Ok folks, the brief is, for us to get the pros and cons of static caravan ownership.

recent windfall means this is within reach, as we have 2 boys (3 & 2 yrs old) it would
be of obvious benefit for family hols for the foreseeable future.

If you have one or have experience of ownership, would like to hear more…

thanks

Looked into it many times and still not parted with the cash. They are serious money if you want something double glazed and central heated, if you’re going to use it a lot throughout the yr I’d definately go for c/heating. Then bare in mind your site fees and what’s included in site fees, ie unlimited gas leccy water. Then move onto the fact to get your money’s worth you’ll have to holiday there regular, so it doesn’t want to be an idyllic beautiful spot of coastline that’s 4 hrs away in a car because that totally blows the ability to just nip for a weekend!
Then onto rental, are you going to keep it private, rent to friends or let the park guarantee you a certain income by renting it for you.? I recently stayed in one that had been used for this purpose an it just hadn’t been looked after, which would gut you when you next visited your 40k tin box! All that aside we’d still love one but finances just aren’t right for us at the moment! Hth

I don’t have one but my aunt does and we have the use of it.

It’s brilliant! She found an excellent site, family run and it’s really nice, tidy and there’s loads to do in the area around it.

Bit chilly in winter but it has heaters throughout.

Also, she has gas plumbed in so no messing around with the bottles which is great. It’s great for getting away from it all and it makes your weekend feel like a mini hoiday. Which it is really.

Anyhow, I’d say go check out quite a few sites first and see which one takes your fancy.

And then enjoy. 😀

We had one

It’s a depreciating asset

Some of the site rules work against you, i.e. you must get rid of it when it’s so old and replace it with one that the site supplies for you [at serious cost], you can’t sell it without giving them a cut etc.
We were going to look into a log cabin somewhere as they seemed a better investment

My friend had one in Barmouth, I seriously loved it but then I didn’t have to pay the yearly rent. That yearly rent wasn’t cheap and kept going up..

Again this is seemingly the main pit fall:

Some of the site rules work against you, i.e. you must get rid of it when it’s so old and replace it with one that the site supplies for you

(I’ve heard they don’t necessarily need to be that ‘old’ but if it doesn’t conform to the site rules, it out…)

Though my m8, now use the same money to go on holiday all over the UK.

Couple of friends have bought touring caravans over the last few years and are very happy with them, even if Top Gear hates em!

EDIT: Another problem is that decent/popular static site tend to have a waiting list ‘years long’ for ppl trying to get onsite..

when we finish off a big loan we are going to go for this, we have done some research.

there are many pro’s and con’s….

i know we would use it lots throughout the year and we would rent out to friends and make some cash back.

the big downside we saw (as said above) are the ‘age’ clauses… yes you could end up with a cheap 4-5 year old one but then when its 10 years old you have to get rid.

another big downside is they get cold, very cold unless you pay silly money for ones proper heating

again as above, there are waiting lists, the other option is the touring caravan ‘left’ at a site.

bloke in work has one and he is off every other weekend and loves it

Just had a quick look at what’s around here and there’s a few near (not in) the Wyre Forest for about £25000 – £30000.
If it was me, I’d designate that as “holiday money” and spend a set proportion of it every year on B&Bs.

Get a camper van – goes where you want it to….

Get a camper van – goes where you want it to….

I love the idea, but a new camper will set you back a fair bit more than £30k.

I’ve had one for years, just upgraded to a more modern one, boy have they come on, double glazing, open plan kitchen and central heating. We’re on the sussex coast within easy reach of the SDW and Friston Forest, we use it every weekend, on a lovely quite site on the beach, minimum facilities eg: no pool or club house which is just how we want it. I have two very lively boys 3 and 7 so it’s perfect for them to let off steam and get a bit of freedom. It’s not for everyone, yes there’s rules but not as many as airports.

I would go insane going to the same place every time I wanted to use it. Tourer all the way for me.

I have one. Infact, I am writing this from mine right now.

I can’t speak from others experiences as I fell extremely lucky with the site where I bought mine, which I believe is the most important factor.
Ground rent is reasonable, around 25 quid a week and the season is March to October. We are not allowed to rent the van out which takes away that indecision whether we do/ dont, which weeks etc but hd the added bonus that there are no strangers on the site.
I don’t have to remove the van if I maintain it to a good standard and the plot is mine, not a say ten year lease.

As for biking, it is 8 miles from Hamsterley, half an hour from Swaledale and an hour from the lakes, not to mention miles of moorland bridleway on my doorstep.

I too have young kids and it is by far the best purchase I have made.

I wouldn’t want to be tied to going to the same place on holiday every year.

Cost a fortune, Massive depreciation and very high rates
and once of a certain age your moved off your plot and put to
the outer boundaries of the complex.

Forseeable future maybe 15 years

I bought abroad recently and guaranteed 320 days a year sunshine and
guaranteed to rent out.

Do your maths And don’t listen to them about renting outs has the
larger sites do the cheap holidays with the papers and you will get
very little in return.

Good luck.

As a family, we had one that my father bought 10years ago. We had babies on way then and now have 9, 8 and 6 year olds.

Underused, cramped, cold, damp, cost a fortune to have (despite being on a cheap site at Bowber Head) and eventually we had to get rid. We ended up giving it to a charity as paying for uplift to sell it off the site was the same cost as the van was worth.

Spend you money on cheap self catering.

My Aunt has one (actually she’s had two or three now as she has to replace it every few years otherwise the holiday park in France refuses to rent it out). Unfortunately its nowhere near any mountains for mountain biking!

I’d would rather spend my cash on a large caravan (and a seasonal pitch if you like the idea of having it ready and waiting whenever you want to visit) then when you get bored with the area/fall out with the owners, you can up sticks and drag it somewhere else.

On the motorhome front, you’d be able to buy a nice van for the money a static costs, plus they hold their value really well (unless you trade it in at a later date at a dealers, it seems they really like to screw you over)

i used to work at a caravan park as head of maintinence til i went back off shore all i can say is you’ll regret it they cost £20’000-£30’000 AND THEY GO DOWN IN VALUE QUICKER THAN A NEW CAR and ground rent and rates are usualy expencive unless you find a good park.

Right the good parts are going on holiday every weekend you’ll make friends with other weird/friendly/old/young/rich/poor people and these friendships last for years and years if you get a good campsite they will have a clubhouse and pool and differnt bands on and events being run thoughout the summer months.

if you can get a van called The Aspen full on luxaury 8)

now if you dont mind loosing the cash go for it if you cant afford to loose the cash please dont do it ps always tip your maintinence guy if not when you run out of gas at 11pm on a saturday or sunday night and you ring him to bring a gas bottle (as the office will be shut) he’ll say bollocks 😉

Just got a small tourer, all mod cons but small. Add an awning and hey presto. Met up with some friends of ours who were camping. Huge tent and all the gear. They spent all weekend in our van. Hot water and heating, and a toilet for the kids during the night. If you want, put the kids in a tent in the awning! Gives them a bit of freedom and gives you some peace and quiet.