Rent or Buy?
In the RV rental business I hear “Wow that’s expensive”, so I have decided to give you a small comparison to mull around in your mind if you are thinking “should I buy or just rent an RV?”
Owning a RV Holiday Trailer.
Owning an RV or holiday trailer comes with some obvious cost, such as the purchase price which can run anywhere from fifteen thousand to twenty five thousand for an entry level new RV. Sure you can get used models for under that, but that has a whole slew of other costs that could backfire on your trusty old wallet. Just picture a RV with rotted floors, walls or ceilings 
all of which may not be very noticeable and don’t expect the owner to be forthcoming. Then what about the gas appliances. Have they been certified at all? How about the wheel bearings or the brakes?
As an example I went along with a friend to look at a used 24 foot holiday trailer last fall and we really gave it the once over and all was looking really good, the price was right, all the extras were there, including 2- 6 volt batteries, which are excellent, stabilizer jacks and large new propane tanks. Anyway just as we were entertaining an offer to give the owner my friend stepped just off the beaten path at the front entrance and felt a slight give in the floor. We lifted the entrance rug to find a fairly thick piece of cardboard. Hmm! Well turns out, after asking the owner a few more questions the RV had flooded and needed the floor replaced! That is a three to four thousand dollar job! They say buyer beware for a reason.
So with that in mind buying a new RV or holiday trailer sounds pretty good right? Well back to that hefty price, now you either have to take a wad of cash out of your savings or finance your new toy.
Now let’s take a look at it this way, if you pay cash you now have taken a large sum of money from your savings and plunked it down on this awesome weekend getaway, losing potential interest and not to mention your $20,000 toy is now on a steady decline in value. Most dealers try and put you on the never, never, pay plan to keep those payments really low. This means by the time you want to trade up or sell you still owe more than it is worth. You now think the only thing you have to do is buy insurance, which will be approximately $300-$600 per year? Now you need to outfit the RV with all the amenities, plates, pots and pans and so forth which will run you $500 – $1000. Okay you are ready to hit the road, right? Not so fast! What about the axe, sewer hose, water hose, folding chairs, ground mat, and the list goes on. Ok after everything is in place and your new holiday trailer is fully equipped including the new hitch system and your brake controller that you need installed in your truck, and hopefully the dealer or the person you bought it from has informed you that your truck is capable of towing your shiny new toy, you are finally ready to go camping. I think you get the picture, it’s not as cheap as you might think and I haven’t even talked about yearly maintenance and storage which can run you thousands as well. One other part most people don’t think about is the time it takes to get your RV ready to go, this can take a full day depending on your needs.
Once you realize the expense of owning an RV you need to consider how much you will actually use it, from our experience usage diminishes rapidly. So let’s break it down yearly.
Monthly payments $300 = $3600 per year
Maintenance = $600 per year
Storage = $720 per year
Insurance = $600 per year
Depreciation = $1000 per year
Extra fuel consumption = $1500 per year
Extra wear on vehicle = $500 per year
Misc. = $200 per year
Total = $8720 per year.
Rental RV
So now that we have broken down the expense of owning an RV, Let’s take a look at hassle free RV rentals. First and most noticeable, you keep your savings in the bank and have no monthly payments. Your only expense is the rental and no matter how you look at it a holiday always has a price tag, some are just more expensive. An RV rental is going to cost you around $1000 per week, give or take. Your RV will be set up and waiting for you when you arrive. It will be fully stocked 
with all the amenities you need for your camping trip, all you bring is your food, bevies,bath linens and bedding. We also suggest clothing as well…lol. This means you don’t have the hassle or stress of loading and towing your RV over mountains or thru heavy traffic, you don’t have to worry about whether you can maneuver the unit into the campsite or set it up, which can be pretty taxing on your mental psyche, not to mention your significant other! And really, all you want to do is grab that bevy and relax.
RV Rentals really are much less expensive and way more relaxing, just show up and start your holiday and let the RV rental company take care of the rest. If you look at the numbers above you can easily take a few trips per year and still be way ahead. So find yourself a reliable company, ask for references and check them out online to make sure the RV Rental Company is the right one for you.
Carman
UMI Trailer and RV Rentals