Make money with your 4WD

If you’re like most 4WD owners, you spend far less time off the bitumen than you convinced yourself or your partner you would when you bought it. Yet you put up with all its high-riding, hard-to-park, expensive-to-service, and fuel-thirsty habits for most of the year just to keep the dream alive.

If you bought it to tow a caravan or camper, it’s a good bet that you probably take it out for just a few weeks a year anyway, and for the rest of the time, it’s just eating its way through your savings.

Many owners have overcome this by hiring out their vehicle when they don’t need it, to people who do. COVID-19 has created a large group of frustrated travellers who want to break free of lockdowns, but don’t want the long-term investment or have the space for a 4WD or tow vehicle. Most importantly, they have the money to hire yours.

Hiring out a 4WD through Camplify, Australia’s largest and most trusted RV and tow vehicle-sharing platform, can be incredibly lucrative - as Darwin-based Radik and Zina Mukayev have discovered.

“In 2020, we purchased our first caravan and added two more caravans to our fleet in 2021. For our interstate travellers, we offer a tow vehicle for hire as well,” Radik explained.

The couple’s 2018 Ford Ranger is a welcome addition to their Camplify fleet, and an opportunity to attract more people to consider hiring their caravans. Adding features like a brake controller, additional mirrors and being pet-friendly makes hiring easy, accessible and convenient.

The couple listed the Ranger in September 2021 and it already has a steady flow of bookings.

“I love the experience of meeting people, hearing their stories and even cleaning the vans and tow vehicle. I wouldn’t say it is only a monetary interest for me as I get a real satisfaction of the whole process - communication, meeting people, knowing their experience, et cetera,” he said.

Ezy-Peezy Camping owners Linda and Luke, who started their Camplify journey when they listed their camper trailer in early-2020, have also realised the financial benefits of hiring out their 4WD tow vehicle.

Their Camplify fleet has expanded to the point where they currently own two camper trailers, plus their tow car for hire, a new Mazda BT-50, while a campervan is on its way.

With more than 110 completed bookings so far, earning them over $80,000 since they joined in Jan 2020 and with more than $55,000 in future bookings already locked in, joining Camplify has proved to be a wise decision for the Western Sydney couple.

Camplify, which specialises in RV and tow vehicle rentals nationally, says the pandemic, coupled with the desire of young families and younger people to experience a range of activities, has generated huge demand for caravan and camping trips. And with Easter around the corner, demand with hirers is currently at a peak.

With over 50,000 completed hires, Camplify is focused on making it safe and easy to hire out your car (or even your van). Through the platform, you can decide who you hire to, where they can go and what rules they must adhere to - in other words, you’re in control.

Not only that, but Camplify can help provide you with comprehensive hire cover as part of being a member, as well as verifying all of your hirers, keeping your car safe whenever it is out on hire.

Finally, there's no need to stress; if something does happen and there is any damage, then Camplify will be there to support you every step of the way, managing the bond, the excess and the entire insurance claim process for you.

The result can be very profitable, ensuring that the vehicle, its standing costs like finance payments, servicing, depreciation and wear and tear, are usually fully covered, while delivering a handy income at the same time.

In other cases, enterprising do-it-yourselfers have used Camplify to establish another income stream by purchasing commercial vans, in some cases through Carsales, before converting them into campers or motorhomes for rental.

For example, Sam and Julia from Open Road Campers have nailed the 'go-to' campervan layout and with three vans already converted, and a fourth on the way, they’ve been flooded with bookings during COVID times.

They started with a Toyota HiAce named Omeo, which they listed on Camplify during the times when they were too busy to go tripping themselves. They then added a second and a third van when sState lockdowns eased, just to keep up with demand.

While the initial HiAce conversion took about six months, Sam can now build a similar van in two months by working full time on it, supplementing his formal job as a product designer.

His latest and largest project, based on a Volkswagen Crafter LWB, has an internal shower and toilet particularly popular with hirersrenters, as is its slide-out, outdoor kitchen, with both now forming the template for future camper vans he plans to build.

What’s truly impressive is that Sam had never held a drill or a jigsaw before converting his first van five years ago, but found many online resources available and found he could always reach out on Instagram for help if he ever got stuck.

Campervans based on VW Transporters are also very popular, because their compact size and car-like controls feel very familiar to many hirers.

Queensland couple Joe and Eunice Hurley caught the campervan bug during a year-long trip to Europe. They decided to share the joys of their vanlife lifestyle when they returned home and in 2020 created their own fleet of unique campervans called Ventured Campers.

Many other couples who love the freedom of the campervan lifestyle have also purchased former commercial vans through Carsales and converted them into campervans, using their own travelling experience as to what works and what doesn’t.

As a result, many incorporate unique features of a small home, such as 240v power for appliances such as coffee pod machines to wall-mounted projectors to create a ‘glamping’ rather than a camping experience.

However, the idea generally is to keep things simple: grab some clothes, pack the fridge, and hit the road.

Some, like adventure-seekers and camping enthusiasts Tori and Aidan, originally built their campervan Zaidee, intending to live in her and travel the country - however, COVID-19 altered their plans. While they waited for the right time to start their big lap, friends suggested the idea of hiring Zaidee out, and they embraced the idea through Camplify.

Thinking of buying a 4WD (or even a caravan/motorhome)? With thousands of tow vehicles, caravans, campervans and trailers, Camplify also makes it easy to do your research and try before you buy.
Others have come to embrace the travelling lifestyle through the hiring experience.
Mother of two, Kate Sawyer, was inspired after discovering Camplify to holiday with her two boys. After a bit of research, and plenty of encouragement from her family, Blue Sky Road was born and now lists a fleet of two vans, Myles the Van and The Broderster.

Kate explained: “I originally discovered Camplify because I was looking to hire a campervan to get away by myself and connect with nature, but when I realised the services they offer, and how simple they make the process for both hirers and owners, I thought it would be a great business for passive income.

“Both my boys got to name each van and they have always been my inspiration on this journey, but I honestly could not have started Blue Sky Road without the Camplify platform - everything down to insurance and licensing of the hirers, the checklists, app and payments. It's been so easy, all I have to do is make sure the vans are ready on the day!”