If you can see yourself running a rental business with MyCamper, 2EM, Gomore, etc. (with the hassles that entails) then buying cash and renting out whenever possible is likely the lowest-cost option. But that is assuming you find renters for at least @ 50 days per year.
In your case (2 weeks in summer + 5-7 weekends) I personally would rent instead of buy. A 2-week rental costs around 2K. Add say, 400 per weekend for a grand total annual cost of 4800, with no risk of breakdowns, damages, value loss, etc. and no parking/storage costs, road taxes, insurance costs, etc.
Maybe you are right. The main reason we haven’t bought one yet is simply the lack of time to fully enjoy it. If my wife and I had the same vacation schedule as the kids, I probably wouldn’t think twice about buying a new one.
I think the plan I’ve built in my head is to have one with almost no net cost, without all the uncertainty and inconvenience that comes with renting every time we want to use it.
To be honest, part of it may also be psychological. If I have to spend CHF 400 every time I want a weekend away, I know myself well enough to know that I’d probably end up taking the tent instead and saving the money.
Owning one gives me a different feeling. It feels like freedom. If on a Friday afternoon we decide we want to spend two nights in the Alps with the kids, we can simply jump in and go, with almost no planning or preparation.
Maybe that mindset is actually incompatible with renting it out regularly to third parties, because part of the value for me is knowing that it is always available when we feel like using it.
So perhaps what I am really trying to justify is not the financial side, but the flexibility and spontaneity that come with ownership.
Yes, we already have another car. It’s a medium-sized family car that my wife mainly uses to commute to work and for everyday errands.
We are not really considering replacing it at the moment. If we had more free time and could use the camper more often, I think I would buy a new California and use it as our only vehicle, because we live in a place where everything is very accessible and we don’t drive long distances on a daily basis.
The challenge for us is not really the practicality of the vehicle, but finding enough time to enjoy it. That’s probably the main reason why I’m still hesitating.
I’m not a DIY type, so all my visits to car garages usually end up around 1000 CHF. At 10yo/150k km, you are basically buying something that no Swiss would ever consider buying. Reselling will also be a challenge 20k km later.
You might be lucky, but the California, especially the Ocean is full with assembly-unfriendly parts, there are two batteries extra, a wastewater Mgmt system, a gas stove, heating and God knows what under the cabinets that WILL go wrong and will need repairs. Plus whatever your rental guests will damage will need fixing. Consider at least 1 trip for damages per year/season. I had many small things failing on our cars, VW/AMAG was very generous and replaced everything on the spot while still under warranty. Chances are much higher that you run into a 4-8k repair story than 4-8k amortization on a new car.
If you can live with the risk, plus a 10yo diesel engine, fine. Also the T5 are Euro5, just to be aware. I would not buy that anymore as cities are pushing them out generally.
Standing cost for our cars was around 4k a year (full casco, garage, road tax) so this is what you need to make on top of whatever amortization you get.
The lifestyle point is totally valid that you mentioned, these are fantastic vehicles and allow you such freedom that nothing else in the whole scene. BUT: keep in mind all campings are sold out in the summer holidays long months before the break starts, so it’s not THAT flexible either. You either take smaller campsites or are using single-night unofficial parking places (via Park4Night app) only, which might break the bubble a little.
I do not have a camper bus, but I think the best way to get the best cost/benefit out of it is to use it also as a primary car. The opportuny cost is otherwise to high. Or rent one when needed, but less flexible/ less home feeling. I would not rent it to others, way to much contras for prob only a few bucks.
Thank you very much for your thoughtful and valuable opinion. It is extremely helpful when trying to make the right decision.
After reading all the comments and reflecting on them, I think the best option for us, at least for now, is to start doing 2-night camping trips with a tent from next spring, when our youngest will already be 3 years old.
The main reason for considering a camper was to create unforgettable experiences with our children. However, when I think about my own childhood memories, it was never the vehicle that made the experience special. It was being out in nature, sleeping in tents, setting them up with friends, using flashlights at night, hearing thunderstorms in the distance, and falling asleep to the sound of raindrops on the tent. Those are the moments I still remember today from the summer camps I attended every year as a child.
So far, we haven’t done much camping mainly because of the hassle of packing and bringing all the equipment that a small child requires. To be honest, a camper van would probably not have changed that as much as I initially thought.
Financially, our net worth is much lower than that of many people on this forum, but our expenses are also relatively low. One of our long-term goals is to move to jobs that would allow us to spend more time with our children. If we ever reach that point, then I would have far fewer doubts about buying a camper and even using it as our only vehicle, as @Peppa mentioned.
Your comments about maintenance, repair risks, depreciation, and the practical realities of camper ownership were especially useful. They helped me realize that I may have been focusing too much on the dream and not enough on the total cost and risks involved.
Thank you again to everyone for sharing your experiences and perspectives. They have genuinely helped us make a more balanced decision.
Yes, children don’t normally care for material things.
I put up tent with my kids in the garden a few days ago and they loved putting it up and sleeping in it. And that was just in our garden, no fancy holiday!
If you have a garden, I recommend doing that first as you have all the fun and none of the hassle of packing stuff.
We bought one 2 years ago, last year we went on a 6 week long trip and i has been amazing.
This year, well we hve not used it enough to justify the cost, but we plan to do another long trip next year. I feel like this is a family home on wheels, the kids love it and we enjoy the time off.
The downside is that in summer you need to plan ahed, since the campsites are often full and you are not as flexible as you wish to be.
We originally tought about rentig it, but honestly its just not “worth” it for us. We would give it to someoe we know, but having out stuff (Clothes, pillows, some food, books for he kids, etc.) inside the car it is just an extra hassle to completley empty it and it would leave me sad if someon would break or damage something. Therfore we just keep it for ourself even if we waste some money (but save headaches and time).
We don’t have a garden, but just a few minutes from where we live there are several beautiful lakeside campsites. The weather in Ticino is fantastic from early spring onwards, so we’ll definitely give it a try next year.
Just out of curiosity, do you have a California or a larger van? How many kids do you have, and how old are they? I’m just trying to better understand the space and comfort requirements for long trips like the one you did.
We have a 6.1 Ocean (4 seater), we have 2 Kids (3 and 5 y.o.).
Last year on our trip when we just had an overnight stop somewhere between two major stops, we sometimes sleept all together on the roof tent. It was doable, mainly cause the kids still love to be with us and because they are small.
For the moment we don’t have much necessity for privacy or personal space, this is not avalable in the van. Also you really need to move lots of equipment from one place to the next to access something. For the 6 weeks trip we really lived on essentials, not fancy toys, maily clothes, the kids (and our) bikes, we still had the stroller and a highchair (ikea).
Also having only 4 places limits the ability to take a friend with us that could be a nice addition.
We plan to do this again next summer, this time we probably need less baby things but the kids might need more space (bigger bikes etc.).
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