indyzmike
Milwaukee, Wi. USA
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Joined: 11/13/2002
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After I made the purchase of my 2004 Coachmen Freelander 285-QB in 2012, I found out that it had been a rental from Van Horn RV in Green Bay, Wi. I bought it from a private seller and it was not disclosed. Overall a great unit, no problems at all. 35,000 miles on the 450-E chassis with the 6.8L V-10, runs and drives fine. I noticed that some things looked new, and others had normal wear. Cabinet doors, sink, faucet, and microwave are new. Then I dug deeper into the paperwork and found the reason. With one year of use so far, I really like this rig. No worries of overloading either with 1,700 lbs. of CCC.
2004 Coachmen Freedom 285QB Class C
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beckid
So. Calif.
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Joined: 06/26/2012
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I can't wait for mine to get cleaned! There are bugs everywhere and dust and dirt from rain and wind. I have an appointment for Friday the 28th and I'll bet she looks brand new when she's clean!
Me '54
Him '58
Rain the Awesome Aussie
Maggie the wonderdog over the RB 4/16
2008 Fleetwood Fiesta LX 34N
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KristinU
Connecticut
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Joined: 05/20/2013
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Just swinging back through this thread to check in - we just returned from a great 2 week, 3,300 mile trip with our previous rental. It was great! We're in love with motorhoming for sure, and so far our Winnie Chalet is a great fit for us.
The only problem we've encountered is a sporadic phantom closure of the slide. Both Winnebago and Kwikee (the supplier for the slide assemblies) have been very responsive and helpful in trying to nail this thing down. Apparently this is all but unheard of and the first thing we'll be trying is replacing the switch panel.
Otherwise, all systems are working well. We sure put the A/C to the test over the past couple of weeks! And we loved having an onboard genny so we could stop and do some sightseeing and turn the air on for our dogs.
I keep a blog, so if anyone wants to see our rig and notes from our trip, feel free to click on the link to our blog in my signature. The trip was CT to WI, MN, IA, IN, KY, MD, then home...and back to work :/
Cheers!
Kristin
2008 Winnebago Chalet 31C
My camping party: me, DH, DS, and 2 DK9s
Our Blog: www.winnieadventures.blogspot.com
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IAMICHABOD
Sunny So Cal
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Joined: 12/12/2011
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KristinU
It sounds like you had a great trip with 2 weeks and 3,300 miles on that Previous Rental.
Wow 7 states and only that one problem that sounded like it was an anomaly that rarely crops up!
It seems that you and a lot of others that have a Previous Rental are enjoying a lot of trouble free vacations. I guess we have hit on something here. ![[image]](http://www.picgifs.com/smileys/smileys-and-emoticons/thumbs/smileys-thumbs-951446.gif)
Thanks for checking in and keep us all informed on how future trips go, and I like your Blog too.
If there are any other owners of a Previous Rental that want to chime in on their trips this summer, let us hear about it!
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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trisailer
Florida
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Joined: 01/25/2014
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I'm glad I stumbled on this thread. A previous rental is a great idea and I've already located a few that will fit my needs.
Your information about making a deal will, what to look for should make it a informed process.
Thanks
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Wolfeman70
Wandering
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Joined: 01/29/2014
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This thread has a lot of good information and something like this really should be stickied.
On to my questions....
I have a general question thread where I'm suffering from information overload and trying to get some general answers but a few rental specific questions have come up that I'm trying to get answered. Any help would really be appreciated.
http://www.rv.net/forums/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27495222.cfm
One of the main purposes for buying an RV for our travels over the next year or two is to make it easier for my daughter to school. Sitting at the dinette with a laptop and school books while driving with the wife helping when needed is the plan. However, it has been stated that this will be impossible in an RV because of rattle and road noise.
Can anyone tell me how the Rental units they've bought do in terms of interior rattle and road noise? Can you sit down and watch tv/use a laptop at the dinette?
Also it's been stated that RV's do't do well in colder climates. Living in Mississippi for the last 13 years has left my daughter with no snow experience and we were hoping to plan part of our trip to bring us into snowy regions.
How well does a rental unit stand up to the cold and weather?
Not sure what else I need to know or be concerned with so any help is appreciated.
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Mocoondo
Chicago, IL
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Joined: 02/23/2010
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First, the rattling: It is a house going down the highway. It is going to rattle, no if's, and's, or but's about it. How much it rattles depends, generally, on how you maintain your unit. All the windows have "anti-rattle" strips at the top and bottom of the window tracks. If you allow yours to get torn up, split, worn down, etc., you will get more rattle. If your anti-rattle strips are in good condition, you will get less rattle. The other common area people complain about rattling is in the stove. The stove grate is held in place with rubber stovetop grommets. If these grommets are worn or missing, you will get more rattling. Also, how you pack your RV has a lot to do with the noise level. If you pack your dishes on top of eachother, they will rattle going down the highway.
So, to answer your question, the noise level really depends on you. If you are expecting it to be as quiet as a library going down the highway, then an RV of any kind is not for you.
As for operation in colder climates, the main challenge is your water system. If you get much below freezing, you need to empty your water system to prevent freeze damage. This results in loss of sinks, shower and toilet.
Hope this helps.
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Wolfeman70
Wandering
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Thanks Mocoondo. It does help. Really wasn't expecting the freezing issue. That throws a small kink in things. Any way around this issue other than draining the tanks and system?
Road noise and shaking was more my concern than rattle but you covered the rattle issue very well, thank you. In the car I have now, I can carry on a conversation with my wife but any sort of phone conversation is impossible. Not so much the car is noisey, but road noise is an issue. With us wanting to have our daughter school while riding, I'm really curious about how hard it will be to look at the screen, DVD skipping and just plain hearing.
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gotsmart
a bit too late though
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Joined: 02/20/2012
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Wolfeman70 wrote:
...
However, it has been stated that this will be impossible in an RV because of rattle and road noise.
...
Here is my solution to rattling windows: linky.
![[image]](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7304/12226186723_7bb9995708.jpg)
2005 Cruise America 28R (Four Winds 28R) on a 2004 Ford E450 SD 6.8L V10 4R100
2009 smart fortwo Passion with Roadmaster "Falcon 2" towbar & tail light kit - pictures
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IAMICHABOD
Sunny So Cal
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Joined: 12/12/2011
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I have to agree with you on the sticky idea but I am a bit prejudiced on this as I am the OP. ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/biggrin.gif "biggrin")
On to your question about rattling, Mocoondo stated it very well, they are going to rattle in the places that he mentioned but if well maintained and packed well that can be made quieter. They are not a quiet beast going down the road. Not so bad that you can't have a conversation or listen to music.
My passenger watched a movie in the rear of mine while under way with no problem.
As I stated in the opening I had driven a dozen or more of the same kind while looking for mine. All were from private parties, some were still loaded with all their camping gear and dishes and such and some were empty.
I was surprised at how quiet mine was after driving the others. I have a theory on this.
The ones that are built for Cruise America are built by the MFG specifically for the rental market thus made a lot sturdier.
My Tioga's build sheet says it is a Tioga Commercial made for El Monte RV. I think because of this sturdier build that they prone to be quieter inside, that and the maintenance that they receive.
At El Monte I test drove 3 different RVs all the same 26Q, 2 Fords and 1 Chevy and all seemed quieter than all the others that I had driven from Private parties. I picked the one on the Chevy Chassis because it seemed quieter in the cab area and it had a lot more leg room.
As for the use in colder climates there are a lot of threads on it here, I can be of no help there. Where I live I don't have to winterize or go so far into the cold country. It can be done though.
In the post above, gotsmart seems to do it a lot, if you look at their pictures in their signature you will see them camped in the snow. Maybe they can be of some help.
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