Buy or Rent an RV

Should you purchase an RV, or should you, at least initially, rent one (or on different occasions, two or three) to check out the kind of RV best suited to your needs?

Here are some questions to help you decide.

What is your experience of RV travel? If this is a first time for you, this is a good time to rent an RV. Most rental companies will take the time to instruct you in the finer driving aspects of an RV and offer tips to make it a more pleasurable experience. If you are an old hand at RV travel, buying will give you the chance to make it a "home" with all the niceties and comforts of your stationary abode.

What is the duration of your RV travel? Are you going for less than a month or two and only a couple of times per year? Renting may offer you the joy of RVing without the hassle of storing and maintaining your vehicle. You won't have to pay insurance costs when you rent, but once you buy an RV, it has to be insured. Renting may be far less trouble and cost.

What is the nature of your RV travel? Are you going to enjoy a Spartan existence while on the road, or do you want some good old fashioned luxury? You really don't know the extent of your needs, in size and in style, until you have traveled in an RV. You don't want to buy a Class A RV when a simple hitch on trailer will do. Renting will help you narrow the field.

What is the distance of your RV travel? Going across the country? Consider owning your own RV. If it is just a camping trip a couple of hundred miles away, an RV might not be necessary.