What is considered a lot of miles?

[Mynyel]

Hello! I was reading the threa below this one... about purchasing from Cruise America. I was looking at them and the mileage was boggling my mind!

 

So what is considered high mileage for an RV? Class A specifically.

 

Oh as an aside. Is there anywhere on the net to get reliable info on what an RV is worth? I have tried that NADA but discovered they aren't all that accruate.

 

Thank you!

[usaperuvian]

The RV's have highway miles not stop and go in town mileage. So to us high mileage isn't as bad for an RV, we are more choosy about miles for our everyday vehicle. The Ford V10 engines in trucks last a very long time (read on internet) so I expect the RV engine to last too.

[kathydavidb]

Mileage is one gauge of how much use, but I think that condition is also important along with maintenance. Some very low mileage RV's may have just sat in one spot and have a lot of use on them. I guess a happy medium is the best case, an RV that is used and driven regularly. (Just my 2 cents) Dave.

[Kirk W]

Welcome back to the Escapee forums. If you have been reading the forums for the past two years you may have seen a few conversations on the subject of miles but generally most modern gas engines should be good for 150K to 200K, and more if they are well cared for and maintained. Most diesels can go about twice that, again assuming that they are well maintained.

[Jimalberta]

Class A gas I would stay away from anything over 75k miles. class A diesel double that .....150k miles....... I doubt if you will even find many high mileage diesels. If you do they are over 20 years old.

[bruce t]

I would rather buy a used RV that has been driven 'carefully' for 100000 miles than one that had been parked on an RV lot for 5 years without moving. 'Lot rot' can do more than wear our the drive train.

 

regards

[AprilWhine]

Agree with Bruce T. Bought our 97 bus with 220,000 miles and are happily adding to the total. We've owned it for almost five years, continued to do regular maintenance, and have had no major repairs needed.

[rv-voyager]

I would rather buy a used RV that has been driven 'carefully' for 100000 miles than one that had been parked on an RV lot for 5 years without moving. 'Lot rot' can do more than wear our the drive train.

 

regards

 

Agree with Bruce T. Bought our 97 bus with 220,000 miles and are happily adding to the total. We've owned it for almost five years, continued to do regular maintenance, and have had no major repairs needed.

The keywords here are "carefully and regular maintenance," my experience with rental units are they driven hard and put up wet.

[NH2]

I can't help but chuckle when I read an estimate as to 'How many miles' placed on a vehicle render it to be a poor value. I guess people view "milage" as an indicator of wear. For me, the words, "Cruise America" would be a MUCH bigger factor in my decision than any number of miles. Even a properly maintained rental is still a rental; a vehicle often driven by untrained, inexperienced newbies who's only qualification for driving this oversized vehicle was a 10-minute video.

JMHO,

Mark

[Biker56]

Hello! I was reading the threa below this one... about purchasing from Cruise America. I was looking at them and the mileage was boggling my mind!

 

So what is considered high mileage for an RV? Class A specifically.

Cruise America says to me. Class C units.

 

Your question was for Class A mileage.

Are you wanting specifically gas or diesel mileage?

[Medico]

If you are looking at a used diesel, let's say up to 10 years old, I would find one with roughly 6K to 10K miles per year of age. Next look at the maintenance records. Check the date codes on ALL tires. Most experts say tires have a useful life of about 7 or 8 years, regardless of the mileage on them. Coaches with far less mileage may look very nice, but sitting is not good on parts such as the tires.

 

For high mileage coaches, check for wear or rust under the coach. Coaches that spend time at either coast or driving in the north in winter can have a lot of salt damage.

 

Finally, do NOT fall in love with the first coach you find. That is a great way to overpay. Stick to your guns! There are many coaches for sale.

[Mynyel]

Thank you for all the info! I wasn't looking a Cruise America, I jsut happened to be looking at another thread that did. I am not partial to gas or diesel at this point it is just whatever we can find that fits into our very restricted budget.

 

I have actually fallen in love with several RV's! LOL Haven't stuck with one yet though. There is always something that is wrong or we don't like the person selling it. For trying to sell something of great value there are sure a lot of rude people out there. We had one.. ahem... gentleman... kick us off his property (and called the police!) because we were looking at a RV with a for sale sign. Not to mention it was listed in craigslist with the address of the place. O_o

 

Anyway. The hubs and I have been doing A LOT of research online. It is almost overwhelming. We are determined to make it work though!

[Jimalberta]

I have usually bought privately. I dislike dealing with dealers on anything but new and even then ..... You can generally tell from looking at the unit , inspecting and talking to the owner if it has been well looked after. A purchase from a first owner who is selling their "baby" would be my choice with a thorough inspection. With buying from a dealer you have no idea of what you are getting. And you will definitely be hearing a pack of lies.

As far as gas vs diesel that is up to you and how much you will be driving it. I have never driven a gas coach but after talking to a few previous owners they invariably tell me that the gas coach was white knuckle driving compared to a diesel pusher. Personally I would go with the floorplan that would work best for me.

[Kirk W]

 

The keywords here are "carefully and regular maintenance," my experience with rental units are they driven hard and put up wet.

Most larger rental companies do very diligent maintenance on the RVs that they rent out because if they do not, the unit sits broken down and costs them instead of bringing in money. I don't know about the others, but I do know that Cruise America also sells with a warranty, which is very rare in used units. There are some advantages to buying from a private individual but there are also negatives. Private sellers usually owe on the RV being sold and so can't afford to negotiate on price, and frequently the amount owed exceeds the current market value of the RV. A friend of ours who is in RV sales tells us that at least 80% of the RVs with an outstanding loan are not worth as much as is owed on them. It can be very difficult for an owner to accept that the RV they paid so much for has depreciated so much.

 

If you find the right situation where the RV is priced properly and the person is a good guy, the private sale is a good choice, but there can also be good situations when buying from a dealer as well. Consignment dealers are usually reasonably good to deal with. No matter who you choose to buy from, a used RV has some risks and you would probably be better off to pay for a professional inspector.

[chiefneon]

Howdy!

 

Not to be rude but I would never consider buying one from any rentlal company. I've seen they way the renters treat them and also the way the company maintain them like rental cars. There is a saying for rentals "drive them like you stole them". I think you would be better off looking at personaly owned RV's myself.

 

"Happy Trails"

Chiefneon

[hdonlybob]

Welcome back to the Escapee forums. If you have been reading the forums for the past two years you may have seen a few conversations on the subject of miles but generally most modern gas engines should be good for 150K to 200K, and more if they are well cared for and maintained. Most diesels can go about twice that, again assuming that they are well maintained.

 

Totally agree with Kirk.

Over the years I have owned several high mile cars, trucks, HDT, and Motorhomes, as well as very high hour farm tractors.....Never had any surprises with any of them...however, did my due diligence on thoroughly checking them out first...

Do not let mileage scare you.

Good luck !

Cheers,

Bob...

Oh, and welcome back too

[Mariner]

Maint. records...maint. records. Those will be hard to find from a dealer, but demand them from a private seller. No maint. records...no sale. Too many Rv's out there not to get what you want, the way YOU want it.

[Anne & Andy B]

Lots of interesting opinions on this question.

1. Several years ago we went into El Monte RV rental center in the LA area; and walked around to the shop to visit with a mechanic working on a motor home. His opinion was that he'd never buy an used rental RV because of the abuse--peddle to the metal type mentality of renters. So we did not.

2. Instead we bought (in 2001) an used clean low milage (35,000mile) 1997 Flare; and took it to a local truck shop and had them go completely over the chassis (wheel off), and drive line (fluids changed new plug ect). We drove it about 6,000 miles the first year and spent about $5000 additional in mechanical repairs (circuit boards--radiator) the first year.

3. Fed up with constant stuff failing we went to an RV round up at the LA fair ground. There were over 5000 rigs in attendence. We visited with meny many owners and then decided and purchased a new Tiffin rig, the Allegro (the base gas model). We've had our share of stuff happen also to this well made vehicle (now have 80,000 plus--cross US 3x's & into Mexico to Canada). The interesting thing to us is the support from the owner/manufacture Bob Tiffin--we've had the owner several times get on the phone to us and replace broken items; and then when on the road direct, us into a facility and then call that place to tell them when he expected. He shipped parts at no cost to replace items and had them installed. He paid the entire cost of fixing a propane tank that broke out of its frame brackets in Wells Nevada (middle of lot of space). The RV business is in constant flex. The RV business has had a lot of owner/manufacture turn over in the 15 years we' ve been RVing and well as in the chassis and engines. We wish you well in your choices and when you hit the road, happy RVing--have fun! Anne and Andy

[theeyres]

Just saying...my son rented a Class A a couple years ago to go with my wife and I on a trip to Yellowstone. When we arrived the first night there was a water leak. Son called the company, they wanted to know how bad it was and he said it wasn't too bad so they said just let it drip...all the wood in the basement was saturated but he let it drip. When he headed home he wanted to go up a very steep 10 mile dirt road to a special spot--no need to go into the whys of that--and I said no way would I take our fifth wheel up there. He bounced and bounced and spun and jumped and finally made it. He even laughed saying he didn't think he was going to make it. I'm not endorsing what our son did, but his attitude was that it was a rental so don't sweat it. I sure wouldn't want to buy the MH!

[kccwoodworks]

Buying a used RV should be no different than buying a used car. Other than the obvious like tire age, usage, maintenance records, look at how clean the vehicle is as a whole. Is the engine (gas or diesel) covered in grease, oil or grime? Is the roof covered in tree sap? Are the lower storage compartments clean? Are the battery terminals clean or corroded? These are all signs that should tell you the vehicle was not well taken care of.

[Kirk W]

There are a few places that rent class A rigs but they are not common. For all of the anecdotal stories around about rental RVs, but I assure you that there are none of them which have not also been done by an RV owner. Rentals probably do suffer more abuse or misuse, but most of them also are very carefully repaired and maintained as they are a large investment and must be kept in sound condition if the owners are to keep them rented out and generating income. I would not pay as much for a rental as I would for a similar, one owner RV, but if you do your research you will find that rentals sell for very significantly less than private sales or trade-in's. And when you buy a rental from one of the larger rental agencies, it usually comes with a year warranty, which is very rare in used RVs in that same price range.

 

It really does not matter when you shop for a used RV who the previous owner was, unless you happen to know them. When you buy a used RV you pay less for it because you are taking a risk that it will not hold up. The older and more used the RV is, the lower the price is because that risk is greater. If you buy from one of the rental companies, you at least know that it is guaranteed to last for 1 year, which isn't true for the vast majority of used RVs. I have not personally bought a rental RV and I probably won't, but I have known people who have done so repeatedly and are happy.

 

Consider this............ If you visit a used RV lot and you look at an RV with moderate to high mileage and is 5 or more years old, how do you know that this RV was never in a rental pool? Because some sales person told you it wasn't?

[Honorman]

I can't help but chuckle when I read an estimate as to 'How many miles' placed on a vehicle render it to be a poor value. I guess people view "milage" as an indicator of wear. For me, the words, "Cruise America" would be a MUCH bigger factor in my decision than any number of miles. Even a properly maintained rental is still a rental; a vehicle often driven by untrained, inexperienced newbies who's only qualification for driving this oversized vehicle was a 10-minute video.

JMHO,

Mark

X's 2 on Cruise America