Need an Automatic/Rental Business start-up.

Discussion in 'Buying a VW Camper' started by pinkie, May 8, 2016.

  1. personally I wouldn't pay anywhere near the sort of money some of these hire companies charge and then be told don't do this don't do that ..camp here camp there ....but then I have my own so
     
  2. I agree. But each to their own eh! We are all different.

    Obviously I would rather buy my own than rent, but it's a much bigger investment, so rental's great for trying it out, because in reality, you don't want a van you rarely use.
     
  3. Zed

    Zed Gradually getting grumpier

    The punters liked it, they wouldn't book otherwise...
     
    Finnleysdad and davidoft like this.
  4. fair enough ....I just can`t get my head round paying £800 a week
     
  5. Zed

    Zed Gradually getting grumpier

    I can see the attraction if it's all organised as above, no worries and all that. :)
     
    Fat_Brum likes this.
  6. Merlin Cat

    Merlin Cat Moderator

    pinkie likes this.
  7. There are plenty of hiring firms out there. Have you checked them out to see what they are offering and what their rates are plus insurance, hire deposit etc.

    Perhaps try a hire yourself to find out what its like as the customer.
     
    CollyP, pinkie and Merlin Cat like this.
  8. Yeah it looks great, but more than I really want to spend on 'one' van to be honest!
     
  9. Merlin Cat

    Merlin Cat Moderator

    Does look a bit costly. I wondered if it had solar panels on the roof but doesn't seem to mention it in the write up. :)
     
  10. Moo

    Moo

    Having a hire business myself I can honestly say.... it won't make you rich, but the buses should pay for themselves with a little bit on top. With multiple buses, your earnings obviously increase, but think about the changeover days - if youve got five buses, will you employ people to check over, clean, and see off your buses?
    If you have no genuine clue as to the ins and outs of air cooled buses, or even classic car ownership in general, you're setting yourself up for a potential disaster - if you can't do any repairs yourself, make sure you have a friendly, dependable, garage who will drop all at the drop of a hat to help you (and your customers) out - makes life infinitely easier.
    If you're going to import, don't import from the states for hire buses - lhd is a big turn off for potential customers, add to this the fact that a majority of the hirers will be new to the quirks of a bay anyway, putting another hurdle for them to overcome increases the chances of it all going horribly wrong.
    I loved the nice romantic idea that we would have immaculate buses earning their keep - people laughed... and they were right. We're not even at the start of the main season yet and we've already had two rear corner crunches, lost interior bits, and a snapped indicator stalk. Add to that one new starter motor and, I fear, an upcoming clutch (just in time for silly season).
    Having said all this, it can be great. Some will hate their first moments behind the wheel, but, once they acclimatise themselves to the bus, they generally end up loving life in the slow lane. We're also lucky because of our location - we live in Cornwall, and restrict our hires to the county (although we will agree to Devon as well...) so there's none of the 600 mile return journeys over the space of a stop-start bank holiday weekend to contend with before they even get to their destination (they can do all that part in the comfort of their air-conned, modern, reliable, boxes).
    Good luck with the venture, but one piece of advice would be to do your research thoroughly - I've known of hire companies entering the business naively, buying overpriced dogs to hire out, and losing thousands in no time at all. If we can help out with advice in any way, feel free to ask away :)
     
  11. Merlin Cat

    Merlin Cat Moderator

  12. Jack Tatty

    Jack Tatty Supporter and teachers pet

    I was going say this as an idea too. For your money just get one really sorted Bay and hire yourself and it out. You can do school proms too, that sorta thing. Less wear and tear on the vehicle hopefully :thumbsup:
     
  13. the more that do it ,the more customers will become addicted and want one or not i suppose ? hiring anything in the couldnt careless society is bound to be a nightmare , but if you start small and keep overheads to a minimum anything is doable , just get the best advice from people who know and dont dream of fast bucks . Its the first three years that are tuff , if your borrowing money to do this then your either very brave or .............................................................................good luck .
     
  14. I offered a porta potti for £25 per hire, with a £30 emptying fee if they don't do it themselves. No one ever took up the offer. In reality in a campervan, who wants to sleep with a container of effluent 2 ft from your face!.
    Nearly everyone wanted an awning at £40 per rent though.
     
    jivedubbin and Barneyrubble like this.
  15. Good idea actually, but perhaps too expensive for would-be entrepreneurs! lol
     
  16. Oh god no! Not something I would start with borrowing money, how could you possibly make ends meet?!
     
    Barneyrubble likes this.
  17. I did one rental with my old hymer before I sold it, it was an absolute nightmare, but I was clued up enough to have all sorts of deposit deductions for returning ANYTHING unclean, particularly the toilet cassette!

    And yes, the van came back very clean.

    Let's just scrap the whole toilet scenario, they can go behind a bush or something instead!
     
  18. Zed

    Zed Gradually getting grumpier

    :thinking:
     
    Moo, pinkie and davidoft like this.
  19. yep, it has been noted on another forum, don't worry!

    BUT! it is something I really want to do, I am great at the admin side, I adore the travel side, and want to convey how amazing it is to people who haven't done it.
     

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