RV Rental Demand on the Rise For ’16

[markopolo]

On RV Business: Report: RV Rental Demand on the Rise For ’16 | RV Business

There seems to be no end in sight to the demand for rental RVs. Dealers with rental operations report continued growth in their 2016 reservations, and many plan to add units to their fleet.

This makes sense to me. High prices of units, maintenance, depreciation, storage - who needs it? Rent a unit & toss keys back after the trip.

I'll continue to own RV's. I keep the entry point $$ low, DIY maintenance, no cost to store, don't mind an older rig etc. but I can see why occasional rental would appeal to many folks.

[markopolo]

I wonder if leasing will become an option?

Lease a new Winnebago, Roadtrek, or Hymer for 3 or 5 years ............... You'd have some assurances as to what your total commitment / max exposure would be.

Off lease units could be nice used units to buy.

[wincrasher]

I doubt the financials work to a customers advantage on a lease. Leasing never makes sense unless you can write off the expense in business. You don't escape any costs (maintenance, taxes, storage, insurance, etc). You are still on the hook for damages and excessive mileage at the end. You pay the depreciation (a subsidy from the manufacture could offset some of that if you are so lucky as to get one). Often, the interest rate built into the lease (yes, you are paying carrying cost + profit) is higher than if you borrowed money or used your savings (opportunity cost).

Short term rentals can make sense if you are not sure about what you want, or you only have that one trip a year you want to make. If you need flexibility, I can see the desire to rent.

[markopolo]

I just reread my post and see it could read as being anti-new. I didn't mean it that way!

[Davydd]

Rental makes a lot more sense if you are working and all you have is a week or two vacation and want to visit our national parks. That's why you see so many Cruise America RVs in the national parks.

I've been arguing that in saying there is no RV market of significance in the active category converters have been after with bike and kayak racks and such. Rentals can lead to ownership when people have disposable income and more time. Those Cruise America boxy Class Cs with horrendous amenities might be a turn off.

[Bruceper]

One big issue with renting is people seeing ads come up from places like kijiji or craigslist where they are renting from an individual and not a business.

People must be aware that these types of rentals may not have the required insurance as it's someone who just wants to make a buck off their RV that is sitting unused in the driveway. If you are in an accident the insurance may be void.

Always rent from a dealer.

There are some dealers out there that rent out customer owned RV's that are properly insured.

[wincrasher]

I've seen some ads enticing people to "share" their cars. Surely the same will come to RV's. I can imagine doing either, but I suppose there are some that would. I guess like an airbnb for RV's may be a thing in the future.

The rental fees would have to be pretty high to account for the wear and tear to make it worth it.

[markopolo]

I just read about Turo & Getaround peer to peer vehicle rental.

https://turo.com/
https://www.getaround.com/

I saw a Promaster on Turo. It wasn't an RV though.