So you’re ready for a road trip to explore the beauty of New Zealand. Truth be told, there is no better experience than travelling with your own means of transport. Fully self-contained campervans have become quite popular over the years, and all for a good reason: practical, comfortable and personalised, vans give you the freedom to travel on your own terms.

But, one question hovers when it comes to planning your cross-country road trip: buy a van, or rent one?

 

Buying a Campervan

Let’s start with the slightly more permanent option. While buying a van is a big outlay, it does take care of you for longer trips – particularly if you’re planning to travel for more than 6 weeks. But there are other benefits you may not have considered to owning your own self-contained campervan.

Total freedom

Having complete ownership of the van you are driving can bring peace of mind. Nothing is truly better than not having to worry about whether you damage a van you’ve rented. It’s yours, simple. Plus, you don’t need to worry about cutting a trip short to return a van or pay for extra hours or days of travelling, which is pretty neat.

The option to buy back

Once you’re done with the van, you can sell it to another traveller or dealer. Or even better, buy a van with a buy-back clause. Cruzen Campers offer the option when making a purchase, so you don’t have to stress about selling the van at the end of your trip.

More economical

Depending on how long you plan to travel, purchasing a van outright can be more economical than renting – especially when you take into account the buy-back clause. Cruzen Campers give initial purchasers the option to sell their van back for up to 80% of the original purchase price, which means you could save more in the long term compared with renting.

 

Renting a Campervan

If you’re planning a shorter trip (up to six weeks), renting a fully self-contained campervan may be a better option when travelling through New Zealand.

Economical short term

When you crunch the numbers, it may be more economical to rent for several weeks than to buy a campervan outright, as the initial investment and buy back fee may exceed daily rental costs.

Safe and fully compliant

Rental dealers must ensure their fully self-contained campervans are roadworthy and certified. Recent changes in February 2018 to freedom camping laws have created strict codes of compliance for campervans, which means it can be difficult for travellers to adhere to the law.

Cruzen Campers have specially designed campervans that are fully compliant with New Zealand laws, which means one less thing to worry about when planning your trip.

Get the most out of your adventure

When you’ve only got a short amount of time to see beautiful New Zealand, you don’t want to waste precious days at the beginning and end of your trip worrying about purchasing and selling your van.

Find and book the right van for your trip on our website, pick up the keys, and start seeing the wonders of New Zealand.