bushtracker hire

Cobba, There was once an inquiry asking for hire on this website - he got no takers. I would not like to hire out a caravan. I'd hate to think how someone may drive with it, having seen how the hire 4wds are driven, and a caravan can sustain a lot more damage, which may not be obvious until much later on. No come back on the hirer - just wear and tear - but much more than you would do with your BT, and you may not know until things go very wrong in some remote location. I also know how tenants treat rental houses (i know, not all). If it needs to go, accept the market. Usually any advertised here go very quickly. I don't know how near the target price the vendors accept. With BTs being so keenly sought, i am surprised you have not made a sale.

Motherhen

Cobba,

I have no idea what a reasonable rental price would be, but seeing as how a Bushtracker is worth far more than most other caravans that would be available for hire it would have to be a top price.

There would definitely be a market for them in the hire side because we have had enquiries on this site from people wishing to hire them. One overseas person was wanting one for about a 6 month trip.

The other thing to consider is that the person wishing to hire one would have to have a well set up vehicle suitable to the task, and you would have to have very detailed instructions of how everything operates in the van as well as spending several hours showing and explaining to the hirer everything in the van.

Good luck with what ever you decide on.

Brian

Cobba you must have big gonnads !!!!!!!!!
I cannot imagine for 1 minute that any one would hire out a caravan that is of the value of a bush tracker
Having also seen the care that is taken with hire gear and rental properties
I would personally not be game
As some one once said there are a couple of things you dont loan, ie youre wife and youre dog
I think this could also go as far as to include hiring youre caravan
Good luck mate ,but carefull as I recon it could all end in tears
Regards the Battler

Maybe I need to explan myself
Without selling it at a cheap as chips price there isnt anyone looking for a family bushtracker, I know as i looked for years before having to order one from the factory and ask yourself would any of you have settled for a family yatch berth van over what you have now?
Anyway I would check there credentuals, there experiance and spend the time to show them how it all works, place limitations on where the hirer could and could not go and yes there would be a large bond before they hooked up as well as a vechile check. If someone was able to pass the test then with my heart in my mouth I would let them take it.
Everyone Like's to try before they buy, or in caravan world compare this to that and weather it for them before they commit to 100 + grand in a new van and maybe this is a option for them, hire it from me for a month or a fortnight to see if its what they want or even just to go on a trip with a fellow bushtracker freinds for a month.
I suppose I'm shooting from the hip but I beleive there is a market out there and maybe I'll dip my toe in it. I will worry like bleep the first time it let it go as I believe Its the best caravan in Australia and my family and I just love the time we spend in it but with our 6 yr old now at school time isnt our own anymore and school holidays anywhere are painfully busy.
I'll do some more reseach and let you know
regards
Cobba

Great idea Cobba As i was going on the big trip with wife and 4yo before she starts school. I was looking to lease a bt for 12 mths i was expecting to pay around $15000 but had no takers and could not see the value in drawing on the morgage to buy a bt. So i got a cheap supreme getaway and built a bunk in it over the end of ours and its a little ripper i tow it with a Mitsubishi canter 4wd. I always have a chat to the bts i see on the road. But would still luv a bt for the room. Most people who have a bts there kids are now grown up so dont need a family van but the ones who do ,like me are young (well sort of at 36) and dont have a spare $100g . So i think its a great idea on a long term lease if you get the right taker.

I think the issue should be researched, as I am sure there is a market out there (how big a market I am unsure but the research can check that out), but make sure the insurance issues are properly explored. The insurer would need to know that different people are towing the unit, and this will have some impact on premiums.

Chris

Hello Cobba,
A bit tardy in catching up with all the BOG news of late - but as I have some experience in hiring out of campervans (not caravans) I may be able to contribute something to your idea.

For a start you have to consider the insurance issues. Hiring a van out means it is now a commercial venture. From my experience this was getting much harder to obtain and when I last renewed in 2000 anything canvas (incuding awnings) was not covered. (This made insuring a Camp-O-Matic virtually useless - being predominantly canvas)

Then there are the restrictions you would need to consider... where wont you permit your BT to go?? The Cape?? Gibb River - you do need to set some limitations as again from experience and 'off road' van will be taken litterally... after all thats what they are paying for. No worries to them about the windows getting scratched & buggered!!!

Also - we had a strict policy on NOT taking our campers into danger ie cyclone declared conditions. Needless to say this was not always adhered to and we got our campers back a couple of times with ripped canvas due to such conditions (and mud & slush tramped right through and folded up on same hmmmm....again not theirs to concern themselves about the next hirer getting a nice pristine van)

And when things go wrong - where things go wrong you might be required to come and recover your BT from wherever. We had one client who drove like a bat out of hell for 5 days and then decided he didn't want to drive anymore. Rang us up and said "The vans at..... the keys are at..... I'm flying home!!!" N I C E

Simple things like - one persons sense of clean ... is not necessarily yours. Neither is their standard of maintenance or driving either. We used to spend about 2 hours in going over all the features of our campers - the whole routine of opening and closing ect and of course coupling it up and we had a very consise instruction manual that went with them on each hire with inventory of what equipment was included in the hire.

So I suppose the best advice is if you decide to do this hire venture Dont Assume Anything and make sure you have a very tight contract with lots of information and on the day of your first hire have a couple of panadols and a stiff scotch ready for when you finally get them on their way.... your going to need it!

Good luck,
Helen