how do people afford to buy caravans?

[purplebits]

I've committed myself to a seasonal let(to be near my elderly parents) but our caravan which was given to us is just not up to the job. We need to buy a new one that will do 6 people for the whole summer. I can't see how I can buy something decent for less than £6k. Where do people get the money from? We're thinking we're going to have to remortgage. Do people sell them on at the end of summer?

I don't know anything about caravans, but the in-laws sold off their old one and got a new second-hand one at the end of the season before last. No idea how much though.

I know some sites only allow caravans up to a certain age.

YOur'e right tilly, they can't be more than 10 years old.

We were given one, practically. paid £100. (worth about 3k, awning itself worth nearly £800). Our neighbours were too old to use it anymore. 8 years old. had everything you would ever need, washing line, litle hoover, we needed to buy nothing for it. It had a bit of damp, but dh did some repairs to the roof ( dh is the kind of man who can fix anything, car, washing machine, build a house, only thing he can't do is hang wallpaper ( not a problem ,as I don't like wallpaper !!).
And we recon we can get another 2-3 years out of it.

Depends when you decide to buy. may people decide to sell, at certian times of the year. And there are good prices on magazines, websites, and even e-bay.

oblomov, I'm so jealous - £100!! We;re still looking but am reluctant to buy something thats more than 10 years old. Will keep looking.

Keep looking on ebay.

We have a 6 berth. Bought it about 5 years ago for £7000. Borrowed the money from my dad, paid him back monthly no interest.

Keep looking you can sometimes get a bargain, not really the right time of year though, autumn is better when people realise they actually hated caravanning or don't want to pay for winter storage anymore.

I paid around £4500 for a 8 year old in v good nic (avondale 5 berth). There are plenty of excellent used caravans that people only use once a year. You usually get loads of extras chucked in including the awning. Certain awnings are made to withstand permanent use eg Isabella.

You have to be realisic that its not going to used that much, the site fees can be high and then the cost of the self catering holiday isnt cheap at all. Buying new you'd be looking £14k plus and to me a complete waste of money.

Damp is the problem to look for so ask for a recent service sheet and damp indications will be shown on the diagrams. Delaminated floor is a problem. Has it been kept undercover really. Cracking in bathroom. Parts can be deadly expensive too. Go for the best brands.

You havent said how old this one is? I agree so expensive I paid for mine with the profit I made we selling my flat many years ago. I wouldnt be able to buy now. A loan is the only alternative but you'll be paying forever!

I'm sure you'll be able to find a decent one under 10 years old.

Hi there, got mine 6 yrs ago, 18 months old, cost £10,000, its a 6 berth, but i had to add money to my mortgage to get it, best thing i ever did, had so much use out of it, i seasonaly site it in the same place evry year which is great for children as they make so many friends who they know are going to be there each week. i use mine almost every weekend and have almost 3 weeks in the summer holidays and a 9 days at whitsun so i use it loads. Do invest in a good awning though, bradcot, isabella and dorema are good ones, u do need a residential awning to withstand high winds, and for u to have a good peace of mind while you are away from it. The site i go to also lets us put solid flooring down in the awning so its like a little living room, we keep the fridge, microwave, bed sette, table and chairs out there. Good luck hope u find what u are looking for.

My sister got hers on ebay, and had a fantastic buy.

thanks for the smileymam, this is my dilemma: either go for something decent and spend 8k and it will last or buy something cheap and cheerful off ebay spending 3k. I'm inclining toward 3k as its our first caravan plus I won't be getting stressed out if the kids are coming in with muddy shoes etc. Plus we have dogs.

I would go for the cheaper option, there is no absolute guarantee that just because you get a more expensive caravan/ newer one that it will not have damp! check out this on ukcampsite.co.uk. there are countless stories of people paying XXXX and still having problems. If your van will get heavily used by kids and dogs etc, would you really like your expensive van being knocked about, which it will. Definately get a van with an awning then that way you can encourage the kids and dog out side in the awning, kids can even sleep in it ( so can the dog). You can have plenty of cheapish self catering holidays with a caravan, which you can enjoy for many years.

We started off with a very cheap one which cost us £850 16 years ago and gradually built up to a new one last year. This time of year you might get a bargain as a lot of people will upgrade when the newer models come out, happy caravanning

Agree milky I would be totally stressed out thinking the kids were going to wreck the cream interior which is why we are going for the cheaper (?) option spending 2k and see how we get on. Borderlass I'm findng as the spring goes on that there are less and less bargains to be had. ONce the sun comes out people seem to want to get a caravan sorted.