Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
That's nearly twice what we paid for our house (4 years ago) - which is a good sized 4 bed with double garage in one of the more expensive parts of South Wales.
Static caravan purchase ?
- Thread starter Scaleyback
- Start date
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That's nearly twice what we paid for our house (4 years ago) - which is a good sized 4 bed with double garage in one of the more expensive parts of South Wales.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
We inherited my in-laws van over 10 years ago - well it was a case of, 'you can pay for it' now. We'd gone occasionally to help them, so as we liked it we took on the cost of the ground rent.
This was a relatively 'cheap site. Ground rent £4,000, Insurance £400, gas electric, say £250. We didn't have to buy the van.
We had the 'your van is too old' message a couple of years back. We had our last season finish at Christmas 2023. There was nothing wrong with the van, was top of the range and still looked like new. Nope, has to go. Looking at used vans, they were coming in at £30k via the site, add say financing this over 10 years, that's £3k per year on top of say £5k rent and running costs. £8k per year for a 8 month season. We decided no when we had the purchase cost to add in.
We loved going, but it's way cheaper to go camping and hotels, which is what we've done. We're not feeling guilty if we go 'elsewhere' - i.e. paying for the van and then paying more to stay elsewhere.
Yes you could buy a second home, but I'm dead against it - tin box in a field or taking a house out of the local community, no doesn't sit well with me.
We've done 14 nights so far this year under canvas, 7 more in August, and done maybe 10 nights in hotels so far this year. Still way cheaper. Wife has had one overseas holiday, a UK holiday and a cruise coming up without me. I'm bike packing for 4 nights in September.
I'm due a car change (it will be 23 years old in January 25), so this money that I had for a static, will be going on a people carrier sized van, that we can remove seats, load with paddle boards, bikes and camping gear, or indeed, just sleep in it.
We've saved us a fortune.
Our van was sold to a dealer, and it's now somebody else's holiday home in Poland. We do miss it, but not the cost. The caravan decking is now at the back of my garage as an extra seating area back home, as the site wouldn't let us leave it for a new owner (another rip off), so I dismantled it, transported home and re-assembled. Cost of new is about £10k.
The British market for statics is run like the mafia. Unfortunately, for the park that we were on, many folk have left, and they have a lot of plots vacant. So much for the 'waiting list' they kept telling us about.
This was a relatively 'cheap site. Ground rent £4,000, Insurance £400, gas electric, say £250. We didn't have to buy the van.
We had the 'your van is too old' message a couple of years back. We had our last season finish at Christmas 2023. There was nothing wrong with the van, was top of the range and still looked like new. Nope, has to go. Looking at used vans, they were coming in at £30k via the site, add say financing this over 10 years, that's £3k per year on top of say £5k rent and running costs. £8k per year for a 8 month season. We decided no when we had the purchase cost to add in.
We loved going, but it's way cheaper to go camping and hotels, which is what we've done. We're not feeling guilty if we go 'elsewhere' - i.e. paying for the van and then paying more to stay elsewhere.
Yes you could buy a second home, but I'm dead against it - tin box in a field or taking a house out of the local community, no doesn't sit well with me.
We've done 14 nights so far this year under canvas, 7 more in August, and done maybe 10 nights in hotels so far this year. Still way cheaper. Wife has had one overseas holiday, a UK holiday and a cruise coming up without me. I'm bike packing for 4 nights in September.
I'm due a car change (it will be 23 years old in January 25), so this money that I had for a static, will be going on a people carrier sized van, that we can remove seats, load with paddle boards, bikes and camping gear, or indeed, just sleep in it.
We've saved us a fortune.
Our van was sold to a dealer, and it's now somebody else's holiday home in Poland. We do miss it, but not the cost. The caravan decking is now at the back of my garage as an extra seating area back home, as the site wouldn't let us leave it for a new owner (another rip off), so I dismantled it, transported home and re-assembled. Cost of new is about £10k.
The British market for statics is run like the mafia. Unfortunately, for the park that we were on, many folk have left, and they have a lot of plots vacant. So much for the 'waiting list' they kept telling us about.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
PS, New you are looking £60k-£100k, more for the lodge size (double footprint). Used, you can get decent ones for £30k to £40k but not much less. Some sites only allow you to stay for 10 years.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Oh, and you can't find a site that will take on old, yet perfect vans. It's a cartel. We tried.
Fastpedaller
Über Member
We sometimes stay at 'wooden lodges' on Hoseasons or Parkdean sites. Nice holidays, but we've always thought we would never buy one. Annual maintenance costs alone are more than a couple of holidays (to wherever we choose, not just one location). One of the big sale 'hooks' is "when you aren't using it you can let it out and earn money from it"..... But of course the site take most of the 'income' but none of the cost if the lodge is damaged. As we quickly worked out, a money pit rip off. Selling the dream, as others have correctly pointed out. A friend bought one recently and quickly realised the error - less than a year old and the site offered 25% of the purchase price!
Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
Quite apart from the crazy costs and rules, We just don't do repeat trips for holidays very often at all (in fact I can only think of ONE resort/village we have been to twice - Stoupa on the Greek mainland), so just would not be interested in a fixed site property.
We had touring caravans for 30 years, used for holidays both abroad and in the UK, now have a camper van which we haven't really used much for holidays as such, though we may be going to Northern Ireland later this year.
We had touring caravans for 30 years, used for holidays both abroad and in the UK, now have a camper van which we haven't really used much for holidays as such, though we may be going to Northern Ireland later this year.
Electric_Andy
Heavy Metal Fan
- Location
- Plymouth
I must say, these prices are way beyond what I'd thought it would cost. Just for reference, my parents belong to a holiday club (Seasons Resorts) and I think they pay £8 or £9k per year. You get to choose from quite a few places in the UK, and several affiliate hotels abroad. You do only get a set number of peak weeks a year, but also quite a few off-peak and short breaks (3 nights). Nearly all of the ones in the UK have a hot tub, new interior (they are A-frame lodges) plus there's indoor pool, tennis courts, gym, golf course, bar restaurant onsite. When you're not staying, you can still use all the facilities any time for free. They also rent out what they don't use, which gets them about £3k /year
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Statics are very expensive, especially if you factor in the purchase price may give you 10 years use, then it's over. We did use ours a lot, most weekends, but it then means DIY catch up at home during the week after work etc etc. Ours was a great base for cycling - far nicer down there, quiet roads and traffic free routes - nice little pootles to the pub for lunch. We are missing it, but certainly not the expense, and I'm finding camping more relaxing (after the pitch up). It's also nice to pop to a hotel for a night or two.
Chislenko
Veteran
Another thing to bear in mind with a static / lodge is that you end up going to the same place all the time. We had our apartment for 20 years in Portugal and we were bored stiff with the local by the end.
Now we just rent houses / apartments and visit many different places.
The main advantage of a "base," is that you can leave all your stuff there, but you are paying bills 12 months a year for maybe two / three months use?
Now we just rent houses / apartments and visit many different places.
The main advantage of a "base," is that you can leave all your stuff there, but you are paying bills 12 months a year for maybe two / three months use?
figbat
Slippery scientist
- Location
- South Oxfordshire, UK
Depend on your car but why not get a touring caravan and put it on a seasonal pitch? There are storage facilities for wintertime which you have to pay for obviously unless you have room at home. Caveat some council planning departments forbid having them at home.
I have seriously considered this idea and my car already has a towbar so I may well go ahead tho' long term planning is probably not a good idea at my advanced age.
You might even be able to get away without having a tow car. Have a tourer on a seasonal pitch and then put into storage over winter; some sites offer both and will move the van onto and off of the pitch as required. If you then decide to move to another site you can hire a tow car, or have someone move it for you.
figbat
Slippery scientist
- Location
- South Oxfordshire, UK
There's no issue with planning permission if you park on the drive. There may be a restrictive covenant in the deeds to your house but these may or may not be enforced. Having the caravan on the drive makes for a useful annex to the house sometimes for overspill sleeping.
wiggydiggy
Guru
One of the sites I've stayed at this year (Gibraltor Farm, Silverdale, Lancashire) has a lot of what look like permanently placed touring caravans, it's a novel approach though I don't know how much it is copared to a static. But compared to 20 years ago 2 of their fields have been converted to take tourers rather than tents so its certainly getting more popular I'd say.
raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
Do you remember the saying in the 80's
"Come home to a real fire..................buy a holiday home in Wales
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
I do! I was coming at it from the viewpoint of moving to Wales.
I'll probably be there this time next year.
I'll probably be there this time next year.
