What is it really going top cost, starting with a modest, but new, caravan?

[Eldorado]

It may be we should look at used vans (part of the reason for joining here today was to learn more about that aspect, what are the really good used vans - but that's not the question I have here)

Looking for a winter capable caravan for 2 people, needs a fixed bed and seating area - so we can both do our own thing. But not too big to tow, esp in poor weather.

A new Knaus 500 UF seems a good place to start (not chosen, but £25k new and ticks quite a few boxes for us). The sums seem to come in at £4000/year for 40 ish nights use, including depreciation, insurance, storage etc - does that sound about right? Was hoping for less.

Would a nearly new van (or even older) make more sense? The van prices right now see to suggest not, but we wont be buying until September / October

Or, as newb caravaners, should we just pick up a bargain at the end of the season and see how we get on? So many choices

 

[birdman101]

Realistic a new caravan will loose more in the first year. I would say if you use lower cost sites ,depreciation,storage costs and insurance for the first year £5500. Towing fuel costs on top of this.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Unless you are 100% sure you want to caravan, buying new is a more risky process as you loose more money being the first owner when you try to sell.

Let also make it clear, that there is no caravan manufacturer that can claim their products are more than 80% fully acceptable, so there is an argument to suggest looking for 1 to 2 year-old caravan means most warranty problems should be sorted.

 

[IanB1485]

As a first van I would never consider buying new, my mate bought a 6 month old caravan at a knock down price after first time buyers bought it new and then decided they didn't like it .
Buy a cheap second hand caravan from a dealer ( its a buyers market a the moment) to see if you like it and can handle towing a big white box behind you ( another friend has towing anxiety which limits their trips , but can't afford a motorhome) then if you find its ok and you'll get to know what you need/like regarding layout that when you go for a new caravan you will have a better idea

 

[Buckman]

Remembe with the Knaus caravan just about everyhting is an extra whuch is why the base price is to low. However they are a well made caravan, but dealers are scarce.

 

[birdman101]

We have bought every caravan new over 50+ years, but in the 1970’s we did hire a tourer for a weeks holiday to see if it was to our needs,

 

[Andy Norfolk]

We did buy our first caravan new, an Adria Adora Seine 2 years ago. In my defence we'd had a motorhome for 3 years before the caravan. We had an Adria motorhome so maybe I'm biased about the maker. If I was looking at replacing ours now I would probably do more research, I agree Knaus look good, maybe Coachman and of course another Adria.

 

[RogerL]

"Do as I say, not as I do" - we bought our first caravan new and kept it 17 years - but the anecdotal evidence from caravan forums is that most newcomers change their mind about their favourite layout quite quickly after purchase so it makes sense to buy secondhand, use for a couple of years to establish your own preferences and then trade it for another caravan.

I have found that the warranty period on a new caravan is a period to endure, to get all the faults fixed, and then get many years trouble-free use - so now I'd never buy a new caravan, best to let someone else have the aggro of getting faults fixed and bearing the brunt of the depreciation.

 

[GUMPY]

Our first van was 17 years old when we bought it, a dealer trade in. We kept it for five years and sold it for almost what we paid for it. Then knowing we were going to continue we bought a 5 year old van which we still have.

Guess what I am saying is why buy new when there are bargains to be had in the second hand market and you will lose less money.

 

[Eldorado]

Really useful stuff, thanks folks - I am learning so much about the reality of starting out in caravans in UK these days

My first assumption was caravan warranties are useful / meaningful and buying new is the *least* risky (as you might assume with a lot of purchases). The reality seems to be that the dealer is a massive variable, buying lightly used, well documented from a reputable dealer is possibly a better idea, esp for a newb. Going to search again for decent local dealers.

My second assumption was all caravans leak and 10 years is a typical life, the only differentiator is brand / quality. It seems any company can have a dodgy van or a dodgy bit of a build (though some brands are better than others) - so buying 1 or 2 years old allows issues to be seen/fixed. And, older vans are perfectly serviceable so long as they are sound and well documented.

 

[birdman101]

All caravans don’t leak it is only the leaking ones you hear about. People who have a caravan with no problems tend to stay quiet and enjoy their purchase. An old workmate of mine still has his 18 years ago old caravan and is sound..

 

[ProfJohnL]

Yes to be fair, it's only those who have been hurt who shout, and there will be some who genuinely have a fault free experience but if you do dig deeper most owners of new caravans will have either fixed some minor failure or niggles themselves, or asked their dealer, without raising a warranty claim.

The detail shows how few caravanner's do have a fault free experience which just shows how inconsistently the manufacturers are at assembling new caravans.

The buying public have become anethetised to the errors the manufacturers allow through their assembly plants.

Yet the law states consumers should be able to expect perfect products every time. The industry has a long way to go to approach a reasonable reliability rating.

One other point to consider is how easy is it for you to return the caravan to the selling dealer, because it's almost certain at some point that will be your only option. This is true for both new and second hand caravans.

 

[Beachball]

We did buy our first caravan new, an Adria Adora Seine 2 years ago. In my defence we'd had a motorhome for 3 years before the caravan. We had an Adria motorhome so maybe I'm biased about the maker. If I was looking at replacing ours now I would probably do more research, I agree Knaus look good, maybe Coachman and of course another Adria.

We got a one owner from new with the serviced book stamp and damp checked the caravan was stunning but we also like Bailey and Adria but it might a couple years old if go for another 🙏