Anyone buy from "Cruise America"??

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PKworks

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Jan 25, 2014
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Phoenix, Az
Trying to get real people's opinions on the reliability of buying used Class A or C (leaning toward C)  from Cruise America??
 
Welcome to the forum. Are you talking about used rental units? I don't think I would be intersted in a used rental. I know how people treat rental cars I can only imagine how they drive a RV that they have even less understanding of the right way to do things. But that's just me. I bet outhers will be by with their opinion. Think about it this way would you rather by from someone who took the best care of their unit and did all the maintenance or some one who drove it like they stole it.
Bill
 
I was thinking that while the people renting may not know the ins and outs, Cruise America would HAVE TO maintain the RV's inside and out. Am I naive in this thinking?

Thanks,
Karlene
 
Would you buy a used truck from U-Haul?  The same arguments apply - both received professional maintenance throughout their lives, but most of the time they were used by people who didn't care or didn't have a clue about their proper operation.  And both vehicles are relatively stripped down models at the end of their economically useful lives.
 
Lou Schneider said:
Would you buy a used truck from U-Haul?  The same arguments apply - both received professional maintenance throughout their lives, but most of the time they were used by people who didn't care or didn't have a clue about their proper operation.  And both vehicles are relatively stripped down models at the end of their economically useful lives.
You can bet your bippy Cruise America monitors the maintenance costs, mileage, etc. on their units and have data showing when the unit is likely to start giving them trouble.  That's when they sell it to you.  Doesn't mean that particular unit has a problem (or even a near problem), just that data shows it is time to get rid of it.  You could luck out, but my feeling is the odds are against you.
 
We still don't have an RV but have doing research. I originally considered one of their Class C vehicles. The price was good and they did come with a warranty. My wife absolutely refused to let me consider one of their vehicles after I did my homework. I do think they provide a good product for someone on a limited budget, but knowing how people treat rental vehicles, we opted out. You can find good value RVs on the Internet and at many dealerships. I don't think you are going to find many with the high milage of the rentals. You should consider things like major expenses of a high milage vehicle such as transmission and engine failures. If you purchase one, make sure you get a good warranty.
 
Its funny how people who have never purchased a rental car or MH have such strong opinions.  I have done both, both have been good purchases.  Had the 2004 Jeep GC from 2005 to 2012 with no problems.  My 2006 Winnie is a great MH.  Check this and other forums for buying rental units you will find some good info.  Dick  nvrver
 
I am a little more inclined towards Dick's (nvrver) side of the fence, although my personal experience was limited to one Hertz vehicle that never gave me a minute's problem.

The logic of rental verses privately owned may be a little flawed on its face assuming that a "real" owner would take better care of his rig, but we all know that's not always true.

And having watched a Cruise America rig go down into the Rio Grande canyon in Taos at 50 mph on a road I would not drive a Jeep 10 mph on you have the other side of the coin.

But if this was my first RV, I wouldn't test my luck unless I was extremely thorough with my inspection, mechanically inclined, and the deal was exceptional. I think the case can be made both ways.  8)

Kim
 
The good news is that you know a major rental company gave it at least routine maintenance and repaired it enough to be rented again. The bad news is that it probably needed all that care.

The other plus factor is that Cruise America and El Monte know they will have more used RVs to sell next week, and they don't want any bad word-of-mouth. All-in-all, I think there are probably more pros than cons. However, you need to have your eyes wide open when purchasing any RV, so don't assume anything.
 
I have recently purchased a former rental from Cruise America in Florida. We had a few of them to choose from and being a mechanic I knew some basic inspections were needed. Engine compression, leaks on the engine, trany, rear end, then all the motorhome items. They were nice enough to have it on the rack for me to go underneath and check every detail. I had no issues other than what I felt was normal rental wear and rental tear, and the buying process was easy since I didn't need to do any financing. Then after 4 weeks of ownership I noticed at idle a little roughness in the engine and low power when accelerating. Since I was still in Florida and not far from where I bought it, I took it back to them and they sent it to a Ford garage for checking out. They found no compression in cyl 1. I now have a 2008 Majestic with 166000 miles on it and a new engine. The process was long but since I live here it was not an inconvenience. It took 3 weeks and we now have it back. They also noticed it had a ding in the windshield and had it replaced as well at no charge. I would recommend them for the pricing and just be diligent about the inspection process as with anything used.
 
PKworks, just my opinion, but I think popular thinking that rental motorhomes are just worn out work horses might not be on target.  I just bought a used 2008 Fleetwood Tioga from El Monte RV.  Prior to sale, they replaced the mattress with a new one.  They do this on every motorhome. They also replaced all six Michelin tires. I asked for, and got the maintenance records, which were meticulously kept. Every time they turned a screw, even slightly, it was documented. In the life span of this motorhome, the engine, transmission, generator, and all other parts, were serviced every time it was returned, whether it was a few days or weeks later.  Believe me, all of those mentioned items got more maintenance than any private owner would have done.  Even as meticulous as I am in maintaining this motorhome, I doubt I can ever match their record.  In a four year period, the generator had the oil changed a minimum of eight times, in addition to many more service items. One thing to remember, is that these motorhomes were mainly used for transportation and were not lived in full time, and as a result, do not show the wear and tear you might expect. In fact, the oven in this motorhome was never used. The generator was only used 51 hours since it was put into service in 2008. Popular belief is that renters mistreat these motorhomes. That may also not be true. In my case, I have always treated someone else's property (rentals)  with extra care, since I realized it was not my own. Yes, the mileage may be high, but that just means it didn't sit in storage weeks at a time, which is just as bad.  When well maintained, as these motorhomes are, you will get your money's worth out of them.  Just a few things for you to consider....
 
I've rented a lot of cars, trucks, trailers and one motor home and never mistreated any of them. I think most people take care of the vehicles they rent. Like in all things there will always be some that don't, but they probably don't take care of their own property either. If we are to believe that the general public can't be trusted to take care of property they rent, then that would include a lot of people on this forum, and we know that's not possible.  :)
 
Hurr1cane! said:
I have recently purchased a former rental from Cruise America in Florida. We had a few of them to choose from and being a mechanic I knew some basic inspections were needed. Engine compression, leaks on the engine, trany, rear end, then all the motorhome items. They were nice enough to have it on the rack for me to go underneath and check every detail. I had no issues other than what I felt was normal rental wear and rental tear, and the buying process was easy since I didn't need to do any financing. Then after 4 weeks of ownership I noticed at idle a little roughness in the engine and low power when accelerating. Since I was still in Florida and not far from where I bought it, I took it back to them and they sent it to a Ford garage for checking out. They found no compression in cyl 1. I now have a 2008 Majestic with 166000 miles on it and a new engine. The process was long but since I live here it was not an inconvenience. It took 3 weeks and we now have it back. They also noticed it had a ding in the windshield and had it replaced as well at no charge. I would recommend them for the pricing and just be diligent about the inspection process as with anything used.
What was wrong with the engine? No compression sounds like a bad valve.
How did the price compare to outher  comparable units.
Bill
 
TheNewhalls said:
I've rented a lot of cars, trucks, trailers and one motor home and never mistreated any of them. I think most people take care of the vehicles they rent. Like in all things there will always be some that don't, but they probably don't take care of their own property either. If we are to believe that the general public can't be trusted to take care of property they rent, then that would include a lot of people on this forum, and we know that's not possible.  :)
I'm like you, just because I don't own it, doesn't mean I beat the crap out of it.  But not everyone subscribes to this basic principle, some people feel, because they have no ownership or responsibility to take care of the rental property (car, truck, house, motorhome, etc.), they do things with it, they wouldn't normally do, if they owned it, and were paying the bills on it.

I tend to think with motorhomes, it's probably a little less that people go out of their way to beat the crap out of the vehicle, and all it's mechanicals, but more than likely, it's they don't know, and don't care how things work, or how to fix them if something stops working.  When they can't watch TV, get cold air out of the rooftop A/C, hot water from the shower, etc., they pick up the phone and call the rental company, and demand it be repaired, or a replacement vehicle be dispatched to their campsite, because they don't want to be inconvenienced.  Anything else, that doesn't inconvenience them, even if continued usage will cause further damage, something we wouldn't do to our own motorhomes, they just continue to use it, and hope for the best, rather than being inconvenienced.
 
I believe that mechanical things that are used regularly will last much longer than those that sit a lot, thus a newer, high mileage RV may give as many years of service as an older RV with fewer miles.

That being said, it may be tougher to sell a high-milage vehicle in the future than an older low mileage one. 
 

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