Any positive caravan owner stories?

[Ilikewinter]

Over the past couple of years DH and I have really got into static caravan breaks, driven by the fact we have a dog!!

Does anyone have any positive stories about caravan ownership, if we purchased one I dont really want to hire it out...but the only reviews I can seem to find are mostly negative comments about Haven.

In particular we are looking Parkdene in Morecombe.
Thanks

The person I know that it worked for is divorced and bought a 3 bedder - 4 years old for £39k - good condition too- not used much

She uses it 8 months a year as'home' and travels to other places in nov/dec/jan/feb where it's warmer and gets really cheap monthly rentals. Only down side is she uses her sons for post and when she needs a formal address - but to be honest most post is online these days.

Her fee is around £3800 but it doesn't have a huge entertainment hub but is convenient for other things - as she says to her it's not much more than council tax, she is aware though that at 15 year point it starts to get tricky but says she can afford to do same again - she thinks of the purchase as a bit of a right off and certainly cheaper than years of rent in anywhere half ok

We own a static mobile since summer 2022 and we absolutely love it. Our children are age 15,12 and 12 and they love it too although it is a quiet park. We are half an hour drive from home so we can whizz back for football, soccer, hockey etc. I’m a teacher so spend much of the summer here. We did all inclusive hotel holidays in the sun for many years when the kids were younger and NOTHING compares to this. We have a weekend away whenever we like, our home comforts are all here, I would highly recommend it

Yes! I have positives about owning a static caravan. I'm really fed up of the negative reports of caravan ownership. Why do they buy the caravans if it's a money pit? We love our static. It offers us peace, quiet and relaxation in moment if stress in everyday life. It is located in a lovely coastal area with walks and the delights of sea views. It's our oasis when we need to refuel. If course it is expensive what isn't? Our cars depreciate as soon as they leave the showroom, do we harp on about that? No. Why is that? A car is an essential part of life now and why not a caravan? It helps us de-stress and prepare for the busy time that is life. I understand it isn't mine for ever but when it's time to give it up, I'll be 80. That'll do me. And when I do give it up I can hand over the keys, maybe get a little cash back and get in with the next chapter of my life. Hooray for caravan owners. Take ownership and enjoy.

We absolutely love ours. It's in the Lakes, 1.5 hours from our house but in an area that allows us to easily visit different parts of the National Park so we don't get bored.
It's great knowing that all we need to do when we arrive is unpack the coolbox and put clean sheets on the bed.
However, it was expensive to buy, the site fees are expensive and we will have to replace it in ten years time regardless of it's condition.
Caravans outside of National Parks tend to have more flexible rules and lower site fees so it's worth shopping around. Access to water will massively put the price up.

Cars do not depreciate at the rate, I know someone who bought a static £35k was offered £14k 18mths later.

A lot sites will only allow statics upto a certain age, then they must be replaced and purchased through the site.

Site fees vary enormously and are generally very expensive.

Great that some are finding it a positive experience, but many don’t particularly when it comes to wanting to sell.

It is definitely horses for courses. We had a 3 bed static on Flamingoland when the 5 kids were young, and we bought new, and then rented it out, and the rent paid the site fees which they allowed for up to 10 years (started about 2k, but were 6k by the time we left, and the rental fees were going nowhere near the ground rent). We went mainly when it was not rented, but our jobs meant that it was often just for a few days. Things we loved: it was easy and familiar (some people do not require "easy and familiar" but if you have a lot of kids or dogs or like a predictable existence then finding another holiday place that suits can be hard. And actually Flamingoland did not disappoint either, brilliant for all ages, and suited us too. All of us have fond memories. It was very good for maybe 8 years, then the van started looking tired, wasn't rented out much (also found out that the guy renting it out for us was saying "no bookings" but we went down to use it and found people in it (not great), then we had a 5k cost, and we realised we just were not using it other than the odd weekend. I hung onto it for far too long, way past it's 10 year. When I look back on it now, I don't regret buying it, and I don't regret renting it, and I especially don't regret the times we had there. I do regret not using it more, and I do regret hanging on to it for too long for sentimental reasons. We sometimes go to a Haven site now in May / June and hire a lovely 3 bed static for about £160 for 4 nights, and I see the site selling vans for £20-50k, with site fees for £7k, and I wonder why people are doing it. But going back to my original thought, it is horse for courses, and some people can make it work. As long as you have your eyes open to the future costs etc..x