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Pamela Egan: testing before
they buy |
By Dennis Amor
Have
your say
MORE and more would-be caravanners are turning to a Queensland company
so they can get a taste of the lifestyle before they buy.
Private Caravan Hire business manager Pamela Egan said many people were
now hiring caravans before splurging tens of thousands of dollars on a new
one.
"They are renting with the intention of testing before they buy," she told
Caravanning News.
Pamela hit on the idea of renting out people's caravans after learning
that many spent most of the year parked on driveways gathering dust and
cobwebs.
She set up a web-based hire and swap business from her home on the
Sunshine Coast, and has never looked back.
She said it offered an ideal solution to under-utilised capital assets by
introducing wannabe caravanners and potential grey nomads to a range of
recreational vehicles which normally remained idle for most of the time.
"It's a win-win opportunity for both parties in a secure hire or swap
arrangement," Pamela explained.
"Caravan and RV owners are only too aware of how often their investment
sits idle and empty, and with living costs increasing owners now have a
way to receive cash returns."
Pamela said owners could earn thousands of dollars from leasing an average
18ft caravan and more for motorhomes.
"We at Private Caravan Hire are very pleased with how well the business
has progressed and our member owners are having successful hire
experiences," she said.
"This is partly due to the criteria they set and the opportunities to talk
and sometimes meet the renters prior to the familiarisation and pickup.
"Owners have a wealth of knowledge they pass on particularly to people
touring with a recreational vehicle for the first time.
"Some renters do not have an appropriate tow vehicle and owners will even
place the caravan onsite for them."
Pamela said her business was "growing nicely".
"Our aim has been to provide owners and renters with successful outcomes
and support the caravanning, motorhome and camper trailer community," she
added.
Figures show that caravanning in Australia is booming.
Production of Australian-made caravans and RVs reached a 30-year high,
with over 21,000 new units hitting our roads last year.
Recreational Vehicle Manufacturers Association of Australia figures show
21,164 caravans and RVs rolled off Australian production lines in 2010.
Meanwhile, sales of second hand RVs are also rising.
For more information on Private Caravan Hire,
click here.
