Nick in France said:
Parksy, I don't agree that UK caravan designs & equipment levels are customer lead, if the design & equipment wasn't changed every year there would be no incentive for the 'snobs' to keep buying the new model.
On a completly random sample of one, I had a look round a 2 berth van at a dealers a couple of days ago when I went to get some bits to repair my UK van.
I can't remember the make but it would almost certainly have been French, it had a fixed double bed at the rear, 2 seats & a table at the front, a kitchen comprising a 3 ring hob, no grill (French domestic cookers don't have a grill either), a small fridge. The shower room was about the same as UK centre shower rooms.
What was noticable was that the fittings seemed much more substantial than my UK van & the whole thing seemed much more 'solid'.
The total price was 17,995€ (£14,500).
Hi Nick
I've had a good look at Steckerman and Caravelair models, both manufactured in France, and although they are inexpensive I'm sorry to say that the fittings were no more substantial than those in UK manufactured caravans, the main difference was that the French styling looked decidedly old fashioned.
Anyone could obtain a caravan which had solid oak fittings if they chose to, Vanmaster produce bespoke caravans here in the UK but there would be a high weight penalty and of course a cost penalty. Older more affluent buyers look for higher spec for their budget but they prefer caravans that can be towed by a normal family saloon or estate car, so 'solid' may not always be what these buyers want.
I really don't agree that new caravans are bought here in the UK by 'snobs', the main incentive for new buyers is due to the part exchange price that they can expect for the model that they intend to replace.
There is nothing snobbish about a person who buys a new caravan that they can afford, whether it is a basic entry level model or a top end luxury gin palace, and the slur about new caravan buyers being 'snobs' is very often a form of inverted snobbery and is without foundation.
I do agree that the idea of a simple three burner hob, no microwave, no high end luxury fittings or highly elaborate washrooms would have a ready market both here and in Europe as long as the (lower) cost reflected the basic interior.
emmerson said:
Morning Parksy. Haven't you just shot yourself in the foot?
German
caravans as they are sold in Germany didn't sell here, so their
interiors were upgraded to UK spec.That is just what I said, that a
basic van won't sell because it doesn't have snob appeall.
As I wrote earlier Emmo, I completely disagree with your assertion that buyers of new caravans in the UK are in any way 'snobs'.
It's true that European caravans never sold in large volumes because of poor eqipment levels in comparison to models with UK spec but the ground has shifted somewhat.
Younger families who tended to opt for overseas holidays have found that these luxurious two weeks in the sun are becoming a luxury too far for their purse strings now.
Evidence suggests that many have turned instead to holidays in the UK and camping and caravanning is no longer seen by media pundits as the preserve of the elderly. Young families are no longer prepared to pay a fortune to be treated like cattle at airports whilst waiting for flights that may or may not arrive depending on whether or not Air Traffic Controllers elsewhere decide to go on strike. Some of the younger potential buyers would like to own a new caravan after they have tried out the lifestyle but the ever escalating cost makes such a purchase very difficult.
I
would suggest that a basic caravan would sell to young families in the curent economic climate, I've
often seen forum posts asking if there are models available which don't
have showers for example. As you say, many families use sites which
already have toilets and showers, portable gas BBQ's and multi use
portable cookers like the Cadac are now highly popular so a full freestanding gas cooker isn't really necessary for an entry level caravan.
My point was that these lighter and less expensive basic models would be best built to UK standards as far as body shells are concerned, the ones mentioned by Nigel that he saw in the US seem to have used the old wood frame covered with aluminium sheeting backed by poorly insulated wallboard so it's doubtful if they would sell many here in the UK.
The Bailey Orion is imho a step in the right direction for an entry level caravan which would appeal to a younger market, but even this entry level model has a microwave and oven fitted as standard.
I'd be interested to see how a model such as the Orion would fare in terms of sales to first timers if the Alu Tec body shell was retained but more luxury spec items were offered as optional extras rather than as standard equipment. Younger buyers could choose to save money on their new caravan and spend around £100 in total on a Cadac Safari Chef and a microwave oven from Argos, far less than the standard equipment cooker and microwave currently fitted would cost them.
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