Renting vs. Buying an RV: The Pros and Cons Explained

Taking a trip in an RV is a quintessential American experience that everyone should try. You can do it on your own, but you will probably enjoy it much more with your family members. You can all hop in an RV and visit some cities and states you have never seen before.

You might look at some of the pop-up trailers for sale at various stores if you’re thinking about buying one and taking it along on your trip. However, you should also consider whether renting or buying an RV makes more sense. Let’s talk about the pros and cons of both of those options right now.

The Pros of Buying an RV

If you buy an RV, then you can use it any time you’d like. You can take one trip per year if you want, or five trips, or ten.

If you’re retired, this might appeal. You can spend a lot of time on America’s highways and byways if you have wanderlust and the open road calls to you.

You can also easily reschedule a trip you had planned with friends or relatives if they can’t come for some reason. If something happens that causes you to cancel a trip you’d planned, you can still take that trip at a later date. The RV will be ready and waiting whenever you need it.

The Cons of Buying One

If you buy an RV, it can be expensive. It is always going to be more costly to purchase a vehicle than to rent one. Maybe you want the experience of taking a trip in an RV, but you don’t want the expenditure that comes with a big-ticket item like this.

If you buy an RV, you also have to put it somewhere when you’re not using it. That can be a pain. An RV is a huge vehicle, and you may not like it taking up a good deal of space in your driveway for most of the year.

The Pros of Renting an RV

If you rent an RV, you will not have to worry about where you are going to store it when you’re not using it. You can also use it for precisely as long as you’d like before you give it back to the company from which you rented it.

The Cons of Renting One

If you rent an RV, then you know that the longer you keep it, the more money you’re spending. You get the experience of using the RV, but then you have to give it back.

That means you will not have the flexibility that comes with ownership. You will be locked into the dates you have it, and you must pay extra if you’re enjoying yourself while on your trip and you want to extend it for a few days.

By contrast, if you own the RV, you can take as long of a trip with it as you’d like. This might be enough to convince you to buy one.