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.

[jwcolby54]

I am a database analyst / programmer. I built a database using MS Access and scraped 103 records from the CA website, specifically for the 28a. I managed to miss 2 of the records currently out there. I have not done the same for the 25a simply because I am not interested in those and...

It was a bit of a pita doing this as I had to click on each and every one of the listings to get into the second page because the VIN and the miles are only available on the second page. Sigh.

But it is done. Now I have to check up occasionally to see new listings as they occur. BTW if there is anyone out there who can actually automate this using for example Python and wants to help me do this please do speak up. I managed to use the windows paste buffer to paste it into my db, from where I parse the 10 lines of text into the various prices and other fields.

I can export this thing out to an Excel spreadsheet if anyone is interested in seeing what is out there and how the prices break around the miles and year.

2018 prices range from $38850 with 136302 miles vs $46850 with 96850 miles.

2019s range from $39,350.00 for 150562 miles up to $46,850.00 for 117924 miles.

Of course I also have the location where each unit is being sold.

I have the VIN and did a basic lookup on it. Not much of interest to me in that.

[Jvacorn]

I would be interested in your database export, although I have a 23A. Seems like they still have a lot of similarities. Thanks

[jwcolby54]

I found a very good youtube video on lithium vs lead acid. It is by an engineer who did extensive side by side testing in the lab where he could get consistent results for each battery type he tested. It is somewhat long but very thorough.

https://youtu.be/iy3hga_P5YY?si=tr2yG_na_vB5rHmQ

It was done at BattleBorn but the results are the same for other manufacturers.

[jwcolby54]

John / Angela wrote:

Snowman9000 wrote:

Well, 12 years and 180,000K and still going strong. I have no idea how the renters treated it but we tend to try and keep it level. We are kinda hoping it dies so we can put in a compressor model with a little more room. Until then.....

LOL, I hear ya. I will replace mine as soon as the money comes available. 12v Compressor all the way. I alrready have a 50 qt chest style 12v compressor and it is awsome!

[SJ-Chris]

(On Majestic RVs from Cruise America....,but I suppose could apply to any former rental Class C or any Class C in general...)

Does anyone have experience with making changes to the front end steering stabilizer on their Thor Majestic from Cruise America?

I was recently reading about the risks/challenges of a front tire blowout on Class C RVs. During a sudden blowout, there will be a strong pull on the steering that could easily pull the RV off the road (right front tire blowout) or towards oncoming traffic (left front tire blowout). I'm very interested in safety, so I want to do what I can to reduce a potential catastrophic event.

When I look underneath my RV, I see that there is a steering stabilizer already on the RV. I assume this is "from the factory". Here is a picture...



Does anyone know how good, or how NOT good, this steering stabilizer is (especially in the event of a front tire blowout)?

Do ALL Class C RVs come with this type of steering stabilizer? Does this factory stabilizer significantly protect against vehicle pulling during a front tire blowout??

I am considering replacing what is on the RV with a Safe-T-Plus or a Roadmaster steering stabilizer. Ignoring the "return to center" spring assistance, do these devices actually help during a blowout MORE THAN what the factory default does?

Have any of you Majestic owners had a front tire blowout and if so would you like to share your experience (with an emphasis on how much your RV pulled or didn't pull in the direction of the blowout tire)?

Have any of you Majestic owners replaced your factory steering stabilizer and if so can you give us details and tell us about the impact during your highway driving?

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

Thanks!
Chris

[IAMICHABOD]

BlindBadger
Wow what a great write up on your experiences on your CA purchase!
It sounds like it went mostly smooth, except being in Phoenix in July,been there done that...

I am sure others will get a lot of help from your post,I will archive it along with others I have.

It is great you had a good trip home and found out all the things you want to upgrade and make some mods to.

I would like to know if CA will honor that good will fund, please come on back and let us all know how that turned out,hopefully you will get it all fixed on their dime.In the past they have been good about fixing things and getting parts for repairs.

Have a Great Camping Season #145 let us know how it is going and of any Mods that you make.

You and your Family have fun!

[BlindBadger]

Wanted to post my overall experience so far since I got the RV at the Phoenix Cruise America location and drove it 1760 miles home to Spokane (with a detour to the grand canyon, north rim).

I'll go from bad to good on everything, but I want to make it clear that my family and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the RV. All the major systems are working great, the V10 has PLENTY of power when mated to the 6-speed, and we can't wait to go out in it again!

Ok, onto the bad...the CA refurbishment was good, but not as thorough as I ended up expecting it to be. It's definitely a used RV and has clear signs of that in wear and fit/finish (little scratches and other thing on the interior that I won't dive into in the list below). Other items I noticed were:
- There's missing caulk at the top of the shower
- There's a gap around the fresh water fill port (CA confirmed that it's not normal and should be tight with a gasket)
- The wall between the fridge and the dinette doesn't seal against the outside wall...not sure if that's normal or not, but by comparison to my parents' truck camper (which is sealed tight), it isn't.
- The propane sensor goes off while boondocking if we use the fridge a lot...propane smell is noticeable when exiting and entering the cabin (I turned it off at the tank since then). Pending diagnostic to see if CA willl fix the issue here. Doesn't happen when using shore power.
- Black tank sensors permanently read 2/3s...from what I've read, this is just normal for RVs in general so I figure I'll not worry about it and replace it with a different type of measuring system in the future.
- House door striker is loose/misaligned. Seems like it's stripped in the wall as the striker can move in place by hand. When door is deadbolted, it's nice and tight in the frame...without deadbolt engaged, it feels only half-closed.
- Bathroom door opens while driving. We place something in front of it for now but seeing if CA will fix it (seems likely as they mentioned this sometimes happens on their active rental units and they've fixed it in the past)
- There's some daylight visible through the side of the bottom step...CA indicated they'll likely repair, pending diagnostic.
- Half or more of the drawer slides fall out of their guides at half or near full extension. They look pretty old and pitted so I think they got missed.
- I climbed on the roof and checked the A/C once I got home and it looks like it hasn't ever been cleaned. It worked find on the trip but I think it could definitely use a deep clean and some simple maintenance. The A/C itself works great, albeit loudly (fan noise...compressor noise is almost imperceptible).
- The useless rear-view mirror looked like the silver in the mirror itself was decomposing...I popped it off and threw it in the trash since it's not useful anyways.
- The shower floor was dirty, as if it hadn't been wiped down...I don't think they cleaned it very thoroughly inside.

I flew down knowing these things might show up and took the risk to drive it home as-is and get things repaired after because of how well I heard things go for others and because I only have so much PTO at work (and struggled to get an RV inspector scheduled...gave up after contacting 5 different places and being met with various difficulties from "we need you to leave the RV with us for a week" to non-response to finding out they've retired from the business). Some of the items I didn't notice until we were already on the road as well, but none of them had any significant impact on our ability to function or camp so I'm not worried.

All of the issues are ultimately minor and relatively easy to fix but they're present and we're waiting to get the RV into a shop for an estimate/diagnostic to see if CA will take care of them out of their goodwill fund. Speaking of that...the first 3mo/3,000 mile warranty is powertrain...other fixes (cabin/house stuff) are all "goodwill fund" so that's something to be aware of if purchasing from them. The drivetrain itself is immaculate under the hood.

Diagnostic with the local RV shop is scheduled for the 15th so we'll see how it goes then. Worst case scenario: I go through the aftermarket warranty I purchased from them for hte coach side for any systems and just do repairs myself (which, like I said before, all relatively minor and easy to do...just don't want to have to do them myself if I don't have to).

Now, some interesting changes/update on the RV itself for current model years:
- Transmission defaults to Tow-Haul mode. No need to hit a button to get there. Just start it up and it's in that mode. Nice! I assume this came in with the 6 speed.
- The 6-speed is NICE. It's quick to downshift to help with braking at even a minor tap of the brake pedal and holds speed easily on downhill grades. The extra gears also make it easy to go up hills. It's no sports car, but it drives very well and rarely jumps above 4,000rpm (only in the steepest parts does it do that)
- The stems for the dual rear tires are metal. I noticed this when installing the TPMS system I brought with me (I also noticed none of them had valve stem cap on them...not a big deal since I was replacing them with the TPMS sensors anyways, but it just caught me by surprise). Nice that I don't have to upgrade these as it came upgraded.
- All interior lights are LED already...I think that's already been reported by others but I figured I'd include it for completeness. Exterior lights outside of the headlight assembly are also all LED.
- The solar panel that was mounted to the A/C unit on the roof was removed and the hole where the wires ran down are fully sealed.
- The proximity sensors for backing up work really well still and surprised me when I was squeezing the RV into the shop.


Picking up the RV was smooth as silk...all the major systems appeared to be working just fine (fridge was warm but it takes a while for it to cool down initially and is working perfectly now). My parents had driven down in their truck camper loaded with gear I had pre-purchased in anticipation for the pickup and they let us load it up in their loading bay in the shade while the RV was plugged in and AC was running. My sales rep, Kevin, also gave me a new sewer hose, new drinking-safe water hose, and new folding table as part of a get-started kit. The RV also came with the stuff that was already there (the old table, old sewer and water hose, and old 30a to 15a plug converter). I had upgraded versions of stuff for most of that already but it was nice to have backups.

I have a future upgrade list a mile long (in a spreadsheet), but the most immediate ones I want to get done are:
- Add fans to the main house roof vents (over the front bed and rear bed). There's no fans right now and it was a bit rough in the heat...a little bit of airflow would go a long ways when boondocking.
- Rear view camera. The proximity sensors work on my unit but seeing exactly how close I am would give me far more confidence in backing up.
- I can tell the exterior had a fresh coat of paint on it due to the overspray on the rear hitch. The RV looks nice, but little details tell me more of the story there. 🙂

The trip itself, from Phoenix to Spokane, was GREAT! We boondocked half the time, stayed at a couple of KOAs, and stayed at a few private campgrounds and the whole experience was amazing and memorable for my family.

Firstly, we'll never go to Phoenix again in July unless we absolutely have to...119 is way worse than the 110 I've felt before. It literally felt like someone was holding a blowtorch to my legs when I walked from the air-conditioned RV to a store across the parking lot. We fled to flagstaff where it was MUCH nicer.

For driving, I averaged 9-9.5mpg but I was trying to make time while driving to get back home in time for something, so I was often cruising at 70-75mph on the highway.

We got home on a thursday and turned around to meet some friends and camp in it the next day for the weekend (this past weekend). It was a hugely positive experience using it and we can't wait to go back out in it again! My wife and daughter love it and I do too!


If I missed anything. feel free to ask and I'd be happy to give more detail on my experience. 🙂

[IAMICHABOD]

vw2112 Welcome to the Forum.I will add you to the ever growing list of the
Former Rental Owners Club you will be #146

Congratulations on getting thru all 168 pages!

I have archived many of the mods that other owners have made,if there are any specific ones you want to know about I may be able to help without you having to search all these pages. Just ask or send me a PM I will be happy to help.

Again Welcome and good luck on your purchase and when it is done please come on back and share your experiences with us.

Have a Great Camping Season.

[cencerrita]

vw2112 wrote:
Just read through all 168 pages and i have most of the answers i needed before i head into Dallas to pick up my CA 23A. I've already purchased a lot of stuff for the RV as i know how many things i needed to get to make it the way i want after i get it back to Missouri. Just returned from 4 years traveling around the south pacific, Asia, Australia, and half of Europe. The plan was to get some land and build a container home on it and go back to the work force but now i found out its about an 8 month project for container homes. I decided to buy a jeep wrangler and an RV and just live in the RV and find some sort of part time job to keep me from being bored and spending a lot of money on amazon like ive been doing. got some job offers driving a big truck again but its a seasonal concrete job here and after like October its not gonna be so busy and id probably head south to avoid winter as much as possible.

I have some things i couldn't find out about the RV but i can just look at the heater controls to see what model the unit has on it before i order the replacement. Seems like i can install the thing in the parking lot in Dallas if i need to but will probably get it back to here before i start replacing shocks and so on. gonna be returning to this page a lot it seems to follow the writeups of replacing things that others have so nicely posted.

Have a great time and enjoy. If you need somewhere cheap to go in the Winter the BLM long term visitor pass Arizona and
New Mexico - 2023
• New Mexico pass is a good deal if you want to stay somewhere warm during the winter months.
• $6.5 convenience fee by Reservations America when buying a pass.
• Pass cost for residents $180
• Pass cost for non-residents $225 which is still a good buy.
• Annual Day use $40 except Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
• There is a fee of $4 night up to maximum $12 for each camping night booked via Reserveamerica.com the daily basic camp fees however tend to be quite cheap

have a good one

[vw2112]

Just read through all 168 pages and i have most of the answers i needed before i head into Dallas to pick up my CA 23A. I've already purchased a lot of stuff for the RV as i know how many things i needed to get to make it the way i want after i get it back to Missouri. Just returned from 4 years traveling around the south pacific, Asia, Australia, and half of Europe. The plan was to get some land and build a container home on it and go back to the work force but now i found out its about an 8 month project for container homes. I decided to buy a jeep wrangler and an RV and just live in the RV and find some sort of part time job to keep me from being bored and spending a lot of money on amazon like ive been doing. got some job offers driving a big truck again but its a seasonal concrete job here and after like October its not gonna be so busy and id probably head south to avoid winter as much as possible.

I have some things i couldn't find out about the RV but i can just look at the heater controls to see what model the unit has on it before i order the replacement. Seems like i can install the thing in the parking lot in Dallas if i need to but will probably get it back to here before i start replacing shocks and so on. gonna be returning to this page a lot it seems to follow the writeups of replacing things that others have so nicely posted.

[BlindBadger]

In the past week, I've tried to contact several different inspection companies and a lot of them are just...gone (even ones recommended by my CA salesman as people who have come before). One I contacted wanted me to bring the RV to them and leave it with them for a week for the inspection!

From the recommendation in this thread, I contacted RV eagle late last week and it's been a challenge to get information on an inspection from him (or at least a date so I can let the salesman know when to expect him). I called him once and he asked me to text him the info. When I did, he didn't respond until midnight two nights later (asking for the date I'll be picking up the RV). I let him know the dates and let him know that I'd like the inspection done ahead of time so I can get CA to fix things before I arrive (it's currently day two again from the last response I got from him).

With the date I fly down to pick it up coming closer, I'm starting to question if I should find someone else. I'm sure he does a good job (two good experience in this thread), but the lack of communication is not inspiring confidence. Anybody have any other recommendations for RV inspection in the Phoenix/Mesa area? (ideally someone who has helped them with a CA RV inspection or can go to that location?)

Worst case scenario, I do have an inspection checklist for myself based on the information in this thread and may just have to rely on the past experiences in the thread for everything else being fine.

[IAMICHABOD]

BlindBadger,Welcome to the Forum and the Former Rental Owners Club.I will add you to the list of Happy Owners,you will be #145

Yes please come on back and share your experiences good or bad, it will be of help to all the others that are looking to buy.

Again welcome and I hope all will go as planed and you will have a great camping season.

[BlindBadger]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone in this thread. You guys provided a lot of reassurance (and great advice on what to look for/inspect) as my wife and 4yo get ready to fly down to CA in PHX to check out and pickup a 23A to drive back to Spokane, WA (a nice long trip to really test everything, hah).

We've rented one of that model before from the spokane rental location back in 2021 and my wife loved it (especially the layout). I was less impressed with the rental as several screws that held up curtains and other things were all stripped out or just not installed at all (dangling or found on the floor) and I ended up doing those minor repairs before the wife loaded up the rig for camping (I blame the local shop more than the larger organization in this case). A lot of the trim and other items showed signs of pretty major wear as well. However, all the mechanical stuff worked solidly for the week we used it (driving it across the state and back).

It sounds like all of that won't be an issue and would be fixed/taken care of during the refurbishment process and hearing all of you happy campers who have gotten CA units really eases my mind since I'm flying down there and won't get to see the unit before I'm there to pick it up (I did plan on grabbing the extra warranties just to make sure...another peace of mind purchase that it sounds like I won't have to use too much, if at all). The salesman has been very pleasant to work with so far...very accommodating and responsive.

I'll post up our experience once we take posession of it in a couple of weeks and hopefully add to the positive experiences (or give details of anything negative if it comes up).

[SJ-Chris]

maxheller wrote:
Hi all,

Great information on this thread.

I am now also considering buying a 23A Thor Majestic from CA. I just wonder about how the pricing relates to the JD Power RV values. I understand that in this current market, CA may be able to sell their RVs for much above the average retail JD Power RV value. What I do not understand is why the 23A shows up a much lower lower value compared to a comparable Thor Four Winds unit. I understand that the two are similar. Any thoughts or ideas? Are there other sources for the RV values I should be looking at?

I've got two CA RVs and they have served me well for my purposes. You need to keep in mind that CA has these RVs custom built to their (rental fleet) specifications. They are built without all the bells and whistles that end up breaking from use/misuse. They keep their RVs very simple. Examples: No Electric steps, no slide outs, no awnings (unless you pay to have one added), solar (none), no TV/DVD, just one coach battery, no inverter, no (or limited) USB ports, no backup camera, no ladder to the roof. Because of this, I would expect them to sell for less than a standard "consumer" Class C RV.

One thing to point out... I DO believe that CA is also smart enough to know over the years the items that break most commonly and they have those items built extra strong/etc from the factory so that they last longer.

If you have any questions....fire away! If you are contemplating buying one from CA, feel free to message me for a tip.

Happy Camping!
Chris

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Well, I should add: regarding RV values, I look at RVTrader.com But ALWAYS ask for the out-the-door price, because some dealers add on a lot of "fees"