Airstream Rental for Airstream Owners ONLY

[Airslide]

When I purchased my gently used airstream we already had a Class C Winnebago. Prior to the airstream the Winnebago was my pride and joy and I took care of it as if it was a family member. Once I had two RV's my wife quickly reminded me that one of them had to go.. well we owed too much on the Winnebago to get out from under it so I decided to go into the rental business. The airstream allowed me to have that as an obsession so the Winnebago was now a rental vehicle. I was still very particular about it. Sometimes I would have to spend nearly two hours going over stuff so they didnt break it upon return. We rented it 15 times over the course of a year and a half. It was very stressful for me and folks would always tell you that they would clean it all up and keep it perfect. Oh boy.. there are many different definitions of perfect let me tell you. It was only involved in one small crash in a campground.. a torn tire, damaged blinds, broken toilet, broken outside door handle, spilled vegitable oil, stains in all kinds of places, damage from tree limps etc.. The good news it that we paid it down by 13k and was able to get out of it. What I learned from this it that no matter what folks tell you.. unless they have been bitten by the aluminitus bug they may feel the airstream is cool but its just an rv and things happen. I could never go through that again and wouldnt consider it with my airstream. I am glad that others think its a great idea though.. just not for me.

Vinnie

[Airstream25]

We do rent one of our Airstreams on location but not for towing. Most recent use was at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.

[Aspirations]

Clearly the majority are against renting or even sharing an AS with their own family/friends. So I guess ddstech's suggestion is out (though I love it!) What strikes me most is the anti-sharing, anti-renters on the whole mentality... from a group of what I thought to be eclectic & communal alumaphiles. If you're independently wealthy then bravo & sorry if this thread bores you, but I know that even the wealthy like to indulge in new adventures & vehicles without all the mess of ownership/upkeep/depreciation-see Ferarri rentals & charter jets. My family lives in the SF Bay Area, we have good educations & 6 figure incomes - but kids, new adventures & Airstreams devour $. We rent our house after declining to buy one a block away 3 years ago, despite a pre-qualified mortgage & 6 figure income. That house like most around it was once valued at +/- a million, it has since depreciated almost $200k & our idle renting has saved us tons! Despite what the CPA dad says, owning & paying cash isn't the only or always right way to go for anything.

My recent Airstream purchase was for a barely used few year old CCD, that still had the nibs on the tires & factory stickers on the inside. The owner paid near msrp, 10% more on tax/reg & another $200/mo on storage. We purchased it with lots of dust & maybe a few months total use, for aprox. 60% of what she had invested in it. These are the people who would be better off renting, be it renting their own out for income or renting someone else's as needed. The dealers are getting their hefty chunk on new & used turnovers, as are the rental monopolies like Cruise America (quoted me nearly $3k for 10-day trip during peak season '11), so why shouldn't the end users get a little more involved in where the AS $ goes?

There's several earlier comments about how renters can't possibly be able to tow or even navigate a pre set-up Airstream. Didn't everyone here start there once? There's no IQ test at the dealership or even basic road worthiness assessment unless you exceed your states basic license limit for tonnage. As long as you have the cash/credit you can have a f-350 monster truck & 30' trailer. Most dealers spend mere minutes selling you what you want (but may not need or handle), give you the quick tour & shoo you out the door to learn as you go. I understand that when things go bad, they can go very very bad & I'm a huge safety freak (background as a 911 responder & in law). That's why we spend hours with our renters, give them AS & towing how-to books and hands on lessons. Most renters even prefer to have it delivered & that limits much of the liability on us both. Best you can do is hand pick your renters (most of whom I trust & like more then any family member who wants to borrow/abuse it!), teach them as best you can, get good insurance expressly to cover renting out your RV/AS, have solid contracts & charge real money and deposits (people want those back & know if they err' they're credit card # is on it's way to Jackson Center!)

This may not be ideal for most of you & I respect that... But for some this atypical commerce is a huge benefit in terms of finances or access to otherwise unavailable experiences. After all companies like AirBnB & HiGear (I'm not an employee or endorsing either) have millions of happy users that manage to share their toys in the free market sandbox of life.

P.S. Aside from the whole money thing, I hate seeing things go to waste. Those RV storage yard/graveyards pain me! Maybe I'm callous to my belongings after years of city dwelling (as a nature girl) with my vehicles being vandalized, stollen, gas siphoned, etc. I'd rather take the leap of faith on others & have the AS be used for what it was intended - with or without me.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, for some of us, or maybe just me, I don't need or want the rental money. We aren't rich and we are not searching for ways to make more money. We are retired and managing well. We live below our means. I did not finance my trailer and I don't pay for storage either. I don't need or want someone to make our trailer payments, in-which we don't have. When we are not using our trailer, it costs nothing for it to sit in my driveway until our next random trip.

[Scott J-24]

Originally Posted by Aspirations

Clearly the majority are against renting or even sharing an AS with their own family/friends. So I guess ddstech's suggestion is out (though I love it!) What strikes me most is the anti-sharing, anti-renters on the whole mentality... from a group of what I thought to be eclectic & communal alumaphiles............

Aspirations,

You should do what you want with your AS regardless of what others may say. To rent or not is a personal choice. We should all do what is best for our situation.

[Aspirations]

Scott J-24 - Agreed!

I apologize if my posts seem argumentative or like I'm trying to recruit others into the rental track-I'm not. I appreciated the person from Florida who started the thread & was trying to add my perspective/experience. I really appreciated those who added pertinent real life experiences like Vinnie. I figured those with no interest in being a renter/renter would not bother to chime in. I guess I needed the reminder that people are more apt to post online about things they don't like whether it effects them or not.

Pleasant Travels All!

[Stefrobrts]

You are free to post why you think it is a good idea, but others are free to post why they think it is not, and anyone who is considering doing something like this can get both sides of the argument. You are free to do whatever you want with your own trailer, and I am free to not share my trailer with others despite your somewhat scolding tone:

What strikes me most is the anti-sharing, anti-renters on the whole mentality... from a group of what I thought to be eclectic & communal alumaphiles.

What you may not realize is that some of us have dealt with renters or borrowers who happily trashed our stuff (not necessarily Airstreams, but how many ways do you need to learn that lesson) and left us to clean up the mess, as others have pointed out. You can have a warm and fuzzy, lets all share mentality, but in reality when people borrow stuff, they know it's not theirs, and they treat it like it's not theirs. Most people who have bought AS have invested significant amounts into them, and prefer to keep them in good hands.

If you want to risk the condition of your trailer to the hands of strangers, that's your choice. But you talk about it more like a business proposal than a matter of 'sharing'. If you want to buy a fleet of AS to rent, depreciate out, and replace as a business, that is much different than what the average owner intends for their beloved little chunk of aluminum.

[Aviator]

I wouldn't be comfortable renting out our trailer. It is 14 years old, and every time we go out, I find something that needs fixing. It may be big like the water heater or a plumbing leak, or small like a reluctant switch, but either way something doesn't work properly.

When I rent a piece of equipment, nothing makes me more frustrated than for it to not be in perfect working order. With that mindset, I would be very frustrated if I rented my trailer to myself! However, since I own it, I can instead take pride in repairing it and making it better for the future camping trips.

[blmitch5]

I'd never rent out my AS. When I break something I beat myself up but fix it and move on. If someone else broke something or damaged my Bambi I'd go ballistic!!! Now is someone purchased Airstreams for rentals (KOA) and had lots of insurance I could see it working. I let an ad agency use my AS for a photo shoot but I delivered it myself and stayed there for the 5 hrs to supervise.

[Skater]

Originally Posted by Aspirations

Clearly the majority are against renting or even sharing an AS with their own family/friends. So I guess ddstech's suggestion is out (though I love it!) What strikes me most is the anti-sharing, anti-renters on the whole mentality... from a group of what I thought to be eclectic & communal alumaphiles. If you're independently wealthy then bravo & sorry if this thread bores you, but I know that even the wealthy like to indulge in new adventures & vehicles without all the mess of ownership/upkeep/depreciation-see Ferarri rentals & charter jets.

Do what you want, but don't act like we're some kind of jerk for not wanting to rent out something we own. There are very good reasons for not doing it. We have a guest bedroom that we don't use often, so by your logic I should be renting it out the rest of the time. But plenty of people keep guest bedrooms they do not rent out...

I figured those with no interest in being a renter/renter would not bother to chime in. I guess I needed the reminder that people are more apt to post online about things they don't like whether it effects them or not.

The original poster asked for our thoughts, so we're giving them.

[oh2bcarefree]

Originally Posted by Fly at Night

There is a company that rents Airstreams, but no way do they let the renters tow it. Can you image what most Airstreams would look like - limping back looking like a crushed beer can?

The company sets the trailer up at any campground within a reasonable distance from their lot.

One can only imagine what some of the insides look like; some people care about the property of others, but a lot don't. I bet this company also has a substanial damage clause on their rental agreements.

Fly at Night,

Do you know the name of this company or their contact info? Where are they located?

Thanks!

Tina

[mutcth]

Here's a Florida business that rents out restored vintage trailers. They tow them to the campsite.

Tom

[eubank]

Apropos lending out your RV, here's one for the records:

News story here

Lynn

[famlyman]

Hello
I've read your post regarding your potential interest in renting out your airstream. I have also followed another post of yours regarding the buildout of your bunks and found it very interesting considering my family of five with 3 children under 3. I live in NJ and am planning a trip to florida with my family. In anticipation of our eventual purchase of an airstream we bought a 2011 tahoe with tow package, and off road gearing so it should work well if we agreed on an arrangement. If you are serious about renting, please give me a call. thanks john 646 721-2082

[daveswenson]

This site lists Airstreams that you can stay in. I particularly like the one in Andalucia.

https://www.airbnb.com/wishlists/airstreams