Buying from Cruise America

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richard2003

New member
Joined
May 8, 2011
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4
We will be renting a Cruise America class C next month. I know they have a number for sale and you can apply your rental fee to a purchase.  The problem is that these ones for sale all have over 115,000 and up to 140000 miles on them.  My wife seems to think its a good idea to buy one of these because of their maintenance and a limited 12 month warranty they provide.  But to me that is just too much mileage.
Does anyone have experience with them or an opinion about this?

Thanks.
 
Think about this.  Most of the drivers of these rentals have never driven an RV before and they sometimes get only a few minutes of explanation of all the systems.  I wouldn't want to buy a unit that has been used as hard as we observe some of them are used.  You might end up spending a lot of money for the unseen repairs.  Maybe the most basic maintenance was done on a specific RV but the extra maintenance that we owners tend to do doesn't necessarily get done.  Also, that's a lot of mileage for a gas engine which I assume these are.

ArdraF
 
That's too much mileage for me too. We are talking a basic pick-up truck or van chassis and  the drive train on those is maybe good for 150k miles. Some will last longer, and some will fail sooner, but somewhere around there you will have some major expenses.  The price would have to reflect the risk of  $1000 transmission work and $1500-$3000 engine work. But if you can do this sort of repair yourself, it is nowhere near that bad.

What sort of warranty do they offer?
 
We had to rent a C-Am in March. I agree with previous poster. Ours was pretty near the end of its useful working life and they are really basic. Having rented once we wouldn't want to do it again, let alone buy one. If you have that sort of money to use why not rent this time and use some of the time to look at what else you can get for that sort of money.
Perhaps look on Craigs list for wherever you are going to be and find comparable units (you can check that out before you go).
Also - do not rent their extra packages (kitchen $100 and bedding $50 p.p.), pick up the RV, drive to the nearest Walmart and enjoy yourself spending the $200.
 
I work in a National Park. It is FULL of rental RV's. After seeing what they put these things through, I would NEVER buy one. People rent and use these things with a "it's not mine, who cares" metality. I have seen people drive off with jacks down, doors open (storage and side), max out the trani on an uphill drive so it sounds like it's going to blow up, slam into trees, etc. All these things are easy to cover up and sell. Also, vacationers are pigs. They aren't treating the inside any differerant than the outside. Who wants to clean on vacation? Too much to see and do. That's the point of the rental. Kids are pigs (sorry parents) and very rarely pick up after themselves. I wouldn't want to even think where one could find stashed food in a rental  :eek: And do you really think smokers don't smoke in them or pet owners actually leave fido or fifi home? Not to mention, they are as basic as one can get.

Sorry to sound negative, but you'd be better off finding a private seller (proably a fulltimer) with good maintenance records. I fulltime. This is my home. I care for it as if it's the last place I'll live. NOTHING goes unnoticed or ignored.
 
Oh, and its not just 110,000 miles on the engine. It's 110,000 miles of seat wear/mattress foam compression that your wife will want to relax in. (not to mention shockers, brakes, steering). I would be worried about the liablility it was if they gave it to me.
 
Just my two cents worth but try looking up forum comments (either here or elsewhere) or even go to e-pinions (www.epinions.com) and see what folks are saying about renting from the company you plan to rent from.  I once did this and decided to definitely not ever rent an RV because of others horror stories.  Instead we bought a pre-owned motorhome Class A and we love it.  Yes, we do have some repairs to do - it's a 2004 model but all in all, the previous owners did a great job at keeping it in good shape and also installed many nice features.  As others have said, check on Craigslist - but be careful.  Also, there are a lot of small RV dealers that often do consignment sales on RV's.  I'd never buy something with that kind of mileage - I think you are just asking for trouble.  As you might do with a used car, get someone independent of the dealer to look at it for you before you buy.
 
We bought one but I would be careful. This is also our 4th RV. We bought one with 97,000 miles on it and now has over 140,000 and we still love it.  The price you save reflects  putting in a new motor and trans and front steering sometime in the future you just haven't spent the $$ it yet.  Look at the wording on their 12 month warranty.  It really says ?you?re on your own?.  Their extended warranty is even worse.  It is a motor with a lot of miles what do you want, use it till it gives out?
Ours is the model they are discontinuing due to the smaller size of the new replacements.  Ours is the ?truck mounted" model, I think they call it the 24c model.  If we wanted too we could unbolt it and transfer to a new truck if we choose.  But not at over $50,000 for a new frame and chassis. I?ll go thru several used ones for that price.  It took many times going to the lot to find one that their guys in Phoenix who refurbish actually did a good job on.  They are so basic that any RV shop can or should be able to fix your problem when you do have one.  And you won't be waiting for parts on special order or back order when you could be using it.  Nor will you be jerked around because nobody can fix the latest technology. Mileage ? Your getting it cheap enough, just have the money to put in when something does break.  Most miles are freeway miles; don't let that scare you.  They keep the oil changed.  If this is your first RV be very careful.  Rule 1 don't fall in love with it.  It is a piece of equipment to have fun with, not a new mortgage.  This won't be your lets go to RVing? and then go to a park and hibernate inside our castle till your ready to go back home.  Use the thing to have fun, see and do new stuff.  Stop in where you bought in from time to time just to say hi.  They can make calls for you when something needs done. Like some little part.
Have them throw in an awning and A/C.  And Replace all batteries. You'll have to buy a jack, lug wrench, and get a cheater bar to get your torque on the lug nuts right.  Don't depend on somebody else bring you out a tire in the middle of nowhere. And take those stainless flexible tube valve extenders and throw them away and put on the actual metal tube type, set you back about $100.00.  If it has a window up front, go to their wash rack and squirt the front from clearance lights on down with about 10 min worth of water, then sip on a drink for 20 min.  Then see if any water drops come out of any seems below.  If it does pass it up.  If you have any cops friends, see if you can get a drug dog to check for any drugs.  Then; if it checks out put some miles on it enjoying yourselves not self destructing parked in the driveway.  I've often thought about starting a blog of all the fun we have in ours.  I can't tell you how many times people, especially women that see us and say they wished they would of done the same thing.  But I think we just "lucked out"  It gets pressure washed about once a year, used as spare bedroom, used as my lunch room at work, (prior to retirement).  But the real joy is getting out by your self in the middle of no where. But it gets all fluids changed every year.  Tires are all top of line Goodyear; replace brakes at about 40% worn.  Our friends have more tied up in trailer than our whole unit. Now if I can just get more than 8.5 MPG. We've had more fun in that cheap old rental than we've had in 33 ft 5er or a 10 ft camper or any other RV we've owned.  But be choosy and if this one doesn't check out, have the salesperson call you when they get new ones in.  Tell your salesperson to call Phoenix and have them send a good one in. And have the $ 4-5 thousand to put in a new motor and trans to make you ?new? again.
Just my 2 cents and I speak from owning one.
 
We really thought about getting one and realized we were getting around 10,000 off and I'd have to plan on spending most of that money on engine and trans repairs in lump sums over the next 5 years.  I decided for me that it would be better to finance the 10k and worry much less.  My wife does not deal well with mechanical problems, or even the threat of mechanical problems, knowing that in advance means that we must prepare very well and perform all of our due diligence as well as all scheduled maintenance.  I also read the warranty carefully and found it almost useless that was the decision that worked best for my family but others might have different experiences and situations.

Jeff
 
We rented a Class C from Cruise America last year.  When we picked it up, we were told we were lucky because we had a unit that was only a few months old!!  So when we did the walk through I naively expected a unit in new condition.  Boy was I wrong.  True, there was only a couple thousand miles on the odometer and the interior had new appliances - BUT!
- the shower door was broken
- the door handle on the door to the toilet was broken and kept falling off
- I found rotten produce in the back of one of the lower cupboards
- dirty dishes had been left in the upper cupboard
- the drawers had sand, dirt, and other debris in them
- there was a rip in the "mattress" for the over cab bed
- the freezer had at least 2" of red ice on the bottom (melted Popsicles?)

When we returned our rental, the next renters were already there and we got to talking about our trips.  They were renting it to take to Burning Man - an event in the desert that most rental companies specifically prohibit rental for. 

While this may not seem like major problems, I think it tends to show the lack of care they give these units.

Convinced me I would not buy from them!
 
I recently purchased a privately owned Class C and it had only 12000 mile.  It was a 2008 model and had all the records with it.  Great shape and a great deal!!!  Look around, with the gas prices being so high it is definitely a buyers market...  Good Luck
 
Hi Gang,
Any idea how low they will go. The cruise america hear in Oakland Ca is asking 19,000. Any ideas what the sell for. If I could up a 2005 for 16k i think would be a great deal. Any thoughts?
 
How low will the go??--------------- our salesguy had to call to blow his nose, he couldn't make any decisions.
Buy one under 100,000 miles if your going t finance it. 

Again; if this is going to be your first RV think twice.  You'll only be disappointed when something breaks or falls apart. 
As you have not experienced yet that all RVs break. New and old.
 
I've noticed that most who discourage purchasing a rental RV from Cruise America have never actually done so. The units do have higher mileage, but no where near the end of their life cycle when properly maintained.  You are getting a RV that is four or five years old.  If you buy a used RV anywhere else for the same kind of money that CA charges, the RV will be much older than that.  You are balancing a newer coach with more mileage, against  an older coach with less mileage.  Low mileage alone doesn't deny the age of any vehicle.  All things considered, a Cruise America unit is a solid value RV that is difficult to beat. You can basically buy two of their units for the price of a new unit anywhere else.  Their prices accurately reflect the mileage and the condition of the unit.  You are getting a very fair deal.  Naturally, if money is no object, than go out and buy the latest and greatest... but if you long to give the RV experience a whirl and you're on a budget, or you just want to RV around for a year or two, then a Cruise America rental purchase fills that niche nicely. 
 
I like your reasoning and postive attitude.. I am looking into purchasing a Class C from Cruise America and appreciate your response.
 
Why start a new thread, the older responses are well thought out.  One thing to consider, many of the rentals are pretty stripped down as far as accessories go, I saw a couple them that did not even have a genset.

 
I have owned my Cruise America RV for 7 years old now and just hit 150K miles.  It had 136K when I bought it.

On the plus side I could not have gotten into RV'ing as cheaply as I could anywhere else, I put over 13K on the unit and stayed at about 70 campgrounds in a half dozen states and up until now, have not had any major repairs.  Most of these trips were 1-3 days in length.

On the minus side the unit is very spartan like.  No TV, no slides, the queen bed is designed so that you have to climb over your partner to go to the bathroom at night, I am looking at some upcoming expensive repairs to the exhaust/headers and I am more hesitant to take it far away from home than I used to be.  And it is leaking some oil.

But my better half an I had a blast RV camping in this unit.  And I am now saving for a downpayment on a new RV and hope to buy in 2-3 years.  As long as you can pay it off in 5-10 years I think it's a good deal buying a CA rental.
 
2000 miles a year.  No slide, no TV uncomfortable floorplan.

So long as you are happy, but these are some of the reasons I caution against buying from them.  My opinion, buy a privately owned older motorhome for the same amount, less initial miles and a floorplan you can live with.
 
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