I'm a first-time motorhome buyer and am thinking about buying a diesel, either a 2002 Rexhall Roseair or Vision ES. Can anyone tell me about the quality and reliability of the Rexhall? They seem to be priced right, and that makes me ask about the quality.

Also, which diesel MH would you recommend buying used in the $75K - $100K range?

Ozzie6789, welcome to our website and forum. We are glad to have you join us here. I am going to put in a short cut to the New Maembers Check-In section so others can welcome you and to give your post more exposure.
I owned a gas powered Aerbus and was looking at a Roseair to full time in but found that the fit, finish and construction was not going to live up to full timing in. I think that if you use it as a recreational vehicle for the season you should be ok. If you plan to upgrade after awhile you will find that all of them depreciate quickly. A lot of folks (I included) like the Tiffin Motorhomes, Newmar, and Winnebago manufactured coaches. The secret is to take your time and not rush into anything. When you find something of interest let us know and keep looking around. There are many coach out there right now to choose from and buyers should be able to get great deals if patient. Good luck and enjoy the fourms.

Rexhall gives a lot of bang for the buck, but it is a vacation class rig rather than for full timing. That's not intended to be a negative - the same can be said for many brands and models.

You won't find Rexhall dealers - there never were many and now they sell factory direct. However the chassis, appliances and major components are all industry standard items and can be repaired most anywhere, so dealer service should not be a concern.

I like the innovative Rexhall designs - they've been a leader in floor plans and features for a long time.

What used diesel would I buy? I'd look for an older high end model, e.g. an American Coach, Country Coach, Newmar or Monaco product, one that was old enough to fit my price range. You get superior construction and numerous conveniences and features as well as gorgeous and solid woodwork and furnishings. You might even find an older Bluebird Wanderlodge or Prevost (non slide, in that price range)if that interests you.

Huh? We have been fulltiming in our Rexhall Aerbus gas motorhome for 4 years now. It has held up very well. Based on our experience with our motorhome I would recommend Rexhall for fulltime use. We have run across a few other fulltimers in Rexhalls that will tell you the same.

There are indeed people full timing in vacation class rigs - Paces, Southwinds, Winnebagos and, yes, Rexhalls. I did not mean to imply it could/should not be done, but generally a fulltimer will get more useful life from the better materials & workmanship typically found in higher end models.

We had a Rexhall Airbus 29' and loved it. The quality seem excellant. We took trips of up to three months. We talked to to other Rehall owners and they all raved about them. One owner in patricular I rmember traveled from Alaska to South Florida each year and was on their second Rexhall. They has some money and stock troubles a few years back, but seemed to have that all reolved. The only reason we tradd outs in was we had the bigger coach diesease. I would buy anothter one in a heartbeat knowning that we spending month after month in one. Good Luck

quote:

not mean to imply it could/should not be done, but generally a fulltimer will get more useful life from the better materials & workmanship typically found in higher end models.

For sure, like in a Newell, Marathon, Foretravel, Travel Supreme, Country Coach etc. etc.

I agree

quote:

Also, which diesel MH would you recommend buying used in the $75K - $100K range?

MINE!!!

Then I can go and get a bigger one!!!

Actually, this is something I look at regularly just because. If you are closer to the $75K mark, you have quite a few options. If you are leaning towards the $100K mark, you have a MUCH better chance at getting into a higher end coach like a Foretravel, Newmar, Country Coach, Monaco, Beaver and possibly some early 90's Newel and Prevost coaches.

It has never been a better "buyers market" than right now. Look through the following links and use the advanced search capabilities to refine your search based on a variety of criteria such as price, location, features etc.

http://www.newellclassic.com/classifieds/

http://www.romanholidaymotorhomes.com/index.html

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/diesel/diesel-motorhomes.htm

http://www.rvregistry.com/

http://www.rvtraderonline.com/

http://www.rvt.com/

http://www.rvclearinghouse.com/

Once you find some, plug their data into here to see how good the deal is...or is not.

http://www.nadaguides.com/SectionHome.aspx?LI=1-24-0-56...&l=1&w=25&p=0&f=5602

We flew from So Cal to Texas to buy ours. Even with the trip cost (turned into Grand Canyon vacation with family ) and the repairs I have made (so far... ), the coach was still a bargain. Our Gulfstream was the top of the line in it's model but still considered an entry to mid level DP at the time (1998).

If I had $100K to spend (plus or minus sales tax and registration?), I would look for a Beaver, Monaco, Tiffin or Newmar but would focus on 1-2 slides, bigger engine, similar length (36'-40'), air ride, full awnings and slide toppers and other features. I would also look at these coaches higher end models as all have "basement" models. 1998 or newer would be fine as most coaches started having slides in 1998.

Look around and be patient. Determine your "must haves" and what you would compromise on if the rig in question came with a host of other nice things.

There are a lot of rigs that people have sunk alot of $$$$$$ into in accessories (bigger inverters, solar power, bigger battery banks, LCD tvs, upgraded interiors and appliances, Zip Dee awnings (Oooohhhhh!!!), new tires and shocks, meticulous maintenance etc.

Most people (except for us IRV2 nuts ) just fill them and drive them with minimal thoughts towards upgrades and maintenance so buyer beware. Then there are others (myself included) that always make them nicer for the next guy...

Take your time and enjoy shopping. If you have the money ready and available, the rush goes away and you can aford to pass on some knowing others are around the corner.

Just my $.02 since you didn't want to buy mine for $100K.