[Closed] Motorhome or camper if you were renting?

How many of you will be in the van?

Where will you go in it? A 2.2m wide coach-built will struggle to get down that narrow lane to the beach.

Where will you be going? Many campsites will be open with zero or limited toilet/shower facilities in the next month or so.

I’d generally go motorhome every time.

Unless you need a daily driver and have to park somewhere compact regularly.

Or if playing Tetris every time you want to go to bed appeals.

When renting, these limitations are unlikely to be your problem. So go motorhome.

Need more info, but renting and if you're not going to need the smaller vehicle for any access reason then motorhome every time.

The benefits of a t5 size vehicle are few and specific, and i can definitely see no point really in hiring one given they usually cost the same as a proper motorhome.

This as a t5 camper owner, they make crap motorhomes but excellent dayvans for 1/2 of you.

The full sized motorhome will be more luxurious however for day to day running about could be a handful.the T5 if you can live with limited space drives /parks like a bigger car . Plus what Elshamino says regards being self sufficient on van.

Motorhome. If I wanted to have not enough space, build/dismantle something whenever I wanted to go to bed/get up in the morning, and end up spending most of my time outside anyway, I'd just take a tent and do away with the renting thing.

For scotland I would go for the in between option - non coach built for ease of driving but based around a bigger van than a t5

Renting = motorhome
Buying = VW

Something with a toilet.

Regardless of covid situation.

Are those prices realistic? Makes the T5 sound expensive. We've rented a couple of times and price was a big factor and the small van was a huge amount cheaper. Wasn't a fancy T5 though (a Toyota and a Mitsubishi). This was in Oz so the small van let us access places a big van couldn't go, also no issues with sitting outside. In Scotland in midge season I might pay more for some indoor sanctuary.

Oz has a huge and competitive rental market though..... And a wide range from rentadent to bling bling.

2 adults and 2 kids in a VW is fine if the weather is OK if it’s wet it’s a total pita. Sold ours as we got fed up with constant Jenga and also bikes on the back being a massive target so we were reluctant to leave it anywhere after the first one was cut off. Now got a sub 7m Motorhome that easily sleeps 4, has a garage we can squeeze 4 bikes in , a bog, a shower and hot water. Not that much of a phaff to drive and park either

Thanks I actually have a lwb t4 camper with pop top just now. I'm thinking about upgrading for myself and have given some serious thought into renting it out properly. Prices are crazy for a new t5/6 with conversion and priced not that far off a 4/6 berth swift motorhome so just wanted opinions as to which would be more rentable really.
Cheers

Always a motor home. A camper van is a compromise. If you don’t need to make the compromise the. Caravan or motor home all day long. They’re roomier, more comfortable, definitely motor home. This is coming from an ex camper van owner.

If you are going to rent it out then a basic model that is easy to maintain is the answer. People are morons, they will break it.

A camper van is a compromise

They're both a compromise, it's an issue that affects any camper.

Fwiw I agree with tj.

Coach builds can be a pita on Scottish single-tracks.

Width is significantly more of an issue than length (7.5m camper van owner)

Ducato panel van conversion. You get a reasonably compact motorhome experience inside with a not too big van on the outside.

We’re due to upgrade our T5 to one, although will probably be converting it ourself as we can’t find what we want off the shelf.

The LWB T5 with a bike rack on the back isn’t far off the length of the 6m Ducato.

Roughly speaking the bigger it is the more fun it is to live in and the more pita it is to drive/park etc

Check width and height (bridges, car parks with barriers), weight (bridges - some are 3 tons, or lower than most 6m motor homes) of where you want to go, length can impact ferry charges and involve frightening banging noises on steep humpbacks and ferry ramps

We took a 5.71m Autosleeper Nuevo pretty much everywhere in rural Scotland And islands, no banging noises, bodywork/windows lightly scraped a lot (as we went down Very narrow tree lined roads), one reversing necessity on the golden road on Harris and Lewis when we met a bloke moving his boat, reversing cameras are good.

Learning, proper motorhome tyres have low grip characteristics Combined with interesting weight balance esp on front Wheel drive, e.g we had power spin climbing a steep wet tarmac hill on Mull and I’ve seen people get stuck on slight damp grass slopes.

Make sure it comes with decent wheel ramps 15cm (pref more) at least as sleeping level is more fun.

Fly mesh windows stop most midges.

I would be very wary of renting out my own motorhome. As mentioned, people are idiots and it'll get ruined.

I think it would be quite challenging to see the condition of your pride and joy deteriorate with every rental. It would be different if you had several and they were just a business, but if it's also your own toy... Nah, not for me.

I once watched as the (massive, new, and very expensive-looking) hymer in front of us on the ferry disembarked... and ripped off its own rear end as it climbed the ramp up to the quayside. [/coolstorybro]

Aye, **** that, no way I'd be renting out my own van.

Only 3 folk in the world get to borrow mine and 2 are flesh and blood.

**** renting to strangers

Aye, **** that, no way I’d be renting out my own van.

Yeah this. No chance.

If you did want to rent one in the UK and no one on STW would lend you theirs 😉 where are the good places to look to rent them? Bigger hire companies or peer to peer sites?

Looking for something with toilet, shower and bed that we don't have to disassemble in advance of being able to sit down.

Basically I am the opposite number to the OPs buying situation!

When I've rented I used local company

Both times got good clean modern vans direct from the owner(although clearly companies rather than owners renting out their pride and joy....deeside campers in torphins

Got a good price/refund once for getting his banner accidentally on the telly for extended period during an interview

Motorhome.

Camper vans are just that, camping.

robbie,

I think you'll find a market for both. Camper for people who would not want to drive a truck/bus around (either because they are nervous, or the roads are narrow etc) or who want to try out a van before buying themselves (or because they have the sense to realise its very expensive camping for a few weekends a year). Motorhome for those who want more comfort, are planning to move around less at the destination, larger family or who tried a van and found it cramped, damp camping. And there's going to be a difference between one or two nights in a van v's a week or two in a camper.

I think it would be quite challenging to see the condition of your pride and joy deteriorate with every rental. It would be different if you had several and they were just a business, but if it’s also your own toy… Nah, not for me.

I get that - but if it funds your toy for you then it might not be so hard to justify. Especially if you can keep renewing the van more often than you would. There are other issues - having to take your personal stuff out/in negates some of the advantage of a van; the van may be away when a nice weekend pops up and you'd love to go; you'll need to be around (but flexible) to meet/greet and recieve the van back etc; any problems need fixed much more urgently than if just using for self.

Well, if you are set on hiring it out (rather than renting yourself), I'd change my tune...

If you can live with the mess, dirt and damage caused by other people, then all the advice above about the practicality of a motorhome goes out of the window.

The demand for VW rentals is absurd (IMHO) and must be why the hire prices are equivalent to a much more expensive motorhome.

From a business perspective, the VW wins out, especially if you already own it and won't have to pay the premium to acquire.

But think hard about the emotional bond to your wagon. And the likelihood that you'll be spending time fixing it after clumsy first time (numpty) renters. I suspect that also makes back to back rentals very challenging.

But definitely more profit in a Tx than a motorhome. So charge the premium!

We used t4 and T5 vans for 10 years but eventually got fed up with never having enough space or creature comforts so I converted a 6m Boxer. It’s loads better as the bikes are securely locked away under the fixed bed, I have a bog and shower with hot and cold water (inside and out) and much better electrical system.

I find it no more difficult to drive and manoeuvre than the T5 with a bike rack on as it’s still narrow, the length isn’t much of a problem really. Big vans are much better if weather is tripe.

BUT, I’d never hire mine out. Campers are fairly fragile in nature due to being built with lightweight materials and parts are expensive to replace. I know the limitations of ours and how to use it so stuff doesn’t get broken, others wouldn’t know/care.

If I was setting one up to hire out it would be super basic and be over built. It certainly wouldn’t have colour coded anything or wind out awnings!

we rented a motorhome through wikicampers last year - which is a bit like airbnb but for campers/motorhomes

it was brand new (<1000 miles), the guy who did the handover said that the income from the site allowed them to have a motorhome, it basically paid for itself. I think it was well over £100/day in peak season.

We wouldn't loan ours out to anyone, its a sigh of relief each year when the insurers say our daughters are still too young to drive it, otherwise we would never get in it.

If I was buying to rent I would be looking at the other end of the hire market, we rented one for our daughter and her mates last year for the EWS in Tasmania, was the cheaper option rather than paying for car hire and hotel. I think the cost for rental was higher than the value of the van and it couldn't be abused any more. They seem to have a ready market for them and must be making a packet for very little outlay

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The problem with shitbox rental is you need to be ready to replace it with another at a moment's notice when it shits it's self.

A guy I went to uni with missed his flights waiting on recovery in a rentadent -although some people reckon I'll be making that up.....

But like you say it's certainly a little taped market in the UK you see some of those painted up ones and some of the spaceships ones. But nothing like in Oz

I've a friend who rented their one out - a year or so old, low profile thing of about £70k value when new.

After a month of filthy returns, missing plates/cutlery/something, scrapes and dents they decided to never do it again.

Only people who have ever borrowed our van is our daughter and her family.

Camper vs Motorhome if I was renting of a specific holiday - Motorhome

BUT I own a camper which fits in the garage (just at 5.29m long - garage is 5.30), is available when we want for day trips and holidays and to be honest I like the 'camping' part of it being a camper.

All good points.
I'm not generally bothered about vehicles tbh I just see them as a tool.
I used to race motorbikes and frequently destroyed my own or one I'd borrowed🙄 the van would be well insured and deposits taken etc. It seems the slightly bigger one is the one to go for with the luxury toilet and shower!
Cheers