Resale of former rental RV

[RKins]

Everyone uses Carfax now - run the VIN of the rental through Carfax and see what the buyer will see when they pull a Carfax on it.

[Boogie54]

The rental units that I have seen for sale seem expensive for what you get. The rental units are bare bones specials built for the rental company. I’d rather look for a slightly older privately owned rig. A well cared for older unit will probably look better, have more features, have less miles, and cost the same or less. They often have had owners who are experienced and care for i their equipment very well.

[CCrew]

Originally Posted by mobilemike

You can do what most who buy ex rentals do. Dont tell the new buyer its an old rental. Just list it as a used RV and sell it like any other used vehicle.

If you do level 1 research you’ll know Majestic is Thor’s rental configuration. If it’s a Majestic it was a rental

[BUGNUT]

[QUOTE:
You can do what most who buy ex rentals do. Dont tell the new buyer its an old rental. Just list it as a used RV and sell it like any other used vehicle.[/QUOTE]


Misrepresenting a used vehicle just opens you up to a law suit. Purchasing a Car Proof will disclose vehicle history. In my part of the world ( Ontario) The vendor must supply at his own cost a used vehicle history report. It shows all insurance claims and all previous owners.

[Kennest6]

We rented CA Class C out of Bakersfield on vacation,took it North in and out of State/National Parks then dropped it off in Everett WA. Great trip. We owned a TT then,but chose to fly out West to stay in and do LA. We decided after we'd like a MOHO. Checked out CA rental sales in VA.,but soon realized if we were to move up to newer,better or bigger we'd be shooting ourselves in the foot with the high mi. and bare bones rental. Buyers and dealers will scrutinize those facts. We're lucky in PA there are plenty dealers close by and we have a good RV service shop I've used for years.We went for the 7 yr old lower mi. 33ft. Class A rig, that we'll pay off in 3 yrs and still have a desirable trade or sale if we choose.We did a lot of shopping and homework to buy from an independent primarily boat dealer,that keeps 3-4 RV's/towables in stock bought from bank repo auctions and refreshed. Gave us a year warranty on motor and drive train. 20K mi. down alls well so far, did upgrade bushings,new tires,and chassis battery.

[danhannah]

I once bought a used rental from CA. It was bullet-proof as far as flooring, and fabrics, etc. It was a 25 foot Coachman on Ford F450 chassis.

What I didn't like about it was how bare-bones it was - loud furnace, small TV, no awning, shower curtain instead of door, etc. Anything a renter might mess up was apparently just deleted when it was ordered.

While mine was mechanically sound (Other than brakes, what's to abuse?), the overall experience was pretty low-end, compared to other used coaches. Mine depreciated faster, as well, due to the higher mileage. better to find a screaming deal on a non-rental return, IMHO.

Best of Luck - you'll need more than 2 months for this amazing country - let alone adding Canada!

[peteree]

I think the trailer option would be best. New or used is up to you. Granted you will need a truck to pull it. When it come to resale the trailer has many more buyers given the lower.cost over a motorhome. When you look at the low.end class c used you.can get more room and slide.out options. Maybe you should.go to KOA or other rv.park near you and talk to some owners visiting from out of state. I have owned trailers, 5th wheels , gas and diesel motorhomes. I would.start.with the pull trailer and see if this is a hobby you really enjoy.

[DryCreek]

If you are just going to use it for one or two years to "see America", I can't think of a better deal than one of the o rental units.

While everyone preaches "look for a well maintained privately owned unit", how do you know it really was "well maintained"? When I ask vehicle and motor home owners about specific service they do, they stare at me like I've just landed from Mars. Do you know how many folks out there never change their differential oil? Never changed their antifreeze or just rely on Jiffy Lube for service? Sure, the engine oil might be changed on a semi-regular basis, but what about everything else? A unit that has been run hard, but meticulously maintained would be a more reliable one in the short term you are looking at owning. Just as a couple of others have attested. Is it a base model with entry level amenities? Sure, but did you plan to own it forever? Are you going to spend the rest of your days in it? If it's just a portable bedroom and kitchen, with a handy-dandy bathroom accessible while on the road, plain is fine - at least for me it would be.

[Mekanic]

Now is the time of year to buy especially in the fridged north. Buy from dealer that does NOT have an indoor showroom.
When you sell, seek between March and July. Prices are better for both.

[gcsprayjr]

Keep in mind that the industry considers RV's mileage compared to wear as roughly double of that for a car. So your 148K mileage coach is equivalent to a car with 296K miles. Expect to have some major repair bills. You may get lucky and not have to replace the engine, transmission, differential, brakes, generator, AC compressor, and a host of other issues, however you may have to replace any or all of them. Not to mention what 148K miles does to the coach body.

Granted RV's on diesel bus chassis last considerably longer then a class C or Class A.

[mobilemike]

Originally Posted by BUGNUT

[QUOTE:
You can do what most who buy ex rentals do. Dont tell the new buyer its an old rental. Just list it as a used RV and sell it like any other used vehicle.

Misrepresenting a used vehicle just opens you up to a law suit. Purchasing a Car Proof will disclose vehicle history. In my part of the world ( Ontario) The vendor must supply at his own cost a used vehicle history report. It shows all insurance claims and all previous owners.[/QUOTE]
Most States in the US are referred to as "Buyer beware". All the responsibility falls on the buyer to perform due diligence when purchasing a vehicle. The seller is not required to offer information and can even outright lie about the product. Not that I would. But I would not offer it either.



Look it up if you are interested.

[Solo_RV_Guy]

Originally Posted by gcsprayjr

Keep in mind that the industry considers RV's mileage compared to wear as roughly double of that for a car. So your 148K mileage coach is equivalent to a car with 296K miles. Expect to have some major repair bills. You may get lucky and not have to replace the engine, transmission, differential, brakes, generator, AC compressor, and a host of other issues, however you may have to replace any or all of them. Not to mention what 148K miles does to the coach body.

Granted RV's on diesel bus chassis last considerably longer then a class C or Class A.

My experience with a former C.A. rental unit is that the chassis and drive train was in good condition especially for the odometer reading. With mine, I've replaced steering axle tires, will replace drive this spring and likely do a full transmission service.


As I said earlier, these units are C.A.'s stock in trade. If they don't maintain them they can't rent them out. Perhaps other owners have had different experiences but what I'm reading here is mostly speculation from folks who've never owned a unit from C.A. Take that in the spirit in which it is offered....

[De F]

Originally Posted by Arveenewbee

The RV we're looking at is the 'Thor Majestic 23A' model from CruiseAmerica. The 2015 ones with around 148,000 miles are priced at around $27,500 but there are several 2014 models for sale with under 100,000 miles for only $1,000 more.

Sales tax and various fees will add another $2,500 to that figure, bringing the total cost to around $31,000 for one of the 2014 ones. Of course we expect the RV to depreciate some more over the six months or so of our ownership, but on the other hand we will likely do some minor refreshments, repairs and upgrades.

If we could sell the RV again for anywhere near $30,000 at the end of our trip I would be a happy man. It looks like this scenario is optimistic but not altogether unrealistic so we're moving forward! Thanks so much everyone for all your helpful advice.

Wow .... that’s high mileage or a 2015. I bought a previous rental - a 2016 Winnebago Minnie Winnie (27’) with 40,000 miles on it about 1 1/2 years ago. The company has a good rep for maintenance and it came with a full 1 year parts and labor warrantee. It looked almost brand new when I bought it (still does!) for $47,000.

[bunny2448]

If you only want the RV for the one trip, why do you need to buy one? How about just renting one to see if you like it. You can keep renting RVs until you find the model/ style you want to buy.