My fiance and I are going to be visiting New Zealand and Australia in February. We will be out there for about two months at most. Would you guys recommend us buying a cheap 4wd rig/camper van or just rent one? I'm trying to see what would be the best way to go. If you can share some insight or advice on what to do with transportation for 2 months that would be great! I am so lost and find it a little overwhelming.
Better to Buy or Rent a 4WD rig/camper van
- Thread starter wonton
- Start date
wewillroam
New member
Hi wonton,
At face value, for that amount of time I'd lean towards renting. The energy and overhead of finding a good buy for the same cost as renting might make gains negligible against the risk.
That said, it really depends on where you're planning on going and how for how long. Most rental companies in both Australia and NZ have small print and restrictions on specifically where you can take their rentals. Britz in Australia and Trekker in NZ spring to mind. Theres a few niche players out in WA too, and theres always the P2P market. It'll come down to what level of flexibility and risk you're looking for against cost.
Trekker have a good aesthetic for NZ, but also a good example of devil being in the detail.
Hope this helps!
Ant
At face value, for that amount of time I'd lean towards renting. The energy and overhead of finding a good buy for the same cost as renting might make gains negligible against the risk.
That said, it really depends on where you're planning on going and how for how long. Most rental companies in both Australia and NZ have small print and restrictions on specifically where you can take their rentals. Britz in Australia and Trekker in NZ spring to mind. Theres a few niche players out in WA too, and theres always the P2P market. It'll come down to what level of flexibility and risk you're looking for against cost.
Trekker have a good aesthetic for NZ, but also a good example of devil being in the detail.
Hope this helps!
Ant
tanuki.himself
Active member
for that length of time across both countries definitely rent - the hassle of paperwork for purchase as a foreigner in Oz and transfer fees make it not worth trying to own, plus you would waste a couple of weeks finding and securing a vehicle, then at least the same again trying to to sell.
in NZ you are probably coming to the end of the rental season at that time so see if you can negotiate a deal - we rented there in the late winter/very early spring and got a motorhome for 10 weeks for a lot less than the official list price.....
in NZ you are probably coming to the end of the rental season at that time so see if you can negotiate a deal - we rented there in the late winter/very early spring and got a motorhome for 10 weeks for a lot less than the official list price.....
krick3tt
Adventurer
The nice thing about rentals (motor homes) is that they come fully equipped in the kitchen area so no hassle about anything but your personal gear.
definitely rent, the cost saving over trying to find a place to stay the night and also having a vehicle will surprise you and depending on time of year a great deal can often be negotiated, try to secure one before leaving home, amazing opportunities through the web.
I did encounter a couple from Europe on one of my travels that bought an older car for about $2000 which for them, considering how long they were in the US, was a saving over renting, they planed to simply abandoned it at the end of their travels with the keys in it.
definitely rent, the cost saving over trying to find a place to stay the night and also having a vehicle will surprise you and depending on time of year a great deal can often be negotiated, try to secure one before leaving home, amazing opportunities through the web.
I did encounter a couple from Europe on one of my travels that bought an older car for about $2000 which for them, considering how long they were in the US, was a saving over renting, they planed to simply abandoned it at the end of their travels with the keys in it.
billiebob
Well-known member
Rent for sure. Never done it down under but we have rented in the UK, the rental comes as complete as a hotel room, dishes and bedding included. With a limited timeline vacation, no way would I spend time shopping for and outfitting a new rig.
Go online and setup the rental before you leave.... or at least list the options before you arrive. The best deals are often online.
And be ready to drive on the wrong side of the road.
Paddler Ed
Adventurer
I reckon it takes about a week to find something that's half decent, and then a bit longer to sort out buying it.
At the end, unless you're going to sell well below what you paid for it or market value, it'll take about 3 weeks to sell.
So you may as well start to sell it as soon as you buy it....
Alternatively, just buy a Ford Falcon for $1500 and use that, and then take it to the scrap man unregistered for weighing in at the end of the day.
At the end, unless you're going to sell well below what you paid for it or market value, it'll take about 3 weeks to sell.
So you may as well start to sell it as soon as you buy it....
Alternatively, just buy a Ford Falcon for $1500 and use that, and then take it to the scrap man unregistered for weighing in at the end of the day.
DortchRules
New member
I'd rent one for a while, in order to see if I like the car. If yes, totally buy it. Renting is good because you get to try a lot of cars and see which one you like the most. I usually rent cars from https://narscars.com.ua/en/kharkov-r1 whenever I go to Ukraine because my work requires frequent trips there, and honestly, it's very affordable. To buy it or not it depends on your financial possibilities and what are you going to do with the van after the trip. If you want to keep it, ok, but if you want to sell it, it can be problematic.
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