Moving to a Class A

[bilomal]

Hello everyone.. My wife and I decided that a 22ft Class C was a lot of fun and it got us turned on to RVing, but its now time to move to a class A. We are planning a trip across Canada (Vancouver to Montreal) next spring and are currently in the market for a used class A. Man is there a lot choice! Between e-bay, local dealers and online classifieds, the choices are practicaly limitless. However, once I've paired down the choices to what I can afford, then it becomes a little easier. I think I have found a pretty good deal. It is a 1997 Rexhall Aerbus XL3300/Ford 460 with 50,000 miles. I have searched long and hard for any testamonials, comments, complaints about this model/year and have really not come up with very much (good or bad). I sent a request to Rexhall head office, to see if they could give me a heads up on this rig, and they replied they will send me information. I guess my question, do any of you know of good site for reviews on used Class "A" or better yet, are there any iRV2 members who have this model that would be willing to share their thoughts. Thanks in advance, Bill

[bilomal]

Hello everyone.. My wife and I decided that a 22ft Class C was a lot of fun and it got us turned on to RVing, but its now time to move to a class A. We are planning a trip across Canada (Vancouver to Montreal) next spring and are currently in the market for a used class A. Man is there a lot choice! Between e-bay, local dealers and online classifieds, the choices are practicaly limitless. However, once I've paired down the choices to what I can afford, then it becomes a little easier. I think I have found a pretty good deal. It is a 1997 Rexhall Aerbus XL3300/Ford 460 with 50,000 miles. I have searched long and hard for any testamonials, comments, complaints about this model/year and have really not come up with very much (good or bad). I sent a request to Rexhall head office, to see if they could give me a heads up on this rig, and they replied they will send me information. I guess my question, do any of you know of good site for reviews on used Class "A" or better yet, are there any iRV2 members who have this model that would be willing to share their thoughts. Thanks in advance, Bill

[RV Wizard]

Bill, first let me welcome you to our website. You will find we are a group of fun loving RVers that like to help each other where we can. We had a 95 Aerbus on the Ford chassis several years back. We enjoyed the coach but had a problem with the fuel pump allowing a vapor locking condition to raise it ugly head after traveling awhile. The Rexhall comany sure has had it ups and downs. We wish you the best and maybe someday we will cross paths!

[bilomal]

Thanks for the info Mike. I've scheduled a test drive today, so I can bring this up with the delaership. If we decide to go with this rig, I'll make sure to get that checked out during the pre-sale mechanical inspection. I will let you know how it turns out. Thanks again. Bill

[rehcuobbob]

Bilomal:

This is a widespread Ford problem so I would reserch this fuel vapor lock and pump failure thouroughly before laying down any cash. My friend has a C with the same engine and must be on his fifth fuel pump,(I'ts in the tank) and I can't count the times the rig just died on him leaving him stranded on the road side. This is a hot weather problem and the engine will re-start after a cooling off period but that is little consolation when you are blocking an Interstate off ramp! Thread cautiously would be my advice.

Bob

[John66]

In addition to researching this make/model/year in general, get a CarFax (http://www.carfax.com) report on this particular one (you will need the VIN number). $20 for 1 report or $25 for unlimited reports for 30 days. If I recall correctly, you can get either fee refunded without too much trouble.

They make a big deal about free 'safety' and other reports for the $25 deal, but in my experiance, they don't have any such reports for RVs... So all you should expect is the report which shows problems with the title history, odometer or reported major problems (crash, flood, etc).

[bilomal]

Thanks Bob for the heads up on the vapour lock. John, I will definately get a carfax report, regardless of the rig I buy. Good advice.

As stated in my original post, I took the rig out for a test drive today. Bear in mind that this was my first time driving a class A, so maybe my comments are born from ignorance, but here goes. My first impression was the vehicle seems under powered. Compared to the Triton V10 in the Yellowstone, the Rexhall was under-whelming in the power department. Having said that, it is a very heavy vehicle, (salesman stated 22,000 pounds) so this is probably the main factor for the lack of power. And for that same reason, breaking took a lot more effort (leg power) to get the rig stoped. Don't get me wrong, it stoped true (no fading or chattering), just needed a lot of leg power.

On the positive side, it handled well, was comfortable and wasn't as noisy as I thought it would be. All in all a pleasant ride.

I have asked the dealer to take it to our local Ford dealer (they serviced my Yellowstone) to do a complete vehicle inspection (on my nickle). I have put together a short list of things that didn't seem right (power steering made a noise, dash air not not blowing cold, squeek in one of the rear wheels) and thanks to you folks, I will add - vapour lock as the main concern.

Stay tuned.

Bill

[Alan554]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by bilomal:
As stated in my original post, I took the rig out for a test drive today. Bear in mind that this was my first time driving a class A, so maybe my comments are born from ignorance, but here goes. My first impression was the vehicle seems under powered. Compared to the Triton V10 in the Yellowstone, the Rexhall was under-whelming in the power department. Having said that, it is a very heavy vehicle, (salesman stated 22,000 pounds) so this is probably the main factor for the lack of power. And for that same reason, breaking took a lot more effort (leg power) to get the rig stoped. Don't get me wrong, it stoped true (no fading or chattering), just needed a lot of leg power.

Bill </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Bill, The older Ford chassis with the 460 engine had a maximum GVWR of 17,000 lbs. (unless it has a tag axle), so I don't know where the salesman came up with the 22,000 lb. figure. The new chassis that came out in 1998 was rated at 20,500 lbs. (again, unless it had a tag axle). I don't believe Ford started making 22,000 lb. chassis until 2004 or 05. The 460 CID V8 in the coach you drove was rated at 245 horsepower while the 415 CID V10 introduced with the new chassis in 1998 started out with 275 horsepower (later increased to 310 and now up to 362).

The most common complaint about about that generation Ford chassis brakes is with brake fluid deterioration/boiling/contamination issues. Ford specifies a high temperature, racing quality silicon brake fluid for this application and I believe (personal opinion disclaimer warning on here) the problem is with the tire and wheel size used. Ford used 16 inch wheels on their motorhome chassis while GM was using 19.5 wheels. GM's larger wheels allowed the use of larger brake rotors & calipers to dissipate braking heat energy more easily. The new chassis went to 19.5 wheels.

[bilomal]

Thanks for the information Alan. When I get the vehicle inspected on Wednesday, the brake issue will be another thing to talk about with the Ford dealer.(the list is getting longer .. hhmmm). I will let you all know the inspection results...

Bill

[bilomal]

Well I got the results back from the Ford dealer. Here's a partial list of things that need to be fixed: 1) new fuel pump (thanks Mike & Bob) 2) new brake calipers all around (thanks Alan), 3) blocked rad fins, 4) air conditioning unit, 5) steering shock, and few smaller issues. They still were not done when I called so there could be more.

I am definately not getting the warm and fuzzies with this rig. We both love the layout and the looks and the price is right. And I'm sure we could negotiate the repairs with the dealer, but these repairs seem to indicate a lack of maintenance (fuel pump aside).Especially for a rig with 50,000 miles. What else did the previous owner not maintain?

Any input from you folks would be greatly appreciated.

Bill

[edgray]

BILL: you are doing a through job of pre-purchase inspection

PLEASE don't overlook several member's advice concerning the rig's weight. Spend another ten bucks and get it weighed on a certified truck scale. Get individual axle weights. Check the chassis ID tag for the mfg. GVWR. If actual weights are close to GVWR, and the rig is basically empty-you need to move on-. If it is too slow, then it may be too heavy. ED

[bilomal]

Thanks for the tip Ed. I'm going to the dealer this afternoon so I can check on the GVWR. That is assuming that I am still interested in purchasing the motorhome. I'll see what the dealer is offering regarding the repair costs. Also, I am going to check out the competition this weekend, then make a decision: buy the Rexhall or start the search all over again.

Bill

[bilomal]

Well I pulled the trigger! The dealer will take care of the mechanical work (fuel pump, break calipers etc.) and give a 90 day warranty on the chassis components, along with a 90 day warranty on coach components.

We should be picking it up next week, and taking it for a shake down run on the weekend. We already have a couple of trips planned for September (I'm running a half marathon on Vancouver Island) and a trip to the Okanagan (interior of BC) for another half marathon.

Since this Rexhall is set up to winter camping(well at least west coast winters), we are planning to take it out once a month through the winter for short trips.

Thanks to everyone for your comments, tips and suggestions. They were much appreciated and helpful.

Bill

[RV Wizard]

Bill, congratulations on your new rig. I like to see people do their homework before they buy. Good luck with it and have a lot of fun. Keep us posted as to how everything goes.