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Original poster

Help advice on buying a caravan

8 replies

CCTVmum · 15/11/2013 12:57

Hi sorry if this has been done a zillion times!

But I have always loved this seaside place and it is so fab now since days we were little and had caravan their!

Ds is 9 and has Aspergers and no friends in area so our 14 weeks off a year is a struggle as I have to entertain etc constantly!

This park has new kids club which he could use as well as pool/ splash park, park, golf, and beach on doorstep.

The caravan has 3 years left on it. It is 5K. The fees are inherited so will be 1K cheaper than else where on site! It does Xmas, halloween, trios coffee mornings etc ( I might make a friend too?)

It is so hard going away with ds due to his allergies alone!

Is this a good or bad idea getting a static caravan for 3 years?

OP posts:

stripeytiger · 15/11/2013 13:14

Hi. No experience of buying static caravan so can't advise you on whether 5k is a good deal. From what you have said, it sounds perfect for you and ds, especially as it's not just a Summer place and coupled with your fond memories of the place it sounds like a win, win situation.

Goes without saying be careful what you are signing up for and I'm sure others will be along shortly with better advice on the financial side of things.

Hope you go for it and enjoy lots of lovey times there

purple15 · 16/11/2013 20:00

Hi, I am repeating here what I have said previously.

Don't touch it with a barge pole. Once you sign up there is no way out of the contract. Just google the horror stories of owning a static.

My parents bought a brand new static. They had to give the site owners commission of the sale. My dad has been in the building trade all his life, and when placing the caravan the site owners wanted ridiculous amounts of money for general building work around the caravan which if he was allowed would cost my Dad next to nothing to do. But he wasn't allowed to do it himself. Everything, has to go through the Site Owners.

Even things like the gas bottles can not be bought independently. They have to be bought through the Site Owners with massive commission added.

I Know what you are saying and it would be a lovely bolt hole for you and your son. But, please do your research. When my parents couldn't cope with the financial pressure any more. In order to get out of the contract, they had to sell through the Site Owners and give them massive commission.

What about siting a touring caravan long term. These don't have the same restrictions. Sorry for sounding negative but Site Owners aren't millionaires for nothing

CreamyCooler · 16/11/2013 20:14

I think it depends on the annual fees. I looked into owning a caravan on a lovely family site but the fees were 4k a year and we ideally wanted the option of some winter sun abroad as well so thought it was to expensive. If the fees you were looking at were 4k a year minus the 1k so 3k and the 5k divided d by 3 years is about £1650 you are talking £4650 a year. I'd think of it in those terms as to if it's worth it.
Having said that the site you described sounds perfect for your family.

looselegs · 16/11/2013 21:37

would definitely look into a tourer-we have one and its fab!You can choose where you want to go so are not 'confined' to one site all the time.
Friends of ours have a static.They have to pay over £4000 a year in rent-thats before any other fees are added on top-for example if they want to use the facilities on the site (pool etc) they have to pay for an entertainment pass which is £30 per week.They also feel guilty if they decide to holiday elsewhere (they went to Spain last year) because of all the rent they are paying on the caravan:they feel they should be using it as much as possible to get their moneys worth.
You can get a decent tourer for £5k.We use ours about 7 times a year,and all our hols add up to about £1000 a year(including 2 weeks in France).A bit different to the £4000 rent they have to pay on a static!

CreamyCooler · 17/11/2013 11:29

The tourer idea sounds good but I'm assuming the OP wants to have a bolt hole in a familular place so her DS can feel secure, eventually get a bit of independence around the site and they could both potentially make friends with other owners.

princessalbert · 30/11/2013 19:26

I have also heard a lot of horror stories about owning a static caravan. If it sounds too good to be true - it likely is.

We have a tourer, which we keep on site. We recently had it moved to a new site, but the previous one was great - with lots of facilities for DC. It was there for 8 years, so it was a second home :)

slalomsuki · 06/12/2013 20:52

We have a static for very similar reasons and its great. Kids are safe and lots of friends and things to do. Watch the site fees and the extras but we haven't had any hassle and have sublet it when we aren't using it to offset the overall cost.

Not sure about the 3 year £5K cost as if you like it it may be expensive to extend it. Suppose the opposite would be true though ie you could get out of it.

headlesslambrini · 06/12/2013 21:00

I have a tourer and although we don't have it on a seasonal pitch, I've been to lots of campsites which do seasonal pitches. The seasonal pitches tend to cost around £1,500 - £2,000 a year but it really depends on the site and what facilities they have.

It would allow you to change sites in a few years time to one which may offer more around your DS's growing interests.

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