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Arveenewbee · 11-30-2018, 11:44 PM

Hi there,

My wife and I have no previous experience RV-ing, other than a weeklong trip in a rental RV a couple years back. We really enjoyed our experience and are planning an extended trip of several months this spring and summer, basically a Grand Tour of the U.S. and Canada.

We've narrowed down our preferred rig to a small class C and now we're trying to decide on the best purchase option. One option that appeals to us is to buy an ex-rental.

We know that opinions vary on the wisdom of such a purchase, with some people weary of the high mileage and potentially abusive past, and other people perfectly content with their ex-rental. We feel that an ex-rental RV - when bought carefully - may work for us.

The plan is to only own the RV for the duration of our trip, take good care of it, and then put it up for sale again. Our reasoning is that we know that we're going to like traveling in an RV but we don't know yet what kind of RV will work for us. We just have too much to learn about what we do and don't like about it for this to be our perfect forever RV.

After reading all the very informative threads on purchasing an ex-rental RV we still have one question: How hard (or easy) would it be to resell such an RV again after we're done enjoying it? Does the negative stigma of being an ex-rental cling to these RV's and make them a difficult sell? Or does the attractive price and the several months of ownership and care by a non-abusive private owner make them an object of desire?

Thanks so much for all of your input!

RescueRamsey · 11-30-2018, 11:53 PM

I think that if you are willing to buy it, someone else will be willing as well. Me personally I would have to really like it, and be a great price, and pass a inspection. I know how people treat rentals. But once again if you are willing to buy it, I'm sure you are not the only one who will.

ThePowells · 12-01-2018, 04:35 AM

Welcome to the forum!!

Podivin · 12-01-2018, 04:58 AM

MY opinion is that once you've owned it and done the trip you have planned, it's no longer an ex-rental, it's just a used RV.
Any problems that stem directly from the potential abuse it may have taken as a rental will have already been corrected by you. Sure, after you're done with it there MAY be more signs of wear than with another unit of a comparable age, but you just have to price it accordingly for that.

momdoc · 12-01-2018, 05:03 AM

Welcome to the forum.

You are joining a good group of folks here with good info to share. I personally would never buy a rental unit as more that likely it was abused in it's former life. However if you find the perfect one then go for it. Resale again will be harder as most will not be interested in a now "used former rental unit". There will be someone who will buy it (you did) but it may be quite hard to find that next someone.

Good luck and enjoy the adventure.

TCollins · 12-01-2018, 07:00 AM

While I personally would not buy such a unit there must be hundreds sold each year as rental companies replace older units. You seem to be going into this with your eyes open and know what to expect. May be a good way to inexpensively learn the ins and outs of a motorhome. Just be sure to examine it carefully before purchase.

It may take a little longer to find the right person to buy it but I'm assuming your asking price will be much less that a non-rental. That will be attractive to buyers.

I bought a Toyota Camry from Hertz. It has been a great car with no problems. I'm curious to see how difficult it will be for me to sell it.

A friend of mine buys nothing but cars with salvage titles. That's one area I will not go near.

nothermark · 12-01-2018, 07:10 AM

The major issue is that you will buy it at a low cost and the next owner will know that so expect to sell it at a low price point. Your next customer will probably be another person who wants to try it out or needs a cabin in the woods for hunting or whatever.

RickNC · 12-01-2018, 07:19 AM

For a one-and-done vacation I don't see much advantage in buying over renting. The fixed costs of buying (taxes,registration ,insurance) is not recoverable in the resale, plus the vehicle will depreciate,Depending on how you finance the rv you will have those costs. You may have storage costs if it doesn't sell right away. And of course the outright hassle of selling.

We rented a 29' Itasca for several years from a private party who used it primarily to snow bird during the winter months. The last year we rented (2015) we payed $60 per day and 30 cents a mile. 2014 we went west from NY and did the National Parks loop and much of the west coast. We drove almost 10K miles over a 63 day period. Spent about $7000 on the rental. If we had bought a $50K used motor home the sales tax alone would have been $3500.

Teamfoxy · 12-01-2018, 07:35 AM

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.

MSHappyCampers · 12-01-2018, 09:11 AM

Hi !

Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Hope that works out well for you! Have fun and keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

Arveenewbee · 12-01-2018, 11:45 AM

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.

RickNC · 12-01-2018, 12:10 PM

Quote:

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.

Upgrades don't increase the resale value. At best,they might make it more marketable. If you pay $27500 it will be worth less in 6 months not more. Ii will probably have 160000 miles when you sell it. That is a heap of mileage on a gasoline engine truck that is always loaded nearly to the limit.

mobilemike · 12-01-2018, 12:28 PM

Six months will not depreciate the value much if any. You should be able to sell it for what you bought it for.

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.

Isaac-1 · 12-01-2018, 05:46 PM

My advice is to inspect, inspect, inspect, I have read threads on here and other message boards where people were very happy with their ex-rental coaches, and I have read threads where people bought them just to find they had been abused and the walls were literally falling off the coach.

One thing is for sure, if it was a rental from one of the big outfits like Cruise America or El Monte, the coach will be a barebones basic model, meaning basic upholstery, vinyl floor, no leveling jacks, no inverter, probably one basic flat panel TV, no satellite dish, ....