To impulse buy a caravan?

[Nopeepeehere]

It was always my dream to buy a little flat near the sea and one in the Borders. Of course this won't happen as it's a) too expensive and b) very selfish to buy up more property than I need.

A friend suggested I look at caravans instead, and i must admit it does look marvelous. A long-term pitch by a wild part of the sea for weekends and school hols, and then a month in the Borders in the summer.

But I know nothing about caravanning so I'm looking for realistic opinions. Does this seem like a good plan? What are the potential pitfalls? Should I give up the idea completely and instead spend the odd week in a wildly expensive airbnb like I do currently? Thanks

Check out the costs of a pitch on a site, they can be quite expensive. Also where will you store it?

Yes I must do that. My AI told me less than 2k per year but I need to double check. And we have space at the side of the house for storage.

I wouldn't "impulse buy" one but would definitely buy one after some proper thought.

I have been planning my retirement-lump-sum caravan - and that's still a few years off. I am almost certainly going for one of these https://www.go-barefoot.co.uk/barefoot-lite/ as I don't want the hassle of a permanent pitch and want to be able to pick and choose where I go. I may choose a different one when the time comes though!

That's really nice... the sofa looks very comfortable!

You'll be doing yourself a massive favour if you join some caravanning groups online.

They're brilliant and very much more informative than AI.

Quite a friendly bunch in general too from what I can see.

We know plenty of people who have a caravan by the sea so it definitely can be done, and they go even weekend every summer, and so do their friends. We would like to buy a live in vehicle one day too. We did just impulse buy what we thought was a good one but it failed its MOT massively and we sold it on losing money. Next time we will do more research. But it's a great idea I think, you can sleep over really easily and go to loads of places.

Join holiday park action group on fbook before you pay anything!

No to impulse buy.

other things to consider: Would you need to upgrade your car to tow a caravan, or is your car able to cope with the excess weight of towing? Does your car already have a tow bar? What's the insurance cost like?

Do you mean a static caravan on a permanent site?

I've been looking into these. You can often buy them reasonably cheaply but the ongoing costs are steep. You really need to look into it. One site I was looking at has annual charges of £6k, on top of that you have to pay for your electricity which they charge you at a rate they set. Add on insurance etc too. When the caravan reaches a certain age you have to pay to take it away or upgrade to a newer one.

The fact that they set the costs and can put them up at will really put me off.

There is a lot to consider but it’s not so ridiculous. You are planning to use it a fair bit so it should be value for money.

You have thought about storage - the other big one is tow car…. What do you currently drive and would it be able to tow - typically modern caravans weigh between 1400 and 2200 kg and you need a car capable of towing safely.

i would recommend a towing course if you have towed a caravan before as well.

i would start by thinking about your budget and what age/ layout would work for you.

Caravans are great but they can be money pits. I would consider the age of the caravan, was it regularly serviced, do they have a recent damp report? Caravans can and should be serviced just like cars, they can be subject to damp and mould easily so that would be a major consideration for me.
The other thing to think about is the price. Although they are more expensive post lockdown, they don't generally keep their value well so make sure you check for similar prices if looking at a specific model.

If it's a towing caravan you'll also need to check your car is good enough to tow one and if your driving licence was issued in lat 10/15 years you may not have a towing licence.

You can pay to store it closer to the coast, then you drive most of the distance without the caravan and hitch it up for the last part of the journey. Or you can pay to have it all year around on a pitch or you can pay for the site to store it and get it out for you when you need it.

Have you had any holidays in a caravan? Would be a good place to start. A caravan that's got bedrooms etc is expensive and the site fees get expensive and the van has to be replaced every so many years on many sites. A caravan you tow is fun but quite a lot of work, adding an awning gives a lot more space.

Good luck

It would be a caravan to tow, not a static caravan.

And for the car, I have an ancient Freelander 2.2 that's already fitted with a tow bar. Would be an issue if I had to replace it though!

Husband wants to buy a brand new caravan which would avoid immediate issues with damp etc

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.

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

This is all very technical! But thank you, I'd ne er have known this. Do you know how I can find out the kerb weight of the car?

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

Whereas I thought “this is a lovely considerate person “

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

Your opinion is very valid... you could start another thread about that while we keep this one focused on caravans?

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

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?

I have pulled a garden trailer before and tbf it is a nightmare reversing with it!

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.