Rent vs. Buy
Rent or buy?
It depends on your project. Here's the honest comparison — from the group that both sells AND rents machinery.
When renting wins
- Projects with an end date: you pay only for the months the machine produces
- No upfront investment — capital stays in your operation
- Maintenance, repairs and depreciation: our problem
- Demand peaks: scale your fleet without committing
- Backup equipment if something fails
When buying wins
- Permanent, intensive use year after year
- The asset is yours and builds equity
- Makes sense if you have your own workshop and technicians
- Full availability without coordinating contracts
- Tax depreciation applies
Run your numbers in 30 seconds
Three inputs and we'll show you the break-even point between renting and buying. A guiding estimate — the real proposal comes with your quote.
Calculator
Approximate market value of the machine you're considering buying.
The rate you were quoted, or your best estimate.
Calculation assumptions +
Depreciation ~11% per year (5-year horizon), maintenance + insurance + storage ~7% per year, cost of capital ~8% per year on the equipment price. Industry references to compare orders of magnitude; your real case is refined with a quote.
Annual cost renting
$10,000
You pay only for the months the machine produces.
Annual cost of owning
$13,000
You pay it whether it works or not: depreciation, maintenance, insurance and capital.
Break-even point: ~6.5 months of use per year (54% of the time)
At 5 months of use per year, renting saves you ≈ $3,000 a year.
Side by side
| Rent | Buy | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront investment | None | High (purchase or financing) |
| Maintenance | Included in the rate | On you (workshop, parts, technicians) |
| If the machine fails | We fix it or replace it | Your project waits for your repair |
| Flexibility | Return it when the job ends | The asset stays with you, used or not |
| Depreciation | Not your problem | The machine loses value every year |
| Workload peaks | Add fleet for weeks or months | Buy more or subcontract |
If your real utilization is below 60-70% of the time, renting almost always wins on total cost.
Does your math say buy? We're also Grupo ConstruMarket: we'll sell you the new machine with regional support — or try it first with rent-to-own.
Grupo ConstruMarket ↗Run the numbers with us
Tell us your usage hours and project duration and we'll help you decide with data.