Places to look for good quality/affordable used Class-C?

[JulesG]

Coming back to Escapees after a very long hiatus. I'm looking for a smaller (21-26ft) Class-C for solo travel and having a tough time finding one! Most of the ones in my price-range (10-20k) are the big 28-30+ft models and I just don't need that much for myself solo. Any good resources in Texas/New Mexico/Arizona you can recommend? I'm watching RVTrader, RVT, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, all the usual places.

Thanks!

Edited April 22, 2021 by JulesG

[sandsys]

PPL Motorhomes in Houston had a few but it appears the ones in your price range go quickly. https://www.pplmotorhomes.com

Linda Sand

[Kirk W]

12 hours ago, JulesG said:

Any good resources in Texas/New Mexico/Arizona you can recommend?

Welcome back! I don't think that you are likely to find much in that price range on a dealer lot but might on the consignment lots. I was able to find one on Craig's List in the Dallas area if you are nearby.

[JulesG]

11 hours ago, sandsys said:

PPL Motorhomes in Houston had a few but it appears the ones in your price range go quickly. https://www.pplmotorhomes.com

Linda Sand

Yes! I've had PPL on "speed-dial" lookup for the past week or two after discovering them via RVTrader and a few local facebook recommendations. I think I might have luck with them if I'm quick about being first to show up with money in hand, and I'm glad to have another recommendation that they are reliable and a good resource, thank you! 

 

1 hour ago, Kirk W said:

Welcome back! I don't think that you are likely to find much in that price range on a dealer lot but might on the consignment lots. I was able to find one on Craig's List in the Dallas area if you are nearby.

I agree, most of the dealership used Class-Cs are in the 30k+ range but a few mid-20k older rigs do get traded in so I'm keeping an eye out and appreciate anyone alerting me to one at a dealership. I can actually go a bit higher (25k-ish) from a dealer, but only in Texas as my credit-union approved a used RV loan for me so long as I purchase from a dealership in TX.

 

Thanks for the heads up on craigslist, seems far less are posted there (by private sellers) than Facebook, but I'm trying to catch 'em all. 

[Kirk W]

What part of TX are you located? We are in D/FW.

Dallas area Craig's List RVs

Edited April 23, 2021 by Kirk W

[JulesG]

Right now I'm temporarily over in New Mexico (Ruidoso!) but I'll be heading back to the mid-central area (Austin/San Antonio) in May if I haven't already found an RV out this way (I'm also looking in AZ). I can drive over to Dallas in a day for overnight/weekend if I need to when the right one comes along. I will be going down to Livingston once I get one for the title/registration transfer, etc.

 

 

[Twotoes]

There is a place similar to PPL I believe it’s called Motorhomes of Texas. I think it is located in Nacogdoches (936)564-1112 or (800) 651-1112

[JulesG]

36 minutes ago, Twotoes said:

There is a place similar to PPL I believe it’s called Motorhomes of Texas. I think it is located in Nacogdoches (936)564-1112 or (800) 651-1112

Thanks for the reference! I'll bookmark that one and check them daily when I check PPL. They've only got a couple listed right now, but I know trade-ins come and go fast.

[Kirk W]

There are a lot of dealers and several consignment lots in the Dallas/Ft Worth area so you could spend several days shopping here. The same is true for the Houston area and also San Antonio. 

[JulesG]

3 hours ago, Kirk W said:

There are a lot of dealers and several consignment lots in the Dallas/Ft Worth area so you could spend several days shopping here. The same is true for the Houston area and also San Antonio. 

Thanks for the advice and I agree... I might just need to come to DFW for an extended weekend and drive around to all the dealerships. I've tried looking at their website inventory lists, but with so many dealers and not all keeping their sites up to date, it's like searching for a needle in a haystack for a low-priced older Class-C. 

[Kirk W]

37 minutes ago, JulesG said:

it's like searching for a needle in a haystack for a low-priced older Class-C. 

They don't usually spend money to advertise the lower priced units because the margin is so low. They may have some even if they are not listed in their web postings. Very often a dealer will collect several older trade-in RVs and then sell them to a wholesaler, but they have them on the lost for a while. 

[JulesG]

1 hour ago, Kirk W said:

They don't usually spend money to advertise the lower priced units because the margin is so low. They may have some even if they are not listed in their web postings. Very often a dealer will collect several older trade-in RVs and then sell them to a wholesaler, but they have them on the lost for a while. 

This is great advice and I didn't know that about not always posting every low-end RV online. I guess I better make plans for a weekender shopping trip over there between now and mid-May, thanks!

[Twotoes]

You might try calling them and ask if they have what your are looking for and save some time. 

[JulesG]

14 hours ago, Twotoes said:

You might try calling them and ask if they have what your are looking for and save some time. 

Definitely a good idea.

 

Since everyone here has great advice, I'm curious what your thoughts are on the "Cruise America" Class-C RV post-rental purchase program? While most of them are out of my price-range (unless I finance higher amount), they do come with good warranties and look very clean and well-maintained. My only concern is the high mileage most of them have (130k+ avg) since they have definitely been driven a lot as rental vehicles. I tried to do a search of the forums here to see if there were any Escapees folks with experience from having bought one. Is it generally considered a bad idea to buy from Cruise America or former rental RVs in general? 

[Kirk W]

2 hours ago, JulesG said:

My only concern is the high mileage most of them have (130k+ avg) since they have definitely been driven a lot as rental vehicles.

I just looked at their used sales website and of the 3 featured RVs, 2 of them have 103k and the other 128k. I have only known 1 couple who bought from Cruise America, which they did when part-time and they were happen enough that about 5 years later they upgraded to a larger unit for fulltime and they bought from CM again. I haven't had contact with them recently, but they were nearly 3 years into fulltime with the second one when we last saw them and they were still happy with their choice. 

EDIT: I just found this Youtube video which discusses it. 

SHOULD YOU BUY A RENTAL RV?

                              &

Buying Our First RV From Cruise America!

Edited April 24, 2021 by Kirk W

[JulesG]

4 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

I just looked at their used sales website and of the 3 featured RVs, 2 of them have 103k and the other 128k. I have only known 1 couple who bought from Cruise America, which they did when part-time and they were happen enough that about 5 years later they upgraded to a larger unit for fulltime and they bought from CM again. I haven't had contact with them recently, but they were nearly 3 years into fulltime with the second one when we last saw them and they were still happy with their choice. 

Oh this is great information, thanks! To know that they actually bought a second RV from Cruise America is encouraging. My confidence level in private-sellers on FB Marketplace or craigslist isn't real high but the dealerships just don't have many available as we talked about, so it's good to have another option to consider!

[JulesG]

14 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

EDIT: I just found this Youtube video which discusses it. 

SHOULD YOU BUY A RENTAL RV?

                              &

Buying Our First RV From Cruise America!

Awesome, thanks again for being so helpful. I am watching the first one and really great to follow their personal decision-making process (pros and cons) of buying a used RV from Cruise America.

[JulesG]

Update to this story: I did it! 

I'm now officially "one of y'all" and joining the Class-C Club! 

2003 Gulfstream Independence

Found this great deal on an older Class-C listed by a wonderful retired couple outside Fort Worth, they have a lovely horse ranch between Azle and Weatherford. It's got 80k miles, in really great shape, well maintained, and was kept under a large carport they keep their horse trailers under for the whole time they owned it. The tires have all been replaced in the last 2-3 years too. They took the time to walk me through the whole rig, give me a "101" course on how to operate everything and even gave me a lot of extras to go with it, like the Wellbuilt toolboxes on the back, rugs and memory foam mattresses, a nice trashcan, extra power cable, etc. They even let me sleep in it overnight right there on their farm overnight since I wasn't heading back out until the next day!

It only took me a couple of weeks of serious looking once I had my mind set and my money ready to go. I ended up not even using my credit union financing and paying for one outright with my savings and tax return funds, which feels GREAT to have been able to afford this solo on my own! 

Thank you to all of you who gave me such great advice, I really appreciate the warm welcome and support. 

 

Next phase, packing her up and heading to Livingston next month in June to get paperwork done! 

Edited May 9, 2021 by JulesG

[sandsys]

Congratulations! 

Linda