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.

[Rex60baker]

I think the cabover window is Lexan. The original Roadbear graphic was removed but the image is kind of burned into the substrate, maybe from the sun. Can't feel any adhesive. I used some WD40 and it seemed to help. Barely readable now.Just don't want to advertise for RoadBear without compensation:).

[IAMICHABOD]

Rex60baker
Welcome to the Forum and the Former Rental Owners Club I will add you to the list,you will be #114.

I have not heard of a plexiglass window in a overhead,I really don't think it would be legal. I would check inside to make sure that it is plexiglass,maybe try to scratch it in a corner to be sure.

My thought is that it is a clear plastic overlay with the Road Bear logo in it applied to the window. I would try a bit of heat at one corner and see if it would lift up. I have seen their logo on the top edge of the windshield which were clear overlays, but never on the cabover window.

Please check back in with any results you have with what ever method you find successful.

Enjoy your new RV.

[Rex60baker]

Recently bought a used Class C 2019 Coachman 220QB from RV dealer they obtained from Road Bear RV. 22k miles and like new. The overhead cab window has the Road Bear name on it and trying to remove. The window is plexiglass so I can't use chemicals or heat. It doesn't seem to be a decal and can't feel it raised like painted letters. Using light polishing compounds but not very successful. Any ideas out there?
Thanks in advance! Great forum!

[caltraveller]

Wow, great thread. Thanks for all that contribute. I will be retiring soon and thinking of getting a RV and have been mainly looking at Sprinter based platforms. However, recently saw a craigslist ad on a CA unit that had a great price and further research led me to this forum. Went to a RV show this weekend and now convinced a small Class C is what I want, so the Majestic 23A might be a possibility. I sat but did not drive any of the RV. The E350 seem to have a high dashboard. I am 5' 1" and not sure how comfortable this would be to drive in for long distances. Any comments from the vertically challenged drivers out there? Of course, I will eventually need to do a test drive for my own comfort but looking for advice from people who already have longer experience than a brief test drive would bring.

[IAMICHABOD]

ViperScho.
Welcome to the Forum and to the Former Rental Owners Club I will add you to the list of Happy Former Rental Owners, You will be #113.

It is very interesting that you and andydallas were there at the same time,what a coincidence.

As a professional writer maybe you can come back later after a few trips and use all those words that you talked about and tell us about your experiences good or bad,it is always helpful to others.It is to bad you didn't see this thread before you bought your unit but it seems that you knew what you wanted and are pleased with your choice.

Good Luck and have a great Camping season,I am leaving today for a week long trip. Nice thing about being here in So Cal is that camping season is year round.

[ViperScho]

Hey, all, another member to the post. I picked up my Cruise America 2015 Majestic 28A last month in Mesa, AZ. Had a great experience and would not hesitate to recommend them. Oddly enough, apparently andydallas and I were in the office on the same day picking up our units, and we had some similar experiences with confusion in finding and prepping our units. Won’t bury you guys with info on the experience: I am a writer professionally, and tend to never use one word where five will fit. Thanks for creating and updating this thread...would have been nice to find BEFORE we bought our unit!

[andydallas]

I had a long talk with CA today, several people there. They handled the taxes in the proper way, the issue is I had is that I had no idea I was being charged city and county taxes. I could have bought a unit from AZ or FL (Dallas is exactly in between), I went to AZ, I would have saved about $650 if I had bought it in FL.

The city and county part of the taxes drove the tax rate charged to 8.3%, in TX I only pay 5.9%, so the difference is what I was upset about.

CA understood what I was saying, and I realized why they did what they did, I just wish I had understood the county/city taxes to be paid by buying in AZ

I told them I was happy with the MH itself, I just felt they needed to be clearer on taxes so I could have bought the identifcal unit in FL

i have paid a crazy amount of taxes in my life, most of us have, I hate having to pay any that I didn't have to by merely making the purchase at a different location

I would buy from CA again, the 28A itself is great

[IAMICHABOD]

Have you looked at This from Arizona Tax Law For Non-residents it may be of help,

[Hoerschel]

ANDYDALLAS:
I'm amending my earlier post here to defer to official information IAMICHABOD is posting for your reference below.

[andydallas]

I just found out I paid $650 in extra taxes because I bought from Cruise America in AZ. They charged me a total of 8.3% sales tax, sales tax in Texas is 5.9%. I paid $650 extra!!!


I thought it was a mistake, but they insist it is correct. i like the MH, but dealing with Cruise America is a horrible experience, consider other options (or maybe a CA location other than Phoenix). If I had know that I would have bought the same unit for the same price in FL (same distance), and saved $700????

[Hoerschel]

SJ-Chris: Trust your instincts. Or get a professional inspector if you're still doubtful. It is impossible for third parties from a distance to give you advice on something such as this.

[SJ-Chris]

ROOF QUESTIONS (primarily):

I'm considering purchasing a 2015 28a Majestic (Thor) from Cruise America. I have gone through much of this (and other) threads about purchasing a rental RV. I understand the pros and cons. I have owned RVs in the past am familiar with lots of RV issues.

My specific question is about the roof construction of these rental RVs. I can't seem to get an intelligent answer from the salespeople. Someone there mentioned that the roofs were custom build for Cruise America "because they never want them to leak". They mentioned something about them being "PVC" or something equivalent. Do any of you know how these roofs are generally constructed on their 2015 model? Is there plywood sheeting? Are the rafters/supports wood or metal or something else? Knowing this would be very helpful for me.

Sooo... I was inspecting one that I'm considering purchasing and one of the things I noticed is that there was a water leak coming from the front vent (over the cab) and also the one over the bathroom. Water was coming from under the vent flange (not through the screen as though the vent was left open during the rain). It was coming from under the vent moulding. This concerned me. My biggest worry is that if there has been some leaking, could it have possibly damaged some of the wood members in the ceiling?? Thankfully, I didn't see any signs of water damage BELOW those vents (like on the over-cab bunk, or on the bathroom floor, etc). I also didn't see any signs of wall or ceiling damage, sagging, etc. When I brought up this issue, they pulled the RV over to their service bay, had someone jump up on the roof (I joined them) and it looked like some of the caulking had some cracks in it. So they got out their Dicor and put on a bunch around all of the vents.

So I'm wondering if this is something I should be worried about. The salesperson is talking as if it is no big deal. I would normally expect a salesman to say things like that (...just to continue the sale moving along). But I will say that I have up to this point felt very comfortable with the multiple salespeople I have worked with over there. I created a list of about 20 things that I would want fixed on the RV and for the most part they said, "No problem, we can do that for you." I also got them to agree that if it leaks anytime in the first year I can bring it back for them to seal again.

In general, I am very happy with the condition and price of the RV. And I'm very happy that they are going to fix so many of the issues I identified during a VERY thorough inspection. But I'm just noto sure if I should be worried about the fact that the roof was leaking around the vents.

Thoughts? Your opinions/feedback is much appreciated.

Chris

PS: I'm not interested in creating a lot of chatter about whether or not it's good or bad to purchase an RV rental. I'm primarily looking for any feedback/opinions about the roofs on these Majestics and/or your thoughts on whether I'm over-thinking a vent leak (...one which may now be fixed since they resealed it). Thanks!!

[IAMICHABOD]

GordSanClemente,

WOW all 104+ pages you deserve that Gin and Tonic,

I am glad it helped and Welcome to the Forum and the Former Rental Owners Club,you will be one of only a few that bought a Class A Former Rental, they all have been very happy with their choice

To answer your question"It was a RoadBear RV Rental, and apparently there is some connection between El Monte and Road Bear?"

In 2017 THL (Tourism Holding Limited)of New Zealand bought both El Monte RV and Road Bear. It seems that they have instituted some of the same things that Road Bear had into the El Monte RV model.

Road Bear sold their units with low mileage and only 1 or 2 years old now I see El Monte RV is doing the same,which is a great thing,that way the buyer will have some of the factory warranty still left and a good price for a used RV.

When the sale is complete please come back and tell us how it went,if you got the service records,like all the El Monte RVs came with and anything else that would help out others that wold like to do this in the future.

[GordSanClemente]

WHEW!
Just finished reading 104+ pages of this thread.

I am planning on a purchase of an El Monte RV THOR ACE 30.4 Class A. We really like the layout for us (2 adults and a French Bulldog)
It is a listed as 2018, about 25k miles. There is a 6yr/60,000 warranty on the FORD drive train.

It was a RoadBear RV Rental, and apparently there is some connection between El Monte and Road Bear?

The unit is in Las Vegas, and I am in San Clemente CA (this is a 4+ hour drive).
The information here has been invaluable. Thank you!
I am thinking of having it inspected when I return to SoCal, and getting any warranty work done here before the 30 day coach warranty runs out.
I would have prefered to get it inspected in Las Vegas before I go, but I couldn't find any inspectors in Las Vegas that had any reviews.

Has anyone used an inspector in Las Vegas?

Ok... time for a Gin and Tonic, and start a deep dive here on RV.Net on the ACE 30.4

[IAMICHABOD]

andydallas,

Merry Christmas to you too,Congratulations on your new rig.

What a nice gift to yourself! I will put you on the list of happy Former Rental Owners you will be # 112

It sounds like the sales staff was not on the ball on that one. It is good advice you gave to others to be there a day early,some others here did the same.

Wow that sounds like a really great shake down cruise and it performed well for you,that is good to know.

After a few trips please come back and share how it is going.

Have a happy holiday season and a great camping season