Community Forums

bob-m · 12-11-2024, 03:45 PM

Hi,
I'm pretty sure the answer is gonna be no chance...or it may be yes, but just be exorbitantly expensive....but I figured I would go ahead and ask this, as you never know.

My wife and I have interest in working remotely and living in a nice class A
coach (40-45ft) for a year, or possibly longer. I've rented a few class A rigs in the past, but the longest duration was just for 1 week.

Instead of purchasing, and then selling in a year or two, I'm interested in exploring the possibility of renting a nice class A for a year, maybe more, and making rental payments on a monthly type basis.

I'm pretty sure that I won't find any commercial rental companies doing this, and that if this were to be a reality I will have to find a private individual who would be in a position to do something like I have described. And probably it'd end up being one of those right time/right place scenarios...

So, curious to hear what the Class A Forum has to say? Thanks!

d23haynes57 · 12-11-2024, 03:51 PM

Look up RV Share and other related services. There are sites and groups that rent out even personal RV's. There are rental companies that supply them for large events, concerts, sports events etc. Yes you can rent a Prevost. They also come with full services including drivers, cooks, housekeeping etc. Just bring $$$$.

SJ-Chris · 12-11-2024, 04:56 PM

RVs are relatively expensive to rent. Most people are ok paying that rental premium because they are usually only renting for a long weekend, or a week or two. Even a month or 2 of rental could be stomached if one really wanted to travel/vacation in an RV. But all of that comes at a premium.

I have some Class C RVs and rent them, so I've talked with and rented to many RV renters.

I imagine Class A RVs are even more expensive. Probably in the $200-$1000/day range, depending on what you are renting. Even if you went with $200/day, that ends up being $6000/mo x 12 = $72,000 to rent it for a year. Can someone give you a discount for renting it for a year? Yeah, probably. But I'm guessing it would still cost you $40,000 - 50,000 to rent a cheaper Class A for a year. (interestingly, that same RV might only cost $40-50k if you just bought it instead of rented it...)

There's another thing you might not have considered, and that is INSURANCE. Someone renting you their RV will need commercial RV insurance to cover them, AND you would need renter's insurance to cover you. I know of one outfit that does this and it would cost you as the renter $40-45/day. $40 x 365 = $14,000. Since you aren't the owner of the RV, I don't think (pretty sure) you can't simply buy "regular" RV insurance to cover you when you are using/driving it so you will need to go with this more expensive option. Warning: If the owner of the Class A you are renting just has "regular" (ie. non-Commercial) insurance and they let you rent it from them.....YOU and them are NOT covered in the event of an accident/etc. That's tremendous liability on both of you.

So as you can see....renting an RV for a lengthy amount of time (like the 1 year you asked about) is financially pretty cost prohibitive.

But I have a solution for you! Buy one. Get a loan from a credit union/etc (10yr loan). They may finance 100%, as long as the blue book value supports the purchase price. Your monthly payments could be anywhere from $400-$1500/mo (totally depends if you buy a $30,000 RV or a $120,000 RV). Your insurance would be very reasonable because you are the owner of the RV and you just need "regular" RV insurance (not commercial insurance which is much more expensive). Then, after you use it for a year you can sell it for hopefully what you paid for it (...this depends a LOT on how good of an RV shopper/seller you are). Using this approach, you are much more likely to come out ahead, even though there are some unknown repair/risks you could encounter.

Good luck!
Chris

SJ-Chris · 12-11-2024, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by d23haynes57

Look up RV Share and other related services. There are sites and groups that rent out even personal RV's. There are rental companies that supply them for large events, concerts, sports events etc. Yes you can rent a Prevost. They also come with full services including drivers, cooks, housekeeping etc. Just bring $$$$.

RVShare, Outdoorsy, etc.....they all have very high fees that they collect on each rental. So if you rent from those places, you will be not only paying the owner for the rental but also paying those websites for their middleman services. I don't begrudge them (God Bless America), but it does end up being expensive through them.

-Chris

R.M.A · 12-11-2024, 08:21 PM

Ummm...LOL

d23haynes57 · 12-12-2024, 12:25 AM

Bob-M asked if it was possible. I only indicated that it was. Just like the value of renting a car and also paying for the collision damage waiver each day. Yes, it gets expensive real fast. As for buying used and then reselling after yes that is also possible. There are risks and also market timing becomes a factor. I purchased my Nimbus last March. Many of the rigs I looked at are still available and many have dropped in asking price. I'm sure that if I had to sell now, I would be down 20-30%. For trade in I've been offered 1/2 or less.

DuaneMiller · 12-12-2024, 09:11 AM

I don't know anything about this company, and as such, have never used them... I do check the website every now and then just as a curiosity to see what they offer for rent.

The thing is, you'll never know until you reach out to these companies and ask...

Allstar Coaches

bob-m · 12-12-2024, 10:33 AM

Thanks very much for your detailed and in formative response, Chris. Your financial assumptions and analysis are very helpful in our decision-making process. I definitely wasn't aware and taking things into account such as having to get commercial insurance. Purchasing a used coach seems like the way to go indeed. Again, appreciate your help!