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Old 12-18-2020, 10:00 PM   #1
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BT Cruiser Quality Issues

I am thinking of down sizing my class A motorhome and looking at the BT cruiser 5240 with the murphy bed..

There is no BT cruiser RV dealers near me so would like to hear from other owners how has this rv held up over the years and would like to hear from new owners, likes and dislikes..

Are they worth the money for a new one..
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Old 12-19-2020, 05:34 PM   #2
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I guess there is no BT cruiser owners out there..
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Old 01-10-2021, 07:41 PM   #3
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I guess there is no BT cruiser owners out there..
They are reasonable but require some Rv work experience
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Old 01-11-2021, 06:52 AM   #4
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BT

I am happy w/mine 04 w/40000 mi
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Old 01-12-2021, 08:17 AM   #5
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I missed telling you ours 2019 on a 2018 chassis. I after buying it noticed the chassis was a 2018 stuck with it.so I encourage anyone to check your unit I had a issue with registration and with State Farm getting it all done. Also after crawling underneath there’s a lot of rust from it sitting waiting a company to buy and put a body on it . Also note the year on the tires , you could think your unit is new but may have 2year old tires
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Old 03-05-2021, 10:41 PM   #6
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Quote:
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They are reasonable but require some Rv work experience
UPDATE :

Yes I bought a new 2021 BT Cruiser 5240.
[murphy bed]

The over all quality of the RV is a 3.5 out of a 5, certain things were installed good and certain things were not..

Since I have own RV's for many years now and understand how to repair things its been a fairly easy fix but a headache of why I have to do it to begin with.

I bought the RV in Salt Lake city and live in Las Vegas so taking it back to the dealer to have some kid that don't know how to fix things correctly I decided to do it myself so its done right.

The best thing about the BT Cruiser so far is the price of $75,000 vs $100,000 or more for similar floorplans on other class B+ RV's even though they "might be better quality".

At this price point I was able to pay cash so I don't have any payments to worry about.

Oh yea the Ford 7.3L gas motor with the 6 speed is fantastic, runs smooth, quiet and stays in 6th gear at highway speeds.

https://youtu.be/kaRsSLUqQD8
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Old 04-11-2021, 06:49 AM   #7
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We bought a new 2019 BT Cruiser 5245 this winter. As a guy that works on my own farm/construction equipment, have built my own house and shop. the quality control on this rig is lacking! Slideout had screws stripped, causing it to hangup before it ever left my driveway, tailights wired backward (turnsignals and running light wires reversed). Took out the headliner above the cab, sprayed foam above the steel cab roof and glued the headliner up to eliminate the thumping over road bumps. We love the size, floorplan and got a killer deal on it. (wasn't planning on buyin a new one, but with Covid, used smaller rv's are about impossible to find). We mainly want it for long weekends, so once I get the small things fixed, I think it will be a great machine!
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Old 04-13-2021, 03:42 PM   #8
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Yes the BT Cruiser does have issues, I have finished all my fixes that should have been done when it was built, its now a nice RV, I still think for the $75,000 price tag its a good unit, compared to other units that cost way over $100,000, I have about $500 in materials that I bought to bring my BT Cruiser to what it should have been but that is still far cheaper than paying over $100,000 on other brands.

The chassis, RV structure, roof, main components are good, it was just simple little things that was my problem.

I have also installed a 2000 watt invertor, upgraded battery, install A/C silencer, sound proof areas that needed it and it almost feels like a RV that is worth far more than I paid..

If your handy and know your way around a tool box than the BT Cruiser is a great deal for its price, just dont buy one and have some clown at the dealer try and fix the issues, do it yourself than you know it will be done right.
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Old 04-13-2021, 03:48 PM   #9
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Here is a list of the bad and good :

2021 BT Cruiser 5240 sitting on a 2021 Ford E-350 chassis

I give it a 3.5 out of 5 for quality, certain things were installed good and other things were not.

The Bad :

The gray/black waste valves and plumbing was installed wrong, unable to open black tank valve unless laying on my back, so I rebuilt the whole drain assemble and now it works like it suppose to.

The A/C was installed wrong, the bolts inside were to tight and cause the A/C fan to rub and make noise, loosen bolts and now A/C works good, the gasket was smashed to much causing the issue.

Fresh water pump made the pipes in RV rattle the back bathroom cabinet, installed a flex hose from pump to hard water lines and installed flex hose lines from hard water lines under cabinet to faucet and now its quiet.
[ had to cut back the hard lines install new fittings and install new flex rubber water lines to faucet so it stops the water lines from vibrating from water pump ]

RV entry door had wind noise while driving, removed trim around door and no insulation around door and day light coming in, I sprayed expanding foam around door and replaced trim now its quiet.

The 1st step inside the RV the wood floor part was weak, it needed extra bracing to support step, to make the repair easy without tearing up the floor I pulled back the rubber floor over the wood drilled 3 small holes and filled the cavity with expanding foam and now the step inside is rock solid.

Fiberglass curved shell that meets the Ford cab also had wind noise, removed interior inside and found no insulation at that area, just the fiberglass shell were it meets the cab, installed sound proof insulation now its quiet.

The guy that did the exterior silicone caulking did a OK job but was sloppy so I spent a weekend cleaning silicone caulking where it should not be.

Loose screws here and there inside and out, retighten screws.

Passenger seat swivel base was not tighten down good, it rattled while driving, tighten the bolts and now its solid.

The RV rear had a small sag and had a sway issue when I bought it, because of the fresh water tank and fuel tank behind the rear axle it caused the issue, so I bought Sumo Springs for the rear [1500 lb rate] and installed them, it raised the back about a inch and stopped the sway.
[Gulf stream should install Sumo Springs to stop this issue]

The shower even though no leaks and works good the shower pan is very thin, Gulfstream needs a thicker shower pan, should last a few years if I take it easy in the shower.

The Good :

The fiberglass roof is installed good, all seams caulked good and zero leaks from rain.

Slideout was installed good and straight, goes in and out proper and seals good when shut.

Interior cabinets installed good and straight, no rattles and looks good.

Murphy bed is installed good and works correctly, as well as the electric couch.

TV goes up and down good.

All other systems work good and installed good.

All electric lights and plugs work good and installed correct.

All appliances work good and installed good.

RV Structure is straight and sound.

For the price of $75,000 I find the RV to be good all around for that price, I have been in the maintenance field my whole life so repairing plumbing, electric, cabinets, floors, comes easy to me, all the work was done myself no need to take back to dealer to have some kid repair it wrong and wait months to get it done.
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Old 07-13-2021, 07:15 PM   #10
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BT Cruisers are rock solid RV

Quote:
Originally Posted by My garage View Post
I missed telling you ours 2019 on a 2018 chassis. I after buying it noticed the chassis was a 2018 stuck with it.so I encourage anyone to check your unit I had a issue with registration and with State Farm getting it all done. Also after crawling underneath there’s a lot of rust from it sitting waiting a company to buy and put a body on it . Also note the year on the tires , you could think your unit is new but may have 2year old tires
I have a 2004 BT cruiser. It been garaged and well maintained. But I can tell you they build them them the same as they did 15 years ago. They are very well made, they are 3 season meaning we camp in the winter and keep warm. Ill never sell mine shes a great well made RV. I have done upgrades to out adding 500 watts in solar where we can off grid camping and never need to plug in to power. I replaced floor with wood flooring over heated pads so we have heated floors. Replaced the shower and replaced all the seating with leather. I could not buy one as nice as I made ours. But thats what I do so it was fun. Buy one maintain it keep it covered yull be happy. Though the new ones have massive one side slideouts. That s a lot of weight to move and with that issues can be had. Mines only 6 ft and never been a issue and never had leak issues. But I really take care of this unit like I do everything I own.
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Old 07-13-2021, 07:18 PM   #11
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wow that sucks I have a 2004 its been rock solid for all these years. I guess QC over the years has fallen
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Old 08-01-2021, 01:11 PM   #12
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wow that sucks I have a 2004 its been rock solid for all these years. I guess QC over the years has fallen
I don't know the history with Gulf Stream quality but mine is above average compared to the years of many RV's I have owned.

Now that I have worked thru the issues it seems to be doing just fine, having issues with the Dometic ac thermostat but that's not Gulf Stream issue..
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2021 Gulf Stream BT Cruiser 5240 on a E350 Super Duty, Godzilla V-8
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Old 08-02-2021, 09:35 AM   #13
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Your 100% correct. Anybody that owns a RV needs to be handy or your at the mercy of the service tech and when they can get you or get to your unit.
The units have really good bones. I have a older one 2005 when all the cabinets were solid oak not just doors. I up graded my whole unit added 500 watts of solar, rebuit the bathroom. The unit was clean but with 25k miles worth the upgrades all the seating to leather and added laundry shoot to outside bin. We are comfortable in it for months at a time. Has full rear queen bed ,1 slide plenty of room for 2 I would never sell it. Garage kept still looks new. It way nicer then a new unit. The 5000 investment in new materials was well worth it. The leather is really nice. To be able to live off the grid for weeks at a time with solar is nice too.
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Old 09-01-2021, 03:35 PM   #14
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Your 100% correct. Anybody that owns a RV needs to be handy or your at the mercy of the service tech and when they can get you or get to your unit.
The units have really good bones. I have a older one 2005 when all the cabinets were solid oak not just doors. I up graded my whole unit added 500 watts of solar, rebuit the bathroom. The unit was clean but with 25k miles worth the upgrades all the seating to leather and added laundry shoot to outside bin. We are comfortable in it for months at a time. Has full rear queen bed ,1 slide plenty of room for 2 I would never sell it. Garage kept still looks new. It way nicer then a new unit. The 5000 investment in new materials was well worth it. The leather is really nice. To be able to live off the grid for weeks at a time with solar is nice too.

just how "handy" does one need to be?
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