Four RV virgins from the UK... please help us :)

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andygo

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Nov 18, 2009
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Hi everyone,
We are 4 guys in our mid-twenties from the UK.  We're planning a road trip for September 2010.  Collection in Salt Lake City on 11 Sept 2010, drop-off in San Francisco on 23 Sept 2010.

The main question is which type of RV would be best for us?  We want the largest and most impressive possible without spending an absurd amount of money.  I like the look of the class A's, because it seems that you get so much of a better view of your surroundings, but perhaps the Class C's would be more feasible? If two of us have to share a double bed that'll be fine, but we range from about 5"9 - 6"2 in height, so I'm a bit concerned about some of these small single beds.

Having done some preliminary searches, everything's coming out SO expensive once you add on one-way fees, taxes, insurance, mileage, starter kits, etc etc etc.  Can anyone give us some guidance as to the cheapest reputable companies to use?

Any other advice would be HUGELY appreciated! Thanks so much everyone! :)
 
A cheap company that rents RVs?? 

ROTFLMAO

You want to rent a classy RV then be prepared to pay through the nose.
 
Click the Resources button above and scroll down to see a list of RV rental companies. I've never used any of them, and so can't comment. But you can search on the individual names and find prior comments by forum members.

I have to agree with seilerbird about "cheap RV rental" being an oxymoron.

BTW check our Visitors the USA board. Also check the section of our library with the same name. You'll find some tips and the experiences of Brits who blazed the trail ahead of you.
 
Hi andygo and welcome to RV Forum.   Seilerbird was a bit harsh but pretty much on target: any RV rental is going to be expensive and a classy one even more so. You may have to re-think either your budget or your desires!

Since you won't be able to tow a car with you (though you could rent one and have one of you 4 drive it to each new destination), you probably want an RV that can be driven into town for groceries, restaurants, pubs, etc.  and also to various sight-seeing locales. That argues for smaller rather than larger, probably a max of 28-30 feet 24-26 ft would be better, but I can't see 4 adults in anything that small. In fact, you might want to think about taking along a tent and a couple of sleeping bags and take turns sleeping out.

CruiseAmerica is a large and popular rental agency. Camping World is another and i its also an RV outfitter store.
 
I know this is an RV forum, but this is my advice:
I'm a guy in my mid 20's, and if I was taking a 2 week road trip with 3 friends from airport to airport, I would rent a 15 passenger van.  That gives you enough space to sleep in and keep all your gear.  It's more maneuverable than anything but a camper van, and cheaper to rent than an RV that would fit 4 people. 

If you're set on getting an RV, though, then there are much more knowledgeable people here.  I won't try to give you advice about RV's that I don't know is right.
 
birds has a good point. Taking it it one step further, you could rent a very comfortable van conversion and stay in motels using what you save on the rental fee. On the nights you fancy being rustic, say in a state park in the sticks, follow Gary's suggestion of a tent.
 
There are a lot of good deals out there right now....why don't you see if you can find a nice older Class A with low miles.  You could probably resell it after your trip for about what you paid for it....
 
I am currently in the market for an old cheap Class A between $5,000 and $10,000 and there are plenty of them around. But none of them would I feel comfortable with driving around unless I spent at least $5000 fixing it up first. And forget about selling it for what you paid for it. Selling it is a major problem in this market. You will be lucky to get half of your investment back providing you can wait long enough to find a buyer. I think the van/motel idea is the best one you have so far.
 
seilerbird said:
I am currently in the market for an old cheap Class A between $5,000 and $10,000 and there are plenty of them around. But none of them would I feel comfortable with driving around unless I spent at least $5000 fixing it up first. And forget about selling it for what you paid for it. Selling it is a major problem in this market. You will be lucky to get half of your investment back providing you can wait long enough to find a buyer. I think the van/motel idea is the best one you have so far.

Do you know any car dealers that would let you go with them to one of the auto auctions?  My trailer was a bank repo that was sold at auction - unfortunately, this is happening a lot.  You don't have to settle for a fix'r upper if you are patient looking for some deals. 
 
In my price range I do have to be patient and look for a fixer upper. No, I don't know any car dealers, in fact I don't know anyone in town.
 
seilerbird said:
A cheap company that rents RVs?? 

ROTFLMAO

You want to rent a classy RV then be prepared to pay through the nose.

This is a problem that I'm trying to address, here in Iowa:  See Iowa City RV Rentals

We've started an experiment here, buying an older Class C motorhome, putting a few grand into it to bring it up to new standards -- and then being able to rent it out for a MUCH more affordable price, hundreds of dollars below what you would pay to rent a brand, new MH.

It rented the very first weekend we had it available, so I think we're on to something.  Of course, the season is just about over here now, but I'll let y'all know how it goes next summer. 
 
jjhoneck said:
This is a problem that I'm trying to address, here in Iowa:  See Iowa City RV Rentals

We've started an experiment here, buying an older Class C motorhome, putting a few grand into it to bring it up to new standards -- and then being able to rent it out for a MUCH more affordable price, hundreds of dollars below what you would pay to rent a brand, new MH.

It rented the very first weekend we had it available, so I think we're on to something.   Of course, the season is just about over here now, but I'll let y'all know how it goes next summer. 

Your rental rates appear to be higher than CruiseAmerica...  ???
 
check out www.vrbo.com... they might offer one or at least a place to stay with lots of room at a reasonable price... then rent a car....????? 

Or advertise on craigslist.org or .com (I cannot recall)  maybe someone wants to come to England while you are here?????
 
cdrcos said:
Your rental rates appear to be higher than CruiseAmerica...  ???

Our nearest competitor is 50 miles away, and charges $200/day plus $0.30 per mile.

The next closest charges $335/night, plus $0.30/mile.

Dunno what you're looking at -- but our rate of $139/night plus $0.25 per mile trumps them all...
 
jjhoneck said:
Our nearest competitor is 50 miles away, and charges $200/day plus $0.30 per mile.

The next closest charges $335/night, plus $0.30/mile.

Dunno what you're looking at -- but our rate of $139/night plus $0.25 per mile trumps them all...

I guess I was looking at the rate charged by CruiseAmerica in Salt Lake City which is $109/nt. and .32 mile which comes out to $1543. for the 736 mile trip from SLC to San Francisco.  This compared to your $139/nt and .25/mile which would be $1852 (even if you were in SLC).
 
cdrcos said:
I guess I was looking at the rate charged by CruiseAmerica in Salt Lake City which is $109/nt. and .32 mile which comes out to $1543. for the 736 mile trip from SLC to San Francisco.  This compared to your $139/nt and .25/mile which would be $1852 (even if you were in SLC).

Interesting -- thanks for the feedback.

I had no idea there was so much variance in rental rates, regionally.  What type of MH are they renting in Salt Lake City?
 
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