TO TOW OR NOT TO TOW? (1 Viewer)

TeeCee

Free Member
Jan 24, 2015
123
36
romford, essex
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Bailey Autograph 79-4
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That is the question....but what is the answer???

Am I thinking along the right lines here...as I was just about to invest in a small tow car and have all the necessary bits attached when a friend said....'You're nuts....just hire..it's so much cheaper!'

So....here's his thinking....(all £££'s are best guesstimates)

TO TOW
CAR £5K
TOW BAR/AFRAME £2K
INSURANCE £200 (annually)
ROAD TAX £200 (annually)
MOT £50 (annually)
SERVICING £150 (annually)
REPAIRS £150 (annually)
DEPRECIATION???
LOWER VAN MPG????
NO CAR PARKING/STORAGE ISSUES???

TO HIRE
£20-£30 PER DAY?????


SO..TO HIRE....LESS COST ...LESS HASSLE.....A NO BRAINER THEN???????
 

MC 55 FUN

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Feb 18, 2016
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As we own two cars that are unsuitable for towing & would not wish to purchase a third, or trade either in for a suitable towing car, we'd go for the hire option.

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scotjimland

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Jul 25, 2007
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Short to Med term, hiring a car will be cheaper.. but it may not always be available in the place you are camping... so not as convenient as having your own

you could have your own car for less than you quoted...


TO TOW
CAR £5K... could be a lot less..
TOW BAR/AFRAME £2K.. under £1k
INSURANCE £200 (annually) depends on car
ROAD TAX £200 (annually) could be less..
MOT £50 (annually) yes if over three yo
SERVICING £150 (annually) yes
REPAIRS £150 (annually) maybe
DEPRECIATION??? not a lot on an old car
LOWER VAN MPG???? not very much ..
NO CAR PARKING/STORAGE ISSUES??? yes.. that is a bonus

the case can be made either way..
 

Steve and Denise

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Sep 26, 2011
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I tow one here as I like the convenience it is not all about money or we would maybe go for a cheaper option a tent or caravan possibly :)
 
Jul 29, 2013
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We have brought our car to Spain this winter I bought a trailer and the Panda 4x4 is our only car so it's not standing around all winter we think it's the best way for us as we move around quite a bit and hiring is not available everywhere we go.Thats just our view everyone is different.

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Feb 22, 2008
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In UK we tow our only car on a frame , but when across the water we take bikes and hire a car when needed.
 

StefAndDi

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Nov 3, 2014
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If you are a member of (say it quietly) the Caravan Club, there's a useful option which we have used many times.
The Club has a special arrangement with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, whereby one of their drivers picks you up from the Club site, Certificated Location or pretty much anywhere that you're staying.
He takes you to the local rental office where you complete the paperwork and drive off in your hire car. At the end of the rental period you return the car to the office and they take you back to your van.
For a car in the super-mini bracket we have always shelled out far less than £100 for a four-day rental.
Stef.
 
Last edited:

Jim

Ringleader
Jul 19, 2007
36,191
128,628
Sutton on Sea, UK
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1
MH
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Since 1988
Hiring a car can be pretty inconvenient sometimes, and even long-term hire can prove expensive. This is why so many people who go away for a whole winter take a car with them.

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D

Deleted member 29692

Deleted User
Depends how often, whilst you're away, you think you will need a car.

We've only wanted one once, for about 3-4 days so we hired.

The rest of the time we've walked or used public transport.

No brainer for us - hire on the occasional times we want to. A toad would cost us loads more money and usually never get used.
 
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TeeCee

TeeCee

Free Member
Jan 24, 2015
123
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romford, essex
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Some food for thought amongst responders thus far... S'pose if you only own one small car that puts a different light on it.
 
Oct 7, 2013
5,867
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South Wales
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That is the question....but what is the answer???

Am I thinking along the right lines here...as I was just about to invest in a small tow car and have all the necessary bits attached when a friend said....'You're nuts....just hire..it's so much cheaper!'

So....here's his thinking....(all £££'s are best guesstimates)

Great post!:)

That's what I love about this Forum.

We are going through the process of deciding whether to have a scooter rack fitted to our new van. We already have the motorbike, and have a bicycle rack already but, your calculations have made us take time to consider your suggestion.(n)(y)

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Aug 19, 2014
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Some car hire companies Will not accept it if you have a dog in the car.

Some that allow it , will charge a premium for cleaning afterwards.
 
Aug 18, 2011
12,090
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since 2007.Tugger before since 1970
Depends how often, whilst you're away, you think you will need a car.

We've only wanted one once, for about 3-4 days so we hired.

The rest of the time we've walked or used public transport.

No brainer for us - hire on the occasional times we want to. A toad would cost us loads more money and usually never get used.

We hired one for a week in Benidorm,,about £45 but only used it for 3 days,,,would rather walk or cycle..BUSBY.

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Jul 29, 2013
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Some food for thought amongst responders thus far... S'pose if you only own one small car that puts a different light on it.
When we decided to tow we decided to set ourselves up with the right van and a car that would be useable at home or away, we then changed both the van and the car to what we have now and it works well for us we put a lot of time into researching it all but was worth the effort to get it right it wouldn't suit everyone .
 

Adbt

Banned
May 19, 2015
673
1,018
Cheshire
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36,435
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Bailey Approach 740 SE
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2008
If you are a member of (say it quietly) the Caravan Club, there's a useful option which we have used many times.
The Club has a special arrangement with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, whereby one of their drivers picks you up from the Club site, Certificated Location or pretty much anywhere that you're staying.
He takes you to the local rental office where you complete the paperwork and drive off in your hire car. At the end of the rental period you return the car to the office and they take you back to your van.
For a car in the super-mini bracket we have always shelled out far less than £100 for a four-day rental.
Stef.
Have you a list of the 80 sites included in the scheme ? CC site is down . Cheers .
 
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TeeCee

TeeCee

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Jan 24, 2015
123
36
romford, essex
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Bailey Autograph 79-4
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Sorry..really didn't mean to add confusion to peoples preferences.....just really in a quandry as to what's best. Looking like hiring at the mo...especially for relatively hort burst users like ourselves.

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Mar 1, 2015
163
203
Liverpool
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Frankia 840GD
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Since 2015
The answer is what ever suits your need's. If I was worried about the cost of motor homing I would never have bought one in the first place.

We have just had an A Frame fitted and it cost £2k. We had the car already so insurance and servicing is not an issue. work it out over 5 years and it is £400 per year. Just over £1.09 per day. I can take it any time without having to book it. Take it anywhere I want, and have it for 1 day or 10 days. The convenience for me it to buy the A frame. Take my pets with me.Even use it for extra storage when we go away.

Also be careful of excess charges on cheap hire cars. I was once quoted £750 excess for any damage to a hire car. Unless you take out their premium insurance.
 
Aug 18, 2011
12,090
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The answer is what ever suits your need's. If I was worried about the cost of motor homing I would never have bought one in the first place.

We have just had an A Frame fitted and it cost £2k. We had the car already so insurance and servicing is not an issue. work it out over 5 years and it is £400 per year. Just over £1.09 per day. I can take it any time without having to book it. Take it anywhere I want, and have it for 1 day or 10 days. The convenience for me it to buy the A frame. Take my pets with me.Even use it for extra storage when we go away.

Also be careful of excess charges on cheap hire cars. I was once quoted £750 excess for any damage to a hire car. Unless you take out their premium insurance.

You can't take it to SPAIN,,,:):):):)BUSBY.
 

Brian and Jo

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Sep 24, 2007
3,002
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oswestry,shropshire
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Been motorhoming for 15yrs.had an American RV for 7yrs,Now got a Niesmann Bischoff Arto 88F
For us it's definately take a car with us .we have just had an a-frame fitted to a Toyota Aygo so will be taking it with us pretty much every trip.its so convenient .just our opinion ,it works for us.
Brian & Jo

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Aug 18, 2011
12,090
17,892
derbys
Funster No
17,808
MH
AUTOSLEEPER SYMBOL
Exp
since 2007.Tugger before since 1970
The answer is what ever suits your need's. If I was worried about the cost of motor homing I would never have bought one in the first place.

We have just had an A Frame fitted and it cost £2k. We had the car already so insurance and servicing is not an issue. work it out over 5 years and it is £400 per year. Just over £1.09 per day. I can take it any time without having to book it. Take it anywhere I want, and have it for 1 day or 10 days. The convenience for me it to buy the A frame. Take my pets with me.Even use it for extra storage when we go away.

Also be careful of excess charges on cheap hire cars. I was once quoted £750 excess for any damage to a hire car. Unless you take out their premium insurance.
You can take out a yearly policy for £40 which covers everything the basic car hire policy doesn't cover. I have used one for years and claimed on it and it works..BUSBY.
 

DuxDeluxe

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Jul 10, 2008
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Planet Zog
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For us it's definately take a car with us .we have just had an a-frame fitted to a Toyota Aygo so will be taking it with us pretty much every trip.its so convenient .just our opinion ,it works for us.
Brian & Jo
Although it is on the heavy side for a toad we use Mrs Deluxe's Fiesta with a Unibrake system. It works superbly and on motorways has very little effect on consumption. Insured both through comfort insurance. Did it make sense financially? No of course it doesn't. Does it give us complete freedom? You bet!! We have no intention of taking the toad to Johnny Foreigner land so it is a solution that works for us.

The only downside is that our vehicle obsessed spaniel is now confused and doesn't know which vehicle to go for.....
 
Apr 8, 2015
321
292
Lincoln
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35,754
MH
coachbuilt
Exp
15 years
Be careful with the CC/Enterprise scheme, Rang for a quote at Blackpool last year and was told cheapest car was£29-00 for 48 hours. Fantastic, when I arrived at the rental office. The included insurance was on condition of a £500-00 deposit which was totally forfeit in the event of accidental damage however large or small . Fully comp was another £50 (£25-00 per day) Sharpe practice in my opinion. By this time I had wasted 2 hours of my day waiting for a late pickup and time spent at the office filling in forms before they dropped the bombshell. Another hour and a half to return the vehicle and wait to be taken back to site. This year I take the TOAD. Perfectly good Hyundai Amica which cost me all of £2300 including the A frame from Tow cars 2 Towbars in Grimsby. Also use it as a dog box daily to save trashing our family car. I would rent in France or Spain rather than tow and pay extra toll and ferry charges. This year whilst staying at Parc Verger I actually rented a car for 48 hours from a local garage to visit the Oradour sur Blane, Massacre Village, for only 20 euros inclusive. couldn't believe it. Apparently he hired on the basis of kilometres driven. as the saying goes " You pays your money and takes your choice"

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Oct 7, 2013
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Sorry..really didn't mean to add confusion to peoples preferences.....just really in a quandry as to what's best. Looking like hiring at the mo...especially for relatively hort burst users like ourselves.
Not confusion, just an idea we hadn't thought of for ourselves.

Thanks!(y):)
 
Mar 1, 2015
163
203
Liverpool
Funster No
35,291
MH
Frankia 840GD
Exp
Since 2015
You can take out a yearly policy for £40 which covers everything the basic car hire policy doesn't cover. I have used one for years and claimed on it and it works..BUSBY.

Great idea. I did not know you could get this. Who do you get this policy from, Does one policy cover all hire companies?
 

DuxDeluxe

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Jul 10, 2008
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Great idea. I did not know you could get this. Who do you get this policy from, Does one policy cover all hire companies?
Yes, just google it and you will find a number of companies offering excess insurance

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D

Deleted member 29692

Deleted User
The only downside is that our vehicle obsessed spaniel is now confused and doesn't know which vehicle to go for.....

That's easy: Any vehicle with the door open. Whether it's yours or not is of secondary concern :D
 

StefAndDi

Free Member
Nov 3, 2014
408
931
Near St. Austell, Cornwall
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Ceased motorhoming 1/3/16
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Have you a list of the 80 sites included in the scheme ? CC site is down . Cheers .

Sorry for the delay in answering, only just logged on.

When we sold our MH recently, we cancelled our CC membership.
I seem to remember that details were in the Club handbook. Certainly, we never stayed on a Club site that was not in the scheme.
Sorry I can't be more helpful.
Stef.
 

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