Community Forums

TheWanderers · 05-24-2013, 06:39 PM

I am considering buying a 2008 Fleetwood Fiesta LX, which was in the El Monte RV rental fleet. It has (gulp) 92,000 miles. Now I KNOW that many of you have advised that the Ford chassis can go 250-300k miles. Also, the inside of this unit has been completely refurbished - if you sat on it or walked on it, it's been replaced with new. So this thing looks good, smells good, etc. Has the bunk beds my daughter wants, and is at 50k but I can buy for 45k. What I'm concerned about is, what can I NOT see that could be a ticking time bomb? Or, what damage might be hidden? They fully service these things and will show you meticulous records. And, you get a 12-month drivetrain warranty, but only 30 days on appliances. What major servicing happens around this timeframe? What parts just go (on Fiestas) that maybe haven't gone yet?? I'm also considering a new Tiffin Allegro, but that means a loan. Whole other end of the spectrum right?

TXiceman · 05-24-2013, 07:58 PM

Personally, I would not buy a rental unit. They get a lot of rough use in a short time. A lot of inexperienced people rent RVs and try to learn how to use them and make a lot of mistakes.

A lot of what you saw in the movie RV with Robins Williams has a lot of truth to it...but it is exaggerated.

I would look for a gently used coach in the 3 to 5 year old range from a non-commercial owner.

Ken

BFlinn181 · 05-24-2013, 09:13 PM

Go to YouTube and search for 'Drive it like a Rental' and you'll see why a rental unit is not always a great used vehicle. The expense of repairing an RV is much more than an auto. A used RV has usually suffered much less abuse than a rental since someone OWNED it.

steveclv · 05-25-2013, 02:02 PM

Sorry, that's just nonsense.

RV rentals do not compare in any way to car rentals.

Firstly the contract for RV rentals dissuade people from acting like jerks and for many if not most it's a once in a lifetime experience usually with the 'other half' and maybe kids.
The most likely damage is from hitting something due to their size and this would be documented and repaired by the company (at the expense of the renter).

At the end of their rentable life, they are refurbished to a reasonable standard and sold on - although they don't tend to be the top of the range units, they are very functional and a good purchase for the price. The best thing is that they have been used regularly and that counts for a lot with RVs - it's when they sit around not being used that they rot.

Melmoses · 05-25-2013, 03:32 PM

Well there are good renters and there are bad renters. At Talladega races you can almost always count on the bad ones. If you do go with the Fiesta I would definitely ask to try out all systems - appliances, heater, ac, fridge, everything. Check out the ac filter, that is a good indicator of care. Check the detailed records for last oil change. Get the date code off the tires. Surface beauty is the tip of the iceberg and you can end up spending a whole lot of money fast. Check it carefully yourself and then go with it if you are happy!

mikebreeze · 05-25-2013, 03:47 PM

I bought a former Cruise America rental 8 months ago. And I have been very happy with it. I've taken 8 weekend trips with no problems. A couple of things to check before buying a rental: Have a professional inspect it. Especially the engine. Get an extended warranty if you can. Make sure that you do a detailed walk-through before you sign the dotted line. The only thing that I missed on mine was to check the spare tire as well as the inner dual rear tires. The front and outside tires on mine were good. However, after a month or two I looked at the spare and inner duals. I am getting them replaced next week along with my state inspection. Oh, and I bought mine with 133K miles and have put about 1K on it since that time.

Melmoses · 05-25-2013, 04:15 PM

Wanderer, I can't figure out how to make this phone reply to you but short answer is that we love our Phaeton. It has had very small issues fixed when bought so we are happy campers.

Maladjusted · 05-28-2013, 11:35 AM

We rented a Class C from El Monte in NoCal... drove it down to So Cal.. coming back up I5 (?) there were some pretty steep passes. Not wanting to climb at 5 mph.. I kept my foot right in it... 5k rpm for 15 mins.. half way up the pass I look in my rear view and white smoke is billowing from behind us!! I let off and babied it the rest of the way up. I must have floated the valve train or something and dumped oil into the combustion chambers... man.. I never saw so much smoke!!

Anyway... went real easy on it the rest of the way back up north and made it without issue. I wouldn't want to buy that rig used.

Mal