N E C Show, Feb 2020

over £250 in fees and fuel, compared to a couple who spent the same week on a nearby site to ours staying in a new mobile home with all mod-cons paying just £105 no outlay on a van or large towcar for the same holiday.

So after the two holidays were over what did the respective holiday makers have that was different?  Well, the caravan holidaymakers had a caravan and a towcar they could use again and again, while the mobile home folk had . . . . ?

Well Sir

One couple had £145 extra in their pocket and the same small car that attracted a relatively small insurance policy and non of the initial outlay or depreciation and running and servicing or insuring a caravan or the more expensive running cost of a larger towcar. meaning each holiday they took out of high season would be considerably cheaper than the second couple.

While the second couple had a caravan that cost several thousand pounds that today would cost the best part of £30k to replace which depreciates each year costing over £300 pounds per year to insure and over £200/yr in service costs to ensure the water ingress warranty is maintained £56/ year membership of the Motorhome and Caravan Club plus additional costs of accessories such as awning locks water barrels and waste carriers etc.etc. Several thousand pounds of large diesel car that is depreciating at an alarming rate with an insurance premium and service cost that is probably double that of a smaller family car.

Again it is my choice to take this form of holiday, but it is not cost effective for future caravanners.

 

 

If only used for a fortnight a year, then it is a no-brainer. Ownership enables year-round use to defray those overheads. A similar argument was made about yacht ownership. Ownership enabled me to go off for a quick sail on the spur of the moment. Cost effective - probably not and it was certainly a lot of work to maintain. That aspect of ownership of a caravan or MH is nowhere near as great.

I can't relate to that scenario at all. 

I have had my caravan for years and the purchase price would have been written down over the first two or three of them.  I don't think it is depreciating much each year now, and of course the annual insurance costs reflect the low value. No warranty to maintain, and nothing in the service schedule that I can't do myself.  Accessories all paid for years ago, e.g. the melamine dishes we use having been bought by my parents in 1970s and still bright as new!.

The Caravan Club "membership", and that for the Camping Club as well, is really unavoidable, However my Land Rover would be there whether or not I had a caravan, and the mileage towing is only a small part of the annual figure.

Also, we caravanners do know who has slept on the mattress before and that the sheets have been properly laundered!

 

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The cc storage we use, holds about 500 LVs and boats and trailers,there are quite a few that have not moved for several years,and at £690 this year,is not very economical for those!!,but it is quite noticeable ,just how many more seem, are always there when we use it  

There are a handful on our storage who never seem to move!  It makes me wonder why they shell out the cash!  I guess they may well just be abandoned.  I don't know the legal rights of the owners of the site for getting rid of abandoned caravans!  Fortunately there are only two of three that looked uncharted for, out of hundreds.

David 

Could be that after a couple of years of not paying the storage fee the outstanding amount exceeds the second hand value of the caravan - especially if the outside has gone green and needs an expensive clean!

I wonder if there will be anyone at the NEC Show promoting a caravan cleaning service?

There were certainly stands selling cleaning materials! It was quite busy today at the NEC but it was a good day.

I was especially interested in the 45L collapsible water and 45L collapsible grey waste containers as an alternative to the aquaroll and wastemaster, to be produced by Colapz.  They are still trialling and refining, but hope to get them invoroduction in about 12 months.  A little bit disappointed that I'm going to have to wait another 12 months.

I've ordered some new outside chairs.  One of ours bit the dust recently!  ......and of course, I came away with my bag of Snowdonia Cheese.

I spent a little time on the CAMC stand chatting to various people, including Ro.  

I did have a sneaky envious look inside one of the new Bailey 8ft wide caravan, but resisted temptation, and said a quick hello to John Rose (of Rose Awnings).

Everyone seemed very busy and in good spirits.

David

Going tomorrow, to re-ignite my caravan/motorhome dilemma.