w3ozwizard
Lacey, Washington
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UKexpat Speaking as one who has recently purchased one and has only had it a week, I can say my experience with Cruise America has been very positive. The El Monte folks were out of state for me, and I did not want to spend the extra time and money traveling to see their inventory, but I think both firms are similar.
I have had time to go over everything in my (new to me) motorhome which is a Four Winds Majestic 28A with a bed in the back that you can walk around. That was a major concern for my wife as she did not want a bed in the corner that either of us would have to crawl over to go to the potty at night. Also it is very hard to make beds in the corner. We had one that way before and it was a pain and my wife put her foot down in that was her main requirement.
As far as price. Well we just got ours and there were more buyers than there were rigs for sale on the CA lot. The only reason we got ours when we did is because some other folks put money down on it to hold it, but their loan fell through. So we were not in a position to bargain very aggressively, but we did get them to toss in some extras in the deal like a brand new batteries, dump hoses, and other small items. But the price was pretty much cast in stone as we were making up our mind another couple was looking over our MH and would have put money on it if we declined. In the middle of the Winter that probably would not have happened but this is the prime time folks are looking to buy one and set it up for the Summer season as we are doing.
Be prepared for the nay sayers who have never owned one or would never consider buying one of the rental units. I asked on this forum and others for responses from those who had bought a former rental MH or owned one now to list the problems they had and I never got an answer directly other than statements like " I knew a guy, or I heard about a guy who had a bad experience". I did get a couple of responses from some who had bought one and were completely happy with their purchase.
But what ever you do, go over the MH very carefully. I spent 2 days going over everything I could think of. Get a good check list off of the Internet and use it to jog your memory. If you are not mechanically inclined get a friend or hire someone to go over the unit with you before you buy. I had to put a deposit down that was refundable, and you may also. But it is worth taking you time for a purchase of many thousands of dollars.
Good luck to you and I hope you find a good MH that you can be happy with. But remember that a MH is much like a house except it is going through an earthquake type experience each time you take it out and you better expect to have to repair and replace things along the way. At least that has been my experience in the past.
2009 Four Winds Majestic 28A
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BoxinTheCompass
Florida
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And just for folks coming late to the party w3ozwizard did provide a very nice link to checklist in one of his earlier posts:
http://changingears.com/rv-checklist-inspection.shtml
Thanks w3ozwizard!
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Puttin
Martinez, Ca
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Joined: 02/15/2008
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w3ozwizard
I hope you get years of pleasure with your rv- we sure did with ours. In '99 we bought a former El Monte Tioga 24-D and never had any problems. It had around 42,000 miles on it and we put on another 25,000 or so before we finally traded it in on a new Class C ('05 Jamboree 31-M). We even towed a 21' boat behind the Tioga for a few years. Again, have some great trips with your new rig!
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Mich F
Plantation, Fl
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I think it's safe to say that Cruise America is quite competent at refurbishing their motor homes. They've been doing it for years. I know a number of years ago they would refurb their Class C house portions and install them on a new cab and chassis, creating a "new" motor home.
I imagine they found it more profitable, and less hassle, to sell the whole unit, rather than just a used cab and chassis.
2014 Itasca Spirit 31K Class C
2016 Mazda CX5 on Acme tow dolly- 4 trips ~ 5,800 mi
Now 2017 RWD F150 with a drive shaft disconnect
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IAMICHABOD
Sunny So Cal
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Joined: 12/12/2011
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BoxinTheCompass wrote:And just for folks coming late to the party w3ozwizard did provide a very nice link to checklist in one of his earlier posts:
http://changingears.com/rv-checklist-inspection.shtml
Thanks w3ozwizard!
Here is a CLICKY to make it even easier to get that great information.
2006 TIOGA 26Q CHEVY 6.0 WORKHORSE VORTEC
Former El Monte RV Rental
Retired Teamster Local 692
Buying A Rental Class C
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TInmania
Arizona
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Joined: 10/16/2013
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jetmechtm wrote:I bought a 2007 Jamboree 24D from El Monte in Feb. I have been going somewhere every other weekend since including a 9 day trip to Ohio. I am well pleased with my purchase and the only problems I have had were from operator error. (Move the OFF switch to the ON position type stuff) El Monte has been a class act and I would recommend them in a heartbeat. I was looking for a Chevy chassis and 2 coach batteries, Cruise America had neither. I will be adding a backup camera since I travel with only my dog a lot. I put in an XM radio and CB for traffic. Happy to be retired and RVing.
I'm glad I am not the only one who got a good used rental from El Monte. Based on internet threads I was beginning to think I was the only one--as if I won the lottery.
In my case it was about 4 years ago, and it was a 2004 Ford-based Tioga. There was nothing wrong with it that I can recall. Even the carpeting was like new: the front cab carpet still had plastic covering it (I would assume it was redone but weird that it would have plastic).
All I heard about was how badly rental RVs are abused. I no longer have that class c but I have been watching rentals at campgrounds. This past weekend we spent at Sam's Town RV park in Vegas. Of all places I would think Vegas would bring out the party animals. Indeed there were a good 25 or more rentals there. But walking around the park, and yes being a bit nosy, I found none that I would call abused. I am sure some are, but I just haven't seen it (yet).
Michael
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BoxinTheCompass
Florida
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One thing I note in perusing Cruise America inventory is that there is a large supply of the 23A models.... not so much of the 28As at all. Perhaps there will be a surplus or clearance sale on the 23s
Not sure other than "hot deals" if they ever have special clearance sales... I imagine mgt is looking at or close to a million in inventory and may want to move it
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donrebyct
Little Rk
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Is CA still sticking with their policy of not providing maintenance history for their units? I've read here that some people really push and eventually get this info. If I bought an ex-rental, I sure would want to have a copy of everything that's been done on the coach.
Don
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Puttin
Martinez, Ca
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They do this in observing privacy laws. I think most of the time you'll know it's been maintained right if it all looks good and you can have a mechanic look at it too (if you can't do it yourself). The exception might be if a recall hasn't been done but again- if you know what to look for, you can find out.
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donrebyct
Little Rk
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I just wonder why CA doesn't supply this info, and El Monte freely does. I don't see how privacy comes into play.
Our local CW dealer had some ex-rentals a few years back without maintenance history. They just stated a coach received maintenance required by the vehicle manufacture. If something breaks in the house part, it's supposedly fixed. Is this true?? I would prefer to see a record.
Just my opinion.
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