Community Forums

Up North · 11-24-2014, 06:06 PM

Hello everyone! New member here. Been on the hunt for a used class c We are just getting our long winter started up here but you can find some good values on rv's right now.
One of the larger dealers in the area has some pretty hot deals on some rental returns right now. Looking at a 2013 Winnebago Access 28' with a slide. 32000 miles. I can get it for just under $50,000. Not sure how I feel about a rental unit. The dealer thoroughly checks everything out and guarantees all systems are functioning properly.

One way to look at it is it's not cheap to rent a motorhome as we have done it before. So anyone that has the money to do it is generally responsible enough to not abuse it stupidly. But then again you never know.
I'd be interested to hear opinions or any experiences with rental returns.
Also they have some Thor Four Winds that are rental returns. How do the Thors and Winnebago's compare in quality and reliability?

palehorse89 · 11-24-2014, 06:14 PM

From my life experience's so far, if people are paying for it, most will take care of it, renting anything......most do not care.......pay the rental bill, done with it.Buying a rental unit would not be for me......... Anything that was rented to the public. JMHO......

bluepill · 11-24-2014, 06:26 PM

I tend to agree that car renters may care less with a rental, but I think the possible large cost of uncovered repairs on an RV will scare renters into being responsible. Also, there are people who are just bad drivers, and will damage ANY vehicle that they drive.

If it has a good guarantee and a clean carfax, I wouldn't be overly worried.

jfran304 · 11-24-2014, 06:26 PM

I would have it checked out thoroughly.

My son told me about how he and some of his fraternity brothers rented an RV from a company in Las Vegas. They had a good time but the RV didn't.

Another problem with rentals is the drug dealers using them to transport drugs. If a K9 dog alerts on it you could have problems. You might be able to contact your local law enforcement agency to see if they have a drug dog to inspect it for you.

Jon

CampDaven · 11-24-2014, 06:37 PM

I rented lots if cars. A speed bump was a signal to accellerate!
If it was $25,000 rather than 50, and fully checked out, I would take a risk.

davidki · 11-24-2014, 07:13 PM

On the other hand, my sister in law purchased a Fleetwood Fiesta LX from El Monte RV in California it had like 60,000 miles on it... had all of the service records and so far 2 years latter all she has had done is an oil change.... I'd say it depends alot on the dealer as well how it is kept up... but they can not afford to have those things break down in Never, Never land while folks are renting it..... Spend some money and have a 3rd party do a full inspection, it will cost you a few hundred dollars but well worth it..

mlo166 · 11-24-2014, 07:38 PM

Up North: I have rented units and was very pleased with the units (24')... Generally the chassis mechanicals and tires will be in good repair (they have to be or else bad for business). BUT... caveat: You'd better be a "fixer-upper" because some things are always gonna wear out sooner than you expected cauze the unit was being used for more often than the manufacturer would have expected for its unit... jest sayin'

Good luck if the unit fits your bill! Let us all know here what you decided!

Mr_D · 11-24-2014, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluepill

If it has a good guarantee and a clean carfax, I wouldn't be overly worried.

There is no requirement to post anything about a vehicle on Carfax. And Most RV places don't bother. The rig could actually have been a total and rebuilt and no Carfax record might exist on it.
The warranty is laughable too as all they guaranty is that what they have is accurate, not that they have all accurate info. All you can get back is the cost of the search.

DogNPonyshow · 11-25-2014, 03:22 AM

We purchased a rental unit and have used it extensively over 2.5 yrs with no issues at all. Ours came w better warranty than any used RV via dealerships we looked at and when we did have a serious leak issue in the first unit , Cruise America went above and beyond to make it right. I'd not hesitate to purchase from a major Co like El Monte or Cruise America myself.

mlo166 · 11-30-2014, 08:00 PM

DogNPonyShow: Good post! We rented from Cruise America and were completely satisfied on all points... and, later we were about to purchase it but then the company moved before we knew it. I knew the owner personally and he rented with integrity, so I guess we missed a good unit for our purchase! Apparently, you got the deal we would have also had ! Sorry we missed the sale, and glad you got the unit! Let us know about your rig from time to time! Tom and Rho

DogNPonyshow · 12-01-2014, 12:23 AM

We use ours constantly. Am parked at my parents currently. Came down the Mon prior to Thanksgiving and will be here 4 more days. RV keeps me warm and comfortable. And sane with a nice me time break from family. LOL

Davinger · 12-01-2014, 07:04 AM

Renters smoke, have pets, don't clean and have little regard for the materials that they're using. Having said that the people renting the RV have to turn it around quickly to pay the bills. They have to clean and fix everything that the people have done to mess it up. If you are considering this as a purchase use 4 of the five senses if you can taste the air inside you may want to run away. Go over that RV with a fine toothed comb. Make sure the slide outs go out and come in smoothly. Make sure that all of the deploy-able things work perfectly to include leveling jacks if they have them.

Also remember that the rental companies generally don't get the fully equipped model of RV. You also have to consider that you are buying a used RV. I have a friend who took his fully loaded 2011 Winnebago Class C bunk house to a dealership to sell it to them because he never used it. The odometer had roughly 6000 miles on it. This unit had an original sticker of close to 100k the dealership offered him 45k. The bad news is that he left insulted and got insulted by near the same number form 3 more dealerships. The rental units as a rule don't have large numbers of upgrades they are the base models without all the neat features for the renters to break.

I would call around and see what other dealers offer you for that vehicle as a buy out and use that number to start your negotiations. I would also strongly suggest that you get the 5 year plan for repairs to the house. You can also stop by your Ford dealership and get an extended warranty for the chassis. I have no doubt that the coach has been well maintained by the dealership that has been renting it out. The question is what is hidden under the surface that you are likely to discover 6 months from now.

mikebreeze · 12-03-2014, 06:48 PM

I've had my ex-rental RV for over 2 years now and have put about 4,000 miles on it. No major issues. And I'm at 139,000.

Ron_H · 12-04-2014, 09:41 AM

Although the suggestion that the rental cost and repair cost should help maintain good usage habits I don't believe that actually plays out with RV rentals.

In order for a user to take care in how they use a motorhome they must know how to use it and what things you should not do. As an example, parking on an incline with your fridge running could be very unhealthy for many types of RV fridges. If the user is not aware of this the fridge could still be working but with reduced efficiency. There are several other issues where "knowledge" is key to the units proper use.

I also saw another good example of rental use on our recent trip of the historic Route 66. While taking the Oatman-Topock Hwy (AZ-10) in southern Arizona (in our toad) we came across a class-C rental that was stuck. We has see this unit a number of times on that segment of road, driven erratically by two young fellow with European accents. The highway went through a large area designated for off-road use. It appears they took one of the side trails off into the sandy hills to get a picture of their rental off-roading. Having a good deal of off-road racing experience, my DW and I parked on the side of the road to watch their antics and await the inevitable. Sure enough, in time they go stuck about 1/4 mile off the road with their back end hung up while going through a gully. About two hours later, while my DW and I were leaving a restaurant a few miles south, the rental unit came by with its rear bumper somewhat askew.

Personally I would never buy a rental car or motorhome.