Renting an RV from the owner

Hi guys not sure where to post this topic so apologies if it is in the wrong forum.

I am travelling to America next September for my honeymoon, and hope to do a roadtrip in an RV. So far I have booked my flight into Phoenix on the 6th September. No flight home organised yet as they are not on sale. The planning thread is here.

Anyway the plan is to hire an RV for two weeks and do some touring, I have received a quote from Cruiseamerica for a 25" Class C RV and one from a private owner and they are working out pretty much the same.

I was wondering if anyone has hired an RV privately, The unit is a much better spec than the cruise america one and it is a bit more inconspicuous (sp) without all the logos over it. and it also has a TV!! which might come in handy for chilling out in front for an hour before bedtime.

Any advice

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

All other things being equal (and only you can make that determination) I would go with the established RV rental company. For why I would feel this way, you need to go to the private rental web site's legal disclaimer page where basically it becomes clear that the 'company' takes no responsibility for any transactions made through its facilitating service. You and the renter are solely responsible for all arrangements and the quality of the RV. I'd pretty much guarantee that the private owner is not going to provide break down service in the event that it is required, for a starter. And what recourse do you have if you show up and find that the RV is not 'as pictured'? If the prices are equivalent between the private and commercial rental, then the private owner would have to meet the commercial site's service level to entice me. A simple television would not do the trick.

All that said, I have had excellent results in renting private homes while on vacation, with little more guarantee than is offered in your case. However, the price to amenity ratio on those rentals compared to what one gets with a motel room makes the deal compelling. I just don't see that advantage in your case.

AZBuck

I agree with Buck, even though I normally prefer to deal with the 'small businessman'. When I have weighed up the Pro's and cons it always comes back to the same thing which is, despite who covers the cost in the event of a breakdown, if a 'one man' RV outfit only has one RV, what do you do if it's in a workshop for 10 days of your holiday? At least with a larger company you are likely to get back up and a replacement RV quickly in the event of a mechanical failure.

Did you check the Cruise America 'Hot deals' page, there are usually some helpful savings to be had, and quite often in the quieter winter months when they are looking to drump up business with advanced bookings.

Trust me, you won't want to watch TV when you can sit outside around the camp fire with a couple of beers and surrounded by nature !!

I have to completely agree. I'd have to get a substantial discount to even consider taking the additional risk of renting privately. My reason would be as Dave and Buck mentioned, the big name gives you much more protection in case of a problem, and will at least give you option if the worst happens.

On the flip side, I also would be very hesitant to rent out an RV if I was an owner. The potential risks of loss and liability make offering a personal vehicle to rent a very dicey proposition. As a personal owner, you'd have almost no recourse if the renter stole or severely damaged the RV, and even worse, if a renter was involved in a crash and didn't have proper insurance, the RV owner could potentially be held liable.

Over the years, there have been many attempts to find a way to treat RV's like some sort of rolling timeshare in lieu of leasing them, here's an article that addresses some of how this works (or is supposed to work)...

It is a question of personal risk -- If you don't mind the chance of breakdowns without much recourse, renting from a private property could save you a lot of money. But if something breaks (and RV's break often) then you'd be paying for the repair of your vehicle and sitting in the garage instead of being on the road.

Cruise America doesn't have TV's? Goodness. TV would be important consideration for me. If the price parity is similar, than I'd be tempted to use the rental agency!

Mark