motor home rentals before purchasing

Motor Home Rentals

Motor home rentals are a smart way to decide what kind of make and model you would like to purchase. You can find many pros and cons during a rental. This is a commitment free way to save a lot of money and stress and experience different types of motor homes that you may be interested in buying. We do have a page available that can help you get info on how to find a deal on motor home rentals, paperwork, what to expect as far as cost and where to find a dealer without actually wanting to purchase.

Size is a very important aspect to think about. Be sure that you are completely comfortable with the physical size of the motor home. You will need to remember things like parking, campgrounds and parks and their availability for such big parking, and parking lots that may or may not accommodate your motor home size. Exterior storage is extremely important if you are planning to live full time in the motor home. If you don't have enough room outside then you will not be satisfied with the interior storage space either. Grills, ladders, winter clothing, swimming gear, etc., are only a few things that may be needed on long trips or if living in the RV, so you will definitely need a lot of exterior storage space.

When on the motor home rental, get a good look at the interior storage space, counter space, refrigerator size and the headroom in the RV, as well. This can sometimes be over looked but it is very important. If you plan on doing some serious camping, a propane stove, fridge and hot water heater are definitely recommended. This will help you to camp out for weeks at a time (if its cool outside) with no electricity.

When renting a motor home be sure to run the heating systems and air conditioning. You need to be sure that they work correctly on all RVs. A nicely planned trip or fun traveling can be made miserable quickly when you are too hot or too cold for too long. So test the ac/heating vents with the doors shut and see if there is enough air flow into the other parts of the motor home. Some may offer you an extra AC unit as an option, be sure to purchase this and make sure you listen out for noises, vibrating, check air velocity, and vent adjustability as these are all important.

Newer motor homes can come with an air system that is set up just like your house; this is a central air conditioning unit and is mounted underneath the motor home instead of on the rooftop. This ducted air is a lot quieter and will require less roof repairs. More than likely you will have less leaks in the future as there is no condenser unit run off on the roof and this allows for more headroom inside the motor home. However, these ducted systems are difficult to clean and when the dust builds up in the ducts it is very costly and almost impossible to get it cleaned. There is a lot of dirt and dust when you travel the country and if you have any allergies this can trigger a lot of sneezing and make a trip uncomfortable. The traditional roof mounted air handlers can be easily unscrewed, cleaned.

The higher the windows are mounted the quieter the motor home rental and the more insulation the motor home has the quieter it will be. Noise levels are important for long term happiness. Who wants to drive around in a noisy vehicle? Road noise can be kept to a minimum by having the engine insulated with heavy engine insulation and having firewalls put in. This will help you enjoy traveling more and be able to discuss things like directions without having to yell at the person a few feet away from you.

Some of the most important things are braking, steering, and the chassis. If it's your first time driving an RV it's hard to notice these issues. It may feel uncomfortable at first. Remember that motor homes do not perform like a speed racing car, their brakes and steering are much different.

Safety is the most important issue to remember and it's hard to remember all of your thoughts and concerns in just a few days of renting the motor home but try, you can always make a list of your concerns and thoughts ahead of time. Do a test, drive 60 mph on an open road and see how long it takes to come to a complete stop. If the motor home jerks forward or leans to one side or the other when doing so, this is not a good sign.

Also, pay attention to the turning radius. It shouldn't be difficult to turn the motor home rental around with the power steering. If you are comparing different lengths and models then make sure to pay attention to the turning radius'. If you are traveling full time in your motor home then you will definitely want to be comfortable with turning. Also, practice backing up, steering, and look around you from the drivers seat of your motor home rental. Sometimes you can have the luxury of a back up camera on the RV which can make it easier to back up, make sure to position your windows well.

You will want a nice view from the windows and they should be unobstructed and convenient. Bathroom windows are very nice. Camping can offer you some of the most beautiful views, so it is nice to have a good view from your motor home. Class A RVs usually have the best views.

Fuel cost can be one of the highest cost you will incur while traveling, next to your monthly cost. You definitely need to get a motor home that you can afford to gas up. When traveling in your your motor home rental, it is a good idea to test the motor home's miles per gallon. Fill up the motor home tank to the top, record your odometer so that you see your starting miles, drive 25 miles in traffic and 65 miles at highway speeds. Then fuel up again and get a receipt showing the gallons purchased, subtract your original starting mile odometer reading from the reading on the odometer now, this will give you the miles driven. Finally, divide the number of miles driven by the number of gallons purchased for a good read on fuel mileage expectations. This will help you decide which motor home you are more interested in and which is more affordable for your budget.

Sleep is important to most people, so make sure that the beds are where you want them. Some layouts have the children's beds very close to the adults. You will find that most RV mattresses are very uncomfortable. You may want to consider purchasing another mattress and putting it in the motor home. Rear mounted walk around beds are most preferred because making a bed every morning in close quarters can be a big pain in the neck.

Generators are liked by some and are an option however, in our experience they have caused more headaches than helped us. We have had Onans to Honda generators and all the brands have cost us a lot of money to up keep and repair. But there are some people who have generators and state that they work perfectly. So, if you decide on this be sure to test run it for loud noises. Also, its a good idea to test the motor home rental generator for about 2 hours while driving, see if it will run with AC unit without having any issues.

The motor homes roof quality is important. If you are planning to purchase the RV, then plan to have a way up on the rooftop. If not, you can have a tour of the factory and see how It was made. Rubber roofs over steel or aluminum frame sheeted in plywood seems to be the most popular route. Expensive but in our opinion, the best, are the fiberglass roofs. Take a look and be sure that the corners wrap around and down the side of the RV, this will prevent leaks, which can be very unpleasant.

Whether its a new or used motor home, it is recommended that you purchase it with an awning. If not, make sure that you have the money to have it added later. They are much more expensive and difficult to add them later though. In the past ten years, we have traveled over 30,000 miles, camped in it and lived in it full time and we highly recommend an awning, it is an extremely important exterior option.

Motor home renting is a very good thing to consider before purchasing. Even if you know a lot about RVs take the advice and rent first, because all motor homes are different and an assumption will cost you. Be safe, make a list of things that are important to you, and really study the vehicle on motor home rentals.

 
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