If you'll drive several times a week for years, owning a home simulator makes sense. If you want one for a birthday, a party or a few days a year, renting costs less overall and skips the space, setup and upkeep. A SimsForHire rental is $2,750 per full-motion rig per day, with a $2,000 event minimum, plus tax and insurance, and we deliver, set up, staff and take it down.
What a home rig costs to build
Home simulators are built from parts, and prices vary widely. Examples from manufacturers' own sites in October 2026:
- Wheelbase: the Fanatec Gran Turismo DD Pro (8 Nm, direct drive) is $599.99 (Fanatec); the Simucube 2 Pro (25 Nm) is $1,299 (Simucube).
- Pedals: load-cell pedals measure brake force rather than travel; Heusinkveld lists 65 kg maximum brake force for its Sprint and 140 kg for its Ultimate+ (Heusinkveld).
- Motion: a SIGMA Integrale DK2 motion system is $3,950 with 3 actuators or $4,900 with 4, mounts to an aluminum extrusion chassis sold separately, and carries up to 500 lb (SIGMA Integrale).
- Software: iRacing lists membership at $14.75 a month at regular price, with extra cars and tracks sold separately (iRacing).
Add a cockpit, a steering wheel rim, screens or a headset, and a capable PC. A home license is fine for home: iRacing's terms grant use for personal, non-commercial entertainment (iRacing Terms of Use).
The hidden costs of owning
- Space: a cockpit plus screens takes a permanent corner of a room, more with motion.
- Setup and tuning: drivers, firmware, force-feedback and motion settings.
- Upkeep: SIGMA's DK systems, for example, carry a 3-year electrical and 1-year mechanical warranty (SIGMA Integrale); after that, repairs are on you.
A simple way to decide
Add up the full cost of the home rig you'd actually want. Divide by $2,750 (a full-motion rental day, plus tax and insurance). The answer is how many rental days the same money buys. If you'd host fewer simulator days than that, rent. If you'd drive most weeks, buy.
Renting has advantages beyond cost
- Several rigs for head-to-head racing at a party, which few homes have room for. Volume discounts start at 5% off for 2–3 rigs.
- Delivery, setup, on-site staff (up to 4 rigs) and teardown are included; delivery is free within 50 miles of Miami.
- No storage once the party's over.
Or do both
SimsForHire also sells and leases simulators. To try a rig before deciding, ask about a demo at our showroom, 2920 NW 5th Ave, Suite 105, Miami (shared with Shift Arcade Miami). For a one-off celebration, see private parties and pricing.
Call (754) 228-5654, email hello@simsforhire.com, or request a date. We reply within 24 hours and can book with as little as 24 hours' notice.