Cruise America RVs a Good Deal? - Page 2

DutchmanInLA · 06-03-2020, 06:28 PM

I would not worry about the high mileage. We own a 2010 19G with 155k miles on it. Not a single problem since we bought it 4 years ago. Perfect for 2 people. No slide outs = no mechanical or electrical issues or leaks. Plenty of space inside. Easy to park. At 90" wide it is almost a foot more narrow than the regular RV's. At campgrounds, lots of people like to glance inside and love it. Many want to downsize from their big RV's.
Please find below a link to a thread discussing buying a former rental RV. 108 pages long and majority of the owners of former rental units are very happy. I would take a high mileage former rental over a low mileage that has been parked in someone's driveway for years and dealing with dried out seals, rust etc.

https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/f...pd/pging/1.cfm

dancd141 · 06-03-2020, 07:24 PM

I work at an RV dealership that rents motor homes. Some renters are good and some not so much I would have an RV tech evaluate it there is so much they can find you may not see. The mileage doesn’t bother me too much just depends on how well it was driven and there is some skill to driving it properly. As someone said check out RVtrader you may pay more but you also could get a better RV Also check your local dealership as these are the people you will be going to for help. Good Luck

DogLovers · 06-03-2020, 08:39 PM

Buying a Cruise America former rental with 130,000 plus is the same as buying A muscle car that 100 teenagers owned before you. Good luck with that.

Bing · 06-03-2020, 09:44 PM

We bought a 2014 with 100k about 2 years ago from Cruise America. Our salesman pulled up the maintenance records of our rig. His only caution about higher miles was sometimes the exhaust manifold needs replacing on the V-8. Fortunately ours had been replaced already. Insufficient warm up is the main culprit of this problem.

It's imperfect as it was in use for 4 years and basic but built for hard use and everything works. Ours was well reconditioned and has been perfect for the 2 of us. No problems so far, unfortunately with only limited use so far. Easy to drive and fits in a standard parking spot. Storage is limited.

steveo · 06-03-2020, 10:20 PM

Pay no mind to those who think the 19G is too small with not enough amenities. Everyone has different needs when it comes to RVing. I use my 19G for me and the dog. I spend most of my time outside. Not much for sitting in a fiberglass box all day in the campground watching TV. But it's great to have a hot shower and a place to enjoy morning coffee inside when it's cold. But that's just me. And since I don't tow a vehicle, it's great to be able to use it taking day trips and sightseeing from the campground without the hassle of a "big" unit. As far as a rental goes I think CA probably does a better job maintaining and fixing them than most rvers do on their personal rigs. When I bought mine, everything worked and still does. Who could ask for more than that. When I read about all the problems that folks have with their rv's on this site, I'm glad I have a "simple" one with not much to go wrong..

Bob Denman · 06-03-2020, 10:33 PM

I guess that it all comes down to the maintenance and the refurbishing...

Bing · 06-03-2020, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveo

Pay no mind to those who think the 19G is too small with not enough amenities. Everyone has different needs when it comes to RVing. I use my 19G for me and the dog. I spend most of my time outside. Not much for sitting in a fiberglass box all day in the campground watching TV. But it's great to have a hot shower and a place to enjoy morning coffee inside when it's cold. But that's just me. And since I don't tow a vehicle, it's great to be able to use it taking day trips and sightseeing from the campground without the hassle of a "big" unit. As far as a rental goes I think CA probably does a better job maintaining and fixing them than most rvers do on their personal rigs. When I bought mine, everything worked and still does. Who could ask for more than that. When I read about all the problems that folks have with their rv's on this site, I'm glad I have a "simple" one with not much to go wrong..

Agree on all counts, sounds like how we use ours... don't think we've been anywhere where we can plug in. We find the water and grey tank capacity for the 2 of us is good for about 3 days without much conservation effort.

dkoldman · 06-03-2020, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

I guess that it all comes down to the maintenance and the refurbishing...

Or how big of a "fiberglass box you need to sit in and watch TV

" In my case I need 30'; so I am not sitting too close to the 40" TV

jdetrick · 06-05-2020, 11:04 PM

A few years ago we bought a used class A from El Monte RV Rental with just over 100K on it. When we traded it in for a newer RV we had had just over 136K on it. We ran it all over the western US, Canada to Florida multiple times. Even to PEI and back as well. No major issues at all.

But I happen to be an aircraft mechanic and am used to reading through maintenance logs. I gave the logs a thorough review and one hell of a pre buy inspection.

Bob Denman · 06-05-2020, 11:38 PM

[QUOTE=dkoldman;237093]Or how big of a "fiberglass box you need to sit in and watch TV

" In my case I need 30'; so I am not sitting too close to the 40" TV

[/QUOTE

My eyes aren't that good; I can get by with 25'

njwandrr · 06-11-2020, 02:34 PM

I purchased a 1 year old Hurricane in 2014 with 27,000 miles that was a rental unit, but it was a RV dealer rental, not a rental company. I also purchased an extended warranty with it, which I used several times. 130,000 miles is a lot for an RV. I would stay away from it.

Chance · 06-11-2020, 03:52 PM

The one difference I’ve noticed between Cruise America versus other rental motorhomes is that CA seems to have their units built specifically for them, whereas smaller rental companies seem to rent normal motorhomes like we can all buy from dealers. Whether this affects durability I’m not 100% certain.

Of the ones we’ve rented, they were all simpler without slides, awnings, TVs, etc., while interior construction seem more heavy duty to endure greater abuse.

I found it interesting that the larger Cruise America motorhome, which appears to be the Thor 28A, seems to have a longer wheelbase. Maybe it was a model year revision (or my imagination

), but it’s possible they spec that differently also to improve stability.

The house portion of the ones we’ve rented were in pretty good shape even when they had close to 100,000 miles. If I’ve had issues with them, it was with the chassis having worn tires or due for oil change.

Bob Denman · 06-11-2020, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DogLovers

Buying a Cruise America former rental with 130,000 plus is the same as buying A muscle car that 100 teenagers owned before you. Good luck with that.

That's 100 different Couples in the back seat...

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/at...1&d=1591905096
https://www.thorforums.com/forums/at...1&d=1591905113

Bing · 09-04-2020, 08:02 PM

We have a 2014 19g we bought from Cruise America 2 yrs ago. When we start the engine the default mode is for tow/haul to be engaged and we need to turn it off. Has anyone else found this with their 19g or any other former Cruise America RV?

We are selling it and the buyer has expressed concern about this.

mikebreeze · 09-04-2020, 08:12 PM

I have a 2006 Thor Majestic 23A and mine does not come on in tow/haul mode when I start it up. This sounds like a Ford issue as opposed to a CA issue so, if it were me, I would take it to a Ford Truck dealer that services RV's or a good independent RV repair shop.

bcrunk · 09-13-2020, 08:31 PM

My 2017 19g also starts up in Tow/Haul mode. There is a sticker on the gear shift that says to drive using Tow/Haul for better fuel economy.

Bob Denman · 09-13-2020, 10:54 PM

Even if you're not towing: you are hauling A lot of weight...

mikebreeze · 09-13-2020, 11:26 PM

I can't find the thread now but someone that owned a Majestic 19G said that their unit was always in the tow/haul mode when they started it. There is (at least on my Majestic 23A) a button at the end of the shifter that allows one to turn on or off the tow/haul mode. Do yo have that button and once you turn it off, cut the engine, then turn it on again, does it start in tow/haul mode?

**EA37TS** · 09-14-2020, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikebreeze

I can't find the thread now but someone that owned a Majestic 19G said that their unit was always in the tow/haul mode when they started it. There is (at least on my Majestic 23A) a button at the end of the shifter that allows one to turn on or off the tow/haul mode. Do yo have that button and once you turn it off, cut the engine, then turn it on again, does it start in tow/haul mode?

This thread post 36

bcrunk · 09-14-2020, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikebreeze

I can't find the thread now but someone that owned a Majestic 19G said that their unit was always in the tow/haul mode when they started it. There is (at least on my Majestic 23A) a button at the end of the shifter that allows one to turn on or off the tow/haul mode. Do yo have that button and once you turn it off, cut the engine, then turn it on again, does it start in tow/haul mode?

I do have the button, and yes, it does start in tow/haul again after pushing the button.
I didn't have a problem with it, it did appear to keep the RPMs lower when going up hills.

Bill

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