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choosing a newer caravan


jam151

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this year we bought our 1st caravan, a 1990 swift well looked after its a 4/5 berth. we bought an older van to see how we would enjoy the caravan holiday way, im pleased to say wife, kids and myself enjoyed it allthough we only went to a cl 15 miles from home, this was to try the van out & see what its like (if it all went pear shaped we were near home) this was a benefit as i had to buy 2 new striplights

onto the the topic of the post *-)

i would like to upgrade to a newer or if i could a new caravan, reading reviews magazines etc. im at a confused point do i buy 2nd hand or go all out & get a new 1, do i use finance (nrver tried this before) or do i settle for cheaper & keep saving (if i ever get another payrise) just wondering if anyone has any pointers on this such as how much would monthly costs be for a new van assuming £18000 was spent

cheers

jamie

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You are asking something that no one can really give you an answer to. Finance credit deals have so many twists and turns that no 2 deals are alike. It all depends on where you live, your job, credit rating etc etc. However, to get some ideas bank websites often show the deals they can offer to 'selected' customers and will give you an idea of monthly payments. Dealer offered finance is usually dearer than going to a 3rd party, but you never know they may be doing a special deal. Looking at one of the bank calculators a £18000 loan over 4 years at 8.9% will cost £444 per month.So you end up paying £21000+ for the deal.

 

No disrespect but if you are considering taking on a £18000 loan then money is dare I say, quite plentiful in your budget. I could not do it.

 

I would also suggest waiting another year with the exisiting van just to make sure this is what you want to do, before making an expensive mistake.

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Don't forget kids grow up.. Then they don't want to holiday with Mum & Dad. Also they may want to do other things for holidays, as "jonny" goes on holiday to XYZ!, on a plane not in a caravan.

Stay with the van you,ve got, if it suits your present purpouse

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thanks for the replies, as i said ive been looking in magazines etc. when you see the difference in todays vans compared to 20 years ago it makes mine look very basic :-S i will be using it next year then i thought about changing it next autumn, obviously a brand new van would be perfect but i think it will be a used one, it certainly does the job its designed for allthough we used an electric heater & kettle & only used the gas for cooking breakfast as the other meals were eaten out. as for the kids hopefully they will tag along for the next 5 or 6 years without complaints *-) we even had the skybox in it (that kept the kids happy in the evenings) hopefully we will all still enjoy it in a few years

jamie

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Bluntly, if it suits and is damp free, then keep it. Better spend the money on having some fun rather than something you will end up worrying about could get marked etc. Unless of course you wish to show off at the CC sites Hee! Hee!

 

Seriously you will find that many new vans today are not a patch on older ones and are cheaply made. They may look nice but after afew years tend to fade rapidly. That is possibly the ploy so you keep upgrading.

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thanks for the info i think it will be 2nd hand when i do change it *-) ive got it stored infront of my garage (which is just 4 doors along from my house) a neighbour parks one of his cars infront of my van & his other car infront of his so security is taken care of it does have hitch lock & wheel lock on it

i went along yesterday to see how its stood up to all the rain weve had i was very pleased everything is bone dry & smells lovely B-) the previous owners had left a roof vent open during rain & it got a good soaking allthough this was all mended im sure it never all goes away unless the whole inside was stripped out & renewed hence the reason i will be upgrading sooner rather than later, a damp metre has given geen lights so far but i think im paranoid since it has had water in it in the past, its been in storage for about 4 weeks so i was even more pleased to see the battery was still in vgood condition, ive also bought a 40w solar kit but havent rigged it up yet as i will need a secure stand for the panell to stand next to the van but will get round to this soon

enough of my rambling on i only meant to type thanks for your comments & help

*-)

jamie

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Guest pelmetman

Well if its dry and working..................Why get yourself in debt *-)...............Remember...... its a tool to take you to places and camp in comfort ;-)..............

 

 

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