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]

Congratulations Ironwood on your purchase. Please keep us updated on how it going with your new,to you,Motorhome.

The good or the bad,as a resource to share with the others in the Forum.

Happy Camping and Good Luck.

[Roy_Lynne]

We purchased our Class C from a soldier who purchased it from El Monte and we have had no issues at all.

[ironwood6058]

Finally made the purchase. Got a 2006 28A from the sales location in Manassas, VA. We rented prior to the purchase and had our rental costs rebated. The salesman was very helpful and quickly fixed the few things we found that were in need of repair. We camped a night and returned to NC. 600 uneventful miles so far.

Based on research and reading countless articles on this forum, I'm comfortable that we made a good choice. Thanks to the forum members who have shared their experiences. It made our buying decision much easier.

We'll update positive/negative over time.

[USMC0369]

I bought a 2010 Fourwinds Chateau C21 from Camping World, Raleigh, NC two months ago. It had been a rental and had 51,000 miles on it. I got a fabulous price on it, and I bought the extended warranty. They were fabulous about making sure it was like new before I took it off the lot. I went through it with the salesman, made a list, and I picked it up the next week with everything good as new. I just returned from a 700 mile trip to the mountains of NC and 5 days of camping. I had no problems at all. The service records were with the RV showing all scheduled maintenance had been completed. My wife LOVES it, so I am happy also.

[jdog]

OH YEA, I'll bet he will be sanctioned!

Mocoondo wrote:

Wrong Lane wrote:
I was really suprised by a Cruise America rental recently.

I was on I90 in New York, West of Albany, in a car. We had a radar detector and traffic was light so the cruise was set at 90 MPH. At that speed one really wants to be aware of your surroundings which includes frequent looks in the rear-views.

I see about a mile back a Class C out in the left lane. I am thinking to myself, "I don't remember passing that motorhome".

My next check of the rear-view puts the motorhome much closer and I then know that he is in the left lane travlelling faster than me. I pointed the vehicle out to my co-pilot.





OH YEA, I'll bet he will be sanctioned. Sure, they won't take his money next time he wants to rent. THEY don't care so as long as someone pays.





We maintained our 90 MPH and sure enough I was overtaken by the rig. No idea how fast it was going but it soon pulled away out of sight. The trip for me ended in Seattle WA. I was ribbed for the entire drive by the co-pilot (my son) about driving like an old man and letting motorhomes pass his sportscar.

Anyhow, when buying a rental you always run the risk that someone has been driving the living******out of it. My biggest fear is that renters don't own , have no investment other than a damage deposit and some just don't care how they treat objects. Just like private sales and any other dealer - buyer beware.

I would opine that if YOU were driving through New York at 90MPH, then you too were "driving the living **** out of it". I sure hope you disclose that level of abuse when you try to sell your automobile. 🙂

All Cruise America motorhomes have a six digit number on the front and rear of the unit. Next time you see one driving recklessly or at a high rate of speed, write down that number and call the telephone number emblazoned on the side of the motorhome. Cruise America takes those types of calls very seriously and will contact the renter on his cell phone right then and there. The renter in question will be sanctioned as a result of his actions, up to and including forfeiture of use.

[IAMICHABOD]

Bump

[IAMICHABOD]

Op here again.Well I see that others have done what I have done and
upgraded their Ex rental.

Getting a rental is very cost effictive and with that extra money you can use it to do upgrades.

Like I did. By putting in a swivel seat in the passenger side,this gives more room and an extra seat when needed.

Like this

If any one has done any up grades to their Ex rental or has anything to add to this I would like hear about it.

[blackfyreterv]

After a few months we've actually decided to go with a size upgrade to the 28A from the 24A. Cruise America has been great to work with and when we had a few issues with the first purchase stood behind it on warranty work etc.

We are going to install a backup camera asap since I often use this on my own to go to dog shows with so no 'guide' to stand back there and help you back up with out running things down.

[Mocoondo]

Wrong Lane wrote:
I was really suprised by a Cruise America rental recently.

I was on I90 in New York, West of Albany, in a car. We had a radar detector and traffic was light so the cruise was set at 90 MPH. At that speed one really wants to be aware of your surroundings which includes frequent looks in the rear-views.

I see about a mile back a Class C out in the left lane. I am thinking to myself, "I don't remember passing that motorhome".

My next check of the rear-view puts the motorhome much closer and I then know that he is in the left lane travlelling faster than me. I pointed the vehicle out to my co-pilot.

We maintained our 90 MPH and sure enough I was overtaken by the rig. No idea how fast it was going but it soon pulled away out of sight. The trip for me ended in Seattle WA. I was ribbed for the entire drive by the co-pilot (my son) about driving like an old man and letting motorhomes pass his sportscar.

Anyhow, when buying a rental you always run the risk that someone has been driving the living******out of it. My biggest fear is that renters don't own , have no investment other than a damage deposit and some just don't care how they treat objects. Just like private sales and any other dealer - buyer beware.

I would opine that if YOU were driving through New York at 90MPH, then you too were "driving the living **** out of it". I sure hope you disclose that level of abuse when you try to sell your automobile. 🙂

All Cruise America motorhomes have a six digit number on the front and rear of the unit. Next time you see one driving recklessly or at a high rate of speed, write down that number and call the telephone number emblazoned on the side of the motorhome. Cruise America takes those types of calls very seriously and will contact the renter on his cell phone right then and there. The renter in question will be sanctioned as a result of his actions, up to and including forfeiture of use.

[Wrong_Lane]

I was really suprised by a Cruise America rental recently.

I was on I90 in New York, West of Albany, in a car. We had a radar detector and traffic was light so the cruise was set at 90 MPH. At that speed one really wants to be aware of your surroundings which includes frequent looks in the rear-views.

I see about a mile back a Class C out in the left lane. I am thinking to myself, "I don't remember passing that motorhome".

My next check of the rear-view puts the motorhome much closer and I then know that he is in the left lane travlelling faster than me. I pointed the vehicle out to my co-pilot.

We maintained our 90 MPH and sure enough I was overtaken by the rig. No idea how fast it was going but it soon pulled away out of sight. The trip for me ended in Seattle WA. I was ribbed for the entire drive by the co-pilot (my son) about driving like an old man and letting motorhomes pass his sportscar.

Anyhow, when buying a rental you always run the risk that someone has been driving the living******out of it. My biggest fear is that renters don't own , have no investment other than a damage deposit and some just don't care how they treat objects. Just like private sales and any other dealer - buyer beware.

[IAMICHABOD]

Hello again, just a little update on my original post. Now that I have had this RV for a while and have made a few trips I have come up with a few things.

One thing I have to tell anyone that is buying or thinking of buying a rental is to make sure that you get a complete service record,as I got with this one. It is invaluable. Anytime you have a question about anything you can look it up.

I finally had time to sit down and read the whole thing (28 pages) and made notes of all oil changes, services on generator, brakes, lube, and replacement parts and a host of other things. That way I knew when it was done and I had it in a much smaller package, listed with date and mileage.

Case in point, on one trip I heard a brake squeal, when I arrived at my campsite I looked in my service record and found that the brakes had been replaced less than 2,000 miles ago. I still crawled under and looked at them and they were fine.
But it was nice to know when far from home.

I also found something interesting while turning on the propane tank. Written on the tank, I guess with a Sharpie was a date and what looked like someone’s initials. I went to my service record and looked for that date and found that on that date it had been checked for leaks and filled with propane just before I bought it.

All the systems and appliances have worked well and I have no complaints. I am satisfied with my purchase. I have made some mods though. All with the help of a good friend, that did most of the work.

I added a Fantastic Fan in the bedroom. With a remote.

I also put a Vortex Fan in the bathroom. Much quieter and moves more air.

I put Maxx Air vent covers over all 4 vent openings. Now I can leave the vents open even in the rain.

I replaced the old thermostat with a digital one to run the A/C and heat. It is more modern and accurate.

I replaced all the incandescent lights with LEDs and also put some inside and outside near the step .Brighter, safer and more efficient.

The best I saved till last, I replaced the old window in the door with a new one called an EDWIN. It looks like the other windows in the RV with a metal frame and it opens. So now I can see out and get ventilation too. I posted about it, with pictures in the DIY forum. On edit see it HERE page 4

Now it is more up to date and way more efficient. I am ready for more camping.
If you have any questions just ask. Or anything to add, please do.

[gotsmart]

paullac wrote:
Seems like the typical Cruise America coach for sale is 5 - 6 years old & 100,000 + miles. Why does their website show some coaches for sale that are 2012's with mileage ranging from 30,000 - 40,000? Are these "problem" vehicles?

When I bought my Class C from Cruise America in Everett, WA I inquired about a unit that was not tagged as a "Hot Deal" on their website. They told me that they list their entire inventory for sale on the website and the units tagged as "Hot Deals" are the ones that are already prepared for sale to the public, and if I wanted to buy one that is still in the rental fleet that I would have to pay the preparation costs (removal of Cruise America graphics, repainting the RV, adding the Majestic graphics).

What I find interesting is that my 2005 28R has holding tanks listed as:
40 gal fresh water
40 gal black
35 gal grey

and the 2006 28A has holding tanks listed as:
32 gal fresh water
24 gal black
20 gal grey

[blackfyreterv]

In 2010 I helped a good friend make his first RV Purchase. He's a former Naval Supply officer and had a strict budget and we knew he did not need more than 26' of MH, so he spent a lot of time researching best options for the money he could spend. He wanted it on an E450 Chasis with the V10. He purchased a 2004 Cruise America unit out of Everett, WA.. I've had RV's all of my adult life and grew up with them as a kid so I went with him to do the final check over on the unit and at that location the head mechanic gave him all of the service information including the fact that this particular model had a brand new transmission .. so brand new it would need to be serviced in 500 miles.

That MH went from WA to Texas and back for a big dog show two weeks after purchase and several shorter trips in the NW then a trip out to Colorado and back in 2011 and my friend never had a single problem.

Fast forward to February 2012. My hubby and I had a house fire. House not totally destroyed but bad enough they had to gut it and we have been out of it for almsot 4 ms now. I have 4 horses and 7 large dogs.. NO rental in the world was going to rent month to month to me with that menagerie. We have a 8.5' Fleetwood Camper that I've been using for dog shows but had been discussing a MH for some time.. NOW seemed the perfect time and the insurance company gave us 3 ms living allowance up front to use as a down.

Because my friend had such a great experience with CruiseAmerica and because the layout of their 23A worked well for our needs and still wasn't too big to take into the USFS camps we like to stay in, we did some homework and found a 2006 on an E450 with the V10 we wanted but had to go to Salt Lake to get the unit.

Our experience was NOT as rosey as my friends... The sales person in Salt Lake was not particularly on the up and up and tried to refuse to let us up on a ladder to check the roof... We said we'd no sale the deal and drive back to WA state so he relented.. sure enough the roof DID have issues.. WE called their Corporate office ourselves and did some direct negotiating when the sales person said they would not fix the roof or give us a credit so we were going to walk.. Corporate agreed to fixing the roof completley to the tune of over $5K when we told them we'd shopped with them because they claim in their YouTube Videos that they completely refurbish the units and make them 'almost like new' and this roof was NOT.

Outside of that, this has been a great unit and everything else has functioned . We did get their extended warranty as well as a steeply discounted ($500) awning installed... the entire package cost us $18,000 for a 2006 with 150K.

Do be sure to go over any used unit you buy with a fine tooth comb but especially a rental unit. They will say you can't get service records but if you contact their corporate office you can usualy get CruiseAmerica to cough them up.

Since February I've personally put 1,800 miles on this going to dog shows and bringing it home from UT and it drives as smooth as my full size van, actually better in windy conditions.

OH and this unit came with brand new tires all around. We are adding a back up camera system and did add a TV but otherwise I have no complaints at all.

[Roy_Lynne]

We bought from a young soldier who bought from El Monte and have had no issues at all.

[paullac]

Seems like the typical Cruise America coach for sale is 5 - 6 years old & 100,000 + miles. Why does their website show some coaches for sale that are 2012's with mileage ranging from 30,000 - 40,000? Are these "problem" vehicles?