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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask the most Random question for your opinions?

38 replies

Stressymoo · 11/10/2011 21:48

evening all feeling brave to post on this section of the forum! So be gentle! Or tell me to fuck off!

Ok will try to keep this short a month ago we bought a caravan I imagined lovely holidays and weekends away on the cheap!

Fast forward a month and we've had one trip away me and our 3 kids loved it DH hated every minute! But it was not cheap at all!!! Cheap to pitch but cost us a bloody fortune in fuel!

So like I say a month on and DH wants to sell it i agree with some points he has made and he hates towing but think we will regret selling it in the future come the summer holidays

We have had a offer on the caravan we would be out of pocket by about £800 but DH thinks it is a good offer we have to decide by the morning

We could do with the money as we need to buy a new used car soon but I'am trying to be so sensible to just sell this caravan and move on but my heart is saying tell DH to bog off and keep the caravan for me and the kids! Plus I'm gutted at the amount of money we have lost!

So sell or not ???

Need a kick up the ass and a few belt the fuck up messages of support/abuse!!!

OP posts:
PoppadumPreach · 11/10/2011 21:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheFidgetySheep · 11/10/2011 21:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ivykaty44 · 11/10/2011 21:55

You pull the caravan and let your dh be passenger so thats one problem solved. Even leave dh at home if he really doesn't like camping.

Don't travel more than 50 miles from home to keep the cost of fuel down and the time to get their is also kept short making a friday night getaway all the more appealing

NorkyPies · 11/10/2011 21:58

Yes camp sites near to home are the answer - there are usually lots more than you are aware of.

DogsBeastFiend · 11/10/2011 21:58

I agree that it's not a good time of year to sell. If you can, I'd say hang on to it, at least until spring/summer when you'll get a better price.

I don't blame DH though - I stay in a caravan regularly in order to help out at a dog rescue. Love the work, hate bloody caravan living!

Original poster
Stressymoo · 11/10/2011 21:59

Paying just under £50 a month on storage fees and £25 for insurance

So around £450 in fees over the next 6 months till the start of th season in march next year I know we would not get those fees back in the sale price so even if I got back the initial £800 we are out I would only be really making £350!!???

I know I sound so fucking dumb but I feel so gutted selling up!!

OP posts:
ivykaty44 · 11/10/2011 22:01

25 quid a month insurance Shock

can you not store at home? or is that not an option?

TakeThisOneHereForAStart · 11/10/2011 22:02

DH wants to buy one and keeps saying November is the best time to pick up a bargain. I don't want one at all.

If you can wait, I'd say wait and sell in the summer.

Your DH might have changed his mind by then, but if he hasn't you might get a better price.

rhondajean · 11/10/2011 22:03

Sometimes you try things and they dont work - sounds like you would be pouring good money after bad really if you keep it on.

Original poster
Stressymoo · 11/10/2011 22:04

I'm unable to drive as I'm epileptic so no licence as I'm uncontrolled! :(

But that would be interesting in the future with licence back to have a seizure while towing!! Christ can you imagine!

OP posts:
ivykaty44 · 11/10/2011 22:07

Could you find a site about 50 miles away where you can also store the caravan?

That way you drive down the caravan site get the caravan out or you - so no towing and cheaper on fuel - just leave a few things in the van all the time so you don't have to keep packing and unpacking - making a quick getaway easy and you could do it more often

Original poster
Stressymoo · 11/10/2011 22:09

Yep £25 insurance DH took out a fancy new for old thing??!!

No space to store at home town house with small drives! Hard do to get the vectra on it!!

Takethisonehereforastart:- can I intrest your hubby in a caravan that I have for sale!!! Lol!!!

OP posts:
NorfolkBroad · 11/10/2011 22:09

It does sound like a very expensive business especially if you can't keep it at home. If DH hates towing it and the fuel is that pricey it sounds like you will end up selling it in the end anyway. I would probably get rid of it now simply because if you think you will sell it anyway later in the year you'll have wasted a ton of money on storage and insurance. Sad though.

Original poster
Stressymoo · 11/10/2011 22:13

I did look in to onsite storage on a few sites cheapest was £1800 for the year!

Plus DH mr I hate towing said what's the point as we bought it to travel around! He's a muppet!

Guess I will be selling it

GUTTED :(

OP posts:
DressDownFriday · 11/10/2011 22:13

What did he not like about it apart from towing? Was it an impulse buy? Had you tried this sort of holiday before?

You must have had good reasons to buy the caravan in the first place - it's not the sort of thing you just purchase on a whim.

We only travel within an hours distance for weekends and only travel further for longer breaks. The location of the site, weather etc can have a dramatic effect on whether or not you enjoy your break.

not much help at all really...

ivykaty44 · 11/10/2011 22:14

why did your dh hate every minute of the stay in the caravan? just idle wonderings, nothing more

memphis83 · 11/10/2011 22:19

I cant believe the insurance and storage is that high, my FIL pays £750 a year inclusive of insurance and its really secure, electronic entry and CCTV all over the site Shock, local breaks are the answer, I know quite a few that go away very other weekend no more than an hour away from hom and they seem to always be at different sites!

fit2drop · 11/10/2011 22:31

Bloody Nora I can't believe those prices quoted for storing a caravan...

We have a mobile home and when we first got it we looked at various caravan creches' they averaged £350 per annum.DH has just told me the highest quote we had was £385 .They all included high security systems in place etc .
However as someone earlier said, its the wrong time of year to sell for a good price, early spring is best.

Mind you , we go away most every other weekend and the sites we go to are always fully booked up most of the time so there is a call for winter caravaning.

Original poster
Stressymoo · 11/10/2011 23:15

Our storage place Is CCTV /key fob entry and a gold site we pay extra as we pay by monthly standing order there were cheaper storage sites but none had any avalibilty at the time

Our insurance is through caravan guard we could get it cheaper around £11 pm but that is not a new for old cover

We looked in to caravanning loads over the last 2 years a few friends of ours have caravans and we took a lot of time and advice it took us over 3 months to find our van

I think the expense really put DH off we went to mablethorpe haven and spent £25 on pitch for 2 nights but £90 in fuel So to him not cheap to me I understand that fuel cost a fortune but I argue we could not have driven to mablethorpe and stayed in a hotel for that price!!!

I know I sound pathetic but I am very angry about this whole situation

More so as now DH is saying the selling of the van is my choice!! That he would give it another go!! But then he winges and moans about how much he hated it how in the 21st century he needs a bog that does not need to be emptied in a whole (think the sluice area traumatised him for life!) he limes home comforts!!! My answer is that's why we bought a fixed bed van for his fucking home comforts!!!! Also I admit he was Ill too he suffers with IBS and the stress and worry about towing for the first time he bloted up and suffered all weekend so I do feel for him on that score

So now all this sell or dont sell is my choice! He says he's happy to keep it for me and the boys!! Not that he has to stare at his miserable fucking face when I mention going away in it!!

Arrrggghhhh twat twat twat!!!!!!!

OP posts:
PowderMum · 12/10/2011 13:21

Reading through your posts, I really think you need to sell. It just looks like the caravan was a good idea that hasn't lived up to expectations.

Like your DP I have IBS and there is no way I would want to tow a caravan whilst having an 'attack' as i struggle to even drive.

Surely the idea of the caravan was to have relaxing weekends/trips away at a modest cost, and it just doesn't look like this is going to happen for you.

Sell now and just chalk the expense to experience.

ThePumpkinKing · 12/10/2011 13:35

I'd get rid of the caraven, and have cheap weekends away in Travelodge type places.

They seem to be everywhere, and are really inexpensive.

chubbleigh · 12/10/2011 13:40

I think you have to give it at least one whole summer before you make a decision that it is not for you. Also going away for a weekend is stressful all by itself, the going and the coming back all condensed into a couple of days. This is not enough time to make an informed decision.

Tell him to give it one whole year and you will talk about it again with the benefit of more experience. He has to commit to attempting to enjoy the experience, not start out with the attitude of proving it to be a failure though.

TheTenantOfWildfellHall · 12/10/2011 14:23

I tow a trailer (for our tent). Not sure I'd want to tow a caravan though! Was it just a bit more daunting than he was expecting? It is a bit scary!

Agree with chubbleigh, a weekend away isn't long enough to really get a feel for it. What sort of place did you stay on? The camping and caravanning club have a lot of sites close to places of interest and are fairly easy if you're new to it all.

It's a different type of holiday and you have to enjoy all of it for what it is.

fit2drop · 12/10/2011 21:02

If you join the caravan club there are loads of sites that give cheaper rates to member.
We just spent two nights at Clumber Park in Sheerwood Forest (lovely , clean, spacious, well facillitated with clean showers and loos) , as members of Caravan club it was £28 for the weekend , without the membership it would have been £50.

We have a loo and a shower in our mobile home but we only use that when we wild camp.When we go on sites we use the facilities there. Well we pee in the camp loo in the middle of the night but anything else , we trot of to the campsite loos. I have always assumed this is what most campers do.

OP it is doable and it is enjoyable. Staring a camping experience at the start of winter as a total novice and only doing a weekend would seem like hard work for little reward. But the more you do it, you soon learn whats important to take, whats the best way to do stuff, learn from other campers and also from your mistakes, which I promise you six months down the line you will laugh at your mistakes.

Aww I hope you keep it, it really is worth it.

fit2drop · 12/10/2011 21:04

Well we pee in the camp loo in the middle of the night
should read
in the CAMPER LOO
Hmm