A year ago in July 2019 we picked up our very first caravan, he was named Bailey by our eldest and we headed off to a local site, total newbies! Our buying journey was surprisingly quick from “lets get a caravan” to putting down a deposit, but that’s just us!
The idea came to hubby on our yearly static caravan holiday to Spain. He was walking round the touring part of the site seeing the set ups and on returning to the splash pool announced that he wanted a motorhome! I laughed and said nah Caravan…. The day after we got home we started our search!
With thousands of caravan options out there, in this blog I’m going to share a few hints and tips we picked up along the way as first time buyers that helped us.
First knowing what layout will work for your family and trips you plan to make is key in your search for a caravan as it narrows your search and our experience was we then found several suitable options at locally to consider. Our layout of choice was fixed bunks for the boys and lounge bed for ourselves with a rear bathroom and dinette. We found browsing the manufactures websites for the current layouts and checking out the layouts of caravans for sale online was a good option as you work out what you want and need from your layout.
We found at first going to dealerships and spending time in the different caravan layouts really helped, you find out what you like about a layout and what you don’t like. We found that hubby at 6ft3 didn’t fit in any of one brand head touching the ceiling! so we ruled those out pretty quickly! Then with the aid of the internet and caravan magazines you can find specific models that match your requirements.
Once you have narrowed your layout requirements, the next decision will be new or used, cost and your budget being the biggest factor here for most people.
How much to spend is a totally personal decisions but be assured there a caravan out there for everyone’s budget!
A great piece of advice we were given was if you are not sure the caravanning lifestyle is for you, look at used and try it out for a year or two. Many used caravans come ready to go with all the starter equipment you might need, plus if you’re not 100% sure about your layout requirements or they may change in the future it means you can upgrade later down the road.
We looked at several used private sales and as it is with buying cars the prices cut out the middle man and can be lower, there’s a wider range of options to pick from with used, but you might need to travel around to find what you are looking for.
For us we ended up buying new as we knew from camping trips and static caravan holidays this was a long term commitment we wanted to make. Plus we loved the idea of the caravan never being used by anyone else.
Buying new meant we could only purchase from a dealership, but as first time buyers this was a benefit for us as we didn’t feel fully confident buying privately and buying new gave us long warranties.
If like us you didn’t feel confident to purchase privately but want to buy a used caravan you can also buy used from a dealership and it will often also involve a short warrantee and all confidence there isn’t any major issues on the horizon like the dreaded damp for example as dealerships will always make extensive checks on their used stock.
A great way if your planning to buy new like us is to get a ticket to the caravan and motorhome show in Birmingham the next one is in October 2021, as I write this as sadly as this year the show was cancelled due to COIVID.
You can view hundreds of caravans from all the makers, plus there are stalls galore to spend on all the equipment you might need and want! It’s also a great day out! I’ll be headed there in 2021, not to buy a caravan however!
Ultimately though there is no right or wrong way to buy your caravan and my biggest tip, don’t be afraid to ask questions be that on buying a caravan or after, we are a friendly bunch and are always willing to help out!
Follow our journey, the good the bad and the ugly on Instagram @thecaravanningmummy
In my next blog I’m going to go through my top 10 tips and products I can’t be without.
Comments