Rent vs. tow

My dilemma was as such: I had an F350 and 5er. Almost bought a better 5er, but wanted a MH. Driving a diesel to work (40 miles round trip) was costing $100+ per week. With several years left to work, I took the deal for our MH and looked for a lightweight, decent driver that could be towed. The PT Cruiser fit that bill, but I'm getting tired of driving a 5 speed everywhere. Everybody's situation is different. If I were retired, I'd still be with the truck/5er.

I definitely can see your point, but if it were me I'd buy a vehicle that can be towed and pay the $$ to tow it. Never have liked the idea of renting a vehicle at the destination. If we had to do that, I would have preferred to stay with the truck and TT we had previously.

If we only needed a towed vehicle as rarely as you are indicating...If it was me, I would start to seriously question if a Motorhome and all the extra $$ it involves was the right choice for us or not. If your need for a towed vehicle is rare enough that you're considering paying to rent one separately...IMO a towable RV (TT or 5th wheel) and a tow vehicle starts to make a lot more sense.

Anyway, thats just MHO, and is probably worth exactly what you paid for it. :)

Hedgehog wrote:
It's getting time to replace my wife's jeep wrangler and due to the horrible treatment we have received from most of the jeep dealers in our area, a new one is not a option. Most of the towable vehicles she does care for. With that said, if you were only using a towed two or three weeks a year, would you own something just for the sake of it being towable or would you just arrange a rental when you get to the area you are going? Anyone that has rented, how has it worked out for you?

If my wife loved the Jeep, I would find another mechanic! We tried the rental thing for only one trip before buying and setting up the PT Cruiser. The local rental company was good to work with (in the Smoky MTNS) but the local trolley service was very difficult. Would not suggest going that way unless you could handle that kind of stress on vacation. I didn't want to deal with that anymore.

We tried renting for a number of trips after we got our motor home but it rarely worked out. Either the rental office was not open on weekends or it was on the other side of a city. In one location, the only rental place was at the airport and I was not driving a RV through an airport. We then decided to buy a vehicle that could be towed 4 down because I didn't want to be hassled with a trailer or dolly. We now tow a 74 VW Beetle. It was cheap and at 1800 pounds the MH doesn't even know it is back there. The Bug also stirs up a lot of conversations wherever we go. I like classic cars and enjoy working on them so the VW has been perfect for us.

---------- Jim

Hedgehog wrote:
It's getting time to replace my wife's jeep wrangler and due to the horrible treatment we have received from most of the jeep dealers in our area, a new one is not a option. Most of the towable vehicles she does care for. With that said, if you were only using a towed two or three weeks a year, would you own something just for the sake of it being towable or would you just arrange a rental when you get to the area you are going? Anyone that has rented, how has it worked out for you?

We used to travel without a toad and rented a car when staying in one spot for a period of time. This doesn't compare with the convenience and the ease of pulling your own, but would never have one, that wasn't a daily driver as well. As for a good Wrangler and DD, get a used 4x4 JK series that came about in 2007 and there's more than one place on this earth, for purchasing one. You could even buy most of what you need and take off for parts unknown and do your shopping along the way. Might even find what you want, already set up for towing and ready to go.

We tried the rental route when we first started RVing. As many have mentioned it's iffy at best. Having a reservation doesn't necessarily guarantee a car will be there when you arrive. Many times cars come in late, have been damaged, or need service before they can be put back on the road. If you're going at peak travel times there's a good chance you might have to wait until a car becomes available even though you have a reservation.

A couple other drawbacks are rental car location in relation to your destination, and cost. We've had the nearest rental agency be as far as 80 miles from our destination. In addition even though we've made reservations far in advance the size car we reserved wasn't available when we showed up. In some cases we were told we could either wait until a car became available or upgrade to a more expensive vehicle. In most cases we were able to get a car without additional cost, but it took serious negotiating and time out of our schedule.

We quickly gave up on the rental option and started towing our Buick on a dolly. After several years we purchased a Jeep Wrangler to tow 4 down. It's been a much better experience taking our own vehicle along. No hassle, our own schedule, and our own route.

I've never towed and we've been to all the lower 48 AND Alaska. I plan our trips so that if we're going to need a rental vehicle I reserve one far in advance of our arrival and this way of doing it has never failed me. There should be no problem checking to see if rentals are available no matter where you want to go and some of them will even pick you up at YOUR destination. We're going to up state New York this summer and I've already spoken to a rental agency close to where we're staying to line up a vehicle.

If you stay within a couple hundred miles of home why not have the wife drive the vehicle instead of hooking up.

If you opt for a 4 down toad consider a 2012-2013 used. Shop with carmax to get the exact vehicle you want on line no hassle. You will get a better span of choices that have been road tested and inspected.

If a Jeep is out of the question, consider a Hummer H3. I have one that we purchased for towing and it is very adaptable. (You just press and hold the "N" button for 10 seconds and you're good to go. No lock on the steering wheel either.) And, it handles very well as a daily driver and is a comfortable freeway car. It is the most off road capable vehicle made, outside of the Jeep.

We also have a 2012 Honda CRV that is all wheel drive. I haven't had it set up for towing, but they make very good toads. However, it doesn't have the off road handling that your wife's Jeep had.

Hi,

This is a location based decision. Where I go in the West, rentals are rare. If I were in the East with the far higher population density renting is the clear winner. (What is not to like about having a newer car each time?)

If the "daily driver" can be towed 4 down, then that makes good sense. If the towed is only used on holidays.....well that's definitely in the luxury category.

Since I am in a class C, I tend to rent if and when it is needful. Otherwise I drive the RV.