Quote:
Originally Posted by samven
I wonder if there are any stats about where the increased sales are going. I suspect the rental market may be buying more of the smaller units. The trend for all things seems to be running towards renting or leasing rather than buying and younger to middle-aged consumers dont seem to want to be tied to large purchases.
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We've rented both trailers and motorhomes a few times each and there is a lot to be said for renting. And also against it.
Rental costs are definitely high, but when you figure that many RVs end up being used much less than owners anticipated, then the cost to replace actual usage with rentals isn't that bad. And you eliminate a lot of hassles like repairs, warranty, storage, etc.... Plus if circumstances change and you can't or don't want to travel or camp, permanently or temporarily, it's easier to just stop renting. Your money essentially stays more liquid.
The down sides include that renting can also be a hassle, and the units are not kept to the standards my wife and I prefer. By comparison ownership can be a lot of fun.
We have been doing a little of both for a while (a combination), which has worked out well for us. Our relatively small van is great for traveling, but camping in it is a step or two above a tent. For that reason we either stay in nice campgrounds or stop at hotels every few nights. A few times we have rented a trailer and pulled it with the van, which gave us a great combination. The trailer was our base camp and the van served for sightseeing. A few times when we wanted to travel with family we rented large Class Cs.
If these new Class Bs could occasionally pull a small camping trailer, we would prefer to stay with a smaller van and then rent as needed when more space was required. Realistically though, since Class Bs can be twice as large as my extended Ford, I expect we would rarely want/need to rent a trailer at all.
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