Sell vs Rent

[NEXSW]

We bought our RV 3 years ago w/ the plan to just own it for a few years and then sell it. Well, that time has come. We are the second owner but in chatting we feel like we might use it once or twice a year but certainly not at the rate we were.

So, the debate is do we sell it and return to tent life or do we rent it out so that we can still have use once in a while. But at the same time---we are not mechanically inclined and have no desire to be. It seems that now that it is getting up to 50K things are getting more expensive and warn out.


31 foot jayco greyhawk 2013.

For those who rent what are the pros/cons
For those who have had luck selling ---what method did you use?

thanks!

[Midnightmoon]

I have no comment on if you should sell or rent. However, if you decide to rent, please contact your insurance company and discuss what coverage would be needed in order to rent the unit out. The insurance company that I use for my vehicles (Erie) and travel trailer has it clearly stated that my vehicle are not to be used for Uber/Lyft/Rental purposes under my current coverage. I don't know if yours would be similar, but it would be a good idea to check before you would enter in to such a contract with someone.

[NEXSW]

Oh, I sent that privately. Yes, our insurance would not cover and I would most likely use a service to rent it out and handle the vetting etc. We lent it to a friend once and had to check in to see what our insurance would cover.

[cabinetmaker]

Renting? Your asking for trouble...ever seen the movie RV with the late great Robin Williams? If not you need to watch it. Might help your decision.

[wags999]

Working in campgrounds and seeing 100's of rented Class C's coming through... I would NEVER rent my unit. The folks renting have no knowledge of RV's, how to care for them, hot to use them or even how to drive and park them. From burst water lines ( not understanding the need for pressure regulators) items thrown in black tanks (and grey) that should not be used, parking by braille..general abuse...no need to be careful when tracking mud and stones in, and 100 other things. And your going to only get 50 to 60% of what they rent it for, unlike the rental companies that get 100%...just not worth it in my opinion.


Good Luck on whatever you decide..

[John from Central Florida]

Originally Posted by wags999

I would NEVER rent my unit. The folks renting have no knowledge of RV's, how to care for them, hot to use them or even how to drive and park them.

X2. As new owners, we all go through a learning curve, often to the detriment of the camper. If you’re willing to risk that, by all means rent it out. With me, it ain’t gonna happen. Good luck with whatever you chose. Hopefully, we’ll see you back in a camper and back on the forum. Safe travels!

[Crossingover]

Originally Posted by wags999

parking by braille

We call that 'tap parking' in our house.

[jloco]

Originally Posted by NEXSW

But at the same time---we are not mechanically inclined and have no desire to be.

If you're not mechanically inclined and have no desire to fiddle with the rig, you should probably sell it. A renter will inevitably break something. Maybe multiple things.
You could be down for weeks or months if you plan on relying on an RV shop to fix every little thing. This could be an issue if someone has it reserved and you can't get it repaired in time.

Personally, I wouldn't want to rent my RV. The average Joe with no experience will most likely damage something. It sounds like a big hassle to me.

[Wertles]

I am selling my Greyhawk to a guy who owns a 31FS and is renting it out. He said he’s making so much money from the rentals that he never gets to go camping himself. He’s buying my 31FS so he can keep his current RV rented and still have this one to go camping in himself. I am not endorsing this one way or the other, but I hadn’t heard of this before I put my class C up for sale.

[cabinetmaker]

Originally Posted by Wertles

I am selling my Greyhawk to a guy who owns a 31FS and is renting it out. He said he’s making so much money from the rentals that he never gets to go camping himself. He’s buying my 31FS so he can keep his current RV rented and still have this one to go camping in himself. I am not endorsing this one way or the other, but I hadn’t heard of this before I put my class C up for sale.

Most rental companies do a few things to help prevent problems and keep the rigs on the road.

No slides, no leveler jacks, no awnings that sort of thing. I wouldn't rent my fully loaded Greyhawk to a best friend or family member. Just too much to go wrong.

The learning curve on how to use all the systems is much too complicated for a weekender or someone going at it for a weeks vacation and never owning one before.

Look at the post on here that first time buyers put up asking questions and can't figure things out. Most first timers can't even pitch a tent! Yes, I'm sorry to say I am speaking from experience.

[Les7h]

No way would we rent our RV to anyone but you may want to consider selling your current RV and rent one for your trips - not cheap but if you consider the cost of insurance,license/inspection fees, storage fees ( even if on your property ) maintenance ( fluids need changed annually even if barely used ) and ?? - renting may not be too bad - Les

[Murff]

What Les said above!

Murff

[foglght]

We have rented ours out for about 3 years now. Ups and downs. About to write a check to pay it off though!

Haven't paid a dime to own it since we bought it. That includes payments, insurance, registration etc.

You would have a hard time looking at our RV and knowing it was a rental.

[lonestarrpm]

I bought our RV to haul my race car to the track.

It's been modified to accomplish that task (upgraded suspension, towing system, etc).

In my situation, I would not be able to rent an RV that meets my needs.

I will only use it a handful of times a year.

I've been renting it through a service to handle the insurance side of things.

I vett each renter -- and I don't rent to anyone without prior RV experience.

I have only rent it a few times and plan to only do it a few times during the racing off season, which happens to be RV high season.

I am reasonably handy mechanically (I installed all of the suspension upgrades myself -- granted they are all bolt on). Anything of heavy lifting, I'll have to hire out.

So far so good.

Mike

[NorCal Eagle]

Originally Posted by jloco

If you're not mechanically inclined and have no desire to fiddle with the rig, you should probably sell it. A renter will inevitably break something. Maybe multiple things.
You could be down for weeks or months if you plan on relying on an RV shop to fix every little thing. This could be an issue if someone has it reserved and you can't get it repaired in time.

Personally, I wouldn't want to rent my RV. The average Joe with no experience will most likely damage something. It sounds like a big hassle to me.

This is an excellent point.

[cabinetmaker]

Originally Posted by foglght

We have rented ours out for about 3 years now. Ups and downs. About to write a check to pay it off though!

Haven't paid a dime to own it since we bought it. That includes payments, insurance, registration etc.

You would have a hard time looking at our RV and knowing it was a rental.

Interesting...can you tell us how much your charging?

[parallax]

Am also curious about renting. Has anyone used that website. Outdoorsy to rent out there trailer/motorhome? . They claim to have a million dollars insurance. Coverage. And screen the renters. Etc.

[norty1]

Only experience I have is observing the class C's with the big "RENT ME" signs in some campgrounds. The folks using them do not seem to know much about the rig.

[foglght]

Originally Posted by cabinetmaker

Interesting...can you tell us how much your charging?

Started at about $230/day. Since paying off, dropped to $190/day.

Originally Posted by parallax

Am also curious about renting. Has anyone used that website. Outdoorsy to rent out there trailer/motorhome? . They claim to have a million dollars insurance. Coverage. And screen the renters. Etc.

I just dropped all the commercial insurance I was carrying and now exclusively will deal with Outdoorsy. They charge 20% commission.

Their renters are no better than any other place. People are really dumb.

Don't do it if you are going to flip out at any damage. They do have insurance coverage. Had to use it when someone damaged my roof and it ran about $23,000 to fix everything. At first I was really worried, but they ended up just sending me cash to fix it.

I would NEVER use RV Share. They have the worst customer service and they also don't have a phone number. You can't call them. Only through emails and "chat" windows which takes them about a full 24-48 hours to respond. They also charge 25%.

If you are going to rent it, be sure you outline to EVERYONE up front exactly what your expectations are. Are you cool with people leaving cars at your house? Do they understand that mileage starts when they pick it up? What does a full tank of gas mean? Can they just drop it off a little later than it was due?

These are some of the stupid questions, but have been asked. I've just become numb to it over time. If anyone damages ANYTHING, I charge them, including labor to fix it. If I had to spend an hour taking the window cranks apart because your kid broke them, I charge.

Then again, I also have to spend about 3-4 hours per rental to check everything out and see it is working properly. I have a massive check list so no morons can come back and say it was broken when they picked it up, because that happens too.

I GPS track the RV. I see everywhere it goes and how fast it is going. Tracker costs about $115/year and is good insurance for when you see all the reports of idiots driving 85mph and they blow a tire or crash it. I actually had my first dummy this year try to get me to reimburse him for a tire blowout. I copied and pasted the GPS data and never heard back from him. hmmm...

On the plus side, most people are usually good with it and personal rentals are way nicer than the garbage that General RV is renting out. You just never know which ones are going to drive it like a rental Chevy Malibu from Avis.

Again, if you can't work on your own stuff, I wouldn't do it. I do all the tire rotations, oil changes, part fixes, cleaning and other maintenance. The only times when I have to take it to the dealer is for Ford Chassis warranty issues (had rear axle leak and a/c that stopped working) and the RV dealer for the new roof, and numerous other issues.

The dealer will absolutely kill any money making potential if you are paying out of pocket as well as the stupid wait times. Every single dealer in my area is so bad, I wonder where I would buy another RV. If you have a rental come back and another one starting the next day, it has to be fixed that night.

Not sure this will show up, but this is my rental calendar.

https://teamup.com/kse39fe5138ce80ae5

You can look back through the last couple of years and see how crowded it can get.

I actually, at one point recently, considered quitting my job and buying 15-20 of these things and doing rental full time.

[Sk734]

I think I would keep it and use it whenever. I would not rent it out if it was mine. My last choice would be to sell it if paid off. Good luck with whatever you decide.