Are Static caravans worth it?

[Mcbj86]

DH wants to get a static caravan. We have had many haven holidays which we enjoyed. We have done some research and have gathered the picture that they are not an investment but a lifestyle choice. Financially we could afford it (just), have found a site we like 1.5 hours from home - DH suggests using weekends and school holidays. AIBU to think that the novelty wears off, its such a big commitment. Would love to hear thoughts or experiences of people who have are static caravan owners or people who decided not to got through with it - did you regret it. DC are 6, 4, 2. Sote has lots of child friendly facilities

It is one of the best things we ever did.

No regrets.

Expensive but worth it.

Also with your DC ages, I would say think about in a few years time if they will be into hobbies that take over the weekends. My DC all got into football which takes our whole weekend up.

When I was with Es husband we had one at haven. I worked out once that what it cost is would have bought us a terrace outright. We’d then have the rent and the investment.

Current husband insists we rent anything that depreciates (ie cars) and buy anything that appreciates (ie house)

Seems more sensible now.

But we did have a lot of caravan fun and the kids loved it. There’s no pockets in coffins, you know what you’ll get out of it.

I'm sitting in our's right now. We've had it for 10 years and it's our escape pod.
You need to look at lots of sites to see what would suit your needs. We're on a small family-owned site.
I'll try to attach a pic from a walk this afternoon.

My friend looked at purchasing a log cabin that she could live in on one of the parks - was all about to go for it until it came about that she needed to have a home/place elsewhere where she had her name on a council tax bill which obviously wasn't doable as she wanted to live in her lodge and then travel from friend/friend or go on holiday etc during the 4 weeks it had to close.

They are gorgeous, my friend owns one on a little (it is essentially a glorified bogstandard caravan as it's TINY but it is lovely. It's on a little independent holiday park that's only open about 8 months of the year. She says it's very expensive but worth it for the time away from home and the quiet and rest. As she lives in the same town as it she uses it every week.

I also visited a different friend when she came over and stayed in the haven park near the beach here. It was gorgeous - proper little home and I can see why it's popular. I can see how it'd be incredibly expensive though - probably even more so if you had people you didn't know staying in and had to have insurance for that with people breaking things/maintenance/wear and tear etc.

My parents had one for years. As a kid I loved it! Meant we were guaranteed a holiday every year, all bank holidays were there, the odd sneaky long weekend where we’d be kept off school, and sometimes dad would come home on the Friday and tell us to get in the car we’re going (no need to pack as always had clothes there) which was exciting. We used to spend the whole 6 weeks holidays there, had lots of friends and a lot more freedom then at home (lived in London) then as I got older I used it as an escape, did my exam revision there from at 17, just went on my own on the train and would have weekends away with friends, and continued to do so into my 20s. Then when my sister had her kids they had lots of holidays too and even though they’re adults they still talk about those holidays. Then my dad decided to retire where the caravan was and got rid. I wish he still had it so my kids could have the summers I had both as a teen and in my 20s. Money wise I know it was a pit, but if I could afford it I’d get one. Being an owner is a different experience to a guest, there’s a community and it’s a home from home. I’m jealous of anyone who has one and the people I do know who have them love them too.

We lookey into this last year.
After all the costs of site fees and the depreciation of the caravan, it was a no 🤔

My ILs own a lodge on a 5* holiday park and it's really lovely but definitely an indulgence. They are retired and had holidayed in the area, wanted a bolthole and have two dogs and bought it some years ago whilst they were still working. They use it a lot but the fees are staggering. They can afford it, though, and really use the facilities a lot. We also go over there and our kids enjoy it as we have also holidayed there often. It's got all the mod cons, though - fast WiFi, gym, pool, sauna, great restaurant and pub, beautiful setting with tons of local hobbies to indulge in, walking distance to a small town. They could technically stay in it all year but it's a holiday home to them.

My retired inlaws have one and are both mid 50s so have done well for themselves. It's in the back end of beyond though, nearest shop is nearly an hours drive away. Nothing on site at all, and although they own the caravan they're dictated to heavily by the park owners. None of us are even allowed to stay there without being vetted by the owners of the worlds most boring caravan park first. They've taken our DC a couple of times but even they're bored of it now because without driving a good 2 hour theres nothing at all to do in the area.
Plenty of fishing for FIL and MIL insists she loves a walk round a shopping centre 2 hours away whilst FIL fishes. It's the kind of site they wanted though and is family run. The caravan itself is 2 years old and gorgeous inside. More like a bungalow and they paid to have a gorgeous wrap around deck, MIL gave me a truly riveting story on how they got a fly net for £1.50 from b & m for the summer so keep your eyes peeled... I was with her when she brought the door net 😑. But seriously find the right park that suits you and they're great.

I bought a second hand static caravan 18 months ago and it has definitely been worth it so far. It cost me £13k and is on a small family run site round the corner from the beach and the club where my ds do watersports. There are 10 years remaining on the licence.

Ds are 17 and 20 and love it there. They can be independent and do water sports all day with their friends. Ds2 would live there permanently if he could.

It is about an hour from where we live and has become a 'home from home'. But we would be visiting the area most weekends anyway in the summer, having the static caravan means we can spend more time there and stay for weekends/summer holidays.

Running costs seem reasonable so far but that is compared with the costs of owning a boat! Site fees are a lot less than the mooring fees I used to pay.

They're called mobile homes here (Ireland) My in-laws have one.
I would rather poke my eyes out with a rusty knife than buy a mobile home.
DH half muttered about it at one stage. I told him if he wanted a divorce, he was certainly going the right way about it.

My friend bought a little plot of land near Dolgellau in mid Wales about 10 years ago, (like a fifth of an acre,) for around £7K, and then bought a £6K caravan, and has never had to pay anything else, as the caravan (and the land) is hers

We have had several on the same spot for nearly 50 years. The current one cost less than 2k from a family who needed a quick sale. They had been told that it had to go because it was too old for the commercial site it was on. I think it was 8 years old.

Our plot is on its own with no near neighbours in a beautiful part of Wales. There are no mains services so, apart from the peppercorn ground rent and bottled gas, no costs.

Over the years I have spent a lot time there and never get fed up with it. I just wish it was closer.

We are at ours every school holiday with the exception of Xmas. It’s incredibly relaxing. Very fortunate to all get school holidays off.
I wouldn’t use it as a weekend getaway because children tend to have sports/parties/homework and peak weekend traffic is not my idea of fun.
Impressed with our site but it’s a low key, no facilities kind of place. The fees and added extras for the parks with swimming pools etc are ridiculous.
In a couple of years we will want more flexibility with holidays but it sounds from this thread like me might get a fiver for the static caravan 🤦‍♂️

Definitely depends on your circumstances because nobody in their right mind would buy one expecting it to be an investment! Ours is on a beautiful owners-only site with a pool, spa ,gym and restaurant. There are beautiful beaches and excellent eateries a short drive away. We love it as an escape from city life and it gives us great pleasure to see our grown-up children and their children enjoying free holidays.
We are fully aware that it’s an indulgence on our part but we can afford it and know we’re going to make a loss when eventually we sell.

Oh, cobblett that sounds dire! This park is ace, but again, the fees are staggering. My kids love it there and there's no problem with family using it or visiting (it's a huge park, very commercial) and DD1 went there and used it to revise for her exams and took their dogs for company. Theirs is one of those old-style A-framed lodges but it's in excellent condition.

We'd never be able to afford it but they're very generous with its use and as we also cannot afford dogs, we offer to take theirs along for some company.

@dronesdroppingzopiclone now that sounds like my kind of place! We tend to go to Haven sites in Yorkshire and would honestly rather pay for the facilities and for the interaction of people rather than sheep! We're not allowed to take our dog to theirs either, but always hear about other owners dogs so I suspect it's more my inlaws issue with our bouncy lab than anything

Oh, I couldn't cope with that, cobb, this is definitely a Haven type place. Would love it if they put a hot tub in out back but we'll see . Plenty of owners rent their lodges and vans out but they don't. Oh, those fees! Worth it, though, to them as they really enjoy the shows and the pool/sauna, beauty treatments, exercise classes, restaurant, all sorts.

I used to live in one.

When I was 20, my grandfather died and I inherited a decent amount of money. Used some to buy my first car, some for a year abroad and the rest I brought a static with as it was an opportunity to live in an area I could of never afforded to live in- renting or buying.

Lived there for 8 years and loved it.

I was a bit about the people who owned them and seemed to only use it for a week in the summer holidays and wonder how they could justify the expense though.

My last year on there the site fees were around £4500 for the year- so call it £450 a month for easy math, so basically it’s down to whether you can spend £450 a month on a 2/3 day holiday (obviously excluding holidays)

Have you thought about buying a touring caravan & putting it on a seasonal pitch? It works out a lot cheaper than a static caravan & if you get fed up of a site, you can easily move to another one. There are tourers that have fixed beds & if you add an awning you can have just as much space as a static for a lot less money. We had a tourer when I was married on a seasonal pitch, it cost around £1500 a year, we used it nearly every weekend, at least 6 weeks between May & September. Ours had a proper bathroom with shower, sink & toilet, a proper cooker, microwave & tall fridge freezer. We had satellite television, proper & heating. We even went when it was snowing, we were warm & cosy, we kept clothes & food there & only needed to take fresh food & any extra clothes & bits. There is nothing better than by Friday teatime being sat with a book & a glass of wine in beautiful surroundings, having a stroll after your meal & you meet lots of people & make new friends.