Should You Buy An Ex-Rental RV?

Anyone wanting to buy an RV may be considering a former rental RV as from Cruise America.

There are pros and cons to buying a used rental RV.

RV Travel has an article on just this subject. They provide the pros and cons one should consider.

It begins with:

In the video below, Duane, a certified RV inspector and one of my favorite RV YouTube vloggers, gives his thoughts on the pros and cons of buying a used Class C rental, like those offered for sale from Cruise America.

Cruise America is the country’s largest RV rental company. They provide a great way for people to try out the RV lifestyle before fully committing to it.

Like rental car companies, they also regularly sell off older units and replace them with newer models. This offers the public a chance to get an RV at a bargain price.

To read more, go here. 

Tips For Renting A RV

Does RV traveling sound interesting to you, but you don't have the immediate funds to buy one or not sure you'd even like it?

Above, rental RVs at El Monte RV in Van Nuys, California. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There's a way to find out if you'd like the "RV lifestyle" without having to buy one. Rent one! There are a number of RV rental companies available. Two of the biggest are El Monte RV and CruiseAmerica.

The We3Travel blog has some good tips on renting a RV.

They begin with:

I’ve never rented an RV or even driven in one, so when an idea came up recently to take an RV road trip next year, it got me thinking. I realized I wouldn’t even know where to begin with the what, where, when, or hows of renting a recreational vehicle. When full-time RVer Gaby Cuda from “Catch the Cudas” offered to write a guest post about tips for renting an RV  I thought, right on, now maybe I can learn something too! I hope you found this as helpful as I did in evaluating the different options. 

Traveling in an RV (recreational vehicle) is an exhilarating and unique experience – road trips are full of twists and turns (literally) and always end up being a blast. For those of you who have never RVed before: you should try it out as soon as you can! There’s nothing better than exploring the country with all the creature comforts traveling along with you. 

If you’ve been dreaming of RVing, I have great news for you: you don’t have to buy an RV to do it! Renting an RV is simple, safe, and affordable, and I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about it right here.

To read more, go here. 

Rent A Recreational Vehicle This Summer?

Above, rental units at El Monte RV in Van Nuys. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Summer vacation season has started and families are hitting the road to visit beaches, state parks and national parks. The national parks will be busy this summer as 2016 marks the centennial of the National Park Service and they will be celebrating accordingly.

If you do not own your own RV, but want to try out the "RV lifestyle", then renting one is an option to consider.

As this is the peak summer travel season, many rental companies will have their units already booked. But, you may get lucky if someone cancels at the last minute.

But, this is just to give you an idea on renting an RV. Personally, my family only rented a 16' travel trailer back in 1975 and went to Mesa Verde National Park with it.

The two bigger RV rental companies are CruiseAmerica and El Monte RV. Amber and I saw a lot of rental motorhomes from both companies last year in Yellowstone. I paid a visit to El Monte RV today in Van Nuys, California as I was in the area. Earlier today, I was putting the tire and windshield covers on The Beast and my neighbor came over and inquired about RV renting. I told him what I knew about it and said I would stop by El Monte RV to get him some information. (I gave him the information just minutes ago.)

El Monte RV in Van Nuys rents out Class C motorhomes (those are the ones built on van chassis with a cabover bed). They also have two Class A RVs (those are the big bus ones). Their rates begin at $250/day for the Class Cs and up to $600/day for the Class As. The Class C motorhomes range from 25' to 28'. They also have small travel trailers for rent.

Before renting a motorhome, check with your auto insurance carrier first to see if they would cover it. If not, El Monte RV will provide limited insurance coverage at $30/day. They also charge for miles in "blocks". For example, a "block" of 100 miles will cost $29. They also have a $.32/mile rate.

If you want them to dump the holding tanks after you return the unit, they will charge a dumping fee of $25. Dumping holding tanks is not difficult, provided you have a dump station available to use. You may want to do it yourself and save the $25.

Before renting a motorhome, consider the dates you want to rent one. They said that things slow down considerably in September. Generally, the smaller units are booked up first to September.

Additionally, El Monte RV also sells former rental units. I saw a Class C for $29,000 on their lot.

For more information from El Monte RV, their toll-free number is (800) 337-1630. Their website is www.elmonterv.com.

RVs: What Was "Out There"

Above, Class A and C motorhomes driving in Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After a hiatus of 25 years, 2015 marked my return to the "RV lifestyle" with the purchase of The Beast and our trips to Las Vegas in April and, last week, to Yellowstone National Park.

While on the road, it was interesting to see what other travelers were driving. There were quite a number of travelers in fifth wheel trailers, tent trailers, travel trailers, Class A, Class B and Class C motorhomes.

There were many travelers in rental Class C motorhomes. Most dominant were rentals from CruiseAmerica and El Monte RV. I would have to give the edge (number wise) to CruiseAmerica with their distinct exterior graphics (a bit overdone, in my opinion) over El Monte RV.

As for the dominant brands of recreational vehicles, Winnebagos dominated the campgrounds and highways from what we saw. The Minnie Winnie line of Winnebago Class C motorhomes were very much the majority of Winnebagos seen. The next make of recreational vehicles that came close (but not that close) to Winnebago in numbers seen were the Coachman line of motorhomes. I also saw many RVs of brands that I am not familiar with.

At one point during one of our Yellowstone tours, we were in a huge meadow and a caravan of several rental motorhomes were approaching us from the opposite direction. Our tour driver said that they worry about rental RV drivers as their lack of RV driving experience has led to a number of minor collisions involving their side-view mirrors on opposing traffic.

It looks like the RV industry has made a big rebound in sales numbers after the Great Recession. There were many late model recreational vehicles on the road and in the campgrounds.