Resale of former rental RV

[Arveenewbee]

Thanks again everyone for your feedback. It's great to see such a variety of experiences and advice. It's all over the place in fact but I'm learning a lot.

Renting an RV is really not an option I'm afraid. We plan to take as much time as we need to see and do everything we want, and we may be on the road for anything from two to six months. A two-month rental might cost roughly as much as buying-and-selling but I think a six-month rental from a place like CruiseAmerica would send us to the poorhouse. It did occur to me that there might be a market for long-term RV rentals, either from a company or through some kind of marketplace website. Does such a thing exist or did I just invent the new Airbnb?

On balance, I think buying an ex-rental might not be for us. It's not the high miles or bare bones, though. I think that under the right circumstances it's an attractive proposition. With many Class C RV's the coach will wear out long before the chassis does and my wife has decreed that we actually want something simple. Honestly, if I'd had it my way we would be touring the country in a retro-fantastic 1970s GMC double rear-axle spacemobile but she made me promise that this trip would be about the journey and not the vehicle.

With that in mind I'm concentrating on practicality. I'm focusing on things like ease of resale and so the ex-rental is out. I'm now looking at RV's from around 2010 to 2015 with about 6,000 miles per year, give or take, and ideally in the hands of private sellers. There are several I like and I've made a few phone calls already...

[timjet]

I think you're wise to consider a used RV from a private seller. Take your time, have it inspected and you'll do fine when it comes to selling it. Who knows you may like the experience so much you'll decide to keep it.

[Isaac-1]

I would go a couple of years older in your search, 2010 model year (which may have been built in mid 2009) was not a good year for the RV industry, this was in the middle of the big economic collapse where lots of RV companies went out of business, and even those that survived barely made it through, often cutting every corner they could find. I have read accounts of some companies building coaches out of whatever parts they had left on hand, with owners getting mix and match color schemes on upholstery, etc. I have also seen some of the workmanship that came out of RV companies just before they went out of business, doing things like skimping on or skipping sealant entirely, probably because they were out of money and could not even afford to go buy a case of caulking tubes of lap sealant, but still had enough other parts on hand to build something they could try to sell.

[ransil]

They probaly wont come down in price much buy try to negotiate extras, new mstress, awning new tires ect.

[DryCreek]

Originally Posted by ransil

They probaly wont come down in price much buy try to negotiate extras, new mstress, awning new tires ect.

If he's married, he might not be interested in a new mistress. But, I won't speak for the OP.

[flexitdriver]

Originally Posted by Arveenewbee

, 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

Look at the cost of renting for a six month period - well over $30,000 - so if you lose even a third on resale you still have a great deal.

Al

[Racer Ralph]

Originally Posted by Teamfoxy

I personally don't mind high mileage in an RV that has been well cared for. In spite of potential abuse by renters, I think that most rental companies do perform all the routine service and repairs on their vehicles. What I usually don't like about rental RV's is the layout and brand. There are only two of us, and most rental units are designed for large groups making short trips. We live in the motorhome for months at a time and cannot make do with a one or two burner cooktop and a microwave in a tiny kitchen.

I am very wary of older RV's with very low mileage because it often means that they have been sitting unused and uncared for by their owners. I look for at least 6000 miles per year of age as a sign that the unit is actually used and then carefully look to see if it was reasonably well cared for.

We bought a ten your old FR 30' Class C w. 7,500 miles two years ago. Now has 20,000 miles w. no issues at all except for the dead auto steps. Very happy.