Are static caravans a waste of money? (No?)

In this article, we answer the following question: Are static caravans a waste of money? We talk about the advantages of owning this sort of caravan, and whether you should buy or rent it. 

Are static caravans a waste of money?

No Static caravans are not a waste of money because the popularity of the static caravans has a clear justification, and it is that with an economic model founded on the construction market, those who previously used their savings to buy a second home in a leisure destination now prefer to invest less money even in something that, incidentally, allows you to enjoy a small home anywhere.

Static trailers are not meant to be towed around the country. Instead, they are designed to be transported only once – directly to a vacation or trailer park – where they will stay for an extended time. There are many types and they all have their pros and cons depending on the use we want to give it.

Without a doubt, this type of house is not for anyone, only the most daring, adventurous and detached are passionate about this style of travel: unconventional, minimalist, practical and quite environmentalist tourists.

Static caravans can be thought of as a portable home, a solution for the lodging and food expenses that you would normally have in any hotel when you go on a trip; being extreme, tourists in this type of transport change their backpack around the house in the car, take it everywhere, wherever they want and when they want.

There are many types of mobile homes, there are them in all prices, sizes, shapes, colors and styles, technological and handmade, basic, simple and luxurious, they even make them just tailored to your needs, or if you want to feel like your own, You can even build it yourself with patience and investment capacity.

Should I buy a static caravan?

Living in a static caravan is not the same to go on a vacation in a motorhome for a few days. The need for space and objects changes a lot. It is not about spending an entire weekend or a week, but more time.

Static caravans can be quite a financial fall. You are obligated to the site and have to pay whatever charges they ask – you have no options of other places to visit – you take a large loss if you sell them. 

Here a few things to consider if you are thinking of acquiring a static caravan:

• The rent you are paying for the lot will not stay the same for years. It will most definitely increase. 
• You will have to pay for electricity, water, gas, internet – just like you would pay in any other house/apartment.
• You need to prepare for any unexpected maintenance costs. Especially if you are living in an area where winters get rough; it rains a lot etc. 
• If this is a vacation home, you should know that many sites aren’t open all year round.
• Usually, once the static caravan reaches 10 years old you’d either have to replace it or move it somewhere else because many sites do not host vans this old. 
• On the bonus side, you may “rent” the caravan when you’re not there, to generate some extra cash.

The advantages of buying a caravan

Freedom. You will not depend on the schedules of other means of transport, nor on the destination limitations that other alternatives may offer. Discover new places and go at the pace that you like. With your caravan, you will have FREEDOM written in capital letters. Go where you want, when you want and with whoever you want.

Multiple places to go. Wherever there is parking, you can park your caravan and spend some time there. It can be a parking lot next to the beach, a plot in a place with difficult access or a campsite. The road network is extensive enough that the sites you can visit with your caravan are almost unlimited.

You can plan your route. Connected with freedom appears the option of being able to make the trip as you want, this means that if in the middle of the road you see a city that you are interested in knowing first hand, you can make a stop and visit it. Knowing that you have a caravan many times the trip becomes a continuous adventure.

Family and friends. Having a caravan or motorhome allows trips to be massive. Instead of travelling one person or a couple, the whole family or a group of friends can travel. In this way, the trip takes on a new meaning, where the group will unite and a multitude of anecdotes will be produced. If you don’t like to travel alone or alone, you will love the environment this vehicle provides.

Nature. Being able to enjoy a night under the light of the stars or in a national park surrounded by vegetation are experiences that are difficult to achieve if it is not having a caravan. Bring out your most natural side and get in touch with the scenic beauty.

Adapted to your style. We all like to have things prepared the way we like. We have little hobbies and habits that make us feel good. Being able to decorate the caravan to our liking and prepare it with the materials that we find most interesting is a way of having our home anywhere. There may be more luxurious places to sleep, but it is difficult to feel as comfortable as when you are in a place prepared for your way of life.

You save on hotels. A caravan is not cheap and a motorhome is even less economical. However, after the initial expense, there is a great saving in hotels and pensions that makes it profitable if we like to travel a lot and provides us with guarantees such as being able to take our pet with us to enjoy the best pet-friendly routes.

Should you buy or rent a caravan?

As always when we are going to invest a lot of money, and without a doubt buying a caravan is, we ask ourselves many questions that are sometimes difficult to answer: How many days will I use it per year? Is it better to rent or buy a car caravan? Is a new or a second-hand caravan better?

There are many places to rent caravans, and although they have a high price perhaps if we are only going to go in summer for a few days with the children to visit places and beaches, buying it will not be entirely profitable. As much as we are going to buy a second-hand trailer, it is always a large outlay of money that we will have to make, since it may not be in perfect condition.

It is also essential to think about whether you have a place where the caravan can be parked since they are large vehicles and need a place protected from the cold and heat. Only then will it be in perfect condition when we want to use it. In the event of having to rent a place to leave it, it involves an additional outlay of money that must be added to the annual expenses that have a vehicle of these characteristics.

What is the best time of year to buy a caravan?

The market for second-hand caravans and motorhomes does not work the same as that of new ones. In both circumstances, prices and models will be governed by the law of supply and demand, so the best time will vary in parallel with the buying and selling cycles.

If you plan on buying a second-hand caravan, the usual is that the peak season is concentrated just before and after the summer holidays.

The reason for this will be that the first owners will decide to sell quite possibly in one of those two moments: before the holidays, when they have decided to replace their old caravan with a new one with different features, or on their return, once they have discovered that the performance of your current model does not match your needs.

If you want to buy a new caravan, the motorhome market is usually renewed annually, when manufacturing companies launch their new designs with renewed features and styles. This renewal process usually crystallizes in September and October and coincides with the best time to buy as the prices of their older models drop to get rid of stock.

Although there are some tricks to buying a motorhome, the ideal is that we take some time and search the market for the alternative that best suits our desires and lifestyle.

Conclusions

In this article, we answered the following question: Are static caravans a waste of money? We talked about the advantages of owning this sort of caravan, and whether you should buy or rent it. 

The truth is, besides the obvious disadvantages, you may truly love your static caravan. Our advice is to go first and try it for a couple of weeks. It is a huge step to make, so before you sell your house and throw all your things out, rent a static caravan and see how living on one goes for you.

This being said, do your research and if you have any questions or comments on the content, please let us know!

FAQ on Are static caravans a waste of money?

References

Coasttocoastcaravans.com

Onthemarket.com

parkholidays.com