Rent Luxury Cars or Boats

Sample the high life with luxury cars or boats, or lend yours out for cash.

(Image credit: Jason Doiy Photography)

See how the high rollers live, courtesy of the sharing economy. With Turo, a car-rental service, and Getmyboat.com, for those who prefer the water, you can rent a piece of the high life that someone else owns. Or if your 2016 BMW 5 Series sits in the garage, you can earn some income from your depreciating asset.

Turo boasts elite luxury cars across 3,000 cities and airports that are accessible online or through a smartphone app. The company features brands such as Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla, available either curbside at the airport or delivered for a fee. Going to Los Angeles? Rent a 2016 Maserati Ghibli for $150 a day (the base model has a suggested retail price of more than $70,000). Or snag a 2015 Tesla Model S for $150 a day. An extra $100 gets you delivery and pickup.

Turo verifies renters’ identities and checks driving histories. Owners are covered for up to $1 million in liability for injuries or property damage involving their car, and they can choose to pocket more of the rental fee by agreeing to pick up some of the repair cost if their car is damaged. Renters choose the level of liability protection and how much they’ll pay out of pocket for repairs, with the insurance adding 15% to 40% to the rental price.

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Getmyboat lists boats in 50 states and Washington, D.C. In Chicago, you can board a yacht that accommodates eight for $200 an hour. Some boats come as a package, with a captain, crew or water-sports equipment. A Miami sailboat, recently listed for $163 an hour, comes with a free photo shoot—so you can have a record of your time as a big shot.

Rivan V. Stinson
Ex-staff writer, Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Rivan joined Kiplinger on Leap Day 2016 as a reporter for Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. A Michigan native, she graduated from the University of Michigan in 2014 and from there freelanced as a local copy editor and proofreader, and served as a research assistant to a local Detroit journalist. Her work has been featured in the Ann Arbor Observer and Sage Business Researcher. She is currently assistant editor, personal finance at The Washington Post.