Community Forums

Streetloaf · 10-05-2022, 08:33 PM

After a summer in hell, and getting settled into a new house I sold my Itasca Sunova.
Started off as a $23,000 Class A 35' RV in seemingly great condition.
500 miles later I had a $15,000 roof repair after getting ripped off by an illegal, unlicensed shop in the desert.
Then a tire exploded 1000 miles later and took out a cabinet and the plumbing.
Then the generator quit for no apparent reason.
By the time I got to my destination 2500 miles away, I was into it $40k and had no plumbing or generator.
Basically a nice bus.
Gave the thing to a new owner, cheap, with full disclosure of all the problems.
I know some people love full time RV life, but it was possibly the worst experience of my life.
Certainly the most expensive mistake I ever made.
Would have been cheaper to take a limo across the country.

This forum was extremely helpful with a lot of issues, so grateful I joined.
On the other hand, I wish I have never bought an RV.

All I can really add is, if you are considering RV life, have the rig inspected by a pro, and do not trust anything private sellers tell you.

TonyDi · 10-05-2022, 08:37 PM

So sorry to hear about your bad experiences RVing. The door to the forum will always be open for you to drop in.

Old-Biscuit · 10-05-2022, 08:45 PM

I remember your posts and problems.

Sorry you went thru that experience especially while trying to relocate

Hope your new place to live/home provide you with a better experience!!

Your statement "......have the rig inspected by a pro, and do not trust anything private sellers tell you."
No truer words have been written.

Best wishes!!

Streetloaf · 10-05-2022, 08:52 PM

Turns out the shop that ripped me off, Arias RV in California City, Ca was unlicensed since they opened 7 years ago. Was illegal for them to collect any revenue the entire time. They were ordered to cease all work and given 30 days to get licensed or close.
Unfortunately for me, the fact that they were not licensed means, BAR could not force them to give me back my money.
Had they been licensed, they could have.
If I want compensation, I will have to fly across the country a few times and take them to small claims court.
Small claims is nearly impossible to collect from anyway, and I have no way to have the guy served. Don't know where he lives.
Not even worth pursuing any further.
Pretty warped system if you ask me.

Everyone should be aware, they are a straight up crooked shop.

Always have been.

RV Vagabond · 10-05-2022, 10:42 PM

Yes, I have been fulltiming too for 6 years now with a new Class A DP and my odometer is at 102,000. It has been one problem after another the whole time, and I am really getting worn down from all the equipment failures. I have big summer trips planned for the next 4 years, then plan to sell it, assuming it is worth anything, and settle down with a travel trailer. Then it will be just a summer home location in the mountains of NM and CO and then South Texas for the winters, and no more big trips for me.

TXiceman · 10-06-2022, 08:56 AM

We have been full-timers for 9.5 years and have had very few problems compared to many people. When you buy any used RV, even new ones, you are very wise to have it inspected by a professional to make sure all systems work and there are no water leak issues.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of less than honest business and people more than willing to take advantage of the person new to RVs. I hope this experience has not soured you on the RV life.

Ken

Ray,IN · 10-06-2022, 10:50 AM

I wish you well in your future endeavors. The pandemic years was tough on everyone, and then along came crooks and other devious miscreants preying on peoples dreams.

hohenwald48 · 10-06-2022, 11:02 AM

Whenever anybody asks me, I always say "If you can't fix 'em, then don't buy 'em".

Many folks buy an RV and expect an experience similar to buying a car. It just doesn't work that way.

Good luck on whatever you take up next.

Sent from my SM-S127DL using iRV2 - RV Forum mobile app

Crasher · 10-06-2022, 05:22 PM

As others have said we feel for your bad experience. Most are not like yours or all the campgrounds would be empty. We don't know the circumstances of your purchase or when you bought it. Did you have an independent inspection?? It is an example of things not being what they appear. A report by a certified inspector probably would have found the roof issue and possibly the tire age could have averted the blowout. Those two things would have changed your Motorhome experience a great deal. These homes on wheels can be expensive to own and maintain without good and prompt maintenance and is sounds like you had no way of knowing how well it was serviced. Best of luck in the future.
Hope you enjoy your new home.

Edit: I'm curious as to what year Sunova you bought. Their first year was 1996. The 2007 models are listed over $40,000 yet. @ $23,000, it must be 2,000 or older.

EZ1 · 10-06-2022, 06:14 PM

We sold our Class A
Cost more to just have it than use it
Not that we didn't try but it was a lot of work just to maintain
I could fix most of it but a simple $5 gasket fuel leak cost $1200 to have the entire fuel pump replaced
We are getting back into it with a tow behind.
No motor or driveline to worry about
Taking the EZ route to enjoy camping

cadillac_al · 10-06-2022, 06:32 PM

My old 86 finally got a leak in the roof this summer. It looks like an easy fix. I don't get all these newer rigs with roof problems. They must make them different now. I would not have bought a motor home though if I was not a mechanic. You would have to be pretty wealthy to pay to have things fixed all the time. Let this post be a warning to the non-mechanical people thinking of RVing.

Streetloaf · 10-06-2022, 07:27 PM

It was a 2004 Itasca Sunova 35N. It was extremely clean inside and out. Everything worked. The seller just lied about new tires, roof maint, etc. I wrenched professionally for 35 years, and so most of the mechanical stuff I was very familiar with. I sunk money into it before heading out. Checked every box, or so I thought. I was lied to about key things, and all of those things are what broke.

Crasher · 10-06-2022, 07:47 PM

Things are always greener in the eyes of the seller. To him, 7 or 8 year old tires with just a few thousand miles still look like new. It's easy to confirm the tires, but unless one looks at the DOT date on the tire, you wouldn't know. He undoubtedly knew what was wrong and priced it several thousand under book value to get a sale.

Streetloaf · 10-06-2022, 08:06 PM

They were 14 years old. I had no idea how to date them. He had never changed the tires, or anything else. wasn't even in his name and had 4 years of back reg. He told be it was registered non-op.
Like I said, he lied about everything.
Just another hustler who seemed like a kindly old man.