Purchasing a former rental class C-PLEASE HELP!

[tad_travis]

Hello to all ! I have been in SUCH a quandary... for 4 months now... I keep going BACK & FORTH.... changing my mind on a class C.... I know pretty much what model... I keep coming back to El MONTE Rv rental, national company, 40-50 years, I've actually spoken with the sales rep from Coachmen who deals with them ,says they are good.... so mostly what I'm looking at 3-5 year old with 100-120k miles.... (also...given I may do 3,4,5,6k miles a year, I could have this a while....) they have faxed me 18 pages of service records for EVERY thing ever done to the unit.... (John Doe could not remotely do that) .... will warrenty engine/drivetrain 12 mo 12k miles.....and... afte looking at similar units with 20,30,40, 50 k miles.... at higher prices, I keep coming back to these rentals..... one case in point.... a 2013 Coachmen Leprechaun 21qb... even WITH 115k miles.... NADA book, almost $50k ! They want $29, 30 K !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ive talked to a dozen FORD service advisors who say, the engines will go a long time more, and again, given that this company has done ALL required maintenance, seems like a good thing... then I get the RV salesmen.. 'RV's are beat to hell !!! bla, bla, "... I have used a 3rd party "Lemon Squad" to inspect another unit... report was very thorough..... WHAT WOULD YOU DO?????????????  HALF of me wants to scoop one, and have a MUCH lower monthly payment.... another half of me says.... wait it out... these come along quite often.... PRIVATELY.. for cheap money.... as I am looking nationwide, a private sale doesn't seem to work with my bank loan, credit cards, temp plate etc..... WHAT WOULD YOU DO?????? Thanks!

 

[EdS]

Just my personal 2 cents...

I would not buy a rental like that. Having been to plenty of RV parks out west where families pull in with their rental Leprechaun (hundreds weekly near the grand canyon...), you would be buying something that has had many many folks with little to no idea how to operate them, park them, drive them, ect... who dont care to learn because "its a rental". There is also a difference between maintenance (fluid changes) and repairs. With those kinds of miles, there are possibly quite a few components nearing the end of their life, and will require replacing if you expect to put thousands of miles on it a year.

When you add in the cost of repairs and replacement of wear components, to the lower payment, you probably will end up spending the same amount had you bought something with much less wear & tear, even if more expensive.

Suspension parts.. bearings.. drive line... brake systems.. engine components (starters.. alternators.. pulleys.. water pumps.. power steering pumps.. etc..) are not cheap on these.

 

[tad_travis]

bingo.... thanks!!!!..... the pendulum swings again!!!!!! that all makes sense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[EdS]

Its important to read those warranties as well.. most dont cover components that you're most likely to need replaced. Good luck!

 

[kdbgoat]

It's $20k less than book. Assuming you find a non-rental with similar mileage at near book price, what would be the better deal? You gave the impression that you will be using a third party inspector that's thorough. If they find issues, what will the seller fix? Another question is how much can you fix for $20k? Assuming everything checks out or has just minor issues to fix, I see no reason for you not to go for it if it is what need for your intended purposes. It would be different if you were looking for something to fulltime in. It's not a good thing to make blanket statements about not buying a previous rental.

 

[SeilerBird]

The fact that it is a rental doesn't bother me. The fact it has 120k on the odometer doesn't bother me. What bothers me is the fact it is a 21 foot class C. If you only plan on using it once a month for a weekend during summer it might work out ok, but for anything else it is way too small. For the same price you can buy a quality used 32 foot class A with only 37k miles and it is available from a dealer with a great reputation:

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/classa/2007-Hurricane-30709.htm

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Its important to read those warranties as well.. most dont cover components that you're most likely to need replaced.

The El Monte warranty is a real one, not an "extended service contract" with lots of loopholes. It's 12 months on the drive train and 30 days on appliances. And the pre-sale check-up is real and comprehensive. Much better than most RV dealers will do, even for a new one.  From that perspective a used rig from El Monte (or Cruise America) is an excellent proposition.

The only real question here is the fact that it is well & truly used vs the substantial discount from market value.  The condition is what it is, and that is true of any RV used RV. At least in this case you have a fairly solid idea of what that condition is. Whether there is enough service life left to meet the buyers needs is an individual decision.

So, if you are expecting to use it 6000 miles/year for 10 years, maybe a rig with 120k miles of hard use is stretching things a bit. But at 3000/miles per year x 10 years, there would seem to be little reason to worry about the mechanical stuff. And you saved $20k you can use for repairs & upgrades. And if you keep any RV 10 years, you are going to have things to repair. Even if not used much. In fact, especially if not used much.

 

[TonyDtorch]

on the positive side,

I would think that every single item on a rental unit with 100k miles,  that was going to break .

has already been fixed.. 

 

[Utclmjmpr]

The bitter taste of low quality lasts far longer than the sweet taste of low price.>>>Dan

 

[kdbgoat]

The bitter taste of low quality lasts far longer than the sweet taste of low price.>>>Dan

True, but some of us can't afford an American Tradition, so we get what will serve our purposes.

 

[EdS]

Its not technically like you'll have a pile of money to make repairs if he is financing it.. the "savings" is the lower payment. Saying he'll have $20 thousand extra dollars to fix things is not necessarily true. And even if he did, he'd spend that money, and still own a formal rental with 120,000 miles on it.

If he is not doing the work himself... and taking it to a shop... even basic suspension work, tires & breaks could run in the few thousand dollars quick. If it were me, I would want to see what parts were replaced at the very least.

I am by no means an expert on their warranty... I am however well acquainted with maintenance and repair. I do know that a single tow and repair job can cost... and I am aware of what components tend to wear out at those kind of miles. As long as they are going in educated, and the records show repairs & such, then power to him. Education is free, but priceless.

 

[RobertB]

Being it comming from a rental company, it is priced to sell. Not low priced because it's in need of repair. The one thing that would scare me is the fact that is is a "rental".  However,  you also have to think the they have to keep it in great working condition for it to be in use. 

Your first rv? I would think that would be the best way to get your feet wet Learning the systems and matinance rituals that need to be preformed. On top of this they are providing you with ALL the service records with a warentie. That's a way better deal than I got on my first purchase. Just sayin

I did buy used from a private seller. He also provided me with a list of services and records preformed.  I kept it for 3 year's with no issues. Decided I wanted a larger rv. Sold my old rv to a close friend when I found the rv I wanted. My old rv is still going strong with no issues other that routine matinance.  It's a 94 .

Just My 2 cents

 

[ru499]

I know how careful I am with our MH.  But.... the folks that rent them have absolutely no experience with them.  Even with a great warranty, I wouldn't want a vehicle that has had a life of mis-use.  You know the old saying, "pay me now or pay me later".  Trust me, you will pay.

There are alot of great deals to be had on used and new class C's.
Nothing is more fustrating than having things go wrong on a camping trip.  If you can minimize that, you've got the battle won. 

 

[Rolin]

Hi Tad,
Have purchased two used motorhomes, a class C and class B+.  If El Monte had the floor plan that we wanted then we would have chosen a MH from El Monte.  People who have purchased used MH from El Monte generally give them good marks and their warranty seems very good.

My experience: Your needs change over time.  Our first motorhome fit our needs for the first four years and then we needed to change.  Buying used made it less expensive (i.e. possible) to make that change.  If the floor plan works well for you at this time, then (IMHO) it would be a good choice.  Don't believe you would be sorry.  There is a tread on a different forum specifically regarding people purchasing used rental motorhomes.  Most people who purchase from El Monte seem to be very satisfied with their choice.

 

[WILDEBILL308]

I would go look at the link SeilerBird posted. They have a big inventorey and you might find something you like better.
Bill

 

[ironrat]

I really would not be to concerned about the rental part as a lot of RV owners treat their RV about the same as rental people but not able to maintain the RV very well for one reason or another. Remember most of the time you are buying from someone who has only owned one RV, the one you are looking at. Yea ok a lot of people are going to say they have well cared for their RV, it is no different than any RV that is for sale, used and not wanted anymore!!! Pick the floor plan you like and go for it!!!

 

[Stephen S.]

I really would not be to concerned about the rental part as a lot of RV owners treat their RV about the same as rental people but not able to maintain the RV very well for one reason or another. Remember most of the time you are buying from someone who has only owned one RV, the one you are looking at. Yea ok a lot of people are going to say they have well cared for their RV, it is no different than any RV that is for sale, used and not wanted anymore!!! Pick the floor plan you like and go for it!!!

I'd say 99% of the  people selling used RVs don't have a service bay, tools, and parts resources a rental company has for fixing things between trips. The rigs owned by rental companies go through more inspections per season and better maintenance service than the majority of RVs owned by individuals. I'd buy an ex-rental without worries. Usually they are being sold for inventory turnover, not because they are worn out, or broken down.

 

[nikasdads]

Have you driven one? My first Rv Experience was with a rental with over 100k.  Worst driving experience of my life. Ford ESeries are pretty tired over 100k.  When we took it back, the rental place said no one had ever told them all the things we pointed out. My bet is that it went back on the road without a single repair.