[The Villager II]

We would like to rent an RV for a 5000 miles trip out west and back to see the kids. Non Smokers. What is the best way to do this. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Anyone in The Villages that has one we could rent would be a big plus just for the convenience.

[The Villager II]

I should add: We would be interested in Class A, C or B. We will only use it for driving and sleeping. We have grown tired of hotels over the years. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

[BobKat1]

Many RV dealerships rent RV's as well as selling them, and offer rentals in various classes. gorving.com (I think that's it) has links to dealers by zip code). When you add the cost of fuel it isn't cheap tho.

[The Villager II]

Originally Posted by BobKat1

Many RV dealerships rent RV's as well as selling them, and offer rentals in various classes. gorving.com (I think that's it) has links to dealers by zip code). When you add the cost of fuel it isn't cheap tho.

Yea, we want one for this trip more for convenience that anything else. I will start going to dealers, but wanted to see if anyone local had one in storage that needed to be driven. Convenient for us and Money for them.

[memason]

Originally Posted by The Villager II

We would like to rent an RV for a 5000 miles trip out west and back to see the kids. Non Smokers. What is the best way to do this. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Anyone in The Villages that has one we could rent would be a big plus just for the convenience.

Oh boy.... I've been down this road before. Renting an RV is a very expensive endeavor. Their daily fees don't seem so bad, until you start looking into all the add on fees. For example, most give you a free 100 miles/day. Who's gonna rent a motorhome and only use 100 miles/day ??? After that, they charge anywhere from $.25 to $.45/mile. Then you get into the insurance, cleaning fees, Propane refills, etc., etc., etc...

I've decided it's just about as feasible to buy a motorhome, use it for my trip and resell it...

Good Luck!

[The Villager II]

I expect to spend several thousand with rental, gas, campgrounds and thats OK. I am just tired of lugging suit cases in and out of hotels.

[memason]

Originally Posted by The Villager II

I expect to spend several thousand with rental, gas, campgrounds and thats OK. I am just tired of lugging suit cases in and out of hotels.

Sending you a PM....

[Bill-n-Brillo]

You might want to look into Cruise America: Class C Motor Homes, RV Rentals and Sales - Cruise America

Some food for thought:
Don't know if you've ever owned or used a motorhome in the past. Frankly, having "been there and done that" before with owning a motorhome for about 6 years, it can get somewhat tedious/aggravating/time-consuming/et al. to do nightly stopovers with a motorhome if you're primarily deadhead driving from Point A to Point B, particularly if you're staying at campgrounds (which aren't as inexpensive as they used to be for a stay!). Getting the RV onto the site, level it up, hook up utilities, get things out, etc. - and then undo it all in the morning when you leave. Don't forget to fill up with water......and dump the holding tanks....on the way out. Boondocking (no cost - with no hookups) at a 'Camp Walmart' or something like that makes it easier but then you'll have to wrestle with the issue of having enough water and holding tank capacities to last you til your next opportunity to address them. Without a "toad" - towing a car behind you - your mobility will be limited to when and where you can go places with just the motorhome. But on the other side of the coin, having a "toad" adds some complexities to navigating the motorhome. Everything is a compromise!

Don't get me wrong - doing the motorhome thing IS a lot of fun and a very interesting way to travel. But for us: If it's primarily just deadhead driving with single night overnight stays, we'd opt to do the hotel/motel thing - it's a lot less hassle.

Bill

[George Bieniaszek]

Excellent post Bill!! Couldn't agree with you more.

One other note to consider, driving a motorhome is more labor intensive than driving a car and you may not be putting in the distance that you are used to when comparing to driving a car. If you are comfortable driving say 600 miles per day in a car, you may be just as tired only going 500 miles in a motorhome due to the increased concentration of the size, road conditions, wind buffetting, some detours (vehicles carrying propane tanks may need to be rerouted). Thus driving cross country in a motorhome may add a day or two to your time.

The plus side is that you can pull over in a rest area and take a snooze for a couple of hours and extend your driving time to make up the miles if you really want to get to your destination quicker.

When driving down to TV from Connecticut a couple of times per year, I prefer driving at night. Over 50% of the traffic is off the road by 9 PM and it makes the trip less stressful. Anyone driving I 95 from New York City through DC knows what I am talking about

[memason]

Originally Posted by Bill-n-Brillo

You might want to look into Cruise America: Class C Motor Homes, RV Rentals and Sales - Cruise America

Some food for thought:
Don't know if you've ever owned or used a motorhome in the past. Frankly, having "been there and done that" before with owning a motorhome for about 6 years, it can get somewhat tedious/aggravating/time-consuming/et al. to do nightly stopovers with a motorhome if you're primarily deadhead driving from Point A to Point B, particularly if you're staying at campgrounds (which aren't as inexpensive as they used to be for a stay!). Getting the RV onto the site, level it up, hook up utilities, get things out, etc. - and then undo it all in the morning when you leave. Don't forget to fill up with water......and dump the holding tanks....on the way out. Boondocking (no cost - with no hookups) at a 'Camp Walmart' or something like that makes it easier but then you'll have to wrestle with the issue of having enough water and holding tank capacities to last you til your next opportunity to address them. Without a "toad" - towing a car behind you - your mobility will be limited to when and where you can go places with just the motorhome. But on the other side of the coin, having a "toad" adds some complexities to navigating the motorhome. Everything is a compromise!

Don't get me wrong - doing the motorhome thing IS a lot of fun and a very interesting way to travel. But for us: If it's primarily just deadhead driving with single night overnight stays, we'd opt to do the hotel/motel thing - it's a lot less hassle.

Bill

I think you've talked me out of a motorhome and into a motorcycle... I'm thinking a big, honking Gold Wing would be just about right...

[Midvale]

Originally Posted by George Bieniaszek

Excellent post Bill!! Couldn't agree with you more.

One other note to consider, driving a motorhome is more labor intensive than driving a car and you may not be putting in the distance that you are used to when comparing to driving a car. If you are comfortable driving say 600 miles per day in a car, you may be just as tired only going 500 miles in a motorhome due to the increased concentration of the size, road conditions, wind buffetting, some detours (vehicles carrying propane tanks may need to be rerouted). Thus driving cross country in a motorhome may add a day or two to your time.

Yeah that's for sure. Even though my motorhome is a Toyota Micro Class C I find myself driving 55 or 60 as opposed to the 70-75 you can usually do on the expressways. Takes that much longer to get anyplace.

If you've never driven a high profile vehicle be prepared for some thrills...

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Originally Posted by memason

.....I'm thinking a big, honking Gold Wing would be just about right...

That is YOU, man!!!

Bill