# Hiring a motorhome before purchase



## brindisi12 (Jan 1, 2012)

We would like to try an extended trip in a motorhome before making a final decision to purchase one.

There will just be 2 of us travelling but we feel a 4 berth motorhome will give us the biggest chance to enjoy travelling.

We want to take a 6 week trip around Europe and wonder where we are likely to get the best hire deal for a trip of this length.

Any help and guidance would be fantastic

Many thanks


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## babyrhino (Oct 19, 2006)

Hello Brindisi 

I have sent you a personal message - have a look and see what you think. I may be able to help and there there may be a bit of mutual benefit to be had here!

Regards

Brian


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

If it is in anything other than deepest off season a 6 week trip on a full hire basis will be quite expensive - insurance can be a big element of any hire charges and that does not vary with season.

It might be worth contacting a few hire companies and ask if they have any vans coming to the end of their hire life and see if you can hire on a "try before you buy" basis with some or all of the hire charges (but almost certainly NOT the insurance premium element) knocked off the purchase price if you decide to go ahead and buy.

That is how we bought our first van when we went back to m/homing after a break in ownership.


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## tonka (Apr 24, 2006)

babyrhino said:


> Hello Brindisi
> 
> I have sent you a personal message - have a look and see what you think. I may be able to help and there there may be a bit of mutual benefit to be had here!
> 
> ...


Brian, it may be wortrh checking about that PM.. I thought they were for subsribers only ?? so maybe it got sent but the OP wont be able to access it without paying the subs..
Even though the subs will be a good investment.. :wink:


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

tonka said:


> babyrhino said:
> 
> 
> > Hello Brindisi
> ...


I think non-subscribers can receive pms, but not reply to or send them.

The subscription would be worth it in any case.


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

Definitely a good idea hire before you buy. Firstly you will find out if you are suited to being together in a tin can. Secondly you will come out of it with a list of wants and don’t wants. We did it and top of our list was a heating system that wasn’t blown air. No van was looked at unless it had the Alde wet system. We all have our foibles ours was waking with dried sinuses and nocturnal noise.

Can’t help with where to do it. We hired one in Porto (found it on the net) and went up and down the Douro in February Portugal we found was the cheapest place to hire. Ignoring flights it cost us little more than cheap accommodation. Go for it. I was a little nervous though when I saw the van only had delivery mileage and the size of the deposit.

Dick


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## Bob45 (Jan 22, 2007)

Good idea to hire one first to test things out. We did that a few years back. Hired one for just a week in France (now out of business) to see if we both liked motor homing. We did.
A friend of mine hired one in Germany for 2 weeks at the start of the hire season and went back at the end to buy it. Cost of hiring off the cost plus quite a good deal on the price.

Best of luck

Bob


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## babyrhino (Oct 19, 2006)

Thanks all

I'm not sure that I know how people are members or not or who, how, where, PMs can or can't go!

Anyway, brindisi, - if I can't send you a PM, maybe you can send me one as I am sure that I am a member!

Regards

Brian


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## babyrhino (Oct 19, 2006)

Sorry, forgot to say - and this is the most important thing.

Whatever you do or don't do - subscribe to MHF - it will definitely be the best investment you will ever make and you will find all the information you will ever need on here.

And on top of that, everything you read will be very useful but with a good helping of cynicism, humour, self interest and obscure jokes.

Up to you to tell which is which!

Good luck and happy subscribing.

Brian


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

brindisi12 said:


> There will just be 2 of us travelling but we feel a 4 berth motorhome will give us the biggest chance to enjoy travelling.


We hired for a couple of weeks before buying - hubby thought it would put me off, but in fact it converted him!

I do wonder about the 4-berth? It's all personal preference of course, but with 4 berths you'd be sacrificing space that could be used for something else - unless it's an A-class with a drop-down at the front.

Actually, our own is nominally 4-berth but we never think of it as such as the bed-out-of-the-dining-area has never been made up. But we have, on occasion been thankful for the 2 extra belted seats.


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## grizzlyj (Oct 14, 2008)

Hi

We were recently offered a guaranteed buy back from a retailer. You buy it having agreed a buy back figure in say two months, and off you go. Wasn't too expensive, and you may end up keeping it  Not available on everything, depending on how resellable it would be at the time of year you were returning it, and if another owner on the logbook would make a big difference.


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