calm my nerves. Man buying an RV feels alot like sipping from a fire hose. So much information and opinions. Its hard to weed through it all. Wish me luck, any last minute advice before I hopefully pull the trigger?

Yes there is lots of good info here in the forum and many other articles and books around. Just jump in and enjoy. The one good thing we did was to decide to spend out the extra on all the things we wanted for our fit out and comfort at day one. Never regretted buying solar panels and fitting for boondocking in fabulous places. OPaid for themselves with all the money we saved on camp site fees. Great comfortable camp chairs even if they cost more etc! We lived in Spain when we brought our Rv and made it our American home for up to 3 months at a time just flying with walk on bags 🙂 Have a look at the photos on our web site for all the places we went for inspiration.

[MtnBikeMarty]

Racerboy76 wrote:
Whelp I may be joining your ranks, if all goes well I will be looking over a Thor Majestic 23A from Cruise America. I am a first timer and am new to owning an RV. These rental models really appealed to us with their simplicity. I felt like it would be a good fit for us with our limited RV'ing knowledge. I did RV as a kid with my parents but now its time for me to do the same with our children. I gotta say thank you guys for all the good information in here. I've been reading over all the posts in here to help calm my nerves. Man buying an RV feels alot like sipping from a fire hose. So much information and opinions. Its hard to weed through it all. Wish me luck, any last minute advice before I hopefully pull the trigger?

Racerboy,
Go for it! There's a lot of great info here in the 148 pages, take some time and go through it, a lot are quotes repeating the original question. But in a nutshell: skip the CA extended warranties (put that $$ in a rainy day fund), if new to RV's like me, hire a third party to inspect it prior to taking delivery, if you're thinking of a awning, go with theirs, it's a basic manual awning but their installed price is better than you can get elsewhere, take it on a shakedown outing as soon as you can to test out and familiarize yourself with everything, then get it into CA and they'll fix most anything (my refrigerator light blew out and and one verticle window was missing the clips to hold it open, they fixed both in a quick 30 minute appointment).

BONUS Info: If you're in the Mesa AZ Cruise America, there's a museum of minibikes in their service waiting area, that the founders started collecting minibikes they grew up on. We had a Honda Trail 70 and neighbors had a Trail 50, CA had several in mint...way kool, made the wait time fly by as I looked at the 100 minibikes.
MtnBikeMarty

[Racerboy76]

Whelp I may be joining your ranks, if all goes well I will be looking over a Thor Majestic 23A from Cruise America. I am a first timer and am new to owning an RV. These rental models really appealed to us with their simplicity. I felt like it would be a good fit for us with our limited RV'ing knowledge. I did RV as a kid with my parents but now its time for me to do the same with our children. I gotta say thank you guys for all the good information in here. I've been reading over all the posts in here to help calm my nerves. Man buying an RV feels alot like sipping from a fire hose. So much information and opinions. Its hard to weed through it all. Wish me luck, any last minute advice before I hopefully pull the trigger?

[path1]

Safe-T-Alert... I only buy these from RV dealer where I can take it out of the package look at the back at the manufacturing date. That is because last one I bought must have sat on someone's shelf or warehouse for about a year.

[IAMICHABOD]

Hoerschel wrote:
Interestingly, information on the front panel of my new Safe-T-Alert detector specifically states "Replace by 60 months after retail sale date." No manufacturing date is supplied. So apparently the onus is on the buyer (me) to print the date from my receipt on the faceplate with an indelible marker. I'm guessing that they don't expect the fungible components of the detector to begin deteriorating until power is supplied!(?)
Attempts to reach the company for clarification via the printed 800 number have been unsuccessful. The office is closed due to COVID and they are working remotely.

That is interesting,my new Safe-T-Alert has the MFG Date stamped on the back side just as the one that I replaced that was a bit over 5 years old according to the MFG date that was stamped on the backside of the old unit.Here is the new one.


The original one that was in the RV when I bought it had a MFG Date that was over 6 years old when it failed.

[Hoerschel]

IAMICHABOD wrote:

Hoerschel wrote:
While checking the interior of my 2015 Majestic 28a last week I heard beeping and discovered it was my dual carbon monoxide / propane gas alarm. Upon closer inspection, the flashing lights indicated the unit had reached the end of its useful life and needed replacing. An inscription on the face plate also directed the device be replaced after 5 years of service. Just an FYI for other former rental owners to be aware. Cost to replace is appproximately $75. I bought mine online through Camping World with a $15 coupon.

I had the same thing happen to mine,my RV was a bit over 4 years old when I purchased it,The propane detector failed about a year after my purchase, it was just a bit over 6 years old according to the MFG Date.

I replaced it and then just a few months ago I hear that same beep again,checked and sure enough it was my Propane alarm failure beep and flashing light.

I pulled it out and checked the MFG Date,it was 5 years and 2 months old,talk about planned failure.

I also replaced mine from Camping World.For me I went to the store and checked it before I bought it,its MFG Date was only 1 month old,I suggest checking that to make sure that you didn't get a old one.

A link to the one you bought might be very helpful to other owners of a Majestic 28A. Thanks for coming back and alerting others of this!

Interestingly, information on the front panel of my new Safe-T-Alert detector specifically states "Replace by 60 months after retail sale date." No manufacturing date is supplied. So apparently the onus is on the buyer (me) to print the date from my receipt on the faceplate with an indelible marker. I'm guessing that they don't expect the fungible components of the detector to begin deteriorating until power is supplied!(?)
Attempts to reach the company for clarification via the printed 800 number have been unsuccessful. The office is closed due to COVID and they are working remotely.

[IAMICHABOD]

SJ-Chris,I hard wired the Progressive HW30C I found that with the remote readout in the place, I put it inside my electrical bay, I could see the read out while hooking up,on the remote readout you also have a switch to by pass the unit and still get power.



As for what it detects and what it does This manual will tell you. It will shut down then the read out will tell you what happened on the read out,the codes are printed on the front of the unit and it comes with a handy card which is good for me because the unit is placed in the rear of my electrical bay.

For installation it is really simple,I did it myself following This video

Mine has shut down when there was low voltage,one time last summer when a lot of other RVs had their A/C on then the power went out,when it came back on there was a power surge also picked up on the EMS,my neighbor in the next site was not so lucky,he lost his A/C and microwave.

[SJ-Chris]

Cruise America trickle charger specs....in case anyone has wondered...

CA has these trickle charger solar panels usually mounted on top of the roof AC unit. I have two Majestic 28a units that I bought from Cruise America. On one of them, the solar trickle charger works. On the other one, it doesn't (it has been cut/destroyed).

Side note: I was told by the sales rep that when they are refurbishing the units prior to selling them, they usually cut the solar line and also the backup sensors built into the bumper. I was told they do this because it is faster for them to complete the exterior refurbishment process. It is a shame that they do that as those would be nice features. Regarding the solar trickle charger, I was told that sometimes they cut them sometimes they don't. On one of my units, it works as expected. I sure do like the fact that my coach batteries are always getting trickled while in storage (....I HATE dead/low batteries!). On one of my other units, the trickle solar has been disconnected/destroyed. I removed it today as part of a 500w solar install. In case any of you are curious (...I was), here is what that panel is doing for you if you happen to have one that works....



Looks like it would provide maybe 2-4 amp hours of charging per day. I have a battery monitor in my RV and I see that there is about .12 amps leaking even when I have everything off (...I know about half of that is due to the propane/carbon monoxide detector). So that means that in a day's time it will leak about 2.5AH. So the trickle charger is just enough to combat that, assuming you've got some sunshine.

Soon both of my RVs will have solar. I just installed two 250w panels today. Got them from Santan Solar in Arizona for $35/panel 🙂 Hope to finish up the wiring in the next few days.



Happy Camping!
Chris

[SJ-Chris]

cencerrita wrote:

SJ-Chris wrote:
*** Power Surge Protection ***

I hear a lot of people who encourage buying/using a surge protector when plugged in at campgrounds. Cost ~$200. I suspect that most people do NOT have/use surge protectors, but that is just based on my observations.

What I hardly ever hear is people talking about damage to their electrical system due to an electrical surge. So it makes me wonder if it is really a big issue or not.

Specifically, as it pertains to Cruise America former rental units....I wonder something... Cruise America sends out 1000s and 1000s of renters every year and NOT ONE of them has a surge protector! Why not? Is it because in reality they aren't needed? Do you think Cruise America has their RVs built with some sort of built-in surge protection?? Do GFCI circuits protect against surges?? Just want to hear the thoughts of other CA formal rental owners...

Is there a single Former Rental unit Owner out there who, without using a surge protector, has had a power surge that damaged their RV's electrical system/components?

Honestly, I don't even mind buying one and using one for myself. BUT, I often times let others (family/etc) use my Majestics and I know they will either forget to use it, or lose it, etc.

Thoughts?
-Chris

Surge protection is fine BUT you are not protected from "brown outs" which is low voltage. The damage done by undervoltage can be considerable.
I brought and fitted a Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C (or EMS-HW50C for 50 A supplies) Not cheap but peace of mind should say the fridge get fried or anything else. I fitted it in our Rv between the shore supply and main panel and this also proteceted me against a generator fault.
Surge Protection: 3-Mode / 1,790J / 44,000A. Ratings: 30A / 120V / 3,600W. Includes 14' Data Cable
Open Ground, Open Neutral and Reverse Polarity detection and protection, Over/Under voltage Protection, Accidental 240V Protection and A/C Frequency Protection
Miswired pedestal indication and surge failure indicator; Time Delay (136 seconds)
Remote Scrolling Digital Display scrolls continuously through the power source information
One time it picked up that the campsite socket did not have correct earth protection, which the owner then called in an electrician to
fix.
If you can wire a plug then you can fit this yourself. Just cut the main supply cable going into the main panel and insert this unit 🙂

Good suggestion (hardwiring it). That way, it will be used 100% of the time (even by inexperienced or careless users) and it also won't get stolen or lost.

I see this one on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/PROGRESSIVE-INDUSTRIES-HW30C-Hardwired-Electrical/dp/B004A32CGI/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=30%2Bamp%2Bpower%2Bmanagement%2BRV&qid=1614068354&sr=8-1&th=1
Looks like it has a built in display. Perhaps this could be wired in the rear of the compartment that houses the shore power plug and generator junction box. Then every time you plug in you could just glance into that compartment and see the readout and make sure it says all is good (E0)...

Question: From reading the description on Amazon, it looks like if it detects over or under voltage it will shut off until the power is once again within the proper range. But what about other problems that it detects?? (like reverse polarity or an open ground) Does it still allow power into your rig? Or does it act as a circuit breaker and not allow the power to pass??

What happens if there is a surge? Does it shut down?

For installation, Can you simply cut the power cord and splice in this controller? Seems pretty simple actually...

-Chris

[cencerrita]

SJ-Chris wrote:
*** Power Surge Protection ***

I hear a lot of people who encourage buying/using a surge protector when plugged in at campgrounds. Cost ~$200. I suspect that most people do NOT have/use surge protectors, but that is just based on my observations.

What I hardly ever hear is people talking about damage to their electrical system due to an electrical surge. So it makes me wonder if it is really a big issue or not.

Specifically, as it pertains to Cruise America former rental units....I wonder something... Cruise America sends out 1000s and 1000s of renters every year and NOT ONE of them has a surge protector! Why not? Is it because in reality they aren't needed? Do you think Cruise America has their RVs built with some sort of built-in surge protection?? Do GFCI circuits protect against surges?? Just want to hear the thoughts of other CA formal rental owners...

Is there a single Former Rental unit Owner out there who, without using a surge protector, has had a power surge that damaged their RV's electrical system/components?

Honestly, I don't even mind buying one and using one for myself. BUT, I often times let others (family/etc) use my Majestics and I know they will either forget to use it, or lose it, etc.

Thoughts?
-Chris

Surge protection is fine BUT you are not protected from "brown outs" which is low voltage. The damage done by undervoltage can be considerable.
I brought and fitted a Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C (or EMS-HW50C for 50 A supplies) Not cheap but peace of mind should say the fridge get fried or anything else. I fitted it in our Rv between the shore supply and main panel and this also proteceted me against a generator fault.
Surge Protection: 3-Mode / 1,790J / 44,000A. Ratings: 30A / 120V / 3,600W. Includes 14' Data Cable
Open Ground, Open Neutral and Reverse Polarity detection and protection, Over/Under voltage Protection, Accidental 240V Protection and A/C Frequency Protection
Miswired pedestal indication and surge failure indicator; Time Delay (136 seconds)
Remote Scrolling Digital Display scrolls continuously through the power source information
One time it picked up that the campsite socket did not have correct earth protection, which the owner then called in an electrician to
fix.
If you can wire a plug then you can fit this yourself. Just cut the main supply cable going into the main panel and insert this unit 🙂