Rent or Buy a Storage Container? How to Decide

Rent if you need the container for less than about a year, don't know your final site yet, or want it gone the day the project wraps. Buy if you'll use it for years, want to modify it, or the math shows renting past its breakeven point costs more than owning outright. Hercules Containers rents, sells new and used, and offers a rent-to-own path for the people caught in between — here's how to run your own numbers before you call.

The Real Breakeven Math

Renting a 20-ft standard container for a full year costs about $1,105 before tax and delivery — that's 13 four-week periods at $85 each. Hercules prices sale containers by current market demand, not a fixed list. So there's no single price to hold up against it here. But the math itself is simple. Take a purchase quote. Divide it by what a year of renting the same size would cost. That tells you how many years it takes to break even. Keeping a container for more than a year? Get a sale quote and run the numbers yourself.

Buying Means Committing to a Spot — Check the Rules First

Renting is easy to relocate if a spot doesn't work out. Buying means the container is staying, so check placement rules before you commit. La Plata County and the City of Durango both have zoning and setback rules that can apply, depending on how long a container sits and where it lands on your property. Plenty of Durango subdivisions add their own HOA or covenant rules on top of that. A quick call to the county planning office, or a look at your HOA covenants, beats moving a 5,000-pound steel box a second time.

Reasons to Rent

• • Short-term need — a construction phase, a seasonal gap, a home renovation with a known end date
• • You don't own or haven't finalized the site yet
• • Hercules handles delivery and pickup at the end of the term — no resale, no hauling it away yourself
• • No maintenance or depreciation to think about — that's Hercules' problem, not yours
• • Flexible sizing — easy to size up or down between rentals as the job changes

Reasons to Buy

• • Long-term or permanent use — ranch storage, a backyard shop, a standing job-site office
• • You plan to modify it — roll-up doors, shelving, windows, a full office build-out
• • You want to stop paying a recurring bill and build toward outright ownership
• • A well-maintained steel container holds resale value if your needs change later
• • Business assets you'll keep and use for years, not months

New vs. Used — What Hercules Offers For Sale

New containers come in Standard, High Cube, Double Door, and High Cube Double Door configurations for 20-ft units, with customizable color, and Standard, High Cube, and High Cube Double Door for 40-ft units. Used containers are available in both sizes, described as cargo-worthy and water-tight, subject to current inventory. Purchase pricing fluctuates with market demand rather than a posted list — call for what's in stock and current pricing.

The Middle Path: Rent-to-Own

If you know you'll want the container long-term but don't want a large upfront purchase, Hercules also offers a rent-to-own program — rental payments count toward eventual ownership over a set term, and the container is yours outright once the term is complete. See our rent-to-own page for current terms and to apply.

What to Modify — and What That Process Looks Like

Buying opens the door to custom modifications: roll-up doors, windows, interior shelving, personnel doors, a finished office interior, custom paint. Here's how the process runs. Sign a Modification Contract. Hand over a detailed drawing of what you want built. Pay a 50% non-refundable deposit before work starts. The remaining balance comes due before delivery, and the finished unit ships out within 7 days of completion. Want extensive custom work? Buying is generally the simpler path, since modification work gets scheduled and billed against one specific unit, not a rental that changes hands. Full detail is on our services and requirements page.

Hercules has been doing this out of Durango since 2011 — 14-plus years, more than 5,000 containers delivered, and a 5.0-star Google rating across 21 reviews, licensed and insured for both rentals and sales. That track record is worth factoring into a purchase decision specifically, since a modification project or a custom sale order is a longer relationship than a straightforward rental.

Still Not Sure? Run This Quick Test

• • Need it less than a year and the site isn't locked in yet — rent
• • Need it for years in a fixed spot — buy
• • Want ownership eventually but can't cover the upfront cost — ask about rent-to-own
• • Want extensive custom modifications built to your spec — buy
• • Not sure yet — start with a rental; Hercules can convert most rentals to a sale if you decide to keep it

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy a storage container?

It depends entirely on how long you'll use it. A year of renting a 20-ft standard runs about $1,105 before tax and delivery. Buying costs more upfront but has no recurring bill after that. Get a current sale quote and divide it by your annual rental cost to find your own breakeven point — Hercules prices sale units against market demand, not a fixed catalog.

How do I know when renting stops making sense?

Once your planned usage stretches past roughly a year, or you know the site is permanent, it's worth getting a sale quote to compare against continuing to rent. Short, uncertain, or seasonal needs almost always favor renting.

Does Hercules offer rent-to-own?

Yes — rental payments count toward ownership over a set term, and you own the container outright at the end. See the rent-to-own page for current terms.

Can I modify a container I'm renting?

Modification work is scheduled and billed against a specific unit through a signed contract, deposit, and build timeline — if extensive custom changes are what you're after, buying is the more straightforward route. Standard rental configurations (double door, high cube, office) are already available to rent as-is, without going through the modification process.

What condition are used containers in?

Hercules describes its used inventory as cargo-worthy and water-tight, in both 20-ft and 40-ft sizes, subject to current availability.

What if I rent now and decide to buy later?

Call Hercules before your rental term ends. Converting a rental into a purchase is a conversation worth having if a short-term need turns into a long-term one — easier to work out before the container gets picked up than after.

Is delivery included when I buy a container?

Ask for it as part of your sale quote. Hercules quotes delivery and pickup separately from the unit rate on its rentals, so confirm up front whether the same applies to a purchase in your area before you finalize the order.