To impulse buy a caravan?

We were going to buy a touring caravan but went for a folding camper in the end. It’s working really well for us. Cheaper initially, easy to tow and it’s surprisingly spacious inside! You can also fit an awning to it for more space but we haven’t needed to do that yet. It comfortably sleeps 2 adults, a 14 year old and a 9 year old and a huge dog :) we did buy it a bit on a whim but it’s been amazing and we’ve had loads of lovely holidays and weekends away in it.

You have a very capable tow car.
most new caravans have an electric anti sway device. The caravan will brake automatically stopping it from jack knifing.
if you are going to use all of your annual leave to go caravanning and have some weekends away then you won’t regret it.
You will lose money on depreciation and if it’s new you need to service it each year and the warranty is still rubbish, but you just suck it up. You will always feel like you are at home wherever you are.
I hope you do it and only regret not doing it sooner.

And you and your DH will have a shared passion to enjoy together.

If you have space to store at home, then a small touring caravan with an attached awning tent can be fabulous.
You aren't paying for storage and can move around, take a spot for a couple of weeks if you love it.

I have friends whom have done it for years and love it.

They use the caravan as an extra room at the side of the house for guests as it is all hitched up to electricity.

It was a godsend when family visited from the US and they had their own space to chill in.

It really made the two week visit easier all around.

Freelander?

You can search online with exact details of the car… search results for “freelancer” in pic attached

Of course you would be unreasonable to impulse buy anything that costs a significant amount! To buy one after careful research and consideration? Not unreasonable at all.

My friends pitch is 5k a year plus gas etc. she bought her caravan for £35k 3 years ago and was quoted 2.5k recently and she renovated it quite considerably. It's a lovely thing to have but it is an expensive venture and don't expect to ever make money back from it.

Any ideas on how much it costs to get the caravan moved for you?
So just keep a non-towing car yourself but have someone move the caravan there are back. Would only work if the caravan gets put on a long term pitch (6 months say).

You could also consider a pop top camper van. VW California or Mercedes Marco Polo or similar. Under 2m high and not that much bigger than a freelander, so you can use as your everyday car, camp at the beach overnight ect. I’d not like to live in one for a month, but I can see using one to move between pub / hotel stops. Can often stay for free overnight in pub car parks or even some public car parks. https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/blog/product-and-outfit-reviews/campervan-reviews/volkswagen-california-ocean/

Don't look what happened to ,Tommy,Turkish ,and gorgeous George.

Thanks for this thread OP. My husband and I are currently thinking of getting a towing caravan and just keeping it on a seasonal pitch in Yorkshire. Neither of us have cars capable of towing, but I've read that you can pay companies to tow for you. I originally wanted a static caravan, but I joined the caravan action group on Facebook absolutely it's really eye opening as to what a rip off these can be.

There are caravan shows every year and some of them have towing practise

they will have tons of practical advice but leave the card at home as they will also have loads of lovely stuff that you don’t need at all !

We had a single axle towing caravan for years in Cornwall.
It was on a “seasonal pitch” which means it stayed there all year round.

Dont buy brand new! They drop like a stone. Caravan tribes keep their vans immaculate! You’ll be pleasantly surprised. Visit the dealers.

We bought 2nd hand via a local dealer so we had a guarantee. The dealer towed it to our selected site for a reasonable fee.
There were site fees which went up every year but the site was well maintained, free showers and proper washing up sinks etc. Some sites make you pay for showers.

It’s a money pit but we loved it and used it a lot every April through to end of October.
Our dealer took it back from us & quickly sold it on commission.

There are caravan towing courses you can go on. Just ask Mrs Google.

It was a good outcome and worth everything we paid out for the happy times we enjoyed down in Cornwall.

Do your research. Visit some sites. Speak to caravanners you come across. They’re a friendly bunch. Speak to the site manager. Project the costs 5 and 10 years. Make sure you can afford it.

Have you ever towed anything before OP?

Towing a caravan is quite challenging, you don't just hoot it up and drive away. Even hooking one up can be impossible for some people. You're an accelerator slip away from burying a tow hitch in your back bumper.

My dad used to have caravans, just moving one around is a whole world of skill in itself. Let alone reversing one onto a pitch. Or out o to a driveway. Where would you store it?

you started a thread on a public forum, you can't expect for people not to comment?

You are the one who didn't stick to "buying a caravan" in your OP

I am sure the OP does live in a studio flat, because no one needs a property with more than one room 😂

Or a 1 bed, if they have a child etc..

And the campsite means public land is now privately occupied so no one else can access prime locations anymore. SO considerate

Whereas I thought “this is a lovely considerate person “

you lost me at that ridiculous b) very selfish to buy up more property than I need.

Price wise I am not sure you would save much ?

if you are happy with a basic lifestyle which is really what you get with a caravan, lots of places have glamping huts which I would expect to be cheaper than renting a cottage - although I may be wrong there !

standard pitch fees would be 30 to 50 a night and glamping at the Coldstream site is from 70 a night ( so make that 90 I guess )

add to that the van cost, and would you need a bigger car? That can be the tricky bit!

the best thing would be to try before you buy
somehow to see if that kind of life suits you . You can hire motorhomes ( similar vibe ) or try glamping pods

That will limit the weight you can tow a bit… you need to know the kerb weight of your freelancer and should then aim for a caravan whose maximum laden weight (MTPLM) is under 85% match. It’ll probably tow a fairly standard 4 berth single axle caravan but you need to check each individual caravan as a match to the car.

I’d say go visit some dealers and have a look… It’s currently end of season with new model launches due in the Autumn so there may be some bargains as well.