Schoolie Rental Business???

[J Milligan]

Hello,

I'm looking into starting a rental business for Skoolies. It's looking like we will need to invest to build a small fleet of pro-built versions for insurance purposes, at least to begin.

Do you see a market for Schoolie rentals as alternative to RV's?

Thanks,
jim

[EastCoastCB]

Not as much and this is why- no one cares about the long term durability of a rental. You'll spend as much or more on "pro" conversions and in the end you'll end up needing a fleet diesel mechanic.
May as well just rent class A's like this-https://www.allstarcoaches.com/resou...-a-rv-rentals/
"Skoolies" are pretty individual. Most folks build them to have something a bit different and I'm sure some folks would rent them because of this. But from a money making standpoint I'd think you'd do a lot better and have less headaches just going the Class A route.
Just my 2 cents.

[firebuild]

I hate to be a naysayer but with the trouble we all have getting insurance to cover just ourselves, the idea that you're going to find an insurance company to cover inexperienced drivers behind the wheels of vehicles converted from their original purpose seems farfetched. A broker may say "sure" on initial query, but once they dig into it with the actual insurance companies it seems to me it's going to be nearly impossible.

[peakbus]

[QUOTE=EastCoastCB;312092] in the end you'll end up needing a fleet diesel mechanic.
QUOTE]
Maybe stationary skoolie cabins in the right location would make more sense.

[J Milligan]

Thank you! Great points. I was thinking there are a lot of people that don't really like the RV style, like myself. Idea was to have individuals buy the Schoolie, put it into my rental pool, revenue split, and they also get to use it 4 weeks a year. Something like that.

Who knows, just would love a world with more up cycled school buses than more RV's.

[EastCoastCB]

[QUOTE=peakbus;312094]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

in the end you'll end up needing a fleet diesel mechanic.
QUOTE]
Maybe stationary skoolie cabins in the right location would make more sense.

I could see AirBnB rentals or something.

[J Milligan]

Yeah PeakBus.....was thinking it could be cabins like an AirBNB vibe at times, but also for select members they could do road trips too.

[firebuild]

[QUOTE=peakbus;312094]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Maybe stationary skoolie cabins in the right location would make more sense.

I am actually planning to rent my shortie as an Air BnB right there in my mother's driveway once it's ready. I know a guy who rents out a tent in his suburban Boston backyard and it is almost always full at $25 a night. It's a TENT. Not a fancy tent either.

If I had the means, I would buy property and create a skoolie vacation community. I believe lots of people would like to have the skoolie dwelling experience, without the hassle of actually driving one.

[J Milligan]

I hear you on the insurance issue. Maybe individual owners invest in Skoolie "cabins" that stay parked, but owners can take them on the road for those 4 week vacations. Cool, thanks all for the input, really appreciate it.

[J Milligan]

Any thoughts on how many people with Skoolies live on them full time vs wanting rental income if just parked as AirBnB type deal?

I'm guessing most live on them vs sitting in driveways most of the year.

I love Skoolies and most of the people I've met on them, but I know how hard it is for people to make it happen, so wanting to find an easier way for them to experience it.

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by davidbarker

In my opinion, RV rentals for a family with several children may make more sense than constantly changing hotels, particularly if the children are younger. No changing hotels every night, checking in and out, and parents can avoid dragging kids into restaurants twice a day. But "Mom" will still have to do the dishes

Some years ago we traveled to Detroit in our bus and picked up six kids for a two week trip to Florida. WE HAD A BLAST!!!

Trying to do that driving a car and stopping at a hotel every night would have been a very expensive dissaster.

[Mark_In_MA]

Originally Posted by J Milligan

Hello,

I'm looking into starting a rental business for Skoolies. It's looking like we will need to invest to build a small fleet of pro-built versions for insurance purposes, at least to begin.

Do you see a market for Schoolie rentals as alternative to RV's?

Thanks,
jim

I don't see a market for schoolies over RVs at all. There are too many variables, and I think you would spend more on a "pro-built" schoolie then you'd ever get back.

The primary problem is that you're starting with a 12-20 year old vehicle to begin with, and there's a lot that can go wrong with age. A lot of the people here have learned pretty quickly how their buses behave, and notice when something's not right - if the idle changes, if it suddenly looses power, if it starts running hot - and stop and diagnose the problem, or figure out if the "problem" is that a sensor somewhere finally gave out, and it's safe to continue on. RV renters don't have, and often don't want that responsibility. They're out there to drive, and they'll keep driving until it breaks. Imagine if an oil seal finally failed on a motor, and your rental was halfway across the country - you'd need to find a replacement rental for the family driving it (ASAP), get it to them somehow, transfer all their stuff, and then get your busted schoolie back home. That could be a thousand mile tow bill. Then add in the cost of the engine rebuild when it gets back. . .

I wouldn't want to rent my schoolie out for the same reasons - I know what's "normal" for it, but I don't know that anyone else does. It doesn't take a lot of abuse to cause a lot of damage and repairs. (At least most modern RVs have idiot lights that come on and tell you something is really wrong with the engine or transmission.)

A schoolie AirBnB park would be kinda cool - you could provide the parking place and maybe do the basic cleaning/laundry for a fee, and you split the profits with the owner of the schoolie. (For example, maybe you get $50/night, the owner gets the other $25/night.) You might have to work out something with hookups for power and running water, but that's doable.