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Hi all need to bother you for some advice regarding statics

We have a tourer at the moment which we love but are seriously thinking of moving on to a static for a few reasons, but mainly as we like a particular site so much we tend to go back again and again and the grand kids arent getting any smaller so more space would be a blessing.

Anyhow, we have a couple of questions that I hope can be answered here.

We have looked at a couple of vans being sold through the site we like (a Park Resorts site) and a couple on the same site being sold privately by the owner. The vans sold thru the site seem significantly more expensive. Is there any particular reason for this 

We are aware of the current site fees but is there any cap in place to limit the annual rises or are these purely at the  pleasure of the site owners?

We have also considered the idea of buying our own static and then then having it sited here - what sort of costs would be involved in this and would it be cost effective?

Any advice in truth, would be extremely welcome on any of the pitfalls we may encounter and anything we should be completely aware of

Sorry for going on so much but thanks in advance

the first step would be to see if you can buy your own and site it on the park, so you need to ask the site ownere/manager. there is likely to be a charge for bringing your own on site though (some sites are offering cheaper rates at the mo, for a van transfer to their site)

otherwise you will have to buy from the site or from someone on the site selling. either way the site owners will take a cut of some sort, but you need to ask the site owner/manager, although the cost of a private sale might seem a lot cheaper, there may still be an additional fee payable for changing the owners name!

(you might have got the idea by now!!)

there is really only one rule, and that is that the site owner/manager make the rules!!!

dave

Look very carefully into the costs involved with a static - we've just gone from a tourer to a static as it suits us, but we've gone into it with our eyes wide open regarding the costs and benefits/drawbacks.  A static is NEVER an investment - it doesn't matter how well you look after it, you are always going to lose a lot of money if you decide to sell it, so think of the purchase price as money you will never see again.  Check what's included in your site-fees, so you can include other costs (gas, electricity, insurance, etc) in your calculations.  Get a copy of the terms and conditions from the site and go over them very carefully - query anything you don't understand, and get any verbal agreements in writing.  For some really detailed advice, google 'static caravans' and find a dedicated forum - there's some extremely knowledgable people out there willing to share their experience.

I know that all sounds negative, but it's not meant to be - buying a static caravan is a BIG expenditure and deserves at least as much thought as you would put into buying a house (at least with a house, if you decide you've made the wrong decision, you stand a fighthing chance of making your money back on the sale - not so with a static). 

Having said all that, we LOVE our static (we have only had the keys for 3 weeks, and have spent those 3 weeks wondering why on earth we didn't do this years ago!), and we know it was the right decision for us.  If you do go down the static route, enjoy every minute of it.

Paula, we did what you are thinking of, bought a van and found a site that would accpet it, actually, we found the site first, VERY IMPORTANT!!

however we bought a second hand van in the uk and shipped it over to a site in france on the vendee that (still) accepts vans onto the site, so long as they are not too old and are in good condition. they charge 1500 euros (i think) and annual fees are around 2010 euros for a 200sqm plot, which is BIG!.

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/reviews.asp?revid=6561

there is no age restriction on the vans once on site, just so long as they are kept in good condition, washed externally at least once per year.

the total cost 5 years ago was under 13k but then we added decking and a 'posh' shed (which we use a utility room, fitted out with washing machine, fridge freezer, cupbpards etc).

because we found a really good van (after months of looking) we would still get ALL our money back judging by the prices of vans for sale on the site, so your purchase may not be a 'sack of money' thrown away after all, so long as you dont go overboard on your initial outlay. if you buy a good second hand van and place it on a pitch, i would suggest its already worth more than you paid for it. the french holiday season starts in july so if you cant use it then, you could always offer it to the site for them to rent out and get some money back?

i think statics are a like cars, if you buy brand new they lose money immediately, but if you buy second hand they tend to hold their value a bit better. but you do need to make sure you buy a good condition static, not the CHEAPEST!!

sites that accept second hand vans are becoming rarer and harder to find, (i think i saw one on here in brittany not so long ago, a uk owner site, so check that out aswell?). so if you find somewhere think hard and long about not taking the opportunity if it presents itself.

you might not even need to sell your tourer, there are a few tourers stored on site where we are. at least 2 of them are 'pitched' during the summer holidays, saving on fuel/ferries etc and it means you can use the base for touring from if you had a static. i am sure lots of other family run/farm type sites offer something similar

sad as it is, there are many people selling their very good condition vans because they cant afford them for various reasons. i live by the seaside (with around 10 big campsites around and two large second hand 'sellers') so i do see them advertised locally etc. site fees can be around £5k in the uk - wheras we only pay 2010 euros. of course we cant use it as a weekender, but the in laws are retired so they spend 2/3 months there and we spend all school holidays there, so it doesnt get left empty from spring to autumn. the site is actually open 12 months of the year and some brits (there are only 5 or 6 on site) stay there for around 8-9 months.

many continental vans dont have the same comfort of uk vans, they tend to have the foam square seats etc, which is another reason we wanted a uk van. we also had all the worktops and sink changed prior to shipping - free of charge (i just provided the materials)

as scampi said, if you do buy, ENJOY

if you need any more info, just ask

dave