Buying RV with rental in mind

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I don't have an A or a C, I'm a Truck Camper kind of guy, so maybe I shouldn't say anything . . .

But, Hell, when have I ever let something like that stop me?  :)

Anyway, I'm under the impression - possibly erroneous - that many/most/all? A's have air brakes, and in some states, a special endorsement on the driver's license is needed.

One more thing to ponder, I guess.
 
Optimistic Paranoid said:
Anyway, I'm under the impression - possibly erroneous - that many/most/all? A's have air brakes, and in some states, a special endorsement on the driver's license is needed.
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Only diesels. And I think most states don?t require an endorsement
 
Larry N. said:
One factor affecting the popularity of class Cs that I've not seen mentioned here is that for many people a class A can be more intimidating to drive than a class C is, though in the end many of us think it's easier in many ways. And jsm, just so you know, you're on a site where the question of renting out a personal RV has been discussed many times, with most people here being very strongly against it.
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Thanks for the heads up about folks being against it. Since this is my first Experience with RVs, I had no idea.
 
Old Blevins said:
Jsm, I hope you stick around on this forum.  You appear to be very patient and tactful.  As Larry N noted, this particular topic seems to touch a nerve among some members, but I have found it to be overwhelmingly positive and helpful.  Once you get your RV, you?ll find it to be a very nice resource.
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Thank you sir.... I think I will stay around!
 
jymbee said:
I asked a similar question here awhile back and got pretty much the same input/advice. I do think the numerous reasons to think twice about renting have merit but at the same time none of these issues-- as you point out-- are anywhere near insurmountable.

You might try contacting other A owners on sites like Outdoorsy to gain some insight. Some might see you as a competitor and be reluctant to discuss their experiences with renting but I think others would be willing to answer some basic questions about their rental RV. We were all set to rent a Class A once figuring that would be a good way to get a feel for the actual experience before shelling out a lot of $$$ but the day before we were to pick it up they had problems with the engine and had to cancel. Have to say that incident didn't go a long way toward embolding us as far as a purchase goes!

If you do ahead with buying/renting an RV hopefully you'll share the experience here as I expect there's a number of members who would really like to hear more about that subject.
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Thanks for the reply. I will most definitely share my experience because for some of us this is the only way to justify an RV purchase.    I could not spend 50 to 100k  To sit for 10 months out of the year...... Oh yeah, while it depreciates
 
jsm1847 said:
Thanks for the heads up about folks being against it. Since this is my first Experience with RVs, I had no idea.
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I hope I didn't give the wrong impression, but they're against it for themselves, and tend to think it's a crazy idea, so most of us tend to advise not to do it. But given you seem to have an idea of what's involved with the bad side of renting stuff out and with business, you might be one who can pull it off, once you're informed of things that are unique (or nearly so) to RVs. Still, folks here mostly pride themselves on good advice, and for most people avoiding that type of operation is likely best.
 
Larry N. said:
I hope I didn't give the wrong impression, but they're against it for themselves, and tend to think it's a crazy idea, so most of us tend to advise not to do it. But given you seem to have an idea of what's involved with the bad side of renting stuff out and with business, you might be one who can pull it off, once you're informed of things that are unique (or nearly so) to RVs. Still, folks here mostly pride themselves on good advice, and for most people avoiding that type of operation is likely best.
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No, I thought you were pretty clear.  I understand y'alls point of view as well and when I get MY class A in the future,  I likewise WILL NOT rent it out.  My situation is different however.  I have to justify the purchase for 2 weeks to 2 months a year.  I'm not retired and/or full timing.  I just purchased a good size house and kids in private school as a necessity (dont get me started on schools), so a RV is not a "good" choice for me.  However, I want my kids to see Gods green earth and the wonders of nature when they are young.  I am willing to sacrifice for what I believe is important, and to me, family is.  So, if renting out my RV will do it, I'm gonna shoot for it. 
 
jsm1847 said:
My situation is different however.  I have to justify the purchase for 2 weeks to 2 months a year.  I'm not retired and/or full timing.
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There are a lot of RV'ers in your situation... I am probably 20 years from retirement, and my kids are all school-age now but we started RV'ing 11 years ago when we had two toddlers. And added another baby (who is now 8yo) along the way, just for fun. ;)  We have always been weekend/vacation type campers. Maybe my wife and I will look into the part-timer or snowbirding gigs in 20 years!

The way I (and many others) mitigate the high cost of buying a new RV, is to not buy a new RV. Gently used from a private party (after TONS of research and knowing exactly what you are buying) is how to get into this pastime with your wallet still intact. Experience and willingness to learn (which you seem to have) are how you continue in RV ownership while keeping said wallet, because you will learn how to fix a lot of small items yourself and buy replacement parts as cheap as possible. Regular participation in community resources like this forum (the best one, in my humble opinion :)) are the absolute best place for that. I have learned so much since joining here in 2006 that it's hard to quantify.

Renting is a tough subject. I like the idea for the income potential, but don't like the idea for all the reasons others mentioned here. I paid cash for mine (gently used from a private seller of course!) and trailers depreciate a lot slower, so I don't feel any particular pressure to "make the payments" or pay myself back. Same story for our first rig, which was a 35' Class A motorhome. It was great, but despite it's size we ran out of sleeping space for our growing family... the bunkhouse trailer is a fabulous floorplan for our current family dynamic. I can see myself & wife returning to a Class A motorhome some day. Make sure you keep checking out all the options in the wonderful world of RV's!
 
spencerpj said:
When was the last time you rented a car and treated it nicely?  I always step on the gas a little harder than I would my own vehicle, just keeping it real.
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I understand where you're coming from with the "treated it nicely" comment. Reminds me of an old Seinfeld episode when Jerry, after the rental company did not have the car he RESERVED, irked by this he made the comment when asked if he wanted insurance: "Oh yeah, I'm gonna beat the crap out of this car". (or something like that).

In any event, hypothetically were you in a position to rent an RV from someone like jsm1847 and saw that he was not a big-time rental company but just a guy trying to offset expenses in order to own the RV, would that have an impact on how you treated the RV?
 
scottydl said:
There are a lot of RV'ers in your situation... I am probably 20 years from retirement, and my kids are all school-age now but we started RV'ing 11 years ago when we had two toddlers. And added another baby (who is now 8yo) along the way, just for fun. ;)  We have always been weekend/vacation type campers. Maybe my wife and I will look into the part-timer or snowbirding gigs in 20 years!

The way I (and many others) mitigate the high cost of buying a new RV, is to not buy a new RV. Gently used from a private party (after TONS of research and knowing exactly what you are buying) is how to get into this pastime with your wallet still intact. Experience and willingness to learn (which you seem to have) are how you continue in RV ownership while keeping said wallet, because you will learn how to fix a lot of small items yourself and buy replacement parts as cheap as possible. Regular participation in community resources like this forum (the best one, in my humble opinion :)) are the absolute best place for that. I have learned so much since joining here in 2006 that it's hard to quantify.

Renting is a tough subject. I like the idea for the income potential, but don't like the idea for all the reasons others mentioned here. I paid cash for mine (gently used from a private seller of course!) and trailers depreciate a lot slower, so I don't feel any particular pressure to "make the payments" or pay myself back. Same story for our first rig, which was a 35' Class A motorhome. It was great, but despite it's size we ran out of sleeping space for our growing family... the bunkhouse trailer is a fabulous floorplan for our current family dynamic. I can see myself & wife returning to a Class A motorhome some day. Make sure you keep checking out all the options in the wonderful world of RV's!
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Very cool! Thanks for the encouragement in my stage of life and for your story.  We are definitely looking used....1. Because we dont want to pay new depreciation and 2. Because it's more affordable.    Where we are contemplating is how much is not enough and how much is too much.  This forum has been a great wealth of knowledge and I appreciate the responses!!
 
Perhaps another angle might be to rent the unit "set-up" in the campsite chosen by the customer.  you drive it there, set it up, train the customer on site, provide customer service number (your cell) for 24 hour contact, charge enough to cover campsite fees-cleanup-deposit, ect.  This would have to be a regional deal as you wouldn't want to travel more than an hour or two to deliver or pick up.  Just a thought.
 
Class A rental.  My first RV experience was to rent a Class A (Winnebago 30') from Camping World in Los Angles and drive it to Orlando as a cheap one way.


1. I wanted to try a Class A since that is what I wanted to buy. (Bought a 40' Diesel Pusher)
2. Being an old fart, I didn't abuse the RV.  Just drove it 4200 miles in 3 weeks.


You wouldn't have wanted to rent to me for the price that I paid.  $10 per day and 40 cents a mile after 2100. A little over $1K for 3 weeks.


I'm glad that I got the opportunity to help Camping World out and reposition their RV for Summer/Winter usage.  They don't do this any more as far as I can tell.

 
Pugapooh said:
Maybe it makes more sense for you to rent an RV when you want it instead of buying one just yet?
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Great idea! Actually, I am renting one this next weekend for 2 days or so.  I think the problem comes in when Im looking to rent for 2 weeks and up to 2 months. For example, if I rent for 2 months the cost would be about $8000.  The total payments on a rig would be about 6000 for the year. I feel like I am actually paying for someone elses RV.  At $200 per day, it only takes 30 days of rental to cover my whole year's payment. Seems like a no brainer  Obviously I'm not including insurance, maintenance, clean up etc. 
 
_Rusty_ said:
Perhaps another angle might be to rent the unit "set-up" in the campsite chosen by the customer.  you drive it there, set it up, train the customer on site, provide customer service number (your cell) for 24 hour contact, charge enough to cover campsite fees-cleanup-deposit, ect.  This would have to be a regional deal as you wouldn't want to travel more than an hour or two to deliver or pick up.  Just a thought.
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I had a thought along the same lines. We live in a very rural setting and "destination weddings" are very hot around here these days. Problem people have is finding accommodations as there's no chain type hotels at all and just a scattering of Airbnbs and small regional hotels. Might be possible to work something out with some of the venues whereby they recommend your RV for use on site for the event. The potential downside here is too many weddings seem to produce a fair share of-- to put it politely-- over-enthusiastic intoxicated participants. Not sure I'd want that crowd in my RV! Also a trailer would probably make more sense for something like this than a Class A.
 
If you search this forum, you will find a multitude of threads from people just like yourself. It seems like once a month, a newbie comes on all excited about buying a rv and having renters pay for it. Sounds good in theory. You never seem to hear from any of them on how it worked out. Im guessing the first handful of renters screwed something up, and caused a bunch of damage. We saw one rental this winter where the rookie hooked up the water hose to the sewer flush valve, and went to town. One of his neighbors shut off the water as it was flowing out the door. I wouldnt have wanted to stay in that rv after all that sewer flowing around inside. Rvs are complicated machines. Be prepared to repair regular damage due to lack of knowledge. Ever see the movie RV with Robin Williams. Its a good start. Good luck. Let us know how it works out.
 
muskoka guy said:
If you search this forum, you will find a multitude of threads from people just like yourself. It seems like once a month, a newbie comes on all excited about buying a rv and having renters pay for it. Sounds good in theory. You never seem to hear from any of them on how it worked out. Im guessing the first handful of renters screwed something up, and caused a bunch of damage. We saw one rental this winter where the rookie hooked up the water hose to the sewer flush valve, and went to town. One of his neighbors shut off the water as it was flowing out the door. I wouldnt have wanted to stay in that rv after all that sewer flowing around inside. Rvs are complicated machines. Be prepared to repair regular damage due to lack of knowledge. Ever see the movie RV with Robin Williams. Its a good start. Good luck. Let us know how it works out.
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Many times the people coming in here with their great ideas are trolling trying to find people who would also rent out their RV. Their thinking is they can start a company renting out other people's RVs. Not only is it a stupid idea to rent out an RV it is a stupid idea to let someone else rent it out for you. There are just too many things that can go wrong with an RV to trust it to someone else who is clueless.
 
jymbee said:
The potential downside here is too many weddings seem to produce a fair share of-- to put it politely-- over-enthusiastic intoxicated participants. Not sure I'd want that crowd in my RV!
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That's possible even if there are no weddings. Why should they care, it's not theirs. Imagine a few guys dragging it out into the woods and using it as a hunting cabin for a week.  :eek: ::) :)(
 
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