Campernomics?

onomatopoeia99

fred246 wrote: »

Caravans are far superior. No insurance, servicing or MOT costs.

You need a car to tow them though and it places greater load than normal driving. Given the weight of many modern caravans, one also needs to be aware of the maximum loads, both amount towed and train weight, and driving licences aren't so simple as they used to be for people that passed their test in the last 20 years.

fred246

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

driving licences aren't so simple as they used to be for people that passed their test in the last 20 years.

I think this is why motorhomes are becoming more popular. When I looked into it people said that you could pass the test for around £600. People with horses had to do it to tow their horsebox. It would seem to make economic sense to do the test and tow a caravan rather than just buy a motorhome.

Richard53

agrinnall wrote: »

But make you hated by every other driver who is not a caravanner themselves.

As a (slightly reluctant) caravanner, I agree.

warehouse wrote: »

The difference is a caravan looks very silly on the road whereas a campervan looks uber cool.

Depends on the campervan. A splittie or a Transit conversion, absolutely. A 12m Swift Kon-Tiki with an aircon unit on the roof, towing a Vauxhall Astra, no.

Once the caravan is on site, pitched and I have a beer in my hand, I love the caravan life. Everything else, the towing, the faffing about with levelling, putting up the awning and enduring the conversation with the chap next door about his solar panels, I hate.

fred246

agrinnall wrote: »

But make you hated by every other driver who is not a caravanner themselves.

I am one of the few motorists who obey speed limits anyway so I am used to being hated. It doesn't bother me.

fred246

Richard53 wrote: »

putting up the awning

You've bought a caravan why do you have to put a tent up outside? Forget that bit.

Richard53

fred246 wrote: »

You've bought a caravan why do you have to put a tent up outside? Forget that bit.

Not an option. Wife insists.


Also, we only use it abroad. Caravan is set up as sleeping area (it's only a 2-berth) and the cooking and general living is done in the awning, which is huge.


I love tent camping, and it's the nearest I get to it.

Nebulous2

fred246 wrote: »

Our friends quote £3k a year running costs. You always get someone who says spend £50k on a motorhome and £3k a year so you can avoid campsite fees and park in laybys and aires instead of spending £20 a night on campsite fees. Of course you can park a caravan in all sorts of places but whether you would have a nice holiday parked up in a layby is very questionable. The aire in the town where our French friends live is always full and people queue for hours for a space. We just go to the municipal campsite which is far nicer. It might cost a few pounds but it's dwarfed by our savings from not running a motorhome.

As I said above, you weigh up the advantages and disadvantages and make your own choice. In some ways I agree with you. Our current caravan cost less than most caravanners pay for a motormover. We've been in France / Spain with it 3 times for 3 weeks at a time, with dog in tow. We use an ACSI card off peak for 12 or 15 euros a night.

However the dynamic changes for me if you're travelling long-term. One of the reasons we run a cheap caravan is because we're lining up our finances to retire. Part of the plan for that is to splurge on a motorhome. We've considered a bigger caravan and a bigger estate car, but so far the motorhome is ahead for us.

Nebulous2

fred246 wrote: »

I think this is why motorhomes are becoming more popular. When I looked into it people said that you could pass the test for around £600. People with horses had to do it to tow their horsebox. It would seem to make economic sense to do the test and tow a caravan rather than just buy a motorhome.

The same issue hits motorhomes as well. Many of them have a plated weight in excess of 3500 kg. You can't drive those with a post 97 licence.

We converted a minibus into a camper a few years ago and had that problem. It had a plated weight of 3750 which meant my daughter and her husband couldn't use it.

Gloomendoom

agrinnall wrote: »

I doubt if there is any economic case for a campervan unless you sell your home and live in it.

I know a couple who did that when they retired. After twelve years, they were fed up with it. They had no house to go back to and their camper was worth virtually nothing.

k6chris

Gloomendoom wrote: »

I know a couple who did that when they retired. After twelve years, they were fed up with it. They had no house to go back to and their camper was worth virtually nothing.

Wow, 12 years living together in a camper......and then they were only fed up with 'it'!!