When It's Better To Try Than Buy

As you might imagine, I get a lot of email. Every hour during my live national radio show, over 50,000 call attempts are made to my toll-free number. The great majority of people contacting me want one of two things: help solving a digital dilemma or buying advice. I'm happy to help whenever I can. Most of the time they're asking about smartphones, home theaters, tablets, digital home security and other related items. Sometimes they want family advice. Oftentimes, I need to delve deep to get to the real issue.

This week, a woman wanted to know what kind of motor home she should buy that would let her drive the highways and surf the Internet simultaneously. She said she's never vacationed in one, but had always planned to buy one some day. She decided now is probably the right time.

My advice to her? Don't buy one.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not anti-motor home, RV, or anything else. It's just that the average price of a new class-A motor home with a gasoline engine is $129,000, and a diesel-engine model roughly doubles that, according to RVT.com Price Checker. Popular class-C options average $85,000. This is why I love the Internet. You can research anything in a jiffy. Let's put aside for now the obvious questions of whether our writer has considered buying a used model or a less-pricey travel trailer. The issue isn't whether the RV has Internet access. That's the easy part. My question is, why would you invest such a sum without first learning whether RV-ing is a lifestyle you love?

The simple solution is to rent a motor home and try it out. First for a long weekend; then perhaps a week or more. It won't take long to learn whether you're going to be ready for a long-term commitment. It's true that most people would rather buy than rent, and it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of shopping, especially when there's a good salesman involved.

But there are times when renting is simply the best idea. The top two times to think about renting are, first, when you need to try something out, as with our wannabe RVer. And, second, when you need something for only a short time.

When you rent, not only are you saving money, you dodge the hassle of maintenance and the concern about having enough space to store the new purchase. Where do you find these options? The Internet is a great place, of course. If you've considered a motor home or other outdoor vacation option, take a look at Rentzio.com just to get started. They rent motor homes, trailers, ATVs, motorcycles, bikes, boats, snowmobiles and vacation homes. There's plenty there for the trip of your dreams.

Fun2Rent.com is another option. It "matches" owners of recreation and power sport vehicles with renters. You can find RVs, boats, watercraft, ATVs and other equipment. Best of all, both renter and owner are fully insured. You can also put something you own up for rent, if you meet the site's qualifications. It's a fine way to earn a little cash on items you aren't using all the time.

Whether you rent or buy, you'll also need to choose a great camping location. On your iPad, the app Campgrounds HD can help you find the perfect site for you as you choose from more than 15,000 campsites, campgrounds and RV parks around the world. Fancy a bit of golfing while on your trip? GolfRentalWorld.com will provide clubs, bags and all the equipment you need from Wilson and Callaway to TaylorMade. If you're crossing one of the borders, you may especially want to rent a smartphone, or just a SIM card for your iPhone, so you can avoid costly data overages. iPhoneTrip.com helps you do just that. You can rent a replacement SIM card -- or you can even rent a complete iOS gadget.

More? Zilok.com is another good source for renting electronics. When you're looking for bigger items, RentalHQ.com makes available inflatables and all the equipment you'd need for a special event or even a wedding away from home.Finally, many sites will sell you a cruise. But Erento.net will rent you a yacht and, if you choose, even a captain and crew -- in Italy, France or even Croatia.

Source: USA TODAY