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I don't wish to sound negative but my personal advice to you is don't, unless you have an endless supply of money to pay the various yearly expenses you will encounter. Have a read through this thread before you go any further - http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=8&TopicID=228221&SearchPagePosition=1&search=static+caravan&searchMode=phrase&searchIn=Topic&forum=8&searchSort=dateDESC&ReturnPage=Search

Tsk such negativity... we own a 2007 3 bedroom static in France.  Yes the numbers look big at first cut but once you've thought about them they can stack up.

We like the site (Siblu in Normandy), we like the mangement.  In three years rentals we've only had one issue with damage and that was sorted out in under an hour.  The rentals pay for the site fees plus or minus €100 so all we have to finance is the er.. finance and getting there.  Which means my holidays cost about £300 a week - which is nice.  We did sublet Friends and Family one year but they did not care about the caravan leaving it not cleaned and "horrors" failed to replace the wine they'd drunk. 

You have to like the site, the area etc... but if you do then it's a lot of fun.  There is no Council tax on Statics in France either.

It is always a better idea to get the caravan from the park, if your buying new then any decent park will be able to get any caravan you want. It will work out cheaper this way when you add the costs up. Your 5% estimate is way off the mark, but then when your buying multiple vans at a time every year it should be.

Our site fees include all rates and tv license, cant say about other parks. You should not have to pay council tax on a holiday caravan either.

A caravan is a longer term investment, it works very much like a car. However if used regularly it will be a pleasure for yourself and your family.

Jasmin Park - I agree completely with your comments.

For those that moan about the cost........you must expect a heavy depreciation in the 1st 3 years of a new Holiday Home - this is exactly like buying a new car!

Where the benefits are to be enjoyed is the long term use of the caravan home - and of course the facilities that the park offers its guests (swimming pools, golfing, restaurant, coffee shops, nature trail walks, childrens adventure playground etc etc).

John

Sorry, but I have to agree with the earlier post.

Unless you have a large, bottomless pit of money you wish to fritter away, don't buy a static caravan.

I speak from personal experience.  My parents owned 3, the last of which cost them dearly.   The site owners have you exactly where they want you, the site fees can increase drastically, without explanation, and you often have to sell your van back to the site owner, who can offer you literally peanuts for it.   If you are obliged to sell to them, why would they give you a good price?   There are also usually limits on how long the van can be sited, after which time (often 10 years) you will, again, need to sell your old van back to the site for next to nothing or take it off site to somewhere else (almsot impossible to arrange as no one willl accept it).  My parents were offered less than a quarter of the real value of their van (which was proved less than 2 weeks later when someone they knew bought it from the site owner and told us how much they had paid).

You may buy a van on a "good" site with reasonable terms and conditions, then the site is sold and the new owners can impose what terms they want.  The whole thing is a minefield.

You may be considering renting out the van to try to recoup your costs...also not a good idea as you will find that even people  you consider to be friends may not treat your property as you would want them to.   If you allow the site to rent out your van for you, then the van is even more likely to be damaged and left dirty.

Sorry to be such a downer, but I do speak from bitter experience ..  my advice for what it's worth is to think long and hard before parting with your cash and to double check the small print in your contract with the site.

Quote: Originally posted by BPD07 on 07/10/2010

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Tsk such negativity... we own a 2007 3 bedroom static in France.  Yes the numbers look big at first cut but once you've thought about them they can stack up.

We like the site (Siblu in Normandy), we like the mangement.  In three years rentals we've only had one issue with damage and that was sorted out in under an hour.  The rentals pay for the site fees plus or minus €100 so all we have to finance is the er.. finance and getting there.  Which means my holidays cost about £300 a week - which is nice.  We did sublet Friends and Family one year but they did not care about the caravan leaving it not cleaned and "horrors" failed to replace the wine they'd drunk. 

You have to like the site, the area etc... but if you do then it's a lot of fun.  There is no Council tax on Statics in France either.

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